Category Archives: fujoshi

Amazing Fantasy: Genshiken II, Chapter 76

Posted on by

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.

The Fujoshi Files 43: Core

Posted on by

Name: Core (コア)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Kiddy Girl-and

Information:
Core is a maid in the service of Shadow Worker and the “sister-princess” of G-Society (an organization dedicated to restoring to power to those who can trace their ancestry back to the Earth), Letuchaia. In addition to her regular duty as a maid, Core is also tasked by Letuchaia to spy on the other Shadow Workers of G-Society, using a surveillance camera hidden with her glasses. Core cares deeply not only for Letuchaia but also Letuchaia’s brother Pauki.

Fujoshi Level:
While spying on male Shadow Workers Torch and Shade, Core can be seen getting increasingly excited over their close and personal relationship. Though Core is not a full-blown fujoshi, she definitely carries the spark of one.

The Fujoshi Files 42: Alexia Cole

Posted on by

Name: Cole, Alexia (アレクシア・コール)
Alias: Alisa (アリサ）
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Kiddy Girl-and

Information:
Alexia Cole, better known as Alisa, is a receptionist for the Galactic Trade Organization alongside her friend and colleague Belle. Often spending her free time at work at the Touch & Go Cafe, she gets along with the two maids there, Ascoeur and Q-Feuille, as well as its owner Mi Nourose. Possessing a large bust and a cheerful demeanor, Alisa is in fact the descendant of Liquide Cole, a receptionist for the predecessor of the GTO, and also the daughter of the powerful Cole Zaibatsu.

As a fujoshi, Alisa’s room is adorned with yaoi posters, and on her days off she visits “Say You Cafe: Beyond Loads,” a cafe which doubles as a training ground for male voice actors. Alisa writes BL stories for the purpose of having the voice actors-in-training perform them. Her favorite actor there is “Top.”

Fujoshi Level:
In addition to her custom scripts, Alisa does not keep her love of yaoi entirely restricted to her personal life, storing a giant stash of BL manga behind the reception desk at work.

The Fujoshi Files 41: Oshiroi Hana

Posted on by

Name: Oshiroi, Hana (白粉花)
Alias: Muscle Deka (筋肉刑事）
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Ben-To!

Information:
Oshiroi Hana is a high school student and member of her school’s Half-Price Food Lovers’ Club. Along with fellow club members Satou You and Yarizui Sem, she engages in fiercely violent late night battles in supermarkets around Japan to get bentou for 50% off. Despite her lack of martial prowess, Hana is still able to achieve success through a combination of good timing and a knack for avoiding direct conflict. She is friends with student council president Shiraume Ume, who is in love with Hana. Oshiroi is likely aware of this.

Oshiroi is known online for her BL novel Muscle Deka (“Muscle Cop”), which she populates with characters who are (thinly-veiled) references to fighters in the supermarket half-price food fights. Changing everyone involved into sweaty, beefy musclemen (including the women), her stories tend to involve Satou Saitou being brutally violated by other equally large men.

Fujoshi Level:
In order to garner inspiration for her novel, Hana cuts out and pastes photos of guys’ heads on top of pictures of bodybuilders. This is especially the case with Satou.

My Experience with “Fudanshism”

Posted on by

As part of the ongoing project that is the Fujoshi Files, I’ve been reading Fudanshism and its sequel Fudanshifull! By Morishige (of Hanaukyo Maid Tai fame/infamy), the story is about a boy named Amata who can only get close to the fujoshi he loves by crossdressing.

Though at first I didn’t particularly enjoy this series, at some point I found myself growing attached to certain characters in particular, to the point that I looked forward to reading about them more. A natural progression, perhaps, but it’s important to note that this change of heart didn’t happen until about volume 4 (out of 7) of the first series. If you’re wondering why I kept reading despite being pretty unimpressed, when it comes to the Fujoshi Files, I try to read as much as is available. But because I “forced” myself to read through, I have to ask myself, how much of it is me genuinely starting to enjoy the series, and how much of it is the effects of otaku Stockholm Syndrome, where you’ve been with a work for so long despite signs that you should have abandoned ship long ago, and even the below-mediocre starts to be impressive?

One of my favorite characters is Toumine Michika, a ditzy (and ritzy) non-otaku girl who talks about moe like Homer Simpson talks about the internet, as if she’d say, “Oh, moe is in anime now, huh?”

When paired with another character, an always-exasperated male otaku named Matsumoto Senri, it makes for enjoyable comedy. It doesn’t hurt either that Toumine isn’t malicious or selfish; she simply likes to have fun, and she acts as a foil for Matsumoto. Though actually, Matsumoto seems to exist for the purpose of having foils, or maybe it’s better to say that he’s the perpetual tsukkomi character. I mention this because my other favorite character in the series is Matsumoto’s younger twin sister, Setsuna.

Unlike Toumine, Setsuna is very much a fujoshi, which alone wouldn’t make her stand out in a series where there are more fujoshi than male characters, but I really dig the fact that Setsuna always has this strangely diabolical look on her face. Her brother knows she’s a fujoshi, and knows the true nature of the gears constantly turning in her head, and it results in this interesting back-and-forth where he calls her “kimouto” (kimoi (disgusting) + imouto (little sister)), and she mockingly refers to him as “onii-chama.”

Then there’s Rittoku Kanae, resident gothic lolita/crossplayer with some particularly complex and interesting body issues when it comes to her large chest. When she first meets “Amane” (the main character in drag), she’s immediately able to tell that he’s really a guy because she knows from personal experience what hiding a developed female figure should look like. However, because Amane epitomizes her ideal image of how a woman should look, Kanae takes a liking to him. An additional twist is that she also has a crush on Amata but doesn’t realize the two are one in the same.

In any case, I find them a lot more interesting than the main characters, who are kind of bland overall. I get the feeling Morishige eventually thought this too, because there’s much more emphasis on them in Fudanshiful!

Thinking it over, I feel like I have very legitimate reasons for enjoying those characters, and that they make the series itself more enjoyable to read to the extent that, while I wouldn’t call myself a fan, I can say that I liked it overall. The odd part is that I wouldn’t really expect anyone to stick with the series as long as I had to get to the point where I changed my mind about it. At the same time, I can’t deny that it did get better, and not just for the characters but also artistically, as Morishige’s ability to convey information visually improves as the manga goes on. My dilemma isn’t so much if I would recommend the series, but more, what does the very act of sticking through with a series do to one as a consumer of entertainment?

The Fujoshi Files 40: Yoshitake Rika

Posted on by

Name: Yoshitake, Rika (吉武莉華）
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture II

Information:
Yoshitake Rika is a student at Shiiou University who, despite her youthful looks and demeanor, actually entered college at the age of 20. She initially joined the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture (Genshiken) after seeing a particularly appealing drawing of Sengoku Basara characters by Genshiken president Ogiue Chika at the club fair. As a member, she quickly befriended everyone in Genshiken, especially her fellow freshmen, Yajima Mirei and “fudanshi” Hato Kenjirou. Yoshitake has a younger (but taller) sister named Risa who is also an otaku, and has bought doujinshi for Risa, who is typically unable to attend events due to her obligations to her basketball team.

Her sense of fashion, forward personality, and willingness to break a few rules in the name of fun (like convincing her slightly underage friends to drink) belie a person who is more comfortable in social settings that the average fujoshi might not be. At the same time however, Yoshitake has a capacity for expounding endlessly on BL-related topics, which allows her to strike up conversation with her fellow fangirls just as easily as she would non-otaku. Yoshitake’s taste in media is also very diverse, going from classic literature to anime and manga to live-action films.

Fujoshi Level:
Yoshitake is able to combine both the wide breadth and depth of her interests with her fujoshi mindset, and consider the pairing and yaoi potential of a range of works far greater than the average fujoshi. Notably, she believes that the judo novel Sugata Imatarou is excellent in part for the emphasis on sweaty men forging close bonds with one another.

The Fujoshi Files 39: Ageha

Posted on by

Name: Ageha (アゲハ)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Fujoshi no Honkai

Information:
Ageha is a highly fashionable 15-year-old girl who actively hides the fact that she is a fujoshi. Fearing that her secret would ruin her relationship with her friends, she goes out of her way to hide in plain sight, creating decoy cellphone wallpapers and even disguising her BL books as fashion magazines. Ageha was originally antagonistic towards her classmates and fellow fujoshi, Takako and Shu Mei, but eventually became good friends with the two of them.

Ageha is a fan of the Nanairo no Shacho series along with Takako and Shu Mei. She is also particularly fond of Fujiko Fujoo A’s Ai Yue series, having been moved to tears upon meeting her, but is not aware of the fact that the author is actually a teacher at her school. Ageha strongly values having one solid BL pairing in a series over having many different ones.

Fujoshi Level:
So seriously does she take her fujoshi life that Ageha once broke up with a boyfriend in order to celebrate her favorite character’s birthday.

The Fujoshi Files 38: Shu Mei

Posted on by

Name: Shu Mei (シューメイ)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Fujoshi no Honkai

Information:
Shu Mei is a 15-year-old exchange student from Taiwan. Though she was able to satisfy her desire for BL back home, the harsh environment of Taiwan (age restrictions, titles being canceled part-way through despite continuing publication in Japan) prompted her to study abroad in order to gain access to the full range of otaku merchandise. In Japan, she befriends a fellow fujoshi in Takako, as well as a fashionable closet fujoshi named Ageha. Like Takako and Ageha, she is a fan of Nanairo Shacho and delights in discussing pairings with her friends.

Shu Mei is an unusually sharp girl for her age, not only able to read people’s intentions down to the letter but also able to choose her words carefully enough to achieve a desired effect, whether it is comfort or agitation or subtle manipulation. She is also skilled in sewing damaged dolls back together.

Fujoshi Level:
Back in Taiwan, Shu Mei would often send her older brother to buy yaoi manga for her so that his innocent awkwardness in interacting with the male store clerk would provide fuel for her fujoshi mind.

The Fujoshi Files 37: Takako

Posted on by

Name: Takako (タカコ)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Fujoshi no Honkai

Information:
Takako is 15 years old and a fan of the Nanairo no Shacho series. Being the younger sister of a fellow fujoshi, Takako has had the benefit of growing up with her older sister Takayo’s vast BL archives, though Takayo’s decision to move in with her boyfriend (and to take her collection with her) leaves Takako having to fend for herself.

Takako is very comfortable talking with fellow otaku no matter their age, and believes that the best approach to being a fujoshi is to have as many cherished pairings as possible. She is good friends with Shu Mei, a Taiwanese exchange student and fellow fujoshi, and also eventually befriends the closet fujoshi Ageha. Together, they delight in having conversations about anime and manga, as well as pairing a couple of their fellow classmates who greatly resemble the characters of the Shacho franchise.

Fujoshi Level:
Owing to her sister’s influence, Takako has been a fujoshi since birth. While playing with dolls at the age of 4, Takako would wed her male dolls to each other.

The Fujoshi Files 36: Hina

Posted on by

Name: Hina (ひな)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Tonari no 801-chan

Information:
Hina is a junior high school student and younger sister of 801-chan. Relatively inexperienced as an otaku, let alone a fujoshi, Hina often makes rookie mistakes such as shortsightedness when it comes to the history of things. She has even gone so far as to believe that Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia had his name based on Athrun Zala from Gundam SEED. For this reason, Hina can often get on her older sister’s nerves.

More generally, Hina is at the perfect age to suffer from Chuunibyou, the delusional illness that comes from being a junior high student otaku and thinking that a number of things are fantastically cool and deep. Like her sister, she is fond of the Prince of Tennis, but has differing tastes otherwise.

Fujoshi Level:
Although one might suspect that her older sister’s influence is responsible for Hina becoming a fujoshi, this is not the case. Hina was able to reach that mindset entirely on her own, even while 801-chan was trying to hide that aspect of her own life.