Category Archives: fujoshi

The Fujoshi Files 51: Asada Naoko

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Name: Asada Naoko (麻田直子)
Alias: Nyaako (にゃーこ), Cat-Mouth Girl (猫口娘)
Relationship Status: N/A
Origin: Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture

Information:
Asada Naoko, known to many as “Nyaako,” is a student at Shiiou University and originally a member of the school’s Manga Society along with her friends Yabusaki and Katou. Though not nearly as boisterous as Yabusaki, she often knows how to temper her friend’s Osakan fury. Asada also gets along with Sue Hopkins from Genshiken owing to their somewhat similar personalities.

Fujoshi Level:
Information on Asada’s fujocity is extremely scarce, and her preference for it can mainly be gleamed from her interactions with her friends. At the very least, knowing where Yabusaki’s own doujin collection is stashed shows signs of mutual interes.

The Fujoshi Files 50: Yajima Mirei

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Name: Yajima, Mirei (矢島美怜)
Alias: Yajimacchi (やじまっち）
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture II

Information:
Yajima Mirei is a student at Tokyo’s Shiiou University, where she is a member of the club Genshiken, which in its most recent incarnation is primarily populated by women. Accustomed back home in Tochigi to being the “confident one” to compensate for the shyness of her friend Mimasaka, her situation is reversed in Genshiken where the combination of beauty and talent on display, especially coming from the male crossdresser Hato Kenjirou, in contrast to her own negligence when it comes to personal fashion, gives her something of an inferiority complex.

Yajima is a fan of Jump-esque shounen titles, notably Ten Piece and Menma. She enjoys drawing but is not terribly skilled at it. She is also not quite as eager to declare her love of yaoi and strike up conversation about it like her good friend Yoshitake. Though cynical and brusque to some degree, Yajima is at times also trusting and naive, such as when she initially expressed shock at the notion of drinking alcohol despite being underage.

Fujoshi Level:
Because Yajima prefers to remain reserved even when discussing yaoi, there are not clear indicators of the extent of her fondness for the subject except that she is undeniably a fujoshi. Rather, it is in her inaction that her firm status is revealed. When club chairman Ogiue shows her and the others doujinshi she drew of her actual boyfriend, Yajima does not refuse a copy.

The Fujoshi Files 49: Yuria

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Name: Yuria (ユリア)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Dating
Origin: Hanjuku “fu” joshi

Information:
Yuria is a student at an all girls’ high school who begins a relationship with an older fujoshi artist named Chie. Prior to showing her feelings to Chie, Yuria was already a fan of her work as “Kai Muryuu.”

Though Yuria has an interest in both yaoi, she does not appear to have an interest in men. However, the fact that she is a fan of yuri involving significant age gaps between the two partners may mean that her fandom in that area does influence her human relationships.

Fujoshi Level:
Yuria is fujoshi enough to have particular favorite BL artists and the like.

The Fujoshi Files 48: Chie

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Name: Chie (千絵)
Alias: Kai Muryuu (海夢迎)
Relationship Status: Dating
Origin: Hanjuku “fu” joshi

Information:
Chie is a 22-year old college senior who devotes most of her time to BL, being both an artist under the name “Kai Muryuu” and active consumer of comics and games under that theme. In contrast to her fictional interests, she has more of a preference for girls, and is even thrilled to go to her little sister’s high school festival because of the fact that it is an all-girls’ school. Chie is also quite fashionable for a fujoshi.

Though Chie originally prioritized “moe” over “love,” her encounter with a female high school otaku named Yuria begins to shift her feelings in the opposite direction. Her relationship with Yuria inspires Chie to begin drawing yuri doujinshi.

Fujoshi Level:
Chie’s 2-D interests and 3-D relationship combine in a somewhat incongruous fashion, especially after she starts dating Yuria. The manifestation of this contradiction and Chie’s desire to have both make for a versatile fujoshi.

The Fujoshi Files 47: Tamura Tomomi

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Name: Tamura, Tomomi (田村知美)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Otaku no Musume-san

Information:
Tamura Tomomi is an elementary school student who was regularly picked on her dorkish behavior. This all changed when Yukimura Kanau transferred into her class, becoming her best friend in the process. A somewhat shy girl, Tomomi is a big fan of the manga Nikibi na Mahou (Pimple magic) by Clearasil Shinra, though she at first doesn’t realize that Kanau’s father is Clearasil Shinra’s assistant, or that Clearasil Shinra lives in the same apartment as them. Tomomi is especially a fan of the character Azark, whom she affectionately refers to as “Azark-sama.”

Fujoshi Level:
Tomomi is a staunch believer in the pairing of Azark x Rindou. When Kanau’s friend Serio expresses a preference for a non-yaoi coupling, Tomomi labels her an “enemy.”

Dutch-Japanese Foods Part 1: Japanmarkt 2012

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The city of Leiden has an annual outdoor market called the “Japanmarkt” (Japan Market), where people and booths gather along one of the canals of the city in order to celebrate all things Japanese. I actually went last year but forgot to bring my camera, so I made sure this year not to forget and to also actually report on the danged thing because it’s pretty cool overall.

Held this year on May 25th, Japanmarkt is not terribly different from any of the Japan-themed festivals I’ve attended back in the US, but what is very clear is that the festival reflects to some degree the unique history the Netherlands has with Japan. Back when foreigners were for the most part not allowed in Japan, it was the Dutch merchants who were the rare exception. Moreover, the first Japanologist, Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold, was a German living in Leiden, and his old house is now a Japanese museum on the same street as Japanmarkt. And of course, there are a good amount of Dutch anime fans mixed in there, creating this convergence of Japan-loving generations that’s different from an anime convention. That said, there were actually anime con booths there as well.

Food was a popular item, and for my part I tried two things in particular. The first was a curry (for charity!). The second was something that could only have come out of a Dutch-based celebration of Japanese culture.

If you don’t know takoyaki, they’re essentially fried chewy balls of batter stuffed with bits of octopus and covered in savory sauces, a kind of convenient comfort food (and quite delicious if I do say so myself). There was a takoyaki stand at Japanmarkt, but it had a twist, mixing the concept of takoyaki with that of “poffertjes,” tiny pancake-like snacks typically served with powdered sugar.

These “takoyaki poffertjes” were something I felt I could never get elsewhere, their uniqueness compelling me to try them out. I can’t complain.

At one of the tables which was selling manga, I overheard a girl helping her friend out by finding volumes of My Girlfriend is a Geek (Fujoshi Kanojo). I don’t often see people interested in those otaku/fujoshi romance manga, especially ones giving lists to their friends to hunt down those books wherever possible, so that put a bit of a smile on my face.

The Fujoshi Files 46: Kagawa Rika

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Name: Kagawa, Rika (香川リカ)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Otaku no Musume-san

Information:
Kagawa Rika is a classmate and friend of Higan-sou resident Arisaka Haruka. She has a younger sister in elementary school named Riko. Rika has a crush on an older man, Nitta Chihiro (who also lives in Higan-sou), though he is not interested in her. A teenager, Rika believes that she is too young for him, when in fact the truth is the complete opposite.

Fujoshi Level:
Rika is not an extreme fujoshi, but she still got thrilled at the idea of Nichi and Kouta in a relationship, and was the one who encouraged Haruka to make a drawing of them in the first place.

The Fujoshi Files 45: Aoba Tsugumi

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Name: Aoba, Tsugumi (青葉 つぐみ)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens

Information:
Aoba Tsugumi is a high school student with a long-time crush on her life-long friend, Mikuriya Jin. Upon seeing that Jin was living with another girl (his half-sister supposedly), Aoba has made a much more concerted effort to express her feelings for him. Knowing firsthand about Jin’s troubled past, Aoba is always looking out for him, even bringing over meals prepared by her mother. For this reason, Aoba also learned to cook,  though she has a very limited repertoire, her best two dishes being “fried eggs with vegetables” and “vegetables with fried eggs.”

Aoba is a sweet, practical-minded girl, though she can also be a bit of a romantic. She can often be seen fighting with her imagination, both in terms of things not to think and things not to say. A newbie to the world of BL, Aoba was suddenly introduced to the genre by Kimura Takako and Ookouchi Fujino of the Art Club. It is not an active part of her life, though.

Fujoshi Level:
At first shocked by the content of yaoi doujinshi, Aoba very quickly asked for more. In addition, her reborn consciousness has allowed her to view the close bond between Jin and his friend Daitetsu in a new, corrupted light.

The Fujoshi Files 44: Yaoi Fujiko

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Name: Yaoi, Fujiko (矢追不二子)
Alias: Fujoko Fujoo A (不序子不城A)
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Fujoshi no Honkai

Information:
Yaoi Fujiko leads two lives. By day, she is a high school teacher of Modern Japanese, but by night (and on weekends) she is a well-known BL novelist under the pseudonym Fujiko Fujoo A. Despite the fact that there are a few fujoshi among her students, she chooses to keep her identity secret, even though she is long-time friends with one of their older sisters.

In order to maintain her disguise in public autograph sessions, Fujiko undergoes a drastic makeover, discarding her glasses and neatly tied hair for a more glamorous image. Her revised appearance is enough to fool almost everyone she knows.

Fujoshi Level:
Fujiko chose the high school she works at because she heard that the male staff members frequently get into arguments with each other, providing an ideal environment for her imagination.

Amazing Fantasy: Genshiken II, Chapter 76

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If last chapter was crazy, this one is downright mental.Genshiken II, Chapter 76 is the origin of one Hato Kenjirou, and what an origin it turns out to be.

After the truth of Hato’s identity is revealed by his former senpai and doppelganger Kaminaga, Hato tells everyone the story of his high school trauma. As has been previously revealed, Hato was in his high school’s art club, which was populated by fujoshi. Though a fan of BL himself at that point he denied any interest, until one day he found himself alone in the art club with Kaminaga’s doujinshi lying there.

Taking it to the bathroom so as to avoid anyone walking in on him reading, his classmate Konno found out about it and completely misinterprets the “reading it in the bathroom” aspect in a way that probably most people would. Konno told her fellow club members, who spread the rumor through the school and Hato became “that homo.” To rub more salt in, upon graduation Kaminaga, who Hato seem to have had a crush on, ends up dating Hato’s older brother, Yuuichirou.

And it looks like there’s going to be more next chapter! Not quite a flashback perhaps, but something.

Honestly, I am completely surprised they revealed Hato’s background so soon into the run of the new Genshiken. While it probably makes sense given that it’s been something like 19 chapters at this point, I always thought they would save something like that for a much later period. Thankfully the origin of Hato is a solid one. It’s the degree of trauma that would most certainly make life miserable for Hato, but not so miserable that he would end up like Ogiue, who had to deal with suicide and deep self-loathing.

Hato’s backstory is also fortunately supported by some really interesting characters. Truth be told, I was just a tiny bit concerned as to how Hato’s old classmates might turn out story-wise, but I’ve turned out pretty impressed. Kaminaga for one seems like a character with many layers to her. If there’s one word I would use to describe her, it’s perceptive.

Throughout this chapter, whether it’s pulling off Hato’s wig as he tries to throw off the girls by pretending to be someone else, or when she brings up the fact that Kuchiki mistook her for Hato “for some reason,” or even in the extended flashback, Kaminaga shows herself to be really smart and observant in a way that might even exceed Kasukabe. Probably the character most similar to her in Genshiken would be Yabusaki’s friend Katou. On top of the fact that she could talk so candidly with Hato’s brother about yaoi (in spite of the fact that Yuuichirou had zero knowledge about it) and then start dating him on top of that shows a new kind of fearlessness.

As great as Kaminaga turns out to be, however, I think Konno might actually be my favorite character of the new cast, and not just for her saucer eyes, though I find them to be hilarious. It’s quite clear that Konno had a crush on Hato all through high school and did not truly mean to make Hato’s life more difficult by spreading rumors. I think that Konno just had to confide in someone in order to deal with this problem, and I can imagine that Konno felt inferior to Kaminaga in both looks and talent, and to have the boy she likes have only eyes for her must have felt bittersweet. Moreover, the scene at the very end of the chapter where Konno now believes that she’s responsible for turning Hato into a full-on crossdressing homosexual makes you want to tell her everything will be okay.

Poor girl.

The biggest mystery that still remains is just why Hato dresses like Kaminaga most of the time, and while a less savory answer would have something to do with how she started going out out with his brother, I’m more inclined to believe that it’s because Hato, in transforming himself into the perfect fujoshi, saw Kaminaga as the ideal basis. With all of the positive attributes mentioned above, which includes physical appearance as well, it makes sense. The fact that Hato probably had feelings for her really puts an additional twist on the whole matter, but I’m inclined to believe that it still all relates to Kaminaga as the ideal girl (of sorts).

Another thing to consider is the fact that this chapter reveals that Hato can draw well, like when he copies from a still life. Perhaps Hato, who believes he can only imitate Kaminaga’s drawing style, might have more of an issue with trusting his own imagination?

So, not a ton of analysis compared to what I normally do this time around, but I am definitely looking forward to seeing what happens.

By the way, Genshiken Volume 12 goes on sale in Japan on June 22nd. There don’t seem to be any special editions, so I’m grateful I won’t be spending as much on it as I have the last two volumes.