An Empirical Research of the Male Figures in Japanese Popular Culture for Women that are Popular in East Asia

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26870349
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Gender; Sociology
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: AZUMA Sonoko 大阪大学, 人間科学研究科, 招へい研究員 (40581301)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 宝塚歌劇 / 少女漫画 / 男性アイドル / ポピュラーカルチャー / 男性像 / ジェンダー / 女性文化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research analyzes the features of the all-female Japanese musical company, Takarazuka Revue shared with other aspects of Japanese popular culture for women and considers the nature of ideal male figures for women provided by them and the aspect of the space that makes it possible to express such male figures by determining what Taiwanese female audiences of Takarazuka Revue consider the characteristics of Japanese popular culture for women to be.
For the male role players at Takarazuka Revue, male characters in girls’ manga and the Japanese male pop stars in the boy pop bands, having a feminine appearance does not indicate having a feminine mind and position. In them, the various aspects of gender are cut into pieces and rearranged. One of the reason that it is possible for these Japanese popular culture for women to deconstruct gender may be the element of the West in them. The West in them functions as a fictional dream world for women.

Free Research Field

社会学