Gender intrigue - what is it?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Writers, designers, directors, over the years, have tried a huge number of incredible moves, inventing their own plots, stories, styles, and each of them has tried and is trying to present something new, extraordinary, more exciting to the already sophisticated viewer. One of the results of the pursuit of originality has been the emergence of such a trend in films, manga, anime and dramas as gender intrigue. What it is? Now let's break it down, but first we note that gender ambiguity originated and became incredibly popular in Asian countries, in particular, China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea.

What is gender intrigue?

Its meaning lies in the fact that the gender of the protagonist of the above work (manga, anime, etc.) remains unknown almost until the end of the storyline (or it is such for another character, while the viewer, as they say, already in the know). And it can be like a girl trying to convince everyone and everything that she is a man,or a guy posing as a representative of the female half of humanity. There were many reasons for such an act: a cherished dream (following the example of one manga - to become a champion athlete), revenge, love, need for money, etc.

Androgyny

The reason (if it is possible to call it that) for the development of such a trend in art as gender intrigue was androgyny - the ability of a person, albeit not in an equal amount, but to show both feminine and masculine traits. Moreover, there are two varieties of this phenomenon: psychological and physical.

Previously, androgyny was comparable to the concept of "hermaphrodite", but later this term was attributed exclusively to psychosocial aspects, removing it from anatomical and physiological features.

Androgyny, as a fashionable trend, on which one could earn fame, many celebrities managed to use. Thus, they sought to stand out from the general stream, show a rebellious character, become famous with the help of, if not vocal talents, then at least thanks to an extravagant number. However, in fairness, it should be noted that some people have similar features, as they say, by nature. And do not give yourself, so to speak, an artificial androgynous look, using various cosmetics or wardrobe items.

Manga related

At the origins of most dramas and anime are, first of all, manga - a kind of Japanesecomics, which has gained immense popularity both among Asian peoples, especially Japanese and Koreans, and among many people around the world, which included people of completely different nationalities and ages.

The gender-intriguing manga that served as the main storyline has gained popularity in Japan, especially for young girls and girls. Then it began to spread to neighboring states, gaining an increasing number of fans. This fact served as an impetus for the development of this topic and the release of a huge number of manga with a similar plot.

The first project based on gender intrigue was the Japanese shojo manga "For You in All Bloom, or Incomprehensible Paradise". A girl enters a men's school, posing as a boy, in order to support and return the injured jumper she admires to the sport.

Currently, there are over a hundred manga released or still in production with similar themes: Sekire, Sweet Blood, The rumored Midori-kun, Bremen, etc.

Anime Confusion

Anime spread even faster than manga, as many enterprising people realized that it was possible, using a ready-made plot, to create a very profitable business, playing on the feelings and desires of fans not to read their favorite story, but to watch it on TV. Realizing that it is possible to film a manga, and even earn both success and financial resources on it, many animators rushed to release a series of anime. gender intrigue,accordingly, it began to be regarded as another topic of interest to readers, and hence future viewers. The most popular projects in this category are: Hourou Musuko, Paradise Kiss, Kuragehime, Shugo Chara and others. There are still a great many animated works that can be safely attributed to the section "Gender intrigue", while most often next to this category is such a genre as comedy.

Dramas there too

Honestly speaking, the drama is an ordinary “soap opera” broadcast by TV channels in the evenings, only Japanese. Well, except that they have a slightly higher rating. No sooner had dramas entered the Japanese anime industry, gender intrigue immediately penetrated into this category of cinema, clinging tightly and gaining a foothold as another fashion trend. The mentioned genre owes its name to the English word drama, however, in parallel with dramatic films, there are also romantic, comedy, detective films, and even horror dramas.

The first time gender intrigue was used as the main storyline for a drama was in the Korean TV series 'Prince's First Cafe'. Famous works of this type include the following: “Angel. You're Beautiful", "K-Pop Survival School", "Our Secret", and the aforementioned drama "For You in All Your Blooms".

Movies

Despite its popularity among viewers, gender intrigue as a subgenre has not taken root in cinema. Most likely, the whole problem lies in the money: forthe release of a full-fledged film requires the involvement of a large number of people, the purchase of scenery, sewing costumes, not to mention special effects. In addition, interest in works with elements of gender intrigue arose and still remains relevant, primarily in Asian countries, which choose the above-described dramas and anime as the most preferred types of film adaptation.

However, not too far from the topic of gender uncertainty are such famous American films as "Mrs. Doubtfire" and the series of films "Big Momma's House", the plot of which is based on dressing up a man as a woman. Moreover, in both cases, the genre is defined as a comedy due to the huge number of comic scenes that the main character gets into, trying to keep his real essence incognito.