GLBT Manga and The Japanese Queer Scene
Hey there everyone, our long tangent last week on stories as “the dream a culture has” that led into the topic of queer identities in manga reminded me of some stories I think some of you might enjoy, even those of you who generally stay away from manga. I’ve noticed a number of DIY, alternative comics coming out of the lesbian scene in Japan as of the last couple years, a group that has long been pushed into silence in the shadows. The voices expressed in these comics are exiting and unique and might be quite unlike any others you’ve heard from manga before.
One of my favorite series coming out of this scene is the magnificently quirky Plica, a loosely drawn gag strip that follows the lives and loves of a handful of lesbian friends in Tokyo. The strip captures daily life and questions of identity with a combination of a sweet, often weird sense of humor, with a knack for capturing the heartbreak of alienation and loneliness. (Remember, read right to left!)
Another great series is the mostly autobiographic and sweetly goofy Honey & Honey. It’s a frank and open look at life as an adult lesbian couple in Japan, both inside and outside the lesbian community (which includes a number of transmen too).
If you’re interested at all, please step this way to Lilicious, a scanlations website dedicated to spreading stories of Shoujo Ai (Girl’s Love) in all its forms across the world! Keep in mind that quite a lot of the comics on that website (including Plica) can be quite mature and even x-rated, so don’t forget to read the labels! Enjoy.
Plica can be found here: http://www.lililicious.net/projectDet.php?id=94
And Honey & Honey here: http://www.lililicious.net/projectDet.php?id=68
Actually, that long tangent is where the class is headed. But thanks for this excellent post!
This is fascinating. I wonder though where the gay indie manga scene in Japan is. I suspect that the masculinity pressures of Japanese culture means that lesbianism will push forward before gay male identities do. I find it fascinating when cultures, including Japan but also so-called red states in the U.S., where MTF transgender has more equality, voice, and safe space to exist than gay men. I think it’s really indicative of cultures that have very restrictive male roles and little culture place for alternatives.
Glad you liked the post (and sorry for not responding quickly)! I too am very curious about the Japanese gay male comic scene. I’ve never been able to find any work that fell outside of the whole shonen ai and yaoi written-by-women-for-women market, but that’s because I have no idea where to start looking.
I’m very intrigued by your theory about the scene being stifled by cultural pressures about how “masculine” identities must be expressed. It seems like both there and at home that gender deviation is seen as more “acceptable” if your deviancy sticks to a new set of gender roles. Makes me think that the underground gay male scene must come from a similar direction as the “grass-eating young men” movement…it seems like fashion is a somewhat safer way for men to explore their gender identity rather than their sexual identities. The huge amounts of ridicule and resistance against this movement really show how strict the current male gender roles really are.