Protags that use boku

[Kanbe]

What do you guys think of them? I honestly hate them. They just sound like pansies

[Nosebleed]

Boku is a very common pronoun, though.

Maybe in otaku media it's not as often used and is more associated with younger boys but in real life even adult males in Japan use either the boku or watashi pronouns because "ore" carries a very strong connotation. 

Personally I don't mind it because I think it's fairly common. Unless a protagonist calls themselves "watakushi" then I probably won't care.

[ホアー ビち]

stop stereotyping ppl plz! also hating on ppl who u consider feminine (without reason besides, cuz he isnt even using atashi) cuz this means 'femininity' is not a good thing and this makes u a sexist! so plz just stop!

[Deep Blue]

it depends on the character imo, I personally dislike boku and like ore but some great characters use boku, even some fem (renji from ef, takuma from swan song) and some really detestable (mamiya takuji, takumi from chaos;head) same thing can be applied to ore, although boku is used a lot more in fem characters than ore (only saw it in 1 vn, i think it was noel)

[Dark_blade64]

Why are you guys getting so worked up because a simple word? What doesn even boku mean anyway?

[Deep Blue]

Just now, Dark_blade64 said:

Why are you guys getting so worked up because a simple word? What doesn even boku mean anyway?

I, but in japanese you have almost 30 ways to say I depending on many things  (most of them are not used anymore or barely used)

[Dark_blade64]

So basically it could mean many things. But you guys were talking about a certain way of saying it or am I wrong?

[OriginalRen]

18 minutes ago, ロル ビち said:

stop stereotyping ppl plz! also hating on ppl who u consider feminine (without reason besides, cuz he isnt even using atashi) cuz this means 'femininity' is not a good thing and this makes u a sexist! so plz just stop!

All right seriously, stop trolling. You did the same thing in a previous thread of yours and your posts were hidden. Don't do the same thing here. If you have a problem with people and how they treat femininity, don't participate in the forums or keep it to yourself please. None of us judge you or start telling you to stop posting based on your fetishes or preferences, so respect a thread and do the same here or don't post in it.

He asked a question, so calm down.

[ホアー ビち]

23 hours ago, OriginalRen said:

All right seriously, stop trolling. 

r u serious?

[Deep Blue]

11 minutes ago, Dark_blade64 said:

So basically it could mean many things. But you guys were talking about a certain way of saying it or am I wrong?

it means "I" always but it depends on the situation basically, this is a silly example but you normally won't use "Ore" in front of a person with a high status, or you won't hear it say an old man using it (normally) because it is used in young males only, on the other hand you have onore which is essentially archaic now in japanese, but you see many vn where characters still use it.

For example in augment the protagonist is really old and he uses "washi" which is used mostly for old people and the character at one point goes back in time and he is young again, so he uses "washi"...and nobody understands why, is not fitting for his age, is weird, there is a whole scene with his sister (a comedy scene) because of this, and then he stops using it.

[Nosebleed]

14 minutes ago, Dark_blade64 said:

So basically it could mean many things. But you guys were talking about a certain way of saying it or am I wrong?

There's several words for "I/oneself" depending on who uses it and also on who you're talking to.

For example, watashi is the most standard, gender neutral one.

Atashi, on the other hand is a very feminine variant of "I" used mostly by women.

Boku is typically used by males, usually younger males, but can be used by women too if they want and it's not seen as too weird, maybe tomboyish.

So yeah we're arguing on that specific word because we're weebs with free time on our hand.

What OP is arguing for is that the pronoun boku makes protagonists sound like little kids.

[Dark_blade64]

5 minutes ago, Nosebleed said:

There's several words for "I/oneself" depending on who uses it and also on who you're talking to.

For example, watashi is the most standard, gender neutral one.

Atashi, on the other hand is a very feminine variant of "I" used mostly by women.

Boku is typically used by males, usually younger males, but can be used by women too if they want and it's not seen as too weird, maybe tomboyish.

So yeah we're arguing on that specific word because we're weebs with free time on our hand.

What OP is arguing for is that the pronoun boku makes protagonists sound like little kids.

They do really care about all this rules of how to speak in Japan.

[ホアー ビち]

23 hours ago, Dark_blade64 said:

They do really care about all this rules of how to speak in Japan.

u r caring about 'rules' in this exact phrase. u use 'do' instead of 'does' for they, u put the verbs and nouns and everything in the correct order, (you broke 1 tho: its these rules, not this). so yea, rules are necessary for a language; its natural 4 em. but they do break some rules, like omitting sounds and abbreviating stuff.

[Kaguya]

I like them. They can be badasses, too.

^ Totally the cutesy boku type. Still cool as hell.

[ヤミハナ]

28 minutes ago, Dark_blade64 said:

So basically it could mean many things. But you guys were talking about a certain way of saying it or am I wrong?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_pronouns

[Dark_blade64]

Just now, ロル ビち said:

u r caring about 'rules' in this exact phrase. u use 'do' instead of 'does' for they, u put the verbs and nouns and everything in the correct order, (you broke 1 tho: its these rules, not this). so yea, rules are necessary for a language; its natural 4 em. but they do break some rules, like omitting sounds and abbreviating stuff.

No I don't care about rules. My english sucks anyway so if for some reason I manage to properly write a whole sentence down is just because it comes natural. I'm better at understanding english than what I am speaking it or writing it. And I'm not saying is not necessary or anything I was just giving out my sincere opinion. (Alright maybe is not sincere but, duh! Details!)

[Deep Blue]

53 minutes ago, Dark_blade64 said:

They do really care about all this rules of how to speak in Japan.

You need to understand that in japanese there are basically 3 ways of speaking, 1 formal or polite (with your superior for example or boss), another one informal which is used in every day situation or talking with friends etc, and last one a humble with honorifics(if you go to buy something the guy in the store will use this one), you even need to change the conjugation of the verbs depending on which one you speak. So in japan is a big deal and they really care about it  

 

[Tyr]

Most of the time, I hate ore-protagonists. They just sound like wannabe-badasses to me. And I hate these types of hipsters in vns as well in rl, lol.

The problem with otaku media is that it seems as if "ore" is the "neutral" way for a male to say "I" because every protag is written like such a cool and awesome and manly man when in fact "boku" is the normal and not pretentious way for males to refer to themselves.

But far worse than "ore" is "omae". I'm still waiting for a VN where heroines will laugh at the protag for being such a pretentious and insulting asshole with the mindset of a 12year old boy who wants to be bad and cool. Because that's exactly how I would react if somebody talks to me like this, lol.

[Makudomi]

Watashi is safe and proper, although totally gender-neutral and might be perceived as being more "pansy"-like than boku.

Ore is less socially acceptable and demonstrates a certain over-confidence (or social ineptitude) that indirectly sets a character up to be perceived a certain way. This can be both good and bad, of course. Some characters (and real people too even more so) switch to another pronoun when formality demands it, reserving their use of ore for casual situations with friends and family.

Boku feels a bit like a compromise; it gives a sense of individuality/masculinity for a male without stepping on anyone's toes. This is typically what I myself use, although as a foreign speaker of the language I switch to "watashi" if I feel I don't know a person very well. That might just be excessive cautiousness on my part, however.

Other pronouns, well...there really aren't many options you'll see for male protagonist-types. lol. Ware is way too archaic and rude (maybe if Walhart from Fire Emblem 13 was a protag), washi'd fit if the VN took place in a retirement home, and the others are either blatantly feminine, regional or extremely bizarre to see in day-to-day life.

[Dergonu]

6 hours ago, Deep Blue said:

You need to understand that in japanese there are basically 3 ways of speaking, 1 formal or polite (with your superior for example or boss), another one informal which is used in every day situation or talking with friends etc, and last one a humble with honorifics(if you go to buy something the guy in the store will use this one), you even need to change the conjugation of the verbs depending on which one you speak. So in japan is a big deal and they really care about it  

This is one of the reasons I love Japanese to be honest. Different ways of speaking / speech patterns are so cool. Makes it easier to create like a personality with the language.

(Though its sadly also something that makes it hard to learn )

[Clephas]

In certain social situations - such as a salaryman in the workplace or a servant/employee - some people will use the boku pronoun (males) or the watashi pronoun, even though they use ore normally.  Ore is sometimes seen as rude or crude when used in some situations... and using boku is generally seen as having humility.  There are some really strong protagonists who nonetheless use the boku pronoun though... such as Re:birth Colony's Souji.