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Zucca x Zuca I by Haruna Lemon
While in Tokyo, I decided to have a look inside the bookstore by the Takarazuka-An in Yurakucho and I stumbled upon vol. 2 of Haruna Lemon’s Zucca x Zuca on the “new manga” shelf with a staff...
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Promotional Pictures for Ôoku Drama and Movie (2012)
Finally! I’ve been waiting and waiting for some teaser photos from the new Ôoku TV series (Ôoku Tanjô, Oct. 2012) and film (Ôoku Eien, Dec. 2012), and here they are! TBS Drama. Ôoku: Tanjô...
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Thoughts on the Trailers for Ôoku: Tanjô and Ôoku: Eien
The official trailers for Ôoku: Tanjô and Ôoku: Eien have both been released. Ôoku: Tanjô (Iemitsu/Arikoto) Image from TBS. http://www.tbs.co.jp/ohoku2012/ Trailer:...
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Ôoku: Tanjo, Episode 3
Ooku, Vol. 2, p. 205 Ooku, Ep. 3. Ain’t no party like an ooku drag party… Image via TBS Hello to my new readers from d-addicts, where my blog was linked on the Ôoku drama thread. I know I’m rather...
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Ôoku Tanjô, Episode 4
After Ep. 3, my will to watch this show waned a lot. Fortunately, the drama picks up more in this episode, and there are points I was willing to overlook or accept for the sake of adapting this manga...
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Ôoku Tanjô, Episode 5
Aired Nov. 9, 2012 on TBS. This recap contains spoilers for the drama and the manga, including the Tsunayoshi story arc (vol. 4-6 and the film Ôoku: Eien). Episode 4 recap here; manga analysis here;...
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Surgery Aftercare: Don’t Ride the Elephants
I Want to Be a Man! My Boyfriend Used to Be a Woman (『男になりタイ！私の彼氏は元女』) By Sachiko TAKEUCHI (竹内佐千子) Published by Media Factory (メディアファクトリー） Color; black and white 2008 1100 yen Amazon.co.jp Hello, my...
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Gender Reader: April 2013, #1
In this gender reader: women overlooked in recovery hiring, gendered violence in Fukushima, Koyuki Higashi’s big damn wedding, Flootchism, empowerment in Sailor Moon, and more. Image credit: Haruko...
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Gender Reader: Geek Edition (April 2013 #2)
Via 16-Bit Sirens’ “CONsent.” Mutant and Proud “Beyond Categories: Non-Binary Sexuality” Panel at Emerald City Comic Con. Erika Moen. 7 March 2013. This video is an hour long and worth every single...
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BeruBara Stickers for LINE
My favorite part of using the “global messaging service” LINE is being able to chat with my friends for free even if they use another carrier or are in another country. A close second is the “sticker”...
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Japan Gender Reader, June 2013
My friend Toranosuke over at the Japanese-art blog A Man With Tea has been looking for a good Japan-and-gender blog, something like a Japan-focused version of the excellent The Grand Narrative, which...
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History Lessons from the Tokugawa Matriarchy: Ôoku: The Inner Chambers
Vol. 8, p. 188. Yoshimune and Hisamichi I know most of my readers are familiar with Yoshinaga Fumi’s Ôoku, but in case you’re new here or would like to recommend the manga to a friend, I wrote a guest...
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Inside the Inner Chambers of the Dog Shogun: Ooku, Volumes 4-6
Spoilers for the Iemitsu (vol 2-4) and Tsunayoshi arcs (vol. 4-5), including the drama and the Ôoku: Eien film. I have been thinking about this post for three years. Vol. 4, p. 123. “Bored! Bored!...
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Inside the Inner Chambers of the Dog Shogun: Ôoku, Volumes 4-6, Part 2
Introduction here. Spoilers for the Iemitsu (vol 2-4) and Tsunayoshi arcs (vol. 4-6), including the drama and the Ôoku: Eien film. Warnings: the plot of this story arc contains sexual assault and...
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The Inner Chambers of the Dog Shogun: Ôoku, Volumes 4-6, Part 3
New to Ôoku? Start here. Introduction to this arc here. Major spoilers for the Iemitsu (vol 2-4) and Tsunayoshi arcs (vol. 4-6), including the drama and the Ôoku: Eien film. Warnings: the plot of this...
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Revealing and Concealing Identities: Cross-Dressing in Anime and Manga, Part 1
Today I’m pleased to bring you an essay version of the panel I gave with Dr. Kathryn Hemmann of Contemporary Japanese Literature on cross-dressing in anime and manga at Sakura-Con in Seattle on April...
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Coming Soon: The First New Volume of BeruBara in 40 Years
Speaking of cross-dressing, Ikeda-sensei is publishing new BeruBara stories and no one told me?! Excuse me while I go swim to Japan. I should get there by August, right? Contains some major spoilers...
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Revealing and Concealing Identities: Cross-Dressing in Anime and Manga, Part 2
Part Two: The Theatre How can she be a girl if I love her so much?: A novel by Rosalie Lamorlière. (Joyce Farmer discovers Ingrid Bergman’s Joan of Arc in No Straight Lines, p. 25.) In this section, my...
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Revealing and Concealing Identities: Cross-Dressing in Anime and Manga, Part 3
In Part 3 of this series, Kathryn and I will be examining cross-dressing in comedies and comedic tropes about cross-dressing. Can cross-dressing be treated as more than the butt of a joke? Yes! Part 1...
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Revealing and Concealing Identities: Cross-Dressing in Anime and Manga, Part 4
Part 4: Gender Trouble and Phantom Femininities In the final part of our essay, we’re going to move on to some of the more serious issues surrounding cross-dressing, specifically those involving social...
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