i discovered a Josei (a term that refers to the target demographic of anime created mostly by women for late teenage and adult female audiences) anime called Princess Jellyfish
There have been quite a number of series over the years that depict otaku life. Some cover the ever-elusive female otaku, a mythical creature of beauty, talent and purity that just so happens to be intensely into anime and manga. Of course the possibility exists for such a thing to be true, but what these shows neglect to examine are the other kinds of otaku and what the vast majority of them actually look like and what their lives are really like. Kuragehime comes like an answered prayer to fill that void.
This series stands strongly as one of the only close to accurate depictions of fujoshi, otaku and just general misfits ever made. Of course there are exaggerations and some unbelievable elements for the sake of the story and comedy, but at its core, Kuragehime does not turn its heroes into superhumans. They aren't all physically attractive but that's clearly a matter of opinion. They don't have the perfect three sizes, but that doesn't stop them from being beautiful. Take a look at the overwhelmingly obvious depictions of female otaku in anime and manga over the years. None of them are like the women of this anime. And interestingly, none of the Kuragehime women are all the same nor are they just female versions of male otaku.
Kuragehime follows Tsukimi, a young woman who moves to Tokyo to become an illustrator, but finds most of her work is doing extra pages for the mysterious BL mangaka who lives upstairs and just passing the days quite energetically with the very fun, very strange co-inhabitants of her apartment complex. None of them have the same interests but they exist cohesively. Tsukimi loves jellyfishes for one. They've always been her thing, perhaps more so because her late mother loved watching them as well with her daughter. All decked out in her ugly grey sweat-suit, uncombed hair and messy eyebrows, life might not be exactly what she wants but she likes it as it is. Until of course, trouble brews. Amamizukan, her new home, is being threatened by developers. And it's with the help of all the Amars (her roomies) and a very odd young man that she tries to save the only place that people like them feel like they belong. |
