This Lesbian's Guide
to Anime and Manga: My Lesbian Analysis
Triggers
by P. Kristen Enos
(Updated January 10, 2010.)
Introduction
I realized
that while I do talk about general trends balanced
with real life truths and myths of lesbianism, I
haven't really documented anywhere on this site what
factors I look at to cause me to do lesbian analysis
on a series.
I had one
reader comment that some of the things I pointed out
in my analysis of the Original Bubblegum Crisis
could be attributed to "fanservice", when creative
parties show things that have the highest priority
of satisfying the voyeuristic nature of certain
fantypes. I definitely don't discount or deny the
fact that some depictions are definitely motivated
by fanservice, but what matters from the perspective
of this site is "what is reality to the character
herself?" So if Priss was a real person who made
her own choices and had her own motivation, then I
look for reasons of why would she be in her
underwear, presumably in Sylia's apartment, by
herself? AIC and the creative team's reasons have
nothing to do with this assessment.
The trouble of
course comes when you have different creative
parties handling the same characters in an attempt
at the same universe, such as Original BGC and BG
Crash, and the characterizations are so drastically,
illogically different that consistent analysis is
almost impossible from the independent character
perspective described above. But hey, I'm trying to
deal with what I get...
So here are
the main things that cause a potential "blip"
reading on my gaydar. Individually they probably
could be discounted, but when you have a multitude
of factors, then I just have to raise my eyebrows
and go "Hmmm..."
Cultural
Differences
Again, the
cultural differences issue. It's well known that the
Japanese are not as romantically or physically
expressive in their relationships publicly. I
remember reading the author's notes in the graphic
novel of "Futaba-Kun Change" how Japanese romance
stories frustrates Americans in general because
people aren't as bold and upfront with their
feelings and actions. (Well, to be frank, the
lesbian world knows this method of romance well.)
This point is
important when someone says "Well, So-and-So can't
be involved with that person because they never did
(fill in the blank.)" As one famous anime director
pointed out, anime fans like to use their
imagination -- I admit he wasn't talking about
romance and sex, but you get the reason why I
brought this quote up.
Plus, there's
a well-known story about Naoko Takeuchi, the creator
of "Sailor Moon", not understanding Western
Homophobia when questioned by an unhappy fan about
the idea of Haruka and Michiru being lovers, (which
she confirmed.)
It's hard to
remember that people in other countries, with
completely different social behaviors and ethics,
just don't think or view things the same way you do. And it's easy to fall into the ethnocentric trap of
judging them as the Lesser.
Harems
This romantic
setup is actually used with a lot of frequency in
anime, and sometimes with girls as the center of the
turmoil. But for the purposes of this site, the
girl-centered harem titles occasionally
allow for other girls to jump into the battles for
affection, which just adds to the fun and amount of
raised eyebrows.
Marketing to
Men in America
I only
highlight this point because of the male fantasy
about women having sex with each other seem to have
strong elements in many titles that are brought over
when there are clearly no female marketing
intentions behind the licensing. The challenge is
picking through the questionable material to see if
there's anything self-respecting lesbians can take
pride and interest in watching.
Plus, there's
also the issue in that what men find attractive
about women and what women find attractive about
women are not necessarily the same things. Personal
example: I think Sylia in coveralls in "Bubblegum
Crisis Tokyo 2040" is a hell of a lot sexier than
the stage-slut guise of Priss from the original
"BGC", but then people like me aren't the main
target audience members for either versions.
What You See
Isn't Necessarily What You'll Get
I've noticed a
couple of series would have official promotional art
with certain heterosexual characters in combinations
and poses which implies otherwise. "You're Under
Arrest" and "Evangelion" are two noteable examples,
(and therefore are added to my analysis list for
that reason.)
I have
to admit it's a little disappointing when it
involves characters you like, but then "sex sells,"
or in these cases "lesbian
sex sells."
There's
also a frequency of "mistaken for lesbians" moments
that are often used for comic effect (which I tend
to personally enjoy if done tastefully and under the
right circumstances.) I guess it's a case of the
Creative Powers That Be
know
everyone's thinking it so
might as well throw a bone out to the dogs, so to
speak.
As I pointed out to a
friend: If you pick up a title with a cover of
two men embracing, you're pretty sure you're gonna
get what you see. If you pick up a title with
a cover of two women embracing, it's not so
guaranteed.
Girls
Being Obsessed With Each Other’s Boobs
Since
watching anime, I've have come across
NUMEROUS
scenes of girls being obsessed
with other girls' breasts, from comparing sizes to
full on grabbing them! It happens so frequently that
I'm almost inclined to think that maybe Japanese
girls really do that...but I seriously doubt it
since I don't see any of the Sailor Moon girls do
that, not even Haruka and Michiru
(which would probably
settle some of the debates if they actually did.)
So I check it off as more male
fantasy elements.
Lack of a
Love Interest
This element
comes into play for the category of girls and women
that I'll label as "Suspiciously Inconclusive." I've
read on sites that this is the clue for lesbians in
anime, which does cause some eyebrow raising at
times. But I would be hesitant to say all people
without romantic interests are gay...I'm a "give me
proof" kind of girl, after all.
The Common
Sense Factor
In the
circumstances where orientations are not expressly
stated or established, certain people will just
rationalize to death the Default of Heterosexuality.
However, in most cases, there will always be an
element these folks just can't or won't explain, and
therefore dismiss them as unimportant.
Now if
you take a deep breath and think "Okay, does
everything
make sense if I
possibly
consider this character
could
be gay or lesbian?" If that
person is just not willing to even entertain the
option, well that is their own reality and it's not
my place to tell them they're wrong.
Couples
Sometimes you
just notice that two characters seem to always hang
around each other. It's really subtle or really
overt depending on which way you look at it.
True, friends are always shown together, and that
doesn't mean anything. And plus, in the world of
anime where creating a cast of characters is limited
by budget rather than the diversity of realism,
social combinations are even more limited. But
after a while, certain pairings just stick out,
causing me to look at other things.
Overt
Romantic Behaviors
Whether it's
love letters left in shoe lockers and/or declaration
of devotion presented in person. What works for
heterosexuals works for the lesbian and gay world as
well.
Subtle
Romantic Behaviors
The blush
reaction is always a cute sign. Plus the trembling,
stuttering and sweating. And the anime gods that be
always add a thing or two with the cascade of flower
petals possibly combined with soft mood lighting and
music.
Men? Are
they important?
I usually keep
my eyes open for each character as I watch her go
through a storyline and see how she reacts to
members of the opposite sex, if at all. No interest
is usually a positive sign.
Hidden Side
of Me
Those
emotionally revealing moments are always the
juiciest for fans, and the question is when a long
stoic character does reveal deeper sides to
themselves, who do they actually allow to see that
precious vulnerability? The same could be said of
an emotionally guarded person who suddenly has a
strong emotional reaction to someone that reveals
unusual importance about them.
Because of
Her
One would
think everyone has a reason for doing something.
When that reason is revealed to be a particular
person in her life, then there is certainly romantic
potential there.
A Fool in
Love
As in real
life, when one has an interest in someone, her
opinion and amount of attention she gives you
becomes important. Real life and anime characters
will do things that seem a little absurd to their
characterization but ring true when it comes to the
complexities of Love.
Those Butch
Types
Yes, I admit I
follow stereotypes and pay closer attention to the
more butch appearing and acting women. Mainly
because I don't really expect the usually male
creators to all be enlightened enough to know just
how diverse the spectrum is for gender behaviors and
appearances are for lesbians.
A couple of
special circumstances:
"I'm
Telling You She Is Gay!"
Sometimes
creators will be interviewed and reveal their
intention and opinion that a certain prime character
is really a lesbian. However, they may never
actually show this same character in any
circumstances or relationship that truly indicate
this. There could be different reasons for this,
but the bottom line for me is that all "evidence"
should be able to be seen within the material.
Otherwise, the character just falls into that
suspiciously inconclusive category.
The Coming
Out Process/Outness Levels
Because anime
and manga are stories, characters should go through
a personal development arc which incorporates growth
and added awareness. At least they should in the
good series. There are characters who will start
off as heterosexual at the beginning of the tale,
and through the events and circumstances, fall in
love with someone of the same gender by the end of
the tale. Depending on how well someone handles
such experiences, they could have a variaty of
reactions, from desperate clinging moments of
homophobias to full acceptance. And just as in real
life, some characters may never realize that their
actions could be described as potentially lesbian
and never completely accept themselves in that way.
In those circumstances, one needs to look at the
entire character's story rather than pull things out
of context.
To be fair, I
do try to not read TOO much into potential
lesbianism since I am usually quite the skeptic, but
I admit when it's neutral and open to
interpretation, I will most likely default to the
favor of pro-lesbian.
And the
content I HAVE to comment on:
Yaoi
This is the idea of
having stories where the romantic leads are a male
pair but the marketing is for a female audience.
Highly romanticized portrayals of gay men that is
usually not very realistic when you compare the
behavior of REAL gay men.
Until "Queer As
Folk", I think people assumed this was a genre that
only applied to Japanese women but it seems to be a
much, more international phenomenon than many
peoplehad realized.
I actually do like
some yaoi and will review those series that I think
are worth checking out.
Homophobia
I will not
pass up an opportunity to rant about anything I see,
even if the story has "gay" characters.
The Penis
Factor
There's an
unfortunate, recent trend of thinking that guys in
dresses (or guys that turn into girls) should qualiy
as yuri material. That's bullshit.
However, there can be
some elements, in the form of supporting characters
and storylines but I don't hold my breath for
anything genuine.
Cross
Dressing
Girls
dressing up as boys is also a common trend.
That premise alone is more interesting from the
usual guy homosexual dynamics that come up with the
straight male lead thinking he's falling for another
guy.
There
are some series though that do have subplots and
supporting characters of girls falling in love with
lead girl as guy that may be worth commenting on.
[By the way, this
page is copyright 2010 to P. Kristen Enos. Don't
copy please!]
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