Homosexuality in Fushigi Yuugi and Gravitation An investigation into the cultural background of Japanese animation and homosexuality

Three main questions What is the historical context for homosexuality in Japan? How does the anime represent homosexual behavior? How does the agency of the female viewer influence the portrayal of homosexuality in the anime?

Historical background “Before the Meiji period ( ), Japanese society sustained such male homosocial enclaves as the military, monastic Buddhism, the Kabuki theatre, and urban centers of male prostitution… Within the highly articulated homosocial aesthetic prior to 1868 and extending back to before the 1600's, the love object of Buddhist priests was typically a young androgynous boy, while the samurai favored a strong, resolute youth, and the Kabuki theater's aficionado focused on a transgendered person that signified the "female" in a filtered and interpretive form.” Hawkins, Joseph. “Japan’s Journey into Homophobia.” The Gay and Lesbian Review. Boston: Jan. 31, Vol. 7, Iss. 1; pg. 36.

Timeline 1400’s to 1868, homosexuality flourished 1868, Meiji Restoration 1873, Shinritsu Koryo  Included a law against sodomy—first such in Japan. 1883, sodomy law repealed 1868 to 1945, Industrialization, pre-war pronatal stance

Fushigi Yuugi Character development DDeceased sister CCross-dressing LLoss of identity SSubsumed by costume

Fushigi Yuugi: Comedic effect “the gay-rights group, OCCUR, in one week of evening-time television monitoring, recorded fourteen references to homosexuality and/or transgenderism treated as 'something to be laughed at.'” McLelland, Mark “Male Homosexuality and Popular Culture in Modern Japan.”

Fushigi Yuugi: Examples Discovery

Fushigi Yuugi: Examples “Perversion”

Fushigi Yuugi: Examples “Still gay?”

Fushigi Yuugi: Conclusion “flirts with subverting the heterosexual norm of the heroine and her love interest, ultimately, these norms are satisfied and secured by male homosexuality. The homosexual male is able to portray feminine desire when the heroines cannot and yet at the same time, never fulfill the destiny of heterosexual love.” Goldberg, Wendy “The Homosexual Male in Shoujo Anime.”

Gravitation Story / Characters SShindou Shuichi—rock star EEiri Yuki— romance author

Gravitation: Examples “While the books and films are certainly full of pretty youths with button noses, angular chins and huge saucer eyes, the sexual content is generally slight or incidental… It's often implied romance or simply touching, maybe some kissing, too.” Thompson, David. “Hello Boys.” New Statesman. London: Sept. 8, Vol. 16, Iss. 773; pg. 43.

Agency of the Female Viewer Why is shounen-ai anime directed at the female viewer? What does she get out of the exchange?

The role of the female viewer “Explores female views of masculinity and of the male body in ways that do not degrade or threaten the female viewer and which allow her to focus enthusiastically and openly on all the sexual-romantic things that men do.” Solomon, Charles “Young men in love; Yaoi animation, which depicts romances between attractive males, is a phenomenon in Japan and has a growing U.S. audience.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif.: Jun 30, pg. E.3

The role of the female viewer “Some readers have told me they enjoy the stories because they present an idealized masculine world. Some speak of despising femininity and even of wishing they had been born male, rather than female. For most such women, yaoi and shonen-ai allow them to indulge in the fantasy of loving a man as a man, or, to rephrase it, as an equal, free of predefined gender expectations.” Ruh, Brian “The Function of Woman-Authored Manga in Japanese Society.”