Bent: Genderswapping and Drag in Japanese Doujinshi
January 19th, 2010 | Published in Anime and Manga, BL Manga and Doujinshi
I was young and innocent once (haha), and I was quite taken aback when I discovered Japanese fan art of my favorite anime, manga, and video game characters in full drag and/or suddenly growing lady-parts.
These characters were more often than not male, and they were still intrinsically themselves when it comes to characterization, despite the presence of high heels, nylon stockings, and metres of silk taffeta.
However as the years wore on and I learned a few more things here and there, I begun to realize that this phenomenon of dolling up good-looking men in women’s clothing, or imagining handsome young men as beautiful ladies, was nothing new in the Japanese culture.
Even in traditional theatrical arts such as Noh and Kabuki, men were allowed to and even expected to dress as women (and a handful even did such good job at it that they put real women to shame).
Eventually I got used to the idea of putting particularly gorgeous male characters in women’s clothing, and have even come to expect in in certain titles (like FFVII — because Cloud and Sephiroth are totally asking for it). The lack of stigma attached to “josou” in fandom psyche lends it unassailable to more narrow-minded schools of thought, while its sense of fun and creativity encourages artists and writers to experiment with it.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to whatever floats your boat, and despite the government’s insistence that fictional characters are real people too, you’re not really hurting anyone. If putting the entire cast of Sengoku Basara in mini-skirts and sailor uniforms is your thing than good for you, and if it isn’t then there’s probably a completely different segment of SB fandom who will cater to your whims — all that’s left for you to do is find them.
I know I’ve found my own little niche, and I have been so much happier because of it.
