[e3323]

I've been a fan of anime since i was like 10 or 11 and have been going to anime conventions since i was 14 (im almost 21 now).

Im no fool, i know that, like any fandom/hobby/scene theres going to be more guys into it than girls.

Its a fact that at least 10 percent of anime con goers are female, maybe even up to 15 percent. But the VAST majority of these girls are age 12-15. There seems to be VERY few female anime fans over the age of 18. However there seems to be NO shortage of male anime fans 18+.

Why is this?

Is there a lack of anime geared twords 18+ female anime fans? Or are 18+ females simply not interested?

Im guessing its the latter of the two because i've even met more guys into shojo anime (sailor moon, fruits basket, etc.) than girls into said anime.

Whats your opinion.

[TheEndOfAllThingsGreenII]

I would bet its the same reason for the lack of girl gamers: their simply not interested, Hell I'm a guy and I only just got interested a month ago, when I finally bit the bullet, and said what the hell, im bored, why not?

I think their no interested because its a common misconception that all anime is like the **** they show on Cartoon network. What really pisses me off is when people refer to them as cartoons. I know their animations, but when I think of cartoons, I think of the **** thats on TV every day on kid's channels. I know this sounds ridiculous but anime, in my view is 'animation for more mature audiances' not cartoons.

thats what the bitch my roommate likes keeps calling them, and its one of the many reasons why I hate her.

[Issitheus]

I know one female anime fan, around my age (14)

and on a somewhat related note, I've noticed that a vast majoriy of the members here are 14. strange.

[NameBasics]

Well... I got my cousin's into it and they're over the age of 18. They slowly are moving away from it though, 'cause all that's coming out is either dumb **** or good stuff that is hard to find. And they don't have internet, a really good source for it. I took a laptop to their house last time I went, showed them AMV Hell 4, and they loved it. They were laughing the whole time. Yeah. It's probably just a disinterest, though... Sadly... Maybe because of said "cartoons" or females in them just seem to be their to get guys attention. Maybe they just never thought of looking into it. Oh the greatness some people will just never see...

[e3323]

Also i would like to add something else. The few girls that ARE at anime conventions arn't even into anime/video games.

Nearly every girl i've talked to that cosplays as someone from any given anime/video game has admitted they have never even seen the anime or played the game their character is from.

Im guessing that its because they saw a little bit of it with their boyfriend or one of their male friends, she thought the character was cute, then the boyfriend or male friend bought the cosplay for her and paid for her to get into the convention.

The fact that whenever you see a girl at an anime convention shes always surrounded guys (or is with 1 guy minimium) supports this theory.

[oppdis]

I know a girl who's a dedicated otaku. She's only around sixteen, though. Still, chances are that she'll join that group in a couple of years.

-oppdis

[TheEndOfAllThingsGreen]

my sister seems to enjoy it, and she has collected a small heard of newbs in the high school that I think watch it too. therefor maybe girls don't want to watch anime, because they will turn into noobherders.

[Arden Jace]

I only have two really good friends who are into anime, one of which is a girl. However, said girl is also gay, and is really into yaoi. She also more or less runs the anime club at our school herself, and the majority of members are female. However, half of those said females are either also into the same sex, or just asexual. I'm not trying to turn this into a sexual issue, to be honest, it just seems that way.

I've also noticed that, at least locally, there is a severe lack of male cosplayers. That, or all of the pictures this friend of mine takes are of girls. It just seems like, locally, only girls cosplay; when guys do, it seems like they were forced into it. For example, next year, this same friend of mine is insisting that I go to our local convention as Kyon from Haruhi Suzumiya, while she goes as Haruhi herself. I'm not too thrilled about it, because I've never been one for get-ups and such, but that's just me. Perhaps, locally, there just aren't many male anime fans in general, which is odd, because the genre definitely caters to a male audience. I imagine a lot of girls are turned-off to anime because of the blatant fan-service that a lot of series are known for.


EDIT: It wouldn't let me say l*sbian, for some reason, so just put that into my reply where you deem necessary.

[Corpsegoddess]

Well, I'm a full-on dork and have been pretty much since birth. I started watching anime at about age 7 or 8. I've been drawing since nearly around that time and wanted to illustrate for Heavy Metal (I was also the only girl I knew that read the magazine as well). My parents bought me Pong when it came out, and I played that until we got an Intellivision in about 1981 or so. I played D & D from about age 12 on. I was vice-president and then president of my high school Latin club for 3 years. I go to Ren Faires.

I'm now a 35-year-old female totally into anime, fantasy, illustration---and oh yeah, I consider myself a gamer. Not a girl gamer, or a girl anime fan---just me.

I think one reason is that like most of society, stuff is divided up between genders and people are afraid to (or afraid to let their kids) "cross" that gender line. Like, I LOVED Star Wars when it came out (yes, I was FIVE at the time, I'm old) and my parents didn't care that I was more interested in running around with Han Solo's blaster shooting at my brother and trading robots with him than I was in playing with the Princess Leia doll I had.

I've never defined myself by the fact that I'm female, just by the fact that I'm me. And so there are a lot of us out here (the type of girl you're describing, and I understand what you're getting at), we just don't trumpet our existence as such because that's our whole point. We're dorks, otaku, anime and gaming fans first---we just happen to be female.

[Corpsegoddess]

I only have two really good friends who are into anime, one of which is a girl. However, said girl is also gay, and is really into yaoi. She also more or less runs the anime club at our school herself, and the majority of members are female. However, half of those said females are either also into the same sex, or just asexual. I'm not trying to turn this into a sexual issue, to be honest, it just seems that way.

I've also noticed that, at least locally, there is a severe lack of male cosplayers. That, or all of the pictures this friend of mine takes are of girls. It just seems like, locally, only girls cosplay; when guys do, it seems like they were forced into it. For example, next year, this same friend of mine is insisting that I go to our local convention as Kyon from Haruhi Suzumiya, while she goes as Haruhi herself. I'm not too thrilled about it, because I've never been one for get-ups and such, but that's just me. Perhaps, locally, there just aren't many male anime fans in general, which is odd, because the genre definitely caters to a male audience. I imagine a lot of girls are turned-off to anime because of the blatant fan-service that a lot of series are known for.


EDIT: It wouldn't let me say l*sbian, for some reason, so just put that into my reply where you deem necessary.


I don't like hentai (but then again, I don't like regular pr0n either), but I totally don't mind fan service. And honestly, women are a lot more open about finding other women attractive and still considering themselves "straight" than guys are. I mean, I have a husband and I have a HUGE girl-crush on Kusanagi, Rushuna Tendo and Revy. And yet I absolutely adore bishonen and yaoi.

Go figure.

[Arden Jace]

And honestly, women are a lot more open about finding other women attractive and still considering themselves "straight" than guys are.

I totally agree with this. A lot of people, especially men, don't see a difference between finding someone attractive and recognizing that someone is attractive. Example: I know a lot of women (and gay men) find Brad Pitt attractive, but I am not personally attracted to him (usually). And, to be frank, milder yaoi can be pretty damn funny at times.

As far as crossing the gender line is concerned: Personally, I don't read manga ever, but the only series I've ever read was Angel Sanctuary. Weird, huh?

[thedarkmessenger]

And honestly, women are a lot more open about finding other women attractive and still considering themselves "straight" than guys are.
[/quote]
They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be. Only animals have the ability to feel it nowadays...and it is against both my religion and my morals to marry outside of my species...guess the world really is forsaken after all.

[jopojelly]

They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be.

...Aren't you bending the definition of love? If you think "I love you" is something people should only say to spouses or lovers, then I feel sorry for all your close friends, parents, and future children.

As a straight man, I'm perfectly fine in hugging another guy when we are saying goodbye.


I know some girl fans, and they're straight, but they don't get dates because either they initially became fans in the bordom of their failing social life, or because guys are scared off by their constant talk about their favorite "animes".

And anime in gereral is a chauvanistic male dominated medium that sees females as objects, not people. I doubt any girl with any self-esteem would put up with it for long enough to become an anime fan. (i.e. pretty/popular/straight girls)

Most the anime aimed at females is aimed at young girls, not even teenagers yet.

[TheEndOfAllThingsGreen]

As a straight man, I'm perfectly fine in hugging another guy when we are saying goodbye.
Thats odd. I just say Bye. or give em a handshake. Not one for physial contact with total strangers.

I deduct that since you don't do what I do, your wierd.

[Corpsegoddess]

They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be.

...Aren't you bending the definition of love? If you think "I love you" is something people should only say to spouses or lovers, then I feel sorry for all your close friends, parents, and future children.

As a straight man, I'm perfectly fine in hugging another guy when we are saying goodbye.


I know some girl fans, and they're straight, but they don't get dates because either they initially became fans in the bordom of their failing social life, or because guys are scared off by their constant talk about their favorite "animes".

And anime in gereral is a chauvanistic male dominated medium that sees females as objects, not people. I doubt any girl with any self-esteem would put up with it for long enough to become an anime fan. (i.e. pretty/popular/straight girls)

Most the anime aimed at females is aimed at young girls, not even teenagers yet.


And yet isn't it chauvinistic of you to assume that a.) girls can't operate in and/or enjoy something in a "male-dominated medium"? b.) us girls who *do* like anime and whatnot aren't "pretty/popular/straight"?

I mean, if you're gonna start slapping labels on things, I've always been much more of a "guy" than most women I know. I don't have or partake in a lot of the stereotypical (but unfortunately predominant) female traits and interests. I've always had more guy friends that girl. And as it stands now, my best girl friend is even more of an anime nerd than I am.

[jopojelly]

As a straight man, I'm perfectly fine in hugging another guy when we are saying goodbye.
Thats odd. I just say Bye. or give em a handshake. Not one for physial contact with total strangers.

I deduct that since you don't do what I do, your wierd.

I guess I should've said that the guy is one of my best friends and we've been roommates at college together for 2 semesters.





And anime in gereral is a chauvanistic male dominated medium that sees females as objects, not people. I doubt any girl with any self-esteem would put up with it for long enough to become an anime fan. (i.e. pretty/popular/straight girls)

Most the anime aimed at females is aimed at young girls, not even teenagers yet.


And yet isn't it chauvinistic of you to assume that a.) girls can't operate in and/or enjoy something in a "male-dominated medium"? b.) us girls who *do* like anime and whatnot aren't "pretty/popular/straight"?

I mean, if you're gonna start slapping labels on things, I've always been much more of a "guy" than most women I know. I don't have or partake in a lot of the stereotypical (but unfortunately predominant) female traits and interests. I've always had more guy friends that girl. And as it stands now, my best girl friend is even more of an anime nerd than I am.


I said that I doubted that a girl would put up with it, not that they couldn't. You obviously could. You probably didn't become a fan of anime because your first anime was Love Hina or some other harem anime, you were probably exposed to something better.

What I'm saying is that the way anime is outside of Japan from my perspective is that it is repulsive to women.

I'm just stating my observations, not my beliefs.

[yagsnave]

One possible explanation is the lack of exposure that series aimed at 18+ women have here. They outgrow shojo and since there isn't really anything aimed at their demographic they drift off. I'm a 22 year old male though, so you can take my speculation with a grain of salt.

[TheEndOfAllThingsGreen]

What I'm saying is that the way anime is outside of Japan from my perspective is that it is repulsive to women.

Well Based on my obvervations I wouldn't say its repulsive, I think most girld/women veiw anime more like cartoons, then something worthwhile... in the US anyways.

[thedarkmessenger]

They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be.

...Aren't you bending the definition of love? How nice of you to judge me based on you're assumptions. I guess I failed to mention something, I have the soul of a dragon, so I know what REAL love is.If you think "I love you" is something people should only say to spouses or lovers, then I feel sorry for all your close friends, parents, and future children And when exactly did I say this? Again, thank you for judging me based on your assumptions.

Being a dragon, I also have a general, deep hatred towards humans, and I know of no other people with the right soul in the wrong body, so I SEVERELY doubt I'll ever get married and have kids. And why the hell should I say that three word phrase to a parent that never says it to me, nor ever shows it? And as for my close friends...they all left and/or betrayed me. I have no friends, close or otherwise...except on the internet, where I can pretend to be one of them.

[jopojelly]

They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be.

...Aren't you bending the definition of love? How nice of you to judge me based on you're assumptions. I guess I failed to mention something, I have the soul of a dragon, so I know what REAL love is.If you think "I love you" is something people should only say to spouses or lovers, then I feel sorry for all your close friends, parents, and future children And when exactly did I say this? Again, thank you for judging me based on your assumptions.

Being a dragon, I also have a general, deep hatred towards humans, and I know of no other people with the right soul in the wrong body, so I SEVERELY doubt I'll ever get married and have kids. And why the hell should I say that three word phrase to a parent that never says it to me, nor ever shows it? And as for my close friends...they all left and/or betrayed me. I have no friends, close or otherwise...except on the internet, where I can pretend to be one of them.

um, yeah, ok, I knew someone like you back in high school, she came to school everyday dressed as a dog. She refused to believe that she was human also. (hey, she was also an anime fan, maybe one day the two of you could meet and have little doggon children, heh.)

[thedarkmessenger]

They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be.

...Aren't you bending the definition of love? How nice of you to judge me based on you're assumptions. I guess I failed to mention something, I have the soul of a dragon, so I know what REAL love is.If you think "I love you" is something people should only say to spouses or lovers, then I feel sorry for all your close friends, parents, and future children And when exactly did I say this? Again, thank you for judging me based on your assumptions.

Being a dragon, I also have a general, deep hatred towards humans, and I know of no other people with the right soul in the wrong body, so I SEVERELY doubt I'll ever get married and have kids. And why the hell should I say that three word phrase to a parent that never says it to me, nor ever shows it? And as for my close friends...they all left and/or betrayed me. I have no friends, close or otherwise...except on the internet, where I can pretend to be one of them.

um, yeah, ok, I knew someone like you back in high school, she came to school everyday dressed as a dog. She refused to believe that she was human also. (hey, she was also an anime fan, maybe one day the two of you could meet and have little doggon children, heh.)

*sigh* again with the judging based on assumptions. Listen, I don't DRESS like a dragon, I have the SOUL of a dragon. There is a HUGE difference.

[Arden Jace]

They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be.

...Aren't you bending the definition of love? How nice of you to judge me based on you're assumptions. I guess I failed to mention something, I have the soul of a dragon, so I know what REAL love is.If you think "I love you" is something people should only say to spouses or lovers, then I feel sorry for all your close friends, parents, and future children And when exactly did I say this? Again, thank you for judging me based on your assumptions.

Being a dragon, I also have a general, deep hatred towards humans, and I know of no other people with the right soul in the wrong body, so I SEVERELY doubt I'll ever get married and have kids. And why the hell should I say that three word phrase to a parent that never says it to me, nor ever shows it? And as for my close friends...they all left and/or betrayed me. I have no friends, close or otherwise...except on the internet, where I can pretend to be one of them.

um, yeah, ok, I knew someone like you back in high school, she came to school everyday dressed as a dog. She refused to believe that she was human also. (hey, she was also an anime fan, maybe one day the two of you could meet and have little doggon children, heh.)

*sigh* again with the judging based on assumptions. Listen, I don't DRESS like a dragon, I have the SOUL of a dragon. There is a HUGE difference.


Jopojelly, I suggest you not fight this one. Not even Freud could discern what's going on here.

[yagsnave]

They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be.

...Aren't you bending the definition of love? How nice of you to judge me based on you're assumptions. I guess I failed to mention something, I have the soul of a dragon, so I know what REAL love is.If you think "I love you" is something people should only say to spouses or lovers, then I feel sorry for all your close friends, parents, and future children And when exactly did I say this? Again, thank you for judging me based on your assumptions.

Being a dragon, I also have a general, deep hatred towards humans, and I know of no other people with the right soul in the wrong body, so I SEVERELY doubt I'll ever get married and have kids. And why the hell should I say that three word phrase to a parent that never says it to me, nor ever shows it? And as for my close friends...they all left and/or betrayed me. I have no friends, close or otherwise...except on the internet, where I can pretend to be one of them.

um, yeah, ok, I knew someone like you back in high school, she came to school everyday dressed as a dog. She refused to believe that she was human also. (hey, she was also an anime fan, maybe one day the two of you could meet and have little doggon children, heh.)

*sigh* again with the judging based on assumptions. Listen, I don't DRESS like a dragon, I have the SOUL of a dragon. There is a HUGE difference.


Jopojelly, I suggest you not fight this one. Not even Freud could discern what's going on here.


What we seem to have here is the soul of a dragon living in the body of a forum troll.

[jopojelly]

They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be.

...Aren't you bending the definition of love? How nice of you to judge me based on you're assumptions. I guess I failed to mention something, I have the soul of a dragon, so I know what REAL love is.If you think "I love you" is something people should only say to spouses or lovers, then I feel sorry for all your close friends, parents, and future children And when exactly did I say this? Again, thank you for judging me based on your assumptions.

Being a dragon, I also have a general, deep hatred towards humans, and I know of no other people with the right soul in the wrong body, so I SEVERELY doubt I'll ever get married and have kids. And why the hell should I say that three word phrase to a parent that never says it to me, nor ever shows it? And as for my close friends...they all left and/or betrayed me. I have no friends, close or otherwise...except on the internet, where I can pretend to be one of them.

um, yeah, ok, I knew someone like you back in high school, she came to school everyday dressed as a dog. She refused to believe that she was human also. (hey, she was also an anime fan, maybe one day the two of you could meet and have little doggon children, heh.)

*sigh* again with the judging based on assumptions. Listen, I don't DRESS like a dragon, I have the SOUL of a dragon. There is a HUGE difference.

I didn't assume that you dressed like a dragon, I said she was similar to you, as in you both think your something that your not. (dressing up as a dragon would be rediculous, am I right?)

Anyway, this was fun, but I'm gonna shut up here now.

[e3323]

Its not my place to speak for anyone but...

When he said he has the "soul of a dragon" he did'nt mean that literally. He was clearly saying that metaphorically, as in it was a figure of speech. Now im not exactly sure what it was a metaphor FOR, but im sure this person knows that dragons do not exist and that there is no soul of one which inhabits him.

[PeanutSteak]

They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be.

...Aren't you bending the definition of love? How nice of you to judge me based on you're assumptions. I guess I failed to mention something, I have the soul of a dragon, so I know what REAL love is.If you think "I love you" is something people should only say to spouses or lovers, then I feel sorry for all your close friends, parents, and future children And when exactly did I say this? Again, thank you for judging me based on your assumptions.

Being a dragon, I also have a general, deep hatred towards humans, and I know of no other people with the right soul in the wrong body, so I SEVERELY doubt I'll ever get married and have kids. And why the hell should I say that three word phrase to a parent that never says it to me, nor ever shows it? And as for my close friends...they all left and/or betrayed me. I have no friends, close or otherwise...except on the internet, where I can pretend to be one of them.

um, yeah, ok, I knew someone like you back in high school, she came to school everyday dressed as a dog. She refused to believe that she was human also. (hey, she was also an anime fan, maybe one day the two of you could meet and have little doggon children, heh.)

*sigh* again with the judging based on assumptions. Listen, I don't DRESS like a dragon, I have the SOUL of a dragon. There is a HUGE difference.


Jopojelly, I suggest you not fight this one. Not even Freud could discern what's going on here.


What we seem to have here is the soul of a dragon living in the body of a forum troll.

He was a man... he was dragon man... okay he was just a man.

[Corpsegoddess]

They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be.

...Aren't you bending the definition of love? How nice of you to judge me based on you're assumptions. I guess I failed to mention something, I have the soul of a dragon, so I know what REAL love is.If you think "I love you" is something people should only say to spouses or lovers, then I feel sorry for all your close friends, parents, and future children And when exactly did I say this? Again, thank you for judging me based on your assumptions.

Being a dragon, I also have a general, deep hatred towards humans, and I know of no other people with the right soul in the wrong body, so I SEVERELY doubt I'll ever get married and have kids. And why the hell should I say that three word phrase to a parent that never says it to me, nor ever shows it? And as for my close friends...they all left and/or betrayed me. I have no friends, close or otherwise...except on the internet, where I can pretend to be one of them.

um, yeah, ok, I knew someone like you back in high school, she came to school everyday dressed as a dog. She refused to believe that she was human also. (hey, she was also an anime fan, maybe one day the two of you could meet and have little doggon children, heh.)

*sigh* again with the judging based on assumptions. Listen, I don't DRESS like a dragon, I have the SOUL of a dragon. There is a HUGE difference.


Jopojelly, I suggest you not fight this one. Not even Freud could discern what's going on here.


What we seem to have here is the soul of a dragon living in the body of a forum troll.

He was a man... he was dragon man... okay he was just a man.


You win. End of this particular segue. ;D

[e3323]

They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be.

...Aren't you bending the definition of love? How nice of you to judge me based on you're assumptions. I guess I failed to mention something, I have the soul of a dragon, so I know what REAL love is.If you think "I love you" is something people should only say to spouses or lovers, then I feel sorry for all your close friends, parents, and future children And when exactly did I say this? Again, thank you for judging me based on your assumptions.

Being a dragon, I also have a general, deep hatred towards humans, and I know of no other people with the right soul in the wrong body, so I SEVERELY doubt I'll ever get married and have kids. And why the hell should I say that three word phrase to a parent that never says it to me, nor ever shows it? And as for my close friends...they all left and/or betrayed me. I have no friends, close or otherwise...except on the internet, where I can pretend to be one of them.

um, yeah, ok, I knew someone like you back in high school, she came to school everyday dressed as a dog. She refused to believe that she was human also. (hey, she was also an anime fan, maybe one day the two of you could meet and have little doggon children, heh.)

*sigh* again with the judging based on assumptions. Listen, I don't DRESS like a dragon, I have the SOUL of a dragon. There is a HUGE difference.


Jopojelly, I suggest you not fight this one. Not even Freud could discern what's going on here.


What we seem to have here is the soul of a dragon living in the body of a forum troll.

He was a man... he was dragon man... okay he was just a man.


i lol'd WIN!

Now i remember why i dont use forums that much...the topic of the thread changes very quickly and often, its crazy how we went from talking about the lack of 18+ female fangirls to THIS.

Well, anyways back on the original topic

Personally i think several people here have a good point when they say girls arnt into anime because in alot of anime the girls are just there to get guys attention. And also theres not much anime thats gears twords 18+ females.

Also somone mentioned that "theres more female cosplayers than male" COMPLETELY untrue. The vast majority of cosplayers are male. Its just the female cosplayers tend to get their pictures taken ALOT more often than males do (obvious reasons, and im not going there) so theres alot more pictures of female cosplayers since they get their pictures taken more than males so i can understand the logic there. But the fact is theres more male cosplayers than female cosplayers over-all (its just female cosplayers get alot more attention)

Just putting this out there, my friend who worked as a staffer in the registration department this year (2007) said 92 percent of the attendees were male.

[thedarkmessenger]

They're also a lot more open about hugging each other and saying "i love you" to each other...and still being straight. *sigh* That's why I hate humans, they don't know the definition of love so they bend it to fit whatever they want it to be.

...Aren't you bending the definition of love? How nice of you to judge me based on you're assumptions. I guess I failed to mention something, I have the soul of a dragon, so I know what REAL love is.If you think "I love you" is something people should only say to spouses or lovers, then I feel sorry for all your close friends, parents, and future children And when exactly did I say this? Again, thank you for judging me based on your assumptions.

Being a dragon, I also have a general, deep hatred towards humans, and I know of no other people with the right soul in the wrong body, so I SEVERELY doubt I'll ever get married and have kids. And why the hell should I say that three word phrase to a parent that never says it to me, nor ever shows it? And as for my close friends...they all left and/or betrayed me. I have no friends, close or otherwise...except on the internet, where I can pretend to be one of them.

um, yeah, ok, I knew someone like you back in high school, she came to school everyday dressed as a dog. She refused to believe that she was human also. (hey, she was also an anime fan, maybe one day the two of you could meet and have little doggon children, heh.)

*sigh* again with the judging based on assumptions. Listen, I don't DRESS like a dragon, I have the SOUL of a dragon. There is a HUGE difference.


Jopojelly, I suggest you not fight this one. Not even Freud could discern what's going on here.


What we seem to have here is the soul of a dragon living in the body of a forum troll.

He was a man... he was dragon man... okay he was just a man.

While we're quoting songs here, here's a wonderful song by Within Temptation that I think fits the subject a bit better...

It's so easy to destroy
and condemn
The ones you do not understand
do you ever wonder if it's justified?

It's so easy to destroy
and condemn
The ones you do not understand
in your life why didn't you ever try?

[thedarkmessenger]

You win. End of this particular segue. ;D

not quite, I'm afraid. I'm not ignorant enough to just let you humans judge others without getting my two cents in...or more like my $2k...

[Inkwolf]

(Rant warning! :D)

Well, I'm a female over 18 who likes anime, but I'm also a science fiction/fantasy/video game/rpg/and especially cartoon geek. I freely confess to being overweight, single, and having no life. ;D

And, yes, I still have trouble finding anime that I really like. Too much of what I see is full of stock or uninteresting characters, aimed at an immature audience, or overly dependent on gobs of gore/fighting/fan service instead of intelligent plot and character development.

That said, why am I an anime fan? Because I love comedy, especially in cartoon form, and there's darned little of that for adults. Cartoons still have the life and silliness that live-action comedy has weeded out in the attempt to be 'realistic' or rather to impose their stale impression of realism on the shows. The fact that anime cartoons come from a different culture gives them a special freshness and sense (illusion?) of originality.

So few western cartoons are funny and intelligent enough to capture adult audiences. The few specifically aimed at adult audiences are often so self consciously adult that they try harder to be adult than to be funny. The stuff made for kids is sometimes good enough for all ages, but often micromanaged into a kind of bland sameness. I mean, Disney has two simple plot formulas that can be applied to almost all their cartoons.

So I crank up the DVD player, hit the library catalog, and go out hunting for the next anime that's going to make me laugh enough that I MUST own it.

Or an anime with characters I love so much I want as all I can get of them. Characters are probably more important to me than anything.

And, now and then, I find a more serious anime that's actually interesting enough that I can barely wait to get my hands on the next disc. Suspense and intelligent writing--too rare. Especially since most anime fans are happy to settle for less, and never notice they are, so long as there's a lot of fighting and big bazoomers.

So, in short: the main reason (IMO) there are few women anime fans is the same reason there are few woman fans of, say, Schwartzenegger movies, Chuck Norris and Pro Wrestling. It caters toward male tastes. Women (a generalization) are more interested in characters, relationships and story than butt-kicking action.

The second reason, of course, is cultural. Supposedly, according to the messages our culture gives us, women mature and guys stay kids all their lives. :D So at a certain point, the 'I'm too old for cartoons' stamps itself into women's brains. And they waste the rest of their lives shopping for shoes. (Heh, not me. I noticed at the age of 5 that guys got all the GOOD toys, so I chucked my Barbie doills and moved onto your turf. And if I had known Corpsegoddess, I'd have been shooting right back at her.)

Thirdly is the matter of motherhood (and don't tell me women don't still do most of the child-raising in this country.) Having once spent a few months sharing a house with my brother's family, including two small children who played 'The Lion King' seven times a day every day, I assure you from experience: spend too much time with little kids and the most fun-loving adult would KILL for a serious, grown-up movie.

And lets face it. Anime, much as I enjoy it, is not grown-up entertainment. Not what gets sold in the US, anyhow. Almost all of it's aimed at teens. The ones with 'adult themes' are aimed at teens who want to watch things that make them FEEL grown up. Throwing hookers, drugs and corruption into a cartoon doesn't make it more mature or more intelligent, but it can make some kid feel like he's taken a step away from kidville. That's the same reason the anime distributing companies add swearing to animes that don't have any--if there's no swearing, how's the adult-wannabe supposed to show everyone he isn't watching a kids' cartoon?

[jopojelly]

ahh, good post, lots of truth there.

I agree, there really aren't that many anime that I can think of that satisfy the mental desires of an adult mind. (complex plot, non-retarded humor, believable plot devices and character actions.) Of course, half the time I don't care, and watch anything because I'm just bored, but the other half of the time I have trouble finding anime that I can actually enjoy. When that happens I usually turn to american TV to satisfy my mind. Things like Heroes, Chuck, Firefly, Lost, Scrubs, The Office, etc.

I really think that many anime fans are cutting themselves short by avoiding non-animated shows. Eventually you're going to start watching crappy anime and thinking that it's actually a really good show (dare I detail these series out for everyone?)

[Inkwolf]

Things like Heroes, Chuck, Firefly, Lost, Scrubs, The Office, etc.

I haven't seen most of these (frankly, I don't have all that much TV watching time) but will back you up that Firefly is to die for. Probably why it got cancelled halfway through. The movie 'Serenity' tells the rest of the story, and is mind-blowing.

[Kyndurr]

Am I part of a minority here?

It might just be me but i know at least 5 girls who are 20+ that are anime fans. One is even fluent in japanese, hard to concentrate around her at times.

But yeah most of the girls i know who are anime fans are over the age of 18.

Maybe it's got something to do with the fact that most people here are under the age of 18, at least that's what i'm guessing, so they only notice girls who are 18 or younger, i don't know, what i would notice.

Just giving my opinion,

Kyndurr

[e3323]

Am I part of a minority here?

It might just be me but i know at least 5 girls who are 20+ that are anime fans. One is even fluent in japanese, hard to concentrate around her at times.

But yeah most of the girls i know who are anime fans are over the age of 18.

Maybe it's got something to do with the fact that most people here are under the age of 18, at least that's what i'm guessing, so they only notice girls who are 18 or younger, i don't know, what i would notice.

Just giving my opinion,

Kyndurr


if you personally know 5 females 20+ into anime, yes you are an EXTREME minority.

In the 20+ age range at anime conventions, the male to female ratio is like 50 to 1. On top of that the few 20+ females i have spoken to at cons arn't even into anime at all. They're just there because they're boyfriend (or a male friend) paid for her to get in and she had nothing better to do that weekend.....and it seems every 20+ female is SURROUNDED by guys. >_>.

And belive me i go to ALOT of conventions (6-10 per year) so i know what im talking about here.

When i first started going to anime conventions half a decade ago, being 14-15 years old i was the one of the youngest people there.. there were almost no girls in that age range...there were a few 18+ females, but that was it.

But i guess now that anime has gotten more "mainstream" its attracted a good amount of 12-15 girls but the number of 18+ female anime fans has stayed the same, which is very few.

[e3323]

(Rant warning! :D)

Well, I'm a female over 18 who likes anime, but I'm also a science fiction/fantasy/video game/rpg/and especially cartoon geek. I freely confess to being overweight, single, and having no life. ;D

And, yes, I still have trouble finding anime that I really like. Too much of what I see is full of stock or uninteresting characters, aimed at an immature audience, or overly dependent on gobs of gore/fighting/fan service instead of intelligent plot and character development.

That said, why am I an anime fan? Because I love comedy, especially in cartoon form, and there's darned little of that for adults. Cartoons still have the life and silliness that live-action comedy has weeded out in the attempt to be 'realistic' or rather to impose their stale impression of realism on the shows. The fact that anime cartoons come from a different culture gives them a special freshness and sense (illusion?) of originality.

So few western cartoons are funny and intelligent enough to capture adult audiences. The few specifically aimed at adult audiences are often so self consciously adult that they try harder to be adult than to be funny. The stuff made for kids is sometimes good enough for all ages, but often micromanaged into a kind of bland sameness. I mean, Disney has two simple plot formulas that can be applied to almost all their cartoons.

So I crank up the DVD player, hit the library catalog, and go out hunting for the next anime that's going to make me laugh enough that I MUST own it.

Or an anime with characters I love so much I want as all I can get of them. Characters are probably more important to me than anything.

And, now and then, I find a more serious anime that's actually interesting enough that I can barely wait to get my hands on the next disc. Suspense and intelligent writing--too rare. Especially since most anime fans are happy to settle for less, and never notice they are, so long as there's a lot of fighting and big bazoomers.

So, in short: the main reason (IMO) there are few women anime fans is the same reason there are few woman fans of, say, Schwartzenegger movies, Chuck Norris and Pro Wrestling. It caters toward male tastes. Women (a generalization) are more interested in characters, relationships and story than butt-kicking action.

The second reason, of course, is cultural. Supposedly, according to the messages our culture gives us, women mature and guys stay kids all their lives. :D So at a certain point, the 'I'm too old for cartoons' stamps itself into women's brains. And they waste the rest of their lives shopping for shoes. (Heh, not me. I noticed at the age of 5 that guys got all the GOOD toys, so I chucked my Barbie doills and moved onto your turf. And if I had known Corpsegoddess, I'd have been shooting right back at her.)

Thirdly is the matter of motherhood (and don't tell me women don't still do most of the child-raising in this country.) Having once spent a few months sharing a house with my brother's family, including two small children who played 'The Lion King' seven times a day every day, I assure you from experience: spend too much time with little kids and the most fun-loving adult would KILL for a serious, grown-up movie.

And lets face it. Anime, much as I enjoy it, is not grown-up entertainment. Not what gets sold in the US, anyhow. Almost all of it's aimed at teens. The ones with 'adult themes' are aimed at teens who want to watch things that make them FEEL grown up. Throwing hookers, drugs and corruption into a cartoon doesn't make it more mature or more intelligent, but it can make some kid feel like he's taken a step away from kidville. That's the same reason the anime distributing companies add swearing to animes that don't have any--if there's no swearing, how's the adult-wannabe supposed to show everyone he isn't watching a kids' cartoon?


I was gonna say some of the things you said but was afriad of being called sexist. I STRONGLY agree with the women and shoe shopping statement you made and was going to put that in an earlier post but i would have been labeled a "misogynist". But since im agreeing with a FEMALE who said it im safe ;D

Also its surpriseing you are single. As a woman whos into male hobbies and from your posts you seem intelligent AND you're single....you must be fighting male otaku off with a stick!!

[Arden Jace]

Inkwolf, that rant was awesome. However, one statement stuck out to me:


Women (a generalization) are more interested in characters, relationships and story than butt-kicking action.

By this logic, I am a woman. And yet somehow, I don't have a problem with that.

[Filleraol]

Inkwolf, that rant was awesome. However, one statement stuck out to me:


Women (a generalization) are more interested in characters, relationships and story than butt-kicking action.

By this logic, I am a woman. And yet somehow, I don't have a problem with that.


In that case I'm a mixture (?) of man and woman. I like both characters/relationships/story and butt-kicking action :-[ . It depends on what mood I am in. :)

[PeanutSteak]

Inkwolf, that rant was awesome. However, one statement stuck out to me:


Women (a generalization) are more interested in characters, relationships and story than butt-kicking action.

By this logic, I am a woman. And yet somehow, I don't have a problem with that.


In that case I'm a mixture (?) of man and woman. I like both characters/relationships/story and butt-kicking action :-[ . It depends on what mood I am in. :)

By that logic I would also be a woman, but in sociology class I learned that really gender is just defined by the social standards and it's really just a stereotype that is generally accepted in the world.

[Arden Jace]

Gender is also defined by what's in my pants. But I see your logic and otherwise agree, PeanutSteak.

[jopojelly]

Gender is also defined by what's in my pants. But I see your logic and otherwise agree, PeanutSteak.

I think he's saying that "sex" is defined by whats in your pants, but "gender" is just a social role placed upon people who happen to be a particular "sex".

It's sad, but sometimes people get confused and their gender and sex aren't aligned.

[PeanutSteak]

Gender is also defined by what's in my pants. But I see your logic and otherwise agree, PeanutSteak.

I think he's saying that "sex" is defined by whats in your pants, but "gender" is just a social role placed upon people who happen to be a particular "sex".

It's sad, but sometimes people get confused and their gender and sex aren't aligned.



Haha, you posted this seconds before I was about to, but that was pretty much exactly what I was going to say.

[Arden Jace]

Gender is also defined by what's in my pants. But I see your logic and otherwise agree, PeanutSteak.

I think he's saying that "sex" is defined by whats in your pants, but "gender" is just a social role placed upon people who happen to be a particular "sex".

It's sad, but sometimes people get confused and their gender and sex aren't aligned.




Oh I understood what he said. I've just always used the two interchangeably and felt like making a silly joke.

[jopojelly]

Gender is also defined by what's in my pants. But I see your logic and otherwise agree, PeanutSteak.

I think he's saying that "sex" is defined by whats in your pants, but "gender" is just a social role placed upon people who happen to be a particular "sex".

It's sad, but sometimes people get confused and their gender and sex aren't aligned.




Oh I understood what he said. I've just always used the two interchangeably and felt like making a silly joke.

Yeah, I figured, I was just bored and wanted to post something.

[tengutenga]

http://i49.tinypic.com/1z5k75u.png
Women and Anime?

It's been almost 5 and a half years since the last survey about the presence (or lack) of females in the general anime fanbase.
Within this time gap, hundreds of new works have been created, AMVs have lost their innocence, the time for Mayan sexual enlightment has drawn closer, and those who were teens back then are now adults.

Now, in your own words again:
Do you think this has changed within the last half decade? Are there more girls into anime today than back then?

I would like to say that there are more girls into anime every year, but that would be blatantly biased. I just happen to be in a position to be able to hang out with that minority of females who are also anime fans. I have been to several cons, but I paid most of my attention to the fanartists, many of them female.

Also:
Queen's Blade is just so for the ladies. ;)

[PudPuller]

Holy old thread you god damn necro!!!!

[Kaiju]

Old Pointless Thread at that.

[Haar]

Also:
Queen's Blade is just so for the ladies. ;)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvdf5n-zI14

Is that why it was packed with enough fanservice for it to be considered borderline hentai?

[Jazean]

It is strange to see this come back up after 5 years.

But to answer the question poised in the resurrection post; I've haven't personally noticed an increase in the number of female fans, but since it's been 5 years at least the ones that were 14 then are 19 now...

[Guthix]

a question of logic? why would anyone care how many females like anime? or is that something a must have when picking a partner?

[Haar]

I'm assuming it is for some people. While I wouldn't consider a girl disliking anime to be deal breaker, it would probably be something I might want to bring up with her early on so she'll know who she's getting with.

[hosokawa37]

A girl liking anime would be a plus for me. I seem to get along with girls like that more than regular girls, though I'm not saying I would only date an anime fangirl xD

There are indeed more females that like anime, but idk when it comes to females 18+. I never saw too many above 18+ at conventions, and there is only a select few in my anime club at college...

[Kaiju]

My EX-GF was into anime, sadly she was like a 13 year old on FF.net -_-

[Guthix]

lol

[Haar]

Sadly, most girls that like anime don't like the types of anime I like. Of course, I'm not really surprised by that.

[Guthix]

that goes for males aswell

[Haar]

Are you implying that females have a similar issue involving males or do you mean that a lot of males don't like the same types of anime as me?

Either way, I'll probably agree.

[Guthix]

the latter

[Haar]

True, but I'm assuming more guys would be interested in the things I like than girls.

[Neomalysys]

Well girls usually aren't into hentai.

[jinzo64]

I think dating a girl thats in to anime would be nice because you would have somthing to talk about.

[Haar]

I think dating a girl thats in to anime would be nice because you would have somthing to talk about.
Luckily, I have plenty of non-anime related things to talk about as well.


Well girls usually aren't into hentai.

I was referring to mecha, military, and political anime. (Dougram, Gundam 0079, Votoms, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, et cetera)

I wouldn't bring up hentai until after me and the girl in question had been married for at least 5 years

[HeyHeyHeyStayOuttaMyShed]

I think it's the lack of advertising for anime and other japan-related objects and all that..i don't know. lol D< I'll admit, a few years ago, i used to think anime was for fat faggots who dwelled in their basements. The first anime i watched...Ouran High School Host Club, how ironic lol But yeah..Got into anime a couple years ago. I think..allot of girls, some of them my IRL friends, have NO idea about anime. It's because they are too fixated on boys, drama, real-life (lol), clothes, shopping, shoes, i could go on and on. I'll admit..I care for some of that stuff as well...Especially shopping heheh D< But...yeah, back to my point, Here's what I think, What my mother theorized:

Boys are more fixated on fantasy, They tend to be more childish and not even be aware of it themselves, That is probably the reason for their being more "older" anime fans, as boys supposedly take longer to "grow up" and stop watching "cartoons". I can agree to this to SOME degree...but, girls can be that way too. But it's seen more in men, that is what my mom likes to call "Peter-Pan Syndrome".

But another side-note, I have been to several conventions with Ssgwnbtd, and there was PLENTY of 18+ female anime goers, Hell, allot of them were at the bar drinking and raving at the raves taking Ecstasy. And plus, I'm an 18+ female anime fan, so, yeah..There are plenty of 18+ female, anime fans out there! D<

But..I'll admit...By the time i'm in my late 20's/30's..I won't be watching anime, much less have the time to watch it. I think this phase in my life will be over by then, My mother would forever look down on me, Hell, even now she looks down on me for watching [Adult Swim] cartoons on TV, even though there meant for adults, she still views them as "cartoons", and i shouldn't be watching cartoons. But, yeah, Sure, I won't be watching anime when i'm 100% adult, but, my love for it will always linger in the back of my mind. D<

lol..I got WAYYYYY off track ahahahah

[Darthelm]

I dont know who you've been talking to but men never grow up, we just grow old

[Guthix]

more like they dont want to grow up. gowing up is optional, growing old is mandatory.
as for this childness, males are generaly more agressive by instingt ,since todays society doesnt aproove violence we have alternatives like football, games, and ofcource anime. so next time your husband is watching tv, be thankfull its not a bitchslap.

[Haar]

I'll admit, a few years ago, i used to think anime was for fat faggots who dwelled in their basements.
Wait a minute... It's not?


But..I'll admit...By the time i'm in my late 20's/30's..I won't be watching anime, much less have the time to watch it. I think this phase in my life will be over by then, My mother would forever look down on me, Hell, even now she looks down on me for watching [Adult Swim] cartoons on TV, even though there meant for adults, she still views them as "cartoons", and i shouldn't be watching cartoons. But, yeah, Sure, I won't be watching anime when i'm 100% adult, but, my love for it will always linger in the back of my mind. D<
I think I'll be watching anime for the rest of my life. (or at least until I run out of good shows to watch and re-watch) Of course, I can't really say that for sure.

[AKALink]

I think it because of all the fan-service for men and a lack of it for women. Even the romantic comedies have fan-service for men.

[Haar]

I think it because of all the fan-service for men and a lack of it for women. Even the romantic comedies have fan-service for men.

There are plenty of anime without male oriented fanservice (or any at all) that I can think of. But you're right, most popular anime have fanservice.

[Kaiju]

There are a **** ton of anime with female-oriented fanservice, Ouran House and Hetalia for example.

[xIsamuTM]

31, still watching anime. i know people reaching 50 soon. Hang out at the bar next con if you want to see the 18+ female fans.

[Haar]

I don't remember much fanservice at all being in Legend of the Galactic Heroes (other than some occasional partial male nudity), Kaiji, Guin Saga(unless you count the main character running around in a loincloth for the first few episodes), or most of the "classical" shoujo series (70s and 80s titles).

[Antonio Black]

Okay, waitaminute...
I'm in my early twenties, and I know a lot of women who like anime (fan service or not). But conversely, I also know a lot of men who like anime...who never seem to hook up with these fine young ladies.
I think this is the better question: Why can't I seem to hook up with a chick that actually enjoys anime and video games?
Its hard to pull off, I'll admit. In high school, pain in the lower back. In college, even more of a pain. In some cases, you have to look for them, because the whole "introvert that likes games and anime" phenomenon isn't exclusive to males.
I guess its all about luck in the end. Who you find and who you end up with can have a totally opposite personality from yours.

[Sir Fluffykins]

Maybe because they see their boyfriends, male friends, watching shows with cute teens with gigantic breasts flapping around in multiple directions and think that anime is a hilarious dirty guy thing. Considering the amount of fan-service-shows they'd be right. :P

The irony is, they'll then go watch their vampire/werewolf shows or stuff like Game of Thrones and Rome and be completely ok watching full on nudity and sex between real people -while not considering it dirty or weird or funny.

I remember watching the Wedding Crashers with my family and right from the start of that movie you've got tits and sex jokes and I recall being completely weirded out sitting there, while my family, mostly female, thought it was hilarious. So I left, then my sister later makes a comment about Dirty Pair, the crime fighting girl anime, saying "BOOBS DON'T ACT LIKE THAT!".

I guess I my case, I'm more ok with stuff being in animated form as it doesn't involve real people/actors, because thinking some actors have been paid to go nude or have sex rubs me the wrong way, while I guess girls go for the real stuff because it's more real and cutesy anime seems completely unnatural...derp...I dunno. Trying to guess.

[Neomalysys]

People just don't give a **** about surveys. Also I know quit a few girls over 18 that like anime. I've been watching anime since I was a kid and didn't know I was watching anime. Really it's probably like alot of other things like games where people like it but don't admit it because even though they know the stereotypes aren't really true they think their friends will make fun of them for liking anime. If people are insecure they will pretend to like things they don't just so they can fit in.

[HeyHeyHeyStayOuttaMyShed]

I dont know who you've been talking to but men never grow up, we just grow old

My personal opinion..It's okay to be childish at times, Everyone has those moments whether they want to admit it or not. I think this guy crossed the line though LOL:

http://cache.ohinternet.com/images/c/c3/Chris_chan_looking_up.jpg

I highly suspect this guy is an ultra aspie LOL I'm not autistic myself but my brother is, And i think this guy sets bad examples for people, setting a sterotype for what autistic people are like...But yeah..even though he probably has this contionion...it seems like he's one of the slightly higher functioning ones...there is NO excuse for him to dress like that and have all those toys and i think he still lives with his parents or something...It's very strange lol


31, still watching anime. i know people reaching 50 soon. Hang out at the bar next con if you want to see the 18+ female fans

Yup, just like this guy said, If you go to a con and go towards the bar there will be plenty of 18+ female anime fans hanging around there.

(P.S: I also know Chris-chan is supposedly a "troll", I have no idea if that act is just a facade or if it's the real deal.)

[Guthix]

im not sure about fanservice and men, personaly i find anoying that they tease in the expense of the plot and you never get actual hentai from it.