Gender Norms and Cross-dressing in Manga and Anime

Isabella

After reading about cross-dressing cops in Tokyo district, I started wondering about the topic in relation to manga and anime. Sure enough, it is quite common in these media forms but how is it treated? I've become accustomed to seeing them but I've never thought about the way it is presented. Until now that is.

Charlotte Cuuhlhourne

The reason behind this pondering is simple (well, sort of). Those police officers in Tokyo were cross-dressing instead of handing over the assignment to female officers. At least that's what you end up thinking, right? I mean why not hand over the project to existing female cops? Either there weren't that many female cops around or the bigwigs were against women getting tough assignments. This brought up anime and manga in my mind, where men frequently indulged in cross-dressing. Do keep in mind, I am referring to all the manga/anime I am currently familiar with. Furthermore, I am checking all instances of men dressing as women and not vice versa. So … was there a purpose, plot wise for men to don women's clothes? Or was the author making a statement? Maybe he was thrown in for stylistic purposes?

The first one that comes to mind is the temporary cross-dresser. In these instances, the guy pulls on a bunch ofCiel is not amused! women's attire for the sake of the story. Maybe it is one of those undercover operations. Perhaps it is the only way of catching a crook. Thus, in such cases, the cross-dresser's character stays the same and, for the most part, his gender-bending action is treated as light comedy. It looks like there isn't much commentary about gender norms with these ones. Ciel from Kuroshitsuji had to don a dress in order to solve a case.

Then there are male characters in anime and manga who have an active interest in cross-dressing. In some instances they are created for stylistic reasons, mostly so that the author can add a colorful and unique character to the story. Yumichika Ayasegawa comes close to being such an example. To be fair, he doesn't cross-dress per se. Rather, his mannerisms and personal grooming habits are classified as feminine. On the other hand, everyone wears kimono so how can we tell? I brought him up because of the character he had to fight in the later episodes. Yep, Ayasegawa ends up battling an Arnie-type Arrancar called Charlotte Cuuhlhourne who, incidentally wore a suspiciously girly outfit. At this point, the whole cross-dressing theme goes from stylistic interests to character development using gender norms. It makes an interesting point, doesn't it? Did the writer create a cross-dressing fighter as the equal of the 'feminine' fighter? 

Now, think of Elendira the Crimsonnail from Trigun Maximum. This was a bad guy from the manga (noticeably absent from the anime) and he makes a rather pretty female in the books. At the same time, he was an enemy to be reckoned with and thus, not one you wanted to cross. This particular character is there, partly as the cool-but-different character and partly as a replacement for decent female characters. In a lot of series, authors have trouble developing hardcore female fighters. You know, a female version of Kenpachi from Bleach. For some reason, gender norms typically attributed to a female character seem to interfere with their ability to be good fighters. I mean really good fighters, not a 'Oh she's awesome but second best when compared to the men' sort of fighter. So, we end up with cross-dressing fighters. They have the attributes of a female but can easily double as a formidable opponent in a fight. 

Daddy's home!While we are on the topic of female gender norms, let me refer to Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club. Alright, so this is a story where the girl pretends to be a boy. What's strange about this one is how the author traces Haruhi's reason for being a bit of gender-defying girl. After all, Haruhi is really comfortable being a boy and acts all tomboyish as well. To account for this, the author introduces a cross-dressing father. Whilst he performs his parental duties rather well, the author does present him as a bit ditzy. In fact, Haruhi sometimes acts as the older responsible around the house. Furthermore, it appears that he was introduced to the plot as a possible explanation for why Haruhi is the way she is. He was not a strong male in her life and rather, acts as a bit of a scatter-brained mom. So she compensates for this by being the male? Do note, the other Host Club members were always prodding Haruhi, telling her to pick up more feminine ways. Why must there be a trace-back sort of explanation for cross-dressing and stepping outside of gender norms? It almost comes across as an apology …

Finally, there is the passive cross-dressing character option picked by certain authors. Sometimes they are there as guides for the other characters. At other times, this figure is portrayed as the ideal middle ground for male and female characters cannot achieve. In both situations it looks like the authors create cross-dressing characters for the same reason – to get the best of both worlds. Thus, such characters strike the perfect balance between reason and emotion. I think the perfect example is Isabella from Paradise Kiss. She is not as cold hearted as George; logical arguments doesn't have to be harsh or cruel in her case. At the same time, she is more reasonable than the other more impulsive males in the manga. However, she also has the nurturing, emotional side commonly attributed to women. So she is the mother hen for her little group, offering a shoulder to cry on when the need arises. But unlike other female characters, you don't find her letting her emotions get the best of her. It's a strange message indeed. What do such characters show anyway? That for stereotypically male or female characters, their gender attributes are their main shortcomings?