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ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5261-1351
Access Type
Open Access Thesis
Document Type
thesis
Embargo Period
5-20-2023
Degree Program
Japanese
Degree Type
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Year Degree Awarded
2023
Month Degree Awarded
May
Abstract
This research asks the question of why the anime Zombie Land Saga has been hailed as positive and progressive transgender representation by international fans. I examine a famous episode in which the character Lily Hoshikawa comes out as transgender in terms of its themes of gender dysphoria and identity. After considering the changing understanding about these concepts in Japan as a result of Gender Identity Disorder, those two themes are suggested as key to popularity. The impact of the “wrong body” narrative created by GID on transgender culture in Japan is considered through personal accounts and commentary on recent changes. I conclude that dysphoria and gender identity are key to understanding the story’s reception among fans, and that it makes subtle but meaningful deviations from the narrative created by adherence to a Gender Identity Disorder paradigm.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/35624622
First Advisor
Professor Bruce Baird
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Arsenault, Arya, "Transgender in Neverland: Dysphoria in a Supernatural Anime" (2023). Masters Theses. 1326.
https://doi.org/10.7275/35624622
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/1326
Included in
Japanese Studies Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons