Jun Watarase is a supporting character
in the anime Happiness! (2006). Have you heard of it? If not, maybe that's because it was overshadowed by another series released within the same time frame and with a coincidentally similar summary.
Happiness! can be described as a school comedy, featuring a girl named Haruhi and her friends in a prestigious but eccentric academy... (didn't we cover this already?) ...which includes a special division for gifted young
mages to be taught the arts of magic (nope, this is new!).
Meet one of Haruhi's friends, Jun. Jun is very popular among the male students at this half-magic school. One
look at that cute face and you'll surely see why! ...But you can guess where this is going, can't you?
Of course: This cute "girl" is a biological boy.
Jun doesn't
quite seem to fit the theme of ambiguous
gender presentation that you would associate with androgyny. This is, plainly
and simply, a trap. Jun is a male who dresses intentionally "like a
female."
In discussing Haruhi Fujioka, I
suggested a key difference between traps
who distinctly invert the male-female binary and androgynes who vaguely straddle it.
"Androgyny" – the blending of both the masculine and the feminine – can be framed as a challenge to the gender system only when it truly blends and distorts the categories, rather
than letting the character still fall at one end of the binary or the
other. ...Or can it?
Being progressive about gender doesn't and
shouldn't mean balancing on a carefully-constructed medium between masculine and
feminine. It's not about forcing people to be neutral; that "neutrality" is defined by arbitrary standards, anyway. It's about allowing people to be themselves without the pressure of labels.
–"Why are you in a skirt?"
–"Because it looks cute on me!"
That's all the explanation he needs.
–"Because it looks cute on me!"
That's all the explanation he needs.
Even if his clothing choices are purely "feminine,"
a statement like this reflects a rather androgynous mind. It implies that Jun's concern isn't with being either male or female,
but simply with being able to express himself in the way that makes him feel comfortable, without regard for gender rules.
Oh right– He's also openly gay, and not shy
about enjoying the attention he garners from male peers. Amusingly enough, many of the boys who fawn over Jun are fully aware of his "true" sex, and they have decided not to care, as long as he's cute. Everyone wins!
Now, legitimately "transgender" characters in anime are rare to come by, and throughout most of the series Jun presents no
exception. To be trans* involves a drive to be a gender that doesn't match with one's body. In this idealistic animated box where a character's expression is unrestricted by matters of gender, it almost seems as if that sense of dysphoria would not exist. Jun's life is just fine with a male body in a skirt.
...But then we get Jun's special spinoff
episode, The Brilliant Day of Jun Watarase (2007). In this brief bonus adventure, a crossfire of magic spells at school temporarily grants Jun a female body...
...and as you can see, beyond a small protrusion of the chest, she honestly doesn't look any different.
Yet, through this technicality, Jun herself feels different. She is adorably, wholeheartedly delighted – as if this had been her wish all along.
(*Also through this technicality, though, the male students are compulsively attracted to her a hundred times more strongly than before...)
...and as you can see, beyond a small protrusion of the chest, she honestly doesn't look any different.
Yet, through this technicality, Jun herself feels different. She is adorably, wholeheartedly delighted – as if this had been her wish all along.
(*Also through this technicality, though, the male students are compulsively attracted to her a hundred times more strongly than before...)
From the classic hot-and-cold transformations in Ranma ½, to the Sexy Jutsu in Naruto, the concept of magical gender-bending is
nothing new, and neither is this episode. It's no more than a well-deserved wish fulfillment for a sweethearted character, albeit a wish I never guessed Jun had.
Per expectation, it doesn't last. In the end, Jun decides to revert back to his male body, because... well, I quote from the script, "It is a sin to be too beautiful." The chaos that ensues from the boys' magic-fueled attraction to the newly female Jun is too overwhelming for all parties involved. As it turns out, Jun's life with a male body in a skirt is the one that delivers the most happiness after all.
Yes, the whole scenario is fantastical and absurd. While this story comes slightly closer than other gender-benders to actual transgender implications, it's still in no serious light. Some viewers may justifiably take offense to how it trivializes the real process of transsexuality. The series itself is ridiculous and fanservice-y and full of silly clichés, and I wouldn't tout it as an example of legitimate transgender representation. Even so, at least one message stands out: Regardless of gender's labels and technicalities, the best way to be is simply the way that brings you the most... happiness.
Per expectation, it doesn't last. In the end, Jun decides to revert back to his male body, because... well, I quote from the script, "It is a sin to be too beautiful." The chaos that ensues from the boys' magic-fueled attraction to the newly female Jun is too overwhelming for all parties involved. As it turns out, Jun's life with a male body in a skirt is the one that delivers the most happiness after all.
Yes, the whole scenario is fantastical and absurd. While this story comes slightly closer than other gender-benders to actual transgender implications, it's still in no serious light. Some viewers may justifiably take offense to how it trivializes the real process of transsexuality. The series itself is ridiculous and fanservice-y and full of silly clichés, and I wouldn't tout it as an example of legitimate transgender representation. Even so, at least one message stands out: Regardless of gender's labels and technicalities, the best way to be is simply the way that brings you the most... happiness.
Very interesting take. As a transwoman myself I can say that Jun is EXACTLY the way we are in high school. We all know two things. We know we are, mostly*, biologically male. We know that we without really trying look, act/react, are treated like, and feel more like one of the girls.
ReplyDeleteAlso many of us don't want sexual reassignment surgery or view it as something optional, and nice to have but not a life or death matter. Many opt to never have it and live their whole life as a woman but without a sex change. They are called non-op.
To get an idea of what a real life transgender woman in high school is like see the TV show "I am Jazz". You may be struck by how much of what happens to Jun is not unlike what happens to Jazz. (Which has happened to many). Specifically everyone knows she's male because they have been told but really, it seems, treats her like a female.
*There are some subtle differences involving chromosomal and or genetic abnormalities at play.
TLDR Jun is as much a transgender woman as 90% of Transgender women.
I wholeheartedly agree. Jun is a good example of a transgender character. In fact, she's the ONLY transgender character I've seen. I don't, and won't see her as a "trap." A trap is a boy who dresses as a girl but still identifies as a boy. A transgirl is... well, a girl. I find Jun's character to be both unique, and extremely relatable, as well as loveable. She's a girl to her core ^-^ I just know that she got to reobtain keep her true, female body like she so very desires, after the ending of the OVA. It just feels wrong to think otherwise... What honestly gets me annoyed is when people say that she enjoys being a "trap", and flaunts it. Uhm... no... She simply understands that she's (mostly) biologically male, and somewhat adapts to it. She very dearly wants to be a biological girl, and I don't get why others fail to see this... At least the other girls at her school accept her as they would any other girl <3 They even let her CHANGE with them and use the girl's restroom! Such happiness that gives me... Perhaps I should make review of Jun myself, given what she means to me as a character. Anyway, this is just how I'm thinking ehe...
DeleteAre you the same Asuuki from youtube?
DeleteReferring to her with male pronouns? You better get that outta here.
ReplyDelete"Traps" don't exist. The Pedantic Romantic can tell you why.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Transgender people worth calling "traps" absolutely do not exist, and that word should never be used as a slur. However, I try to use it to refer to an explicitly problematic trope. Fictional characters can be designed and presented as "traps," in cases where I get the sense that the creators were not aiming to deliver LGBT representation or think through the lens of an LGBT person, but instead thinking through the lens of what would be funny or surprising or transgressive or titillating to viewers. I think the terming of "trap" says more about the attitude of the creator and/or viewer than it says about the character themselves, as discussed in the post about Haruhi. ...Maybe you can argue that, since the guys who like Jun in the anime don't even feel tricked or "trapped," though, maybe it's technically wrong to assign that label to what's happening here. I'm not sure.
DeleteThe main reason I didn't use female pronouns is that, as explained, I didn't interpret Jun as a transgender character but rather as a boy who enjoyed presenting femininely. This deserves distinction, as people in real life can also cross gender roles without identifying as transgender. The OVA slightly changed that perspective, but the ending (where Jun seemed happy to revert a male body) still seemed to me to reinforce the status quo.
At the same time, I can see how it's valid if you do see Jun as a true transgender character, or if a viewer might identify with Jun as a transgender person themselves. Of course, I know that there are transgender people who don't necessarily want to physically transition. Wishing to be perceived as female may be enough... combined with legitimately feeling oneself to be that gender.
It's possible that this article is poorly-worded, in retrospect, and I apologize. I also apologize for any offense. I definitely don't stand for using incorrect pronouns or denying trans representation. It's been a bit too long since writing this to remember my impressions perfectly, but I feel I also probably based the pronouns on the pronouns were used in the show/subtitles itself and how it seemed that Jun self-identified (i.e. accepting the status of being a boy while enjoying the male attention associated with dressing as a girl). Maybe the subtitles were misleading, or maybe I misinterpreted things. So I just want you to know I didn't intend to start a fight or stir bad feelings. I only look at characters like this in hopes of promoting discussion about the many ways that gender is portrayed in anime and the many ways to think about gender as a concept.
Please don't refer to Jun with male pronouns.
ReplyDeleteIt's I, Team Awesomeness. just testing out my blogger profile.
ReplyDelete