10 Ways to laentify an onna otaku

Anatomy of aNard
In tokyo, girls who want to

get their geek om head for
Otome (maiden) Road in

trendy lkebukuro. retail stores

on the 200-meter commercial
strip cater to the emerging
subculture of onna otaku

(she-nerds) by stocking fememe-

frinedly comics gadgets, and

action figures instead of make-

up and clothes. Increasingly,

the sought-after goods-

from socpay outfits to anime

DVDs- are being Co-opted

by wannabes in the Staes.

Here are some tips for sportting

a real onna otaku in the wild.

-Lisa katayama

big picture click

10 Ways to ldentify an Onna Otaku

1. Hair No chestnut dyes, no colored highlights, minimalbrushing.

2. Wardrobe Genericjeans,shirts,and sneakers (with price taq left on, Minnie Pearl-style).Jacket from storeat train station For more formal occasions school uniform kimono, or Dhoulmagus costume. (He's the mysterious jester from Dragon Quest VIN DUH!)

3. Pets Six virtual pups on her Nintendo DS (She feeds and walks them houtly)

4. phone Worn clipped on pocket to look "technical" It's got a 3-megapixel Camera, built-in smartcard purchasing, TV tuner. MP3 player, and browser.

5. Storage Cute bags are Ok for jaunts, but she prefers wheeled luggage for comic cons and epic

shopping trips.

6. Magazines Four ddifferent anime monthlirs, Cosmode (for cos players), and Dolly Dolly (for figurine fans).

7. Diet Why cook when 7-Elven has beef bowfs and habanero snackchios?

8. Recent Purchases Action figures and manga galors. Spool of DVD-Rs for,uh,"backup" copies of her fave shows.

9. On her laptop Script for Sailir Moon/Anakin Skywalker Doujinshi (fan comic). Links to mange relase schedules and 2ch.ner (think Slaskdot).

10 Under her mattress Boy's Love Comics which Depict romantic,tragic, and hotpretty boy-on-pretty boy action.