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lead=yes or otome-chikku is a subgenre of shōjo manga (Japanese girls' comics) that emerged in the 1970s. Stories in the subgenre focus on the lives and exploits of protagonists who are ordinary Japanese teenage girls, a narrative style that emerged in response to the ascendance of exotic, glamorous, and internationally focused shōjo manga throughout the decade. Otomechikku is most commonly associated with manga published in the magazine Ribon, and is noted by critics for its influence on the aesthetic of kawaii.
" Otomechikku" can thus roughly be translated as "maidenesque". In addition to describing a subgenre of manga, the term is occasionally used as a pejorative to emphasize the childishness or feminineness of that which the speaker is describing.
manga typically focuses on a school-aged girl, usually a middle school or high school student but more rarely a college student, in an ordinary environment (home, school, etc.) who develops friendly, filial, and romantic relationships with other people in those environments. A popular formula for stories is 'school story', which focuses on romance in a school or other campus environment.
The protagonist of an manga typically does not possess any particularly notable traits: she is neither especially beautiful nor intelligent, is frequently shy and unassuming, but is invariably ("adorable" or "loveable"). Often, the character displays imperfections, fragility, and a need to be protected. This protection and validation is most commonly granted to her by a male love interest, who accepts her as she is and maintains a chaste relationship with her, but it can also come from professional achievement in a field, such as a picture book author or puppeteer.
Manga by Mutsu, Tabuchi, and Tachikake was initially published in Ribon under the genre name "maidenesque romance". Works in the genre were first published in 1973, primarily by artists in Ribon but also by artists such as Fusako Kuramochi and Mariko Iwadate. The genre began to proliferate in 1976 and reached its peak of popularity by the end of the decade. During the 1980s, Ribon reoriented its editorial lineup towards a younger readership, which resulted in otomechikku artists departing the magazine and the general decline and demise of the subgenre itself.
Subsequent artists who were influenced by otomechikku, such as Koi Ikeno and Aoi Hiiragi, continued the otomechikku convention of love stories focused on ordinary protagonists, but with notable stylistic or thematic variations such as the integration of fantasy elements. In manga, elements of otomechikku narratives continue to be reflected in school romance stories, which remains a popular subgenre of shōjo manga. Outside of manga, otomechikku was an influence on Japanese women's magazines such as An An and Olive, as well as on 1980s expressions of the kawaii aesthetic.
Miyadai further argues that the emergence of otomechikku makes it possible to divide shōjo manga of the 1970s and 1980s into three categories, distinguished by their respective artists and tone: intellectual works by the Year 24 Group, dramatic works by artists such as Machiko Satonaka and Yukari Ichijō, and otomechikku. Miyadai notes how otomechikku takes a "realistic" approach to its narratives, with heroines that reflect their female readers and their environments, contrasting the other two categories which may focus on material that is unfamiliar or difficult to relate to.
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