Mar 11 The Otaku Sex Industry: 3D Women Desired, For Now

Of course, that doesn't mean that they're going out on dates either- pssh, that's just crazy talk. No, the current trend among Japanese otaku is to pay real women gobs and gobs of yen to dress up like maids and/or anime characters, and listen to them babble about anime. Or, otaku might pay a cosplayer to accompany them while shopping in Akihabara, so the be-ruffled lass can whisper encouraging things like "you have great taste in LCD monitors!", or "you're so tech-savvy, SUGOI!"

I never thought I would encounter an activity that would make traditional prostitution look so classy in comparison. I mean, normally I'm very conscious of checking my Western-bias; I am not quick to pass judgment on a culture that I know I do not truly understand. However....seriously, how messed up is this?

The fact that the current rift in Japanese otakudom is not between dating-vs.-not-dating, but 2D, imaginary girlfriends versus costumed, paid escorts/prostitutes (not that all of them are prostitutes; a full range of services are offered, from the innocent to the ridiculous), just seems beyond dysfunctional to me. I don't put all the blame on the stereotypical lonely otaku, either; apparently, many Japanese women refuse to give men the time of day, meaning that many otaku cannot get female companionship unless they a)pay for it, or b)imagine it.

I can't exactly condemn Japanese women for not wanting to jump to the barefoot-and-pregnant stage, but I sense a tremendous, growing fear of real women on the part of otaku that must be coming from somewhere; I think part of the popularity of moe is due to the fact that moe characters are vulnerable, inexperienced, and need protection, and inspire a sense of virility in men that they can no longer get in their interactions with contemporary women. Is the problem that many Japanese women simply are not interested in men? Or are Japanese men simply unprepared to deal with independent women, even if the women in question are open to dating? In any case, I call sociological shenanigans here.