LGBT Anime

[atomic440]

Hey,
I am doing a graduation thesis on Japanese gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered language and want to include some references of gendered speech patterns from anime and manga. I want to discover whether gay characters use feminine language, lesbians use masculine language, etc.
I don't know many anime series' so would appreciate it if anyone could give me a list of anime I should check out with gay/lesbian/bisexual themes or dealing with transgenderism or intersex people. So far, I've discovered gay themes in Gravitation, lesbian themes in Kannazuki no Miko, and some transgendered/intersex themes in Sailor Moon concerning the Sailor Stars.
Any help would be much appreciated.

[jedinat]

Strawberry Panic - yuri
Aoi Hana - yuri
Sasameki Koto - yuri
Hourou Musuko - transgender

[White Manju Bun]

Junjou romantica or really anything by Nakamura Shungiku or Mishima Kazuhiko, both write yaoi/BL manga.

[Haak]

I second Hourou Musuko.

[Clarami]

Kampfer - Yuri/Gender Bender
Kuttsukiboshi and Candy Boy - Yuri/Incest
Shangri La - Transgender
No.6 - Shounen Ai
Queen's Blade - Has yuri vibes and females make the majority of the series.

[kitten320]

Yuri/shoujo ai:
Aoi Hana
Candy Boy - twincest
Kämpfer - gender bender
Mai HiME/Mai Otome - two seasons, but both have different story lines. Mai Otome is probably more shoujo ai heavy.
Maria-sama ga Miteru
Maria†Holic - more for humor. And there is also a cross dressing guy.
Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox - an all female world
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun - not exactly yuri but there is a lesbian character

Didn't watch them myself but there also are:
Strawberry Panic
Sasameki Koto
Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl
Simoun

Yaoi/Shounen ai:
Junjou Romantica
Koi Suru Boukun
Kuroshitsuji
Mirai Nikki - some hints later in the series
No.6
Sekaiichi Hatsukoi
Sukisho

Didn't watch them but heard about:
Ikoku Irokoi Romantan
Gravitation

Also if I don't mistake, Loveless has both yuri and yaoi.

If you are interested in manga, I know a good one for yuri. It is only 35 chapters long.

[ranran]

Revolutionary Girl Utena - Yuri anime, this is a must watch.

[Utsuro no Hako]

Originally Posted by jedinat

Hourou Musuko - transgender

And you should pick up the English edition of the manga (published as Wandering Son) for Matt Thorn's afterwords where he discusses various aspects of Japanese LGBT culture related to the story.

I can't believe no one's mentioned the grand-daddy of them all -- The Rose of Versailles.

[james0246]

Offering up Oniisama e.... From Versailles creator Ikeda Ryoko, Oniisama e... deals far more with the actual issue of lesbianism (amongst many other prominent themes of the series).

[Konakaga]

Originally Posted by jedinat

Strawberry Panic - yuri
Aoi Hana - yuri
Sasameki Koto - yuri
Hourou Musuko - transgender

I'll second all 4 of those. Assuming wanting to keep at serious series and themes to it, that's all I have.

While Mai-HiME, Kämpfer, and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun do have elements of it, I am not sure it's enough focus for what you're trying to do; I don't suggest Yuruyuri for the same reasons.

[sa547]

Originally Posted by james0246

Offering up Oniisama e.... From Versailles creator Ikeda Ryoko, Oniisama e... deals far more with the actual issue of lesbianism (amongst many other prominent themes of the series).

Still the best, and now available online at Viki.

[synaesthetic]

Even Strawberry Panic is bad because it's a stealth parody of the genre, not a serious take on LGBT issues. There are very few of those anywhere that aren't Oscar-baiting films, much less anime.

Wandering Son is probably the only one that takes a realistic path, but even it is a bit too lighthearted to really dig into the issues.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

Wandering Son is probably the only one that takes a realistic path, but even it is a bit too lighthearted to really dig into the issues.

I agree, though I took quite a bit of flak for saying so in the series' thread a while back. It just seemed a bit too fluffy, treating what should have been a serious issue with kids' gloves. Practically everyone in the show was too nice to be true, with only one borderline "antagonist" providing what passes for conflict in the earlier half. That said, it does get better towards the last third of the series.

My overall impression is that, contrary to surface appearances, Japan isn't as "open-minded" about LGBT issues as many fans think. Mainstream culture still treats such issues as taboo for the most part. You are more likely to encounter them in parodies like those of Hard Gay.

[Guardian Enzo]

I don't want to re-hash that old argument, so I'll just say I disagree that Hourou Musuko is too lighthearted and treats these issues with kid gloves. I think it's not designed as a melodrama and not intended to be a tragic story - it's mostly an interior study of the things that these kids have to think about themselves, and the social stigma they face is supportive of that as a plot device, not the other way around. It also intends to portray the characters in question as having very typical adolescent problems and focuses on the rest of the cast as well, giving it a universality that makes it easy for anyone to appreciate.

In any case, whether you agree with that charge or not, I think it can be agreed that it's an excellent recommendation for the OP and I endorse it.

[james0246]

Truthfully, there are few anime/manga that deal with LGBT voices (themes are covered, but actual issue of "language" are often lost). The OP would be better served to focus on live-action films, many of which deal with the issue far more competently and personally than anime/manga.

[kitten320]

Actually I found Mai HiME pretty believable if you don't count action. True that yuri was not the main focus, but they are a memorable part of the series.

Not everyone were gay there and they didn't swoon straight away like in most yuri/yaoi shows.

[synaesthetic]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

I don't want to re-hash that old argument, so I'll just say I disagree that Hourou Musuko is too lighthearted and treats these issues with kid gloves. I think it's not designed as a melodrama and not intended to be a tragic story - it's mostly an interior study of the things that these kids have to think about themselves, and the social stigma they face is supportive of that as a plot device, not the other way around. It also intends to portray the characters in question as having very typical adolescent problems and focuses on the rest of the cast as well, giving it a universality that makes it easy for anyone to appreciate.

In any case, whether you agree with that charge or not, I think it can be agreed that it's an excellent recommendation for the OP and I endorse it.

It's a good story, I won't argue with that. But reflective of my own experiences in regards to LGBT acceptance, it's almost insulting how nice everyone is to the focus characters.

I would have given the universe to be treated that well while I was in the working-things-out stage. Instead, I was abused by family and peers, both psychologically and physically, and nearly killed twice. I don't have a family anymore as a result. I haven't spoken to a single blood relative in close to a decade. I spent years running away from them, trying to find somewhere I wouldn't be hounded, abused and attacked.

And my story is a fairly mild case. There are plenty of LGBT kids who don't make it beyond being a kid before someone murders them.

Wandering Son fails spectacularly at really illustrating the pure hell that LGBT youth have to endure, even in supposed "advanced" first-world nations (let's not even get into how bad it is in heavily-religious third-world nations). And thus as a serious examination of transgender issues it fails and fails hard.

But as a story, it's good, and it's a hell of a lot more respectful of its subject matter than the average manga or anime incorporating LGBT elements. So for that much I give it a lot of credit. The art's also quite cute.

[sa547]

I wish this thread also include manga in the same category, and if so I would put forward Ching Nakamura's Gunjo.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...rom=Main.Gunjo

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

It's a good story, I won't argue with that. But reflective of my own experiences in regards to LGBT acceptance, it's almost insulting how nice everyone is to the focus characters.

I would have given the universe to be treated that well while I was in the working-things-out stage. Instead, I was abused by family and peers, both psychologically and physically, and nearly killed twice. I don't have a family anymore as a result. I haven't spoken to a single blood relative in close to a decade. I spent years running away from them, trying to find somewhere I wouldn't be hounded, abused and attacked.

And my story is a fairly mild case. There are plenty of LGBT kids who don't make it beyond being a kid before someone murders them.

Wandering Son fails spectacularly at really illustrating the pure hell that LGBT youth have to endure, even in supposed "advanced" first-world nations (let's not even get into how bad it is in heavily-religious third-world nations). And thus as a serious examination of transgender issues it fails and fails hard.

But as a story, it's good, and it's a hell of a lot more respectful of its subject matter than the average manga or anime incorporating LGBT elements. So for that much I give it a lot of credit. The art's also quite cute.

I would never for a moment invalidate your experience. It's obvious you speak authoritatively and from the heart about this. But I don't think it's fair to say Hourou Musko fails miserably at showing the hell LGBT kids go through because I don't think it's trying to do that. That may be a disappointment to you and I certainly understand that, but I don't think the series should be harshly rebuked for not doing something it makes no pretense at attempting.

[synaesthetic]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

I would never for a moment invalidate your experience. It's obvious you speak authoritatively and from the heart about this. But I don't think it's fair to say Hourou Musko fails miserably at showing the hell LGBT kids go through because I don't think it's trying to do that. That may be a disappointment to you and I certainly understand that, but I don't think the series should be harshly rebuked for not doing something it makes no pretense at attempting.

I didn't say I didn't like it. Wandering Son was a great read, as far as manga go, and while I haven't seen the anime just yet I plan on watching it. It was good, I really enjoyed it. But I still felt that things were just unrealistically easy for the protagonists. That was less of a bother than the fact that the manga actually treats its subject matter with respect and dignity--something that most manga and anime fail to do, instead playing homosexual and transgender characters for comedy or fanservice (or both).