1. Japan in Drag, Version 2.0: Takarazuka Theater, Homoeroticism, and Female Fandom in the Postwar

2. 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!

3. 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

4. Akihabara, Tokyo: The Geek Center of Japan (and therefore the world?)

5. Otome Ro-do, Tokyo: The Female Geek Center

6. 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?

7. 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!*