OMG!  This topic has come up so many times with 
me and my boyfriend (who looks nothing like a 
girl btw) so many times!  We both are also 
fascinated with why girl anime fans are so taken 
aback by the more feminine characters.  And, as a 
NU-riko fan (no, his name is not NO-riko ^_^;;) I 
have to jump out and talk I guess, since his name 
was particularly mentioned and Im a fan of 
his :).  

I dont think girls liking the feminine male 
characters so much is a physical thing.  I think 
it's more of an emotional thing.  The feminine 
charas tend to be more deep, lonely, sad, 
emotionally scarred etc....and that appeals to 
women...makes us feel all sorry and sappy for 
them, like abused kittens.  We cant help 
ourselves, the poor babies!  Its in a woman's DNA 
to feel bad for tortured souls and want to care 
for them.  As to explain my fandom of Nuriko, 
and, compare it to real life:  If two men were 
standing right next to one another, in real life, 
with real features that resembled both Tamahome, 
and Nuriko.......  Id go after the Tamahome for 
dinner, and then call the Nuriko to talk about it 
later.  I usually -dont- go for the girlie 
characters in anime.  Like in Tennimon...I dont 
like Raph or Michael that much....I like Yuusuke 
^_^.  My love for Nuriko is more of a character 
love than a 'looks' love.  Nuriko is a popular 
character for many reason aside from his design.  
So, that explains me.  I just thought he was a 
really creative, deep, and caring persona that I 
could relate to on a few deep levels.  He's more 
of a "cuddle with guy" than a "hottie you just 
wanna jump guy".  Plus....what can I say, I like 
purple!  And, Nuriko is fun to draw!  Hahah!  
Then there's Hotohori......who, didnt do anything 
for me at all.....sorry, I know that is 
blasphemous, but he didnt ~_~.  That's a prime 
example of what I mean.  A fictional character to 
me is more of a spiritual persona than a physical 
representation for me.  Hotohori is just about as 
feminine as Nuriko, and he's more "beautiful" 
than Nuriko.....but it's Nuriko's persona and 
backstory that makes me like him more...and, not 
in a physical, or dare I say, "sexual" way.  For 
those lusts I keep pics of the Abercrombie male 
models in my desktop folder @_@~~~.
  
Well, that explains my story with my one girlie 
boy that I adore.  My adoration is more of a 
personal, emotional one though, and not a 
physical one.  In all honesty, if I met a guy 
like Nuriko on the street....Id probably not be 
nearly as fascinated with him as I would be if I 
met a guy just like Yuuhi(ANC), or Terry(FF), or 
Parn(LW hubba hubba).....now those guys can cook 
my dinner any day of the week!  Hahah!  I think 
with most girls out there it is the same.  They 
like the girlie guys because on some level they 
can relate to them.  Anyways, cool topic....this 
is one of our favorites to yap about with other 
fans too. 

OH PS:  If you'll notice, my drawings of Nuriko 
are way more male-a-fied than he really looks in 
the series? ::hint hint:: The manlier he looks 
the better for me *_*, which is why I pay special 
attention in my pics to do so.