Poll: Can girls be otaku?
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While I can't speak for reality, I would say... Some people in japan definitely think so.
Why do I say this?
Because 'otaku girls' show up in anime series sometimes, (and are referred to as such).
Case in point, Ouron high school host club.
Renge Houshakuji - is described as an otaku by Kyoya not too long after first showing up.
I've seen similar characters either being referred to as Otaku, or calling themselves that in other series as well.
(another candidate that comes to mind, though I don't recall if anyone in the series called her an otaku. - they did call her a a hikikomori though is Kona Furugoori from robotics;notes)
(one of the maIn characters from bamboo blade also comes to mind)
In any event, while that's fiction, the existence of fictional examples imply the existence of the real thing as well.
Though, of course, the Japanese understanding of what an otaku is, compared to the western idea of it don't nessesarily match either.
Then there's the whole thing which still seems to persist that 'nerd/geek girls' are incredibly rare in general...
Which then rather counterintuitively led to the idea that we don't exist at all, and surely, therefore anyone that seems to be one is faking it for some... Reason. >_>
All I know is, we exist. Wether anyone would call us an otaku or geek or nerd or whatever to our face, I'm not really sure.
Especially if it isn't immediately obvious from the kind of clothes you're wearing, or anything else about you... Why would it even occur to anyone?
Anyway... I think they definitely exist in fiction. And I know they exist in reality. (even if people don't always openly refer to them as such)
I can definitely compile a long list of fictional female characters that meet the criteria. It's more of a challenge finding ones explicitly being described as Otaku though.
Why do I say this?
Because 'otaku girls' show up in anime series sometimes, (and are referred to as such).
Case in point, Ouron high school host club.
Renge Houshakuji - is described as an otaku by Kyoya not too long after first showing up.
I've seen similar characters either being referred to as Otaku, or calling themselves that in other series as well.
(another candidate that comes to mind, though I don't recall if anyone in the series called her an otaku. - they did call her a a hikikomori though is Kona Furugoori from robotics;notes)
(one of the maIn characters from bamboo blade also comes to mind)
In any event, while that's fiction, the existence of fictional examples imply the existence of the real thing as well.
Though, of course, the Japanese understanding of what an otaku is, compared to the western idea of it don't nessesarily match either.
Then there's the whole thing which still seems to persist that 'nerd/geek girls' are incredibly rare in general...
Which then rather counterintuitively led to the idea that we don't exist at all, and surely, therefore anyone that seems to be one is faking it for some... Reason. >_>
All I know is, we exist. Wether anyone would call us an otaku or geek or nerd or whatever to our face, I'm not really sure.
Especially if it isn't immediately obvious from the kind of clothes you're wearing, or anything else about you... Why would it even occur to anyone?
Anyway... I think they definitely exist in fiction. And I know they exist in reality. (even if people don't always openly refer to them as such)
I can definitely compile a long list of fictional female characters that meet the criteria. It's more of a challenge finding ones explicitly being described as Otaku though.
Why would you ever want to be called an otaku? In Japan, that word holds the same meaning as "no-life loser". Otaku are looked down upon. If I could travel back in time to my middle school years, when I did call myself an otaku, I'd slap myself over the head and tell me to
That said, of course girls can be otaku.
That said, of course girls can be otaku.
Yes, girls and women can be anything they want to be in this brave new world of ours!
Serious answer: yes. I even know a few "otaku" girls who are every bit as nerdy and as reclusive as the most neckbeardiest of basement dwellers. But they are never referred to as such as far as I know.
I guess though it's still common to think of "loser geeks" and otaku as male, women and men just ain't treated the same in media and in real life, and it manifests in all sorts of subtle ways.
People can quite happily refer to people in comic cons and such as losers in fedoras and we all know they are talking about men. But when it's a geek girl being talked negatively, chances are it'll be more about if she is a "fake gamer girl", an "attention whore" or being judged on her attractiveness more then it will be about her wasting her life playing games or obsessing about dungeons and dragons. Yeah I'm not being too eloquent but I really do feel both genders play by different rules here and are judged accordingly. Guys are rarely going to be challenged about their geekiness whereas gals might have to "prove" themselves somehow and show that they are very much otaku.
People just don't seem to want to believe girls can be every bit as much of a "loser" as a guy can be I guess, that's my 2 cents theory anyways.
Serious answer: yes. I even know a few "otaku" girls who are every bit as nerdy and as reclusive as the most neckbeardiest of basement dwellers. But they are never referred to as such as far as I know.
I guess though it's still common to think of "loser geeks" and otaku as male, women and men just ain't treated the same in media and in real life, and it manifests in all sorts of subtle ways.
People can quite happily refer to people in comic cons and such as losers in fedoras and we all know they are talking about men. But when it's a geek girl being talked negatively, chances are it'll be more about if she is a "fake gamer girl", an "attention whore" or being judged on her attractiveness more then it will be about her wasting her life playing games or obsessing about dungeons and dragons. Yeah I'm not being too eloquent but I really do feel both genders play by different rules here and are judged accordingly. Guys are rarely going to be challenged about their geekiness whereas gals might have to "prove" themselves somehow and show that they are very much otaku.
People just don't seem to want to believe girls can be every bit as much of a "loser" as a guy can be I guess, that's my 2 cents theory anyways.
To be fair, the same could be said for the terms "geek" and "nerd" until fairly recently(and of course they're still used as an insult in some circles). It's probably only been in the last couple of decades that we've really started owning those terms.Twintix said:Why would you ever want to be called an otaku? In Japan, that word holds the same meaning as "no-life loser". Otaku are looked down upon. If I could travel back in time to my middle school years, when I did call myself an otaku, I'd slap myself over the head and tell me to
That said, of course girls can be otaku.
Of course!
But you might want to look up other terms as well.
Or, you could qualify for multiple terms!
Equality for all ... [sub][sub]Especially for basement slaves, yay~[/sub][/sub]
Apart from that, I don't really see why the term "otaku" is good.
In the East, it seems to be placed in a more negative context.
While in the West it seems to be more positive, and more used for anime fans.
To be honest, I just want to be kept away from it. I'd like to be seen more as a "enthusiast" than anything.
But you might want to look up other terms as well.
Or, you could qualify for multiple terms!
Equality for all ... [sub][sub]Especially for basement slaves, yay~[/sub][/sub]
Apart from that, I don't really see why the term "otaku" is good.
In the East, it seems to be placed in a more negative context.
While in the West it seems to be more positive, and more used for anime fans.
To be honest, I just want to be kept away from it. I'd like to be seen more as a "enthusiast" than anything.
The term is gender neutral, so yes, women can be Otaku.
Though I have seen some refer to female Otaku as 'Fujoshi' (trash woman), which maybe says more about them than the female otaku.
Though I have seen some refer to female Otaku as 'Fujoshi' (trash woman), which maybe says more about them than the female otaku.
Well the French also use Nipon instead of Japan, which is the real name of the country. So I'm not too suprised. Montreal kicks ass btw. I'll visit there again some day.Zontar said:
In terms of the definition of the word, an enthusiast for japanese entertainment, yeah, totally.
In terms of the rhetoric, I never really thought about, I think it can but mainly because I'm not sure how well another term would stick.
In terms of the rhetoric, I never really thought about, I think it can but mainly because I'm not sure how well another term would stick.
I'm fairly certain there's no requirement for the existence of a cock and balls for someone to call themselves an Otaku. So I'm inclined to say, yes, they can.
