Girls & their mechs

I recently notice the subtle but noticeable surge of Girls + Mecha theme, specifically in Japan media.

I heard this is related to combined appeal (you have girl, you have mecha, double Fanservice). Incidentally, they also play the usual cards of Non-Action Guy.

Can anyone explain in detail the origin and development on this phenomenon?

I think this may make more sense in Trope Talk.

For the record, though, your theory strikes me as likely (given my extremely limited knowledge of Japanese media).

edited 25th Mar '12 1:25:30 AM by nrjxll

I think this is in the wrong forum.

ninja'd

edited 25th Mar '12 1:23:20 AM by Rynnec

I'd take this to the anime/manga subforum.

Ahh, sorry, this is the first time I post in TV Tropes forum. How can I move this? Or could it be deleted?

Moved from Writers' Block to M&A.

Thank you very much.

Has it really become all that much more common? The only recent entries that I can think of are:

Light Novels

Infinite Stratos

Anime

Strike Witches

Visual Novels

Muv Luv

Manhua

School Shock

Given that this is over a couple of years, it doesn't seem that dramatic to me.

edited 9th Apr '12 9:47:41 PM by HighVelocityPointyThings

There is a big surge of Moe shows with mainly girls in general it's not just Mecha.

Rinne No Lagrange, Sky Girls

edited 9th Apr '12 9:54:56 PM by Raso

I don't think Strike Witches count: they're planes, not mechs.

Consider it part of the moe-wave. It's being (arguably) shoehorned into any genre, anything mecha is just combined interests.

Others have articulated my position on that better than I can: Namely, the so-called 'Moe' wave is ill-defined, and when it is well defined, it's not an appreciable force on the medium.

I hate to open up this can of worms, but I think this may be due to writers, directors, and producers trying to cope with an increasingly influential feminist movement within Japan. The old trick of having a single Ridiculously Empowered Girl in an otherwise male-oriented show was/is no longer adequate (either due to the complaints of feminists or the target audience finding it, well, ridiculous), so they're trying to use a mostly- or entirely- female cast to tell stories that primarily interest men.

edited 17th Apr '12 5:27:14 PM by HighVelocityPointyThings

I think it also has a lot to do with that the industry in Japan is realising that while males have it easier to identify with other males, they certainly still like to look at cute girls, and thus don't mind largely female casts. Or I'm just reading males wrong. :/

edited 17th Apr '12 5:39:31 PM by Feather7603

No, your right. Moe is still the second best factor when it comes to best-selling anime or manga.

Does Gunbuster not qualify? I mean, I know it's not recent, but...

I wonder if they'll try to make a mecha show that somehow has a primarily female demographic. How do you think that would turn out, though? I have my own attempt at that, but even I'm not sure what target audience it has, if any.

edited 18th Apr '12 9:58:54 AM by GyraSolune

A traditional Magical Girl show but with cutesy Mecha instead of Costume Porn might get some of the Shōjo audience.... Maybe. But really the Yaoi Fan Girl s are usually all over Bishōnen Mecha series like Gundam Wing or Gundam 00 that's their kind of series.

I think it's pretty much gender equal on the Mecha series an Fanservice.

edited 18th Apr '12 10:20:22 AM by Raso

Dunno. Ask Lyrical Nanoha, though.

Yes, it's technically not a mecha show, but it's getting real close at times.

edited 18th Apr '12 7:18:23 PM by Night

Here's a possibly relevant, though 3 years old, blog post. (The blog itself seems an one-person affair now abandoned, a pity as it's rather good.)

She asks when do women get to pilot mechas, in a male-oriented genre, and I think "dotdash" makes the best comment on distinguishing foils to a male hero, making the series distinct from the mainstream, and otaku fanservice.

(Oh the irony that male-oriented genres have a tradition of male characters with a few not-quite women, but -right or wrong- series with female casts are labelled as aimed at male otaku, and similarly male casts are nowadays seen as pandering to the female equivalents, the fujoshi.)

I'd say this is a trend but not a major one. Now sensitive/angsty/whiny males and mechs that's a major one.

This is an interesting thread, one thing has always amazed me about this is that those 'whiny' males are more in tune with their emotions than most of the 'manly' man. It seems that other than hotblood or masculinity, I don't really see a lot of angst but then agian my view of mechs is narrow so I am not sure.

The complaint isn't about being 'in tune with' their emotions - It's about acting on their emotions as though they were the most important things in the world.

Men are expected to learn to override their emotions as a part of growing up. Male characters who don't demonstrate this come off as annoyingly juvenile.

But then that kinda makes me feel like an extremely female-centric mecha show would be just like the recent trend of (usually Real Robot Genre) more emotional male-centric ones. So like...Gundam 00 but with vaginas instead (note: have not watched 00 so is likely completely wrong).

I suppose a shojo/josei mecha show would lend itself better to either a Super Robot Genre, or...well...a much more laid-back and calming show. ARIA with mecha, so to speak.

I'd...be okay with this.

edited 20th Apr '12 10:28:42 AM by Rynnec

And the there are those innovators....