Rejoice fellow otaku, for robots are no longer just a "boys and their toys" thing...or are they?

A study by survey group iShare revealed that half of Japanese women watched mecha shows regularly at some point. More than half of the women who did watch mecha shows were most interested in the story, where as 70% of the male respondents were interested more in the mecha themselves. Boys and their toys indeed.

Obviously, brand awareness was highest for the most iconic shows, namely Gundam and Evangelion, but women showed an impressive awareness of Kamen Rider, with 42% versus 35% for men. I'd bet that the good-looking male protagonists were a significant factor.

Unfortunately for people anticipating a future where everyone is otaku, only about 5% actually continued to watch mecha shows past their twenties, which I suppose, is why more recent properties like Gurren Lagann made no impact. Perhaps when today's 10-year-olds are in their twenties, we'll be seeing different figures.