• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Shotaology

Shota studies

  • 調査
  • Survey
  • Forum
  • About

The Syotaroh

Facsimile from The Syotaroh (1996) by Manda Ringo, p. 14: Boy items

Favourite boy attributes

March 22, 2020 by Shota Leave a Comment

Manda Ringo’s book The Syotaroh from 1996 begins with the results of a questionnaire that was taken by shota fans. I spent some time deciphering the question of favourite “shōnen items”, or boy attributes.

The questionnaire was taken by 82 people (63 women, 18 men, 1 okama). Ringo comments that she would have wanted to reach a hundred respondents, but that the results are interesting nevertheless.

Respondents’ list of essential boy attributes

アイテムAttributeVotes
くつ下Socks9
バッテン傷“X” wound?5
キレイな足Beautiful legs5
学ランSchool uniform3
ばんそう膏Plaster3
帽子Hat (cap?)3
Tシャツ(タンクトップ)T-shirt (tanktop)3
ピチピチの素肌Bare skin2
サラサラの髪Smooth hair2
しなやかな手足Supple limbs2
細い体Slender body2
はかなく燃える闘争心Ephemeral burning spirit (?)2
ランドセルSchool backpack2
笑顔Smiling face2
友達Friend2
ブリーフBriefs2
フードFood1
赤ちんRed chin (cheeks?)1
セットされてない髪Unkempt (?) hair1
泥のついたスニーカーMuddy sneakers1
白いブリーフWhite briefs1
つばの浅い帽子Shallow brimmed hat (?)1
可愛い顔Cute face1
ブレザー系の服Blazer1
サッカーボールA football1
可愛い声Cute voice1
かなわない夢をみてるUnfulfilled dreams (?)1
夢Dreams1
手が半分くらい隠れる袖Sleeves covering half the hands/arms1
野球帽Baseball cap1
枯れ枝(かれえだDead tree branch (!)1
長い睫Long eyelashes1
くるくる変わる表情Changing facial expression (?)1
あどけなく透通る瞳Innocent eyes (?)1
開襟シャツOpen-collared shirt1
セーラー服 (ひだスカート)Sailor clothes (fold skirt) (?)1
暗い過去A dark past1
のぞきPeeping1
泣き顔Crying face1
でかい靴Big shoes1
昨日の給食のパンYesterday’s lunch bread (!)1
バクチク入り蛙Firecracker frog/toad (?)1
蝉の抜け殻Cicada shell (!)1
男気Man/chivalrous spirit (?)1
サスペンダーSuspenders1
鎖骨Collarbone1
自転車Bicycle1
泥とか埃Mud or dust1

Ringo also comments on the “dead tree branch”: I think she gives “high points” for that as a metaphor for a penis. This makes me realise that “yesterday’s lunch bread” and “cicada shell” must have the same meaning!

School uniform, plaster, cap, backpack, and especially tanktop are all easy for me to understand as shōnen markers. Not to mention the long eyelashes, the slender body, supple limbs, bare skin, and the collarbone – that goes without saying. But it surprises me that socks made the top of the list. For me personally, I think tanktop is the ultimate shota attribute.

What are your favourite shōnen attributes? Please comment!

Filed Under: Research Tagged With: Manda Ringo, The Syotaroh, まんだ林檎

Primary Sidebar

Traducción 😛 Tradução ❤️ 翻訳

Subscribe via email

Mini-polls loading ⬇️

Recent posts

Kokoro Button: Kasuga-san and Kōga-kun! ココロ・ボタン

Call me by my first name: Intimate transgressions in Kokoro Button

September 7, 2021

Gon Freecss in Hunter x Hunter shirtless

Homoerotic symbolism in Hunter × Hunter

September 5, 2021

My own shota

My own shota

August 15, 2021

What are little boys made of?

The Ontology of the Boy, or: What are little boys made of?

July 27, 2021

Gokujō danshi to kurashitemasu 2

Honour culture and fictional fiction in “Help, I can’t resist the super sexy boys I’m forced to live with!”

May 16, 2021

Boys with swords: Wataru, Toraoh, Yoh-kun

Young boys with big swords – phallic symbolism in Wataru and Shaman King

March 15, 2021

3D shota boys

Survey: Do you like 3D shota? (3DCGショタが好きですか)

March 13, 2021

Full Ahead! Coco, volume 15, cover art

Man/boy romance in Full Ahead! Coco

February 27, 2021

Jumbor Angzengbang 2, ユンボル 1, manga cover art

Jumbor and the eroticism of mainstream boys’ manga

December 22, 2020

車谷晴子:「極上男子と暮らしてます。」(2007)

Real shota in “Yay, I’m living with a super sexy boy!”

September 22, 2020

Reference library

ショタコンのゆりかご (book cover)

ショタコンのゆりかご

Author: ぶどううり くすこ

An essay on the origins of shota, published as a dōjinshi.

国際おたく大学―1998年 最前線からの研究報告

国際おたく大学―1998年:最前線からの研究報告

Authors: 岡田 斗司夫, 渡辺 由美子

An anthology on “otakuology” that contains Watanabe Yumiko’s important shota study.

吉本たいまつ:腐男子にきく。

腐男子にきく。

Author: 吉本 たいまつ

An interview study on male fans of BL and yaoi, published as a dōjinshi.

The Syotaroh by まんだ 林檎

The Syotaroh

Author: まんだ 林檎

An impressive work on the early shota subculture.

エロマンガ・スタディーズ

エロマンガ・スタディーズ

Author: 永山 薫

One of the main resources on adult manga.

ショタリポート①

ショタリポート①

The first part of an interview study of shota fans.

Recent Comments

  • Smalleyeball on The Ontology of the Boy, or: What are little boys made of?
  • kazumania on The rise and fall of commercial shota magazines
  • Karl on Wataru and the birth of shota in mainstream anime
  • Wezley on Wataru and the birth of shota in mainstream anime
  • Twitter

Footer

Archives

  • September 2021 (2)
  • August 2021 (1)
  • July 2021 (1)
  • May 2021 (1)
  • March 2021 (2)
  • February 2021 (1)
  • December 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (2)
  • August 2020 (1)
  • May 2020 (2)
  • April 2020 (3)
  • March 2020 (2)
  • January 2020 (1)

Categories

  • Admin
  • Anime
  • Anthology
  • Book
  • Commercial
  • Dōjinshi
  • Essay
  • Personal
  • Research
  • Shōjo
  • Survey
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Creative Commons License

Shotaology · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · Log in

  • 調査
  • Survey
  • Forum
  • About