Nov. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Masaya Taniguchi has a ``heartache'' plastered across the hood of his flaming red Audi AG TT Roadster.

Her name is Mashiro Mito, a teenage character from his favorite computer game with melancholic eyes and pink ribbons in chestnut hair. Taniguchi, 28, is an ``otaku,'' a Japanese term for nerd, who combines a passion for cars with affection for cartoon girls in ``manga'' comic books, movies and video games.

``I love cars and I love computer games, and this is a natural way to combine the two,'' said Taniguchi, who this week attended a gathering of fellow otaku on Tokyo's Odaiba island.

Marginalized by society for their eccentricity, otaku like Taniguchi say they're emboldened by Taro Aso's election as prime minister in September. Aso, a manga fan, has championed Japan's animation industry, which has annual sales of as much as 3 trillion yen ($31.4 billion) including comic books, video games and merchandise, according to Keisuke Murakami, director of media contents at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Taniguchi's Audi was among 430 vehicles decorated with car- length stickers at an event on Odaiba on Nov. 9, including a 24 million yen ($245,000) Lamborghini SpA Gallardo plastered with a purple-haired heroine of a computer game called MUV-LUV Alternative. Two cartoon girls in miniskirts bared their midriffs on the hood of a 26 million yen Ferrari SpA F430 Spider.

The cars on display are called ``itasha,'' originally Japanese slang for Italian cars, with ``sha'' meaning car. In the otaku world, ``ita'' refers to the ``pain'' felt by outside observers of the offending artwork.

`Almost Cried'

Maurizio Raffone, a director at Dresdner Kleinwort (Japan) Ltd., feels the pain. ``As an Italian, and a car guy, living in Japan, I have to say, I almost cried when I saw the photos'' of manga-adorned cars, he said.

Prime Minister Aso, known among otaku as ``Rozen Aso'' because of his love of the comic book series ``Rozen Maiden,'' has held political rallies in Akihabara, Tokyo's nerd center for Japanese anime, electronics and video games.

Aso returned to Akihabara on Oct. 26 to give a speech and appear on a talk show with cartoonists.

``I would like to tell all of you unabashed anime nerds out there that your subculture has spread throughout Asia as the window on Japan,'' he said on an earlier visit in 2006.

A gift shop called ``Oretachi no Taro'' or ``Our Taro'' opened in Akihabara in September, calling him a ``cool old dude.''

``Having someone at the top who doesn't look at manga and otaku in a derogatory way and doesn't think of them as repulsive is a good thing,'' said Taniguchi, the Audi owner, who works in information security at NTT Communications Corp. in Tokyo.

New Otaku

Tokyo University scholar Patrick Galbraith says otaku indulge a childish hobby in an unproductive way to the detriment of their social responsibility. The popular image of the group is of reclusive individuals, venturing out only to pick up the latest comic books or computer games.

Taniguchi -- in slim black jeans, black shirt, black blazer with black i-Phone -- and other itasha owners say that image is out of date.

``I consider myself a member of the new generation of otaku,'' said Akira Murakami, 26, who owns a Mitsubishi Motors Corp. Mirage compact, plastered with 11 female characters from a video game called ``Idol Master.''

Galbraith, who is writing an encyclopedia on all things otaku for Kodansha International, says the growth of the itasha community signals otaku reaching out and seeking affirmation as the culture becomes less stigmatized.

``With the weaker economy, society is less appealing to conform to and is more tolerant of otaku behavior,'' he said.

Painful

Koyo Yamamoto, 34-year-old owner of an Internet server maintenance company, said he owns seven cars, including a Nissan Motor Co. Skyline GT-R sports car, which he spends 400,000 yen a year on for stickers.

The itasha ``industry is not easily swayed by the economy,'' said Hirohiko Yoshida, 41, owner of the Lamborghini and president of Acid Co., a game software company. ``People will cut out wasteful spending and pay for the things they really want.''

Vehicle sales in Japan excluding minicars dropped for a third straight month in October, led by Toyota Motor Corp.'s 14 percent decline and Nissan's 20 percent plunge.

``The auto industry is facing hard times, but I don't think there is a movement that is as hot and growing as this one,'' said Tomohisa Shimizu of Geibunsha, which publishes Itasha Graphics magazine and organized the gathering.

Makoto Yagami, a 21-year-old part-time worker, says he spends 80 percent of his income on his Nissan 180 sports car, souped up with Boss speakers and drifter artwork. ``I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I want to live and work hard for myself right now,'' he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Makiko Kitamura in Tokyo at mkitamura1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 13, 2008 20:48 EST