Gender bending as portrayed in two contemporary Japanese drama

• Main Authors: Acorda, Ethelda I., Afuang, Stephanie Q., Severino, Michelle M.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2009
• Subjects: Japanese drama > History and criticism; Gender identity in literature
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/8060
• Institution: De La Salle University

Through the analysis of two Japanese contemporary dramas, a study about gender bending in the Japanese society was conducted. The proponents of the research chose to analyze the dramas Hanazakari no Kimitachi e and Princess Princess because of their gender bending associated plots. Both dramas offered different perspectives and information about such a type of behavior which some Japanese exhibit. To further understand and develop the study, Sugiyamas Social Preoccupation theory was used. Together with this were other elements such as, the gender bending characters, the society and environment they were situated in, their interactions, and the various events in the story. Although both of the dramas shared a common theme, each tackled different stories and situations of gender bending. The accounts focused on the life of the students and the discovery of how gender bending has helped the characters achieve their preplanned goals. Different levels of acceptance and the effects of social stimuli were elaborated and the interaction between the central character and the supporting characters were also analyzed and discussed. In Princess Princess the main characters were known to the student body as princesses. Mikoto, Toru, and Yujiro were made to cheer and support their fellow schoolmates in various school events in exchange for certain benefits and rewards like free meal tickets, school supplies, and the like. As part of the schools tradition, they had no choice but to conform. In the process they were disrupted by the Otoya, who happened to be the student council presidents brother. He devices a plan to overthrow the current system his brother had put up as a sign of revenge. Through he was successful at the beginning, he was then put to shame in the end. In Hana Kimi the main character gender bended to be able to solve a problem that bothered her. In wanting to help Sano Izumi high jump again, Ashiya Mizuki entered an all boys school. In the process she experienced all sorts of things. She met new people, gained new friends, but it was not easy to get to her goal just like that. Various reasons like Sanos attitude got in her way. But despite all the challenges and failures, in the end she was able to attain her goal of making Sano high jump again after the injury she felt responsible for. As observed in the two dramas, the characters that were influenced by their social institutions to gender bend either experienced joy or pain. According to the theory of social preoccupation, the central characters are sensitized towards their social fixation and in trying to maintain their relationship with their social fixated object, they experience hope or despair, pleasure or pain. The dramas may have suggested that the Japanese society is more flexible when it comes to wearing clothes. For them gender bending could be used for practical purposes like getting income or for personal preference of style alone. It does not really disrupt the persons being just because they dress or act as the opposite sex. Gender bending may be seen more on the Japanese artistic persona in which they could express through acting and dressing up. In addition to the data obtained from the episode summaries, the researchers also provided three tables in further helping its readers understand how the theory of Social Preoccupation and the two dramas were related. It is through which wherein gender bending is further discussed and elaborated. The first table Social Institutions That Affect the Main Gender Bending Characters Social Behavior, gives the readers a brief overview of the different kinds of institutions present in the dramas. Such institutions may be the characters family, school, social status, or others like personal will. Each main gender bending character had an institution which affected his or her social behavior. One may have just one institution like Mikoto, while others can have a combination of two or more like Ashiya and Toru. The Social Pre-Occupation Character Skeleton of All the Main Gender Bending Characters table on the other hand gives a more general picture for each of the characters reasons, goals, challenges, and conflicts regarding their gender-bending behavior. In their efforts to maintain their social fixation and actions in achieving their goal, challenges and conflicts stand in their way and such things are elaborated on in the explanation which the chart is followed by. Lastly, the Gender Bending Manifestations of All the Gender Bending Characters table allows the readers to have a glimpse of how each of the characters both main and subordinate were able to manifest their gender bending behavior. Since it was based on the theory of Social Preoccupation, it followed that there are three main manifestations that the character would undergo. First is the physical, where ones appearance as a gender bender was described. Followed by the social manifestation, which explained the characters behavior that has already deviated from his or her normal acts in order to manipulate, create, or maintain a certain situation in the society. Lastly, the symbolic manifestation gave way to the acts of the characters which have an underlying meaning. In the case of the two dramas, ones hair and their language were considered to be symbolic.