Manga author isn’t so sure about stereotypical image of the timid girl who loves reading books

11:14 cherishe 0 Comments

Bookworms are also warriors, he says.

The image of the demurely beautiful bookworm, a young lady who only speaks when spoken to, and even then in a faint whisper, is a common archetype in storytelling, and especially so in anime and manga. So you might expect Japanese manga author Rootport (@rootport on Twitter) to be especially quick to see those traits as a set that are always bundled together.

However, while Rootport is well aware of how many literary ladies in functional narratives have a shrinking, introverted personality, when it comes to real-world women with a love for reading, it’s often a different story, he says,

“’A young girl who’s quiet and reserved, and likes reading books’ is one existing template. The real-world girls I know who like reading, though, are clever, shrewd, and eloquent, not at all reticent or timid.”

Rootport goes on to describe women who love reading as being “warriors of civilized society” and likening them to the ancient Scythians, in whose armies women fought shoulder-to-shoulder with men on the field of battle.

His observations prompted responses from other Twitter users including:

“Real book-lovers put a lot of energy into practically applying the things they learn from reading.”
“Reading probably makes you mentally tough.”
“’Knowledge is power.’”
“When I worked part-time at a library, most of the kids who were enthusiastic readers weren’t the quiet types.”

Speaking of reading material, if you’re interested in checking out what Rootport’s writing these days, his series The Otaku Called God (Kami to Yobareta Otaku) is currently being serialized online on website Kurage Bunch, with the first chapter free to read here.

Source: Twitter/@rootport via Otakomu
Top image: Pakutaso
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