The survey masters over at What Japan Thinks has a pair of questionnaires that went out concerning two facets of otaku culture: maids and butlers. These two groups have had their time in the limelight, most recently with shows like Kuroshitsuji -- although maids have been in the spotlight much longer.

Of course, this represents the "normal" mindset of a Japanese person -- they didn't pick the people who would give some interesting responses. Of course, some people were curious about having a butler or maid in their house, and would like to give it a shot -- about 42% of men would be willing to have a maid around, while 43% of women would like to try out a butler. Interestingly, 37% of women wouldn't mind having a maid around, while 30% of men would be willing to try a butler.

Cooking and cleaning made up the majority of what people wanted them to do, but what was interesting was that about 12% of men wanted the maids to talk with them, while only 2.6% of women were interested in that sort of thing. While the percentages were small for activities like this and shopping together, it paired up with the fact that these people are lonely (one of the first questions asked).

So, for some, a butler or maid is actually just a friend who's contractually obligated to be with you. It makes me think of Hayate the Combat Butler and the like, where something more actually develops from the master/servant relationship and the two can come closer together. Quite a romanticized story, don't you think?

How about you all? If you had the extra cash laying around, would you hire a maid or butler? What would you do with them? And don't worry: we don't judge.