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Japan in Drag, Version 2.0: Takarazuka Theater, Homoeroticism, and Female Fandom in the Postwar
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Takarazuka: A Brief History
Created by a railroad engineer in 1913 in the city of Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture An elite school system with ranks (Flower, Moon, Snow, Star, Cosmos); extremely elite Envisioned as a training center to create the most moral, upstanding, virtuous young women! All-female Often perform Western-style, Broadway-esque musicals Lavish costumes and set design, elaborate dances and singing Otokoyaku: male impersonator– and the most coveted and beloved roles!
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Shojo and the “Purity of Impossible Love”
Shojo: a young woman between the ages of puberty and marriage Interestingly have several artistic outlets in which they can explore love and sexuality on their own terms, notably… manga and Takarazuka - ESPECIALLY boizu ra-bu manga! Dokyuusei (1999, Nakamura Asumiko): THE classic boizu ra-bu manga that turned into a smash anime, game, and general media empire
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Akihabara, Tokyo: The Geek Center of Japan (and therefore the world?)
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Otome Ro-do, Tokyo: The Female Geek Center
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Ruminations for You! Gender and the Politics of Androgny
With your partner, consider the following: - What is androgyny, according to Robertson? - What makes it political? - In what ways might Takarazuka theater form a utopian society, and fandom a microcosm of real postwar Japanese society? - How are relationships portrayed in the theater? -Who are the main fans of Takarazuka? - Why are fans so interested in Takarazuka? What makes an otokoyaku so attractive? And… - How does the relationship between the boys in Dokyuusei escalate? How might it be perceived by its target audience of shojo? - Do Takarazuka and Dokyuusei have anything in common? - How does all of this evince postwar Japanese gender roles?
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The Salaryman and the Pressures of Postwar Affluence
… a fascinating entry-point to provide a meta-commentary on postwar Japanese society. Metacommentary: Your overall point, your conclusion, how your argument and discussion can apply to broader discussions - Can be done by wrapping things up, or playing off of planting a nay-sayer in your text - Can also be used for: warding off misunderstandings, alert readers to an elaboration of a previous idea, provide readers with a roadmap to your text, to move from a general claim to a specific example, to indicate that a claim is more, less, or equally important, to explain a claim when you anticipate objections, to guide readers to your most general point *Keep metacommentary in mind during your peer reviews!*
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