LGBTQ themes in anime and manga
[6] The rise of yaoi and yuri was also slowed due to censorship laws in Japan that make it extremely hard for Japanese manga artists ("mangakas")[7] and others to create work that is LGBT themed.
However, publishing companies continued to expand their repertoire to include yuri and yaoi, and conventions were created to form a community and culture for fans of this work.
[9][10][11][12] Yukari Fujimoto mentioned how in Tezuka's work, Princess Knight, the main character fluctuated between feminine and masculine identities.
[10] Sapphire, the main character of Princess Knight, was born female but was raised as a male to prevent the antagonist, Duke Durlamin, from inheriting the throne.
She argued that the story established common tropes "used in Japanese girls' literature", including in Class S fiction, and influenced anime like Cream Lemon, Strawberry Panic, and Maria Watches Over Us in later years.
[17][page needed][18] These stories were primarily created and consumed by adolescent girls and women reading shoujo genre tales.
[6] The Magnificent 24 group referred to women mangaka who were born in the Year 24 Shōwa (1949) according to numerous scholars, and the exact membership is not defined.
[19] The artists broadened the content of shoujo manga, adding science fiction, historical, and dramatic elements that changed how readers consumed the genre.
She would be raised as a boy by their father since women are not eligible to inherit the throne,[34] but would be born with both a male and female heart, and later fall in love with and marry Prince Frank.
The magazine featured a regular column called Yurizoku no heya (Room for the lily tribe) to address lesbian readership.
The latter series would have strong yuri overtones, and would be described as a romance between two openly lesbian protagonists: Yuuki Minami and Yume Kitaoka.
Shamoon further said that the close physical resemblance between Oscar and André echoes the aesthetics of the then-emerging boys' love (male-male romance) genre.
[citation needed] Before meeting Yukito, Touya dated Kaho Mizuki when she was his junior high school teacher, and she broke up with him later.
For instance, Geordi Demorest argued that while the original Cardcaptor Sakura is beloved for its "LGBTQ-inclusiveness," this sequel seems "less actively progressive" and is missing the original focus on "explicitly representing LGBTQ characters," criticizing the lack of character development for Tomoyo, only having a brief reference to the romance "between Sakura's brother Touya and his friend Yukito.
Jones said he had some hesitation to start the series, as it was three years after Sailor Moon Crystal, and Høgset called the show like "a fun family reunion."
[103] Other than Haruka and Michiru, Zoisite and Kunzite, two powerful generals who work under Queen Beryl from the Dark Kingdom, are an openly gay couple, However, in some dubs in other countries, Zoisite's gender was changed to female for his feminine appearance and to make them a heterosexual couple instead, but in other dubs, they are changed into brotherly figures because of the closeness of their relationship.
[104] The 1993 film, Sailor Moon R: The Movie would introduce Fiore, an alien who lands on Earth and met Mamoru Chiba / Tuxedo Mask when they were both children.
[114]: 281 Some praised the show for empowering its viewers[115] while others saw it as expressing characters who acted in a "traditionally male" manner, or less than feminist in the case of Sailor Moon herself.
[116] This representation came at a time that anime was beginning to establish a strong foothold in "American geek fandom,"[117][118] even as they still reflected the values of Japanese society.
[122] The approach to gender in the Revolutionary Girl Utena series is flexible, and according to Catherine Bailey, "The categorical definition of masculinity and femininity are limiting and unnecessary.
She further asserted that this series is a key work because Rei Asaka turns away from an "unhealthy relationship" with her half-sister, Fukiko Ichinomiya, and seeks "a healthier friendship," or even romance, "with her before her death".
[154][155] The series was positively reviewed by Erica Friedman, who argued the anime had normal ending reminiscent of something "that might have actually happened in real life.
"[156] Ei Aoki's Wandering Son aired on Fuji TV from January to March 2011 as part of the station's Noitamina programming block.
The anime would be praised as a "breakout show in the transgender drama genre" for its delicate art, empathetic story, and focus on characters.
"[165][166] The manga adaptation was co-written by Ikuhara and Takayo Ikami, and illustrated by Akiko Morishima, who is known for "queer sexual exploration and unclear relationship boundaries" in her works.
[169] Further reviews praised as a well-written drama which is densely packed with "social commentary, multivalent symbolism, and references to historical events, [and] literature,"[170] LGBT-friendly,[171] critiquing the "harmful tropes present in some yuri fiction",[172] a yuri anime about "love between a girl and a female bear",[173] and exploring questions of "queer desire and societal belonging.
"[174] Writers for Anime Feminist argued that the series used various elements to deliver a message "about the prejudice that queer women face," but said is problematic for using predatory animals as a metaphor "for queer sexuality", that reminds viewers how institutions "hurt women and LGBTQ+ people and drive them to hurt one another", and that the show's characters "negotiate their position within the systems of heteronormativity" while relating these themes to transphobia in real-life.
[4] For example, introduction of BL (Boy's Love) to the United States market was less likely to happen because depictions of male-to-male eroticism and sex would be considered contrary to children's material there.
"[182] At the time, huge conventions were hosted while the yuri, BL, and related genres began attracting fans outside Japan, including in Hong Kong and mainland China.
"[191] This aligned with the estimated market size of 21.3 billion yen for the yaoi genre in 2010,[192] which is aimed at young women,[193] who are the main consumers of the content itself, even though some heterosexual men read it.
