The Role Language of Boku-shoujo and Orekko-type Characters in Japanese Animation

Abstract

This study examines the role language of two types of female characters, namely “Boku-shoujo” and “Orekko,” in Japanese animations by analyzing the use of the Japanese masculine first person pronoun (“Boku” and “Ore”) and gender-specific sentence endings. Data were collected from six Japanese animations and analyzed in order to identify how the Japanese masculine first-person pronoun, and gender-specific sentence endings were used as role language. The results showed that eight characters in the Boku-shoujo type used the pronoun “Boku,” and seven characters in the Orekko used “Ore” without changing in any situation. All of the Orekko-type characters also used masculine sentence endings more often than the Boku-shoujo did. Despite the predominantly feminine appearances of the characters, there is no evident distinction between the Boku-shoujo and Orekko types. However, Orekko-type characters are typically assigned roles related to combat and exhibit more masculinity in their language compared to Boku-shoujo-type characters. Consequently, based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that the language used by female characters is specifically tailored to indicate the diverse roles of these characters in the story. Female characters with combat roles and a more assertive demeanor employ the masculine pronoun "Ore" and exhibit more masculine sentence endings. In contrast, Boku-shoujo-type characters demonstrate masculinity when performing combat-related roles while still maintaining a cute, feminine quality.