Poll: Can girls be otaku?

[Fox12]

That would be a resounding yes. One of the biggest Otaku I've ever met was female. She certainly embodied all the negative stereotypes, personality wise. In fact, the female otaku's in my high School were far more flamboyant. Another girl showed up in a full body cat girl outfit. A bad one. I like me some anime, but even I found it cringeworthy...

I'm using the far more negative Japanese definition, of course.

Incidentally, Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei did have a female hakikimori, which I believe was worse. She was also a stalker. Hilarity ensued.

 

[Artina89]

Yes, a girl can be an Otaku, but I always thought that (in Japan at least) that it was some sort of insult, so I personally wouldn't want to be referred to as one, even though I am a female that enjoys anime and manga, but then again, I could be wrong on the insult part.

 

[Foolery]

Yes... but, only because I learned of that word from Konata herself... (She's an inspiration to us all...)

Other than that, I just call my self a "Nerdtaku" because two words are better than one when you mashed them together...

What kind of hot sauce do you like on your Nerdtacos? I like tabasco, with a bit of cool ranch.

 

[Riot3000]

Ah yes they can. Otaku is just a way of saying anime fan or nerd or what ever it is interchangable. They can call themselves weeaboo's for all I care last I checked otaku had no reason to be gender specific except when people are being dinguses.

I mean if want to get numbers last I checked manga in comparison to your standard american comics has a much higher lady fanbase and sometimes it can out number dudes.

I say I am an otaku and some other person can too no big.

I am also aware that is a suppose to be a negative term but skip that noise your an anime fan and enthusiast as far as I am concerned.

 

[happyninja42]

Well yeah, I can't think of a single good reason why not. Shit... that's about all I got. Guess now I'll just complain how I really dislike when people not from Japan refer to themselves as one. The word is called a nerd here in these parts.

Otakus are more meganerds and megafans rolled together, usually with a very targeted interest range. So regular nerd just fails to cover it.

I think a more accurate way of saying that is that otaku are nerds with a distinctive Japanese/manga focused interest. Every time I've heard the term nerd or geek defined, they are used to describe someone with a rabid fascination and fixation on a single subject, or cluster of similar subjects. Star Wars, or Star Trek, for example. Otaku is just the manga flavored term for the same thing to me. It's like saying someone is a Trekkie. In act and behavior, I'd bet they are identical to most otaku, but their obsession is instead Star Trek, instead of manga/anime.

 

[Chefsbrian]

Trust me, they can be Otaku. I'm dating one, so I can assure you of their existence.

 

[FPLOON]

Yes... but, only because I learned of that word from Konata herself... (She's an inspiration to us all...)

Other than that, I just call my self a "Nerdtaku" because two words are better than one when you mashed them together...

What kind of hot sauce do you like on your Nerdtacos? I like tabasco, with a bit of cool ranch.

I do some me some geek sauce, if I do say so myself... But, I ain't picky on that shit, anyway...

 

[Lufia Erim]

Because when girls do it it's cute. When guys do it it's weird. Or at least to the eyes of outsiders.

Obviously the right answer on these forums is anyone can be an otaku because we live in a vacuum.

 

[Hoplon]

Because when girls do it it's cute. When guys do it it's weird. Or at least to the eyes of outsiders.

Obviously the right answer on these forums is anyone can be an otaku because we live in a vacuum.

really? not because it basically implies creepy levels of obsession and that is something both sexes are totally capable of?

 

[Lunar Templar]

what kinda silly question is that.

of course they can.

 

[darkcalling]

My ex-roommate was about as big an Otaku that I ever met. I think I can count on one hand the number of times i saw her watching anything that wasn't anime or South Korean sitcoms. She was also constantly singing anime theme songs and j-pop (rather off key IMO. She really didn't have the vocal range she thought she did.) she didn't collect merch though due to lack of money. And while she was a gamer the only things I ever saw her play were CoD: Black Ops 2, Destiny, Minecraft, and Diablo 3 (though that one was a failed attempt to get a full apartment playthrough going which failed miserably).

Not criticizing her gaming choices (well ok maybe a little) but still a little odd to me that I never once saw her playing a game from japan when pretty much everything else she seemed interested in was as stated above.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Well yeah, I can't think of a single good reason why not. Shit... that's about all I got. Guess now I'll just complain how I really dislike when people not from Japan refer to themselves as one. The word is called a nerd here in these parts.

Otakus are more meganerds and megafans rolled together, usually with a very targeted interest range. So regular nerd just fails to cover it.

Pulled from Wikipedia.

Otaku- is a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests

Geek- be or become extremely excited or enthusiastic about a subject, typically one of specialist or minority interest.

No mention of megafan or meganerd in Otaku on wikipedia. Seems like its a way for Japanese obsessed people to attempt to relate more to their culture in my book.

Words can have different meanings when they are co opted by other cultures.

Anime - derived from the English word 'animation'. When borrowed back by English, specifically refers to Japanese animation.

Hentai - means pervert in Japan. When borrowed by English it refers to Japanese erotic comics/animation.

Following that trend, since Otaku means nerd in Japanese, the term adopted by English would mean someone who is a nerd specifically about Japanese things.

EDIT: Forgot to address the OP.
OT:

Spoiler: Yes.

 

[Victim of Progress]

I think the thing that you're describing is a hikikomori. And I sorta have to agree with you. I've never seen any women who actually were hikkis. Maybe they're just incredibly rare.

 

[Ariseishirou]

Yes, obviously.

There is a special term for female otaku who are mostly obsessed with yaoi/BL anime and games, though: fujoshi.

 

[Little Woodsman]

Otaku is more or less exclusively reserved for Japanese people. Like Elfgore said, the word is nerd. Or geek. Or anime nerd, anime geek, if you want to be specific.

I don't know about other places, but here in Montreal Otaku is used for anime lovers the same way Gamer is for core gamers or Trekkies is for Star Trek fans.

Pretty much the same here in Colorado.

A couple of years ago someone asked me what an Otaku was and after a few moments thought I replied "Well around here it refers to American nerds who wish that we were Japanese nerds."

 

[Someone Depressing]

Yeah, sure.

The term's original meaning is akin to someone who wastes their life on fiction out of fear of reality (which everyone suffers, of course, but otakus to a medically worrying extent) and I don't see why this couldn't happen to women.

Then again, Japan doesn't hold the same standards to women as it does men - name a society that doesn't - and "otaku" is already a very subjective and offensive term in Japan, so there's no concrete answer.

 

[infohippie]

Yes, of course they can. I have seen several anime series where a girl has specifically described herself as such, even. Though "otaku" means more than simply a fan of something. It carries connotations of social inability and is more akin to calling someone a neckbearded basement dweller.

Hentai - means pervert in Japan.

Well... Not exactly. It actually means "variant" or "alternative" and can be applied to people to imply "pervert".
Interestingly, the Japanese have also adopted the term "ecchi", which is simply a Japanese way of saying the English letter "H", but in this case it stands for "Hentai" and carries the connotations of the western use of "hentai" rather than the Japanese use.

This is not a meaningful question OP, the term already applies equally to both genders and never carried other connotations or meanings. You might as well ask if a woman or man can be a "Fan" in English.

Do you always come across as so judgemental and combative? "That is not a meaningful question," how rude! What's wrong with saying "Of course they can"?

 

[RedRockRun]

Why not? Girls can be just as socially awkward and inept as guys! XD