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Catgirl

Encyclopedia : C : CA : CAT : Catgirl

This article deals with the Catgirl in popular culture. For information of historical interest on the mythical creature, see Bakeneko.
See Carrie Kelly for the sidekick Catgirl in . For BDSM petplay, see human animal roleplay.

A catgirl is a woman or girl with cat ears, a cat tail, or other feline accoutrements on an otherwise human-shaped body; they are found semi-commonly in anime and manga either as a form of cosplay or actual body parts, as well as in a few video games (Dark Cloud, for example). Catgirls wishing to look especially cute will wear over-sized mittens and shoes that look like paws. "Catgirl" can sometimes be modified to refer to other woman/animal combinations that are sometimes found, usually mammals like bunnygirls, foxgirls and (more rarely) doggirls; see kemonomimi.

Catgirls are typically not considered furry because they most often resemble humans with cat-like embellishments rather than being an anthropomorphic cat, though this is not always the case, as the definition and appearance of catgirls vary from country to country, person to person. Eastern catgirls are usually depicted as having minimal feline characteristics such as slitted eyes, tails, and ears (with different color ear-fur than their hair), while Western catgirls are more often portrayed as more feral, with full body fur and claws being their most prominent aspects. Of course, this is only a very general rule of thumb and not true for all cases. For example, some Japanese examples of catgirls include characters such as Escaflownes Merle, the Puma Twins from ', or Aisha Clan-Clan from Outlaw Star'', who are more feline in mannerisms than they initially appear to be. In some shonen series, however, a (usually villainous) catgirl may be portrayed as the leader of a band of anthropomorphic animals.

Ordinary humans, such as Hikaru Shidou from Magic Knight Rayearth, will sometimes sprout cat ears or a tail in order to illustrate their excitable personalities. This is similar to the phenomenon of becoming chibi and is mostly a stylistic quirk from manga artists. In Japanese, catgirls are usually called nekomimi (猫耳)—literally, "cat ears"—rather than the literal term nekomusume (猫娘). Sometimes characters do not actually feature cat-like ears or such an accessory but their hair sticks out and resembles cat ears.

Characters in anime and manga may momentarily develop a catlike mouth. This is usually used to emphasize mischievous thoughts or comments by a character. Rebellious boys are more often compared to dogs (InuYasha being a popular example) or wolves. The "lone-wolf" characterization is very common for brooding, aggressive, socially isolated males, while comparisons to dogs usually refer to adorably rebellious but ultimately harmless boys. However, in certain anime and manga series, such as Loveless, a boy may be compared to a cat in a similar way catgirls are. In those occasions, they are sometimes referred to as catboys. Understandably, bishōnen catboys are typically associated with shōjo manga and yaoi.

In some circles, catgirl is a disparaging term for a stereotypical hyperactive and obnoxious fangirl, who might wear cat ears as an accessory while at conventions.[[Citing sources citation needed]]

Dejiko from Di Gi Charat
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Dejiko from Di Gi Charat

Contents

List of catgirl characters

Catgirls who always have real ears and a tail

Girls who always have real cat ears

Girls who transform into catgirls

Girls who are seen wearing catgirl costumes regularly

Hazuki from Tsukuyomi-Moon Phase
Hazuki from Tsukuyomi-Moon Phase

Catboys

Live action catgirls

Others


See also

External links

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

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