ANIME FEMINIST

Japanese pop culture through a feminist lens

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[Creator Spotlight] Art as Discovery, Art as Hope: Yuhki Kamatani, x-gender and asexual mangaka

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Editor’s Note: Kamatani's work frequently features characters whose gender identity is ambiguous or open to reader interpretation. This article will refer to these characters using the gender-neutral "they" throughout. SPOILERS: Discussion of character arcs in Nabari no Ou, Shounen Note, Busshi no Busshin, and Shimanami Tasogare. Yuhki Kamatani is best known for their … [Read more...] about [Creator Spotlight] Art as Discovery, Art as Hope: Yuhki Kamatani, x-gender and asexual mangaka

[Versus] Cardcaptor Sakura and the stagnant LGBTQ representation

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SPOILERS: Discussion of character relationships in Cardcaptor Sakura and Clear Card. The classic magical girl anime and manga series, Cardcaptor Sakura, is beloved by many people for its fun, adorable aesthetic, endearing characters, and LGBTQ-inclusiveness. The currently airing sequel, Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card, takes place about a year later and attempts to recapture … [Read more...] about [Versus] Cardcaptor Sakura and the stagnant LGBTQ representation

[Perspectives] The People’s Hero (Some People Not Included): The exclusion of queer viewers in LUPIN THE 3rd PART 5

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Perspectives articles focus on the feminist-relevant impact particular stories or characters have had on the writer. These are personal essays meant to highlight a variety of marginalized voices and experiences, and as such may contain views that challenge or contradict the experiences of other readers. As always, we encourage you to share your own stories in the … [Read more...] about [Perspectives] The People’s Hero (Some People Not Included): The exclusion of queer viewers in LUPIN THE 3rd PART 5

[Feature] Kino is the non-binary protagonist we deserve

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Kino’s Journey (2003) is one of the great classics of anime: directed by the late Ryutaro Nakamura (Serial Experiments Lain) with his characteristic eye for negative space and eerie, melancholy sound design, the series is a quiet but purposeful sequence of short stories ranging from the fantastical to the mundane. All of them are about human nature, and as Kino meets various … [Read more...] about [Feature] Kino is the non-binary protagonist we deserve

[Discourse] Catherine, Trans Identities, and Representation in Japan

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In early 2011, ATLUS released Catherine. Months before the release of this unique puzzler, advertisements showed the series would revolve around the complicated topics of commitment, marriage, love, sex, and the relationship between men and women. In late 2017, ATLUS announced they would be re-releasing Catherine with a new addition to the cast. Her name is Rin. She’s a new … [Read more...] about [Discourse] Catherine, Trans Identities, and Representation in Japan

[Feature] DEVILMAN crybaby, legacies of queerness, and diversifying remakes

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DEVILMAN crybaby has been tearing up the internet since it dropped a few weeks ago, sparking conversation about its use of sex, violence, horror, and taboo to tell a story about love and the end of the world. Not an inconsiderable amount of that discussion was centered around the series’ queer representation. What do you do with a series that features sympathetic representation … [Read more...] about [Feature] DEVILMAN crybaby, legacies of queerness, and diversifying remakes

[Feature] Land of the Lustrous, singular “they,” and the politics of subtitles

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Land of the Lustrous has proven to be a sleeper hit of the Fall 2017 season, with its beautiful melding of CG and traditional art, creative direction, likable characters, and penchant for cliffhangers. It also made minor waves by deciding to refer to almost the entire cast with neutral “they/them” pronouns. In an industry that has historically elected to choose binary pronouns … [Read more...] about [Feature] Land of the Lustrous, singular “they,” and the politics of subtitles

[Perspectives] How Yuri!!! On ICE helped me understand myself

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Perspectives articles focus on the feminist-relevant impact particular stories or characters have had on the writer. These are personal essays meant to highlight a variety of marginalized voices and experiences, and as such may contain views that challenge or contradict the experiences of other readers. As always, we encourage you to share your own stories in the … [Read more...] about [Perspectives] How Yuri!!! On ICE helped me understand myself

[Feature] The challenges of a queer immigrant and the shortcomings of A Certain Marriage

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At first glance, A Certain Marriage by Ruri Kumashika is an attractive addition to the expanding collection of LGBT-oriented comics coming out of Japan. It tells the story of Saki Honjo, a Japanese woman who moved to Los Angeles to join her high school girlfriend Anna Abel, and their journey toward marriage. A bitter-sweet story, A Certain Marriage delves into the beauty of gay … [Read more...] about [Feature] The challenges of a queer immigrant and the shortcomings of A Certain Marriage

[Perspectives] The quiet revolutions of contemporary Japanese queer novels

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Perspectives articles focus on the feminist-relevant impact particular stories or characters have had on the writer. These are personal essays meant to highlight a variety of marginalized voices and experiences, and as such may contain views that challenge or contradict the experiences of other readers. As always, we encourage you to share your own stories in the … [Read more...] about [Perspectives] The quiet revolutions of contemporary Japanese queer novels

[Podcast] Chatty AF 21: Wandering Son Retrospective

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Vrai does a deep dive on the anime and manga of Wandering Son (Hourou Musuko) with special guests Associate Editor of Anime News Network Jacob Chapman, YouTuber Cayla Coats, and manga scholar and professional translator Rachel Matt Thorn. [Please note that Rachel began to use this name after the recording of this podcast and is therefore referred to as Matt throughout this … [Read more...] about [Podcast] Chatty AF 21: Wandering Son Retrospective

[Feature] An Analysis of Magical Sex-Change (TSF) Manga

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Let’s get something out of the way:I’m about to talk about some problematic stuff. Some of it is pornographic and graphically violent. So I’m flagging you all with this content warning. I’m going to be talking about issues with gender dysphoria, rape, and sexual harassment. Also, given the topic features characters who change their gender presentation throughout the story, … [Read more...] about [Feature] An Analysis of Magical Sex-Change (TSF) Manga

[Feature] How Girl Friends reflects a real queer experience

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As a queer woman, I find that a lot of queer literature isn’t really made with my perspective in mind. Often times, it feels like most of the queer female media is made for men’s enjoyment and depicts unrealistic or frivolous relationships between women. When I found the manga Girl Friends, I was not only excited to see a yuri that seemed made for me; I also felt as though I … [Read more...] about [Feature] How Girl Friends reflects a real queer experience

[AniFemTalk] Gender non-conforming characters

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Last week Dee wrote a piece on how Chihayafuru handles main character Chihaya's experience of femininity. We are here taking 'gender non-conforming' in the broadest sense possible to allow us to discuss a spectrum of presentations, from simply appearing as a 'tomboy' as Chihaya is in her childhood, to switching between gender presentations like Kuranosuke in Princess Jellyfish, … [Read more...] about [AniFemTalk] Gender non-conforming characters

[Discourse] ‘Trapped’ by fandom: The very real harm of calling ‘trap’ a genre

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Recently Juné, a yaoi manga publisher, included the word “trap” as part of their marketing (in a tweet that has since been deleted, but we have a screenshot below). On Twitter, Anime Feminist rightfully pointed out how bad that was, referencing GLAAD’s inclusion of “trap” as a slur and linking to an article about problematic translations. Seeing all this, the fit of rage I felt … [Read more...] about [Discourse] ‘Trapped’ by fandom: The very real harm of calling ‘trap’ a genre

[Feature] Consider the Lilies of the Field: The Case for Yuri Manga

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Yuri manga is an entire genre of comics about girls and women falling in love. So why is it so often overlooked by queer and feminist fans? There are several common concerns, each valid in their own right. But for me, it fulfills a desire to see romance bloom between women in a way that few other mediums can provide. … [Read more...] about [Feature] Consider the Lilies of the Field: The Case for Yuri Manga