At a symposium, the host asked the American fantasy and science fiction writer Mary Robinette Kowal: “When you set your protagonist as a woman, will you care more about attracting male readers?”

Kowal Answer: Just as male authors care about whether they can attract female readers

Kowal said that she has several male friends and her spouse is also male. But men account for less than 50% of the total population, and only about 20% of the fictional market. Why does she spend time catering to such a niche market?

(https://twitter.com/MaryRobinette/status/1102590321949638658).

When talking to readers, Kowal explained that 20% of what she said was the share of men in the entire fiction market. If you are specific to fantasy or science fiction, you may be misled – because many female writers’ such works are classified into romance novels

Male sci-fi novelist Charlie Stross also said that even the largest male-dominated and most male-dominated sub-category of science fiction (such as military sci-fi), there are 35 to 45% of female readers. The readers of other sub-categories are mostly women. Many men simply don’t read for leisure

(https://twitter.com/cstross/status/1102949381425238017).

Kowal gives 20% of this data from surveys conducted in the UK, US and Canada. Japanese contributor Yu Sanbao said that the same is true in Japan. Today’s novels, animations, TV series and movies are dominated by women

(https://twitter.com/Sakai_Sampo/status/1103514678955634688).

Although women are already the main consumer of fictional markets, at the same time, mainstream public opinion still seems to lack a correct understanding of this market. A few days ago, Shunyi once pointed out that many activities that summed up the animations and animated songs of Japan’s “Heisei” era ignored the works that women loved

Animation culture reporter Watanabe Yumiko also said that even if she wants to report female-oriented works in the media, there will be media to answer her: “I know that this work is very popular, but our readers may not understand. And will not be interested.”

Watanabe does not think that this is what people do wrong, but the readers of the media that publish reviews are mostly male

And while this situation has continued, Watanabe still believes that if you write a manuscript from a commercial market perspective, existing readers who are mostly male should still be able to accept it. Because the market for female fans is already so big

(https://twitter.com/watanabe_yumiko/status/1102406928376819714).

Fictional works for women, not only the number of works and market share, but also their content is also an evolution that is overwhelming. “Asahi Shimbun” an international women’s day feature interviewed two people in the comics’ industry, asking them to talk about the diversity of women’s comics

The special introduction introduces the ferryペコ”1122 (good couple)”, Haiyeつなみ”Escape from shame but useful”, bird feeding “teacher’s white lies” “Best-selling comics.” These works are beyond the shackles of the handsome men and women, reflecting on the marriage system and exposing gender inequality

Bird Feeding “The Teacher’s White Lies” describes the sexual violence of female teachers who have suffered from their fiancé, focusing on the inequality between men and women in sex. Bird Feeding, Okasaki Kyoko and Anno Miyako’s pen-sex women are very embarrassing, but at the same time, only those who are considered to be physically valuable – that is, good looks. In “White Lies,” she wants to focus on women who are not

Women’s editor of the comics monthly FEEL YOUNG, Sui Chuanhui, said that in the past five years, works involving gender inequality and gender perspective have begun to touch the reader’s heart. This is not only influenced by social events such as the MeToo movement and Tokyo Medical University’s enrollment discrimination, but may also stem from the fact that women are beginning to realize that their daily lives are unreasonable on social networks and share this perception with each other

梶川 has put forward three keywords to summarize the tendency of women to comics in recent years: “respect my dignity” and “can evade” “unable to name relationship”

For example, コナリミサト’s “The New Life of You” tells a woman in the workplace who is too vocal, and even cumbersome to quit her job and start a frugal life. The “Pu Shui Xiang Huo Corridor” of He Guxiang Yang Li describes the communication between the old woman and the high school girl who liked the comics of BL

コナリミサト”the New Life of You” describes the story of women who suppress their own shackles and resume their lives in work and love

“FEEL YOUNG” magazine originally had a slogan “Love and work!”, but in 2013, they removed the slogan. Sui Chuan explained that this is because the works depicted by the writers cannot be limited by “love” and “work”. More and more comics begin to convey the message “You can live without love and work.”

And the woman comics’ researcher Oda Makoto pointed out that if the girlish comics of love supremacy have a side that solidifies the gender division of labor, then the female comics may assume the mission of the “sequel” of nursed back to health. Although Oda himself is a man, he believes that women are mostly the mainstay of the relationship between people and people. No matter who they are, they will feel the same

Xiaotian recalls the changes in women’s comics. He believes that the keynotes of women’s comics in 1990 were “love” and “sex”. In the 2000s, “work”, and in the 1010s, comics grasped the balance between the two and began to face Women’s daily life and heart

Around 1980, Ladies’ Comic gained female support with an overwhelming description of sex. Then, around 1990, Okazaki Kyoko’s “pink” and Anno Machiko’s “Happy Mania Love Runaway” were also on the stage. Based on the atmosphere before and after the bubble period, these cartoons describe the women and their complexity who are passionate about love and consumption

Okazaki Kyoko’s “pink” describes the vain and empty lifestyle of women in the era of consumerism

In the 2000s, comics depicting women in the workplace were welcomed. Among them, Okasaki Shinji is based on his own experience, describing the “love supplies” of women who work in advertising companies, and “The workaholics” by Anno Miyako, a female journalist of the weekly magazine. This is also due to the fact that in 1985, the Japanese Equal Employment Opportunity Equalization Act was established 15 years ago, and the number of women in functional positions has increased

Okazaki Shinji, who has been working on the real life of women in functional positions, is now serialized “かしましめし”, which describes two women and one who hit the wall in love and work. A gay man dine together to supplement the energy of “resurrection.” She hopes that when her children are in the society, the world can accommodate all kinds of obstacles and gender perspectives

(https://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASM35675PM35UCLV00T.html)