While Tokyo’s neighborhood of Akihabara is known worldwide as the center of otaku culture-a veritable capital of geek-dom, if you will-female enthusiasts tend to congregate beyond of the spotlight in Ikebukuro, on the other side of the city. They’re obsessed with what is called BL, or Boys’ Love-fictional stories that detail the romantic entanglements of two men.
Rotten girls, or fujoshi in Japanese, is a self-inflicted term used by women throughout the country who fall under a certain category of ardent manga (comic book) and anime (animation) fandom. She slowly moves her straw through the whipped cream in her designer latte and looks up.
