Even if you’ve never heard of Revolutionary Girl Utena (Ikuhara, 1997), you’ll absolutely know something that’s referenced it, if not taken direct influence from it. From Steven Universe (Sugar, 2013-2019), The Owl House (Terrace, 2020-present) and She-Ra and The Princesses of Power (Stevenson, 2018-2020), to Pokémon (Yuyama and Tomiyasu, 1997–Present), Scott Pilgrim (O'Malley, 2004-2010) and My … Continue reading The Sapphic 90s anime that inspired Steven Universe and She-ra: a discourse-focused analysis of Revolutionary Girl Utena
Author: Onyx Wood
Onyx Wood is a research intern and undergraduate studying Linguistics and Chinese at Lancaster University. He is especially interested in multilingualism, as well as its impact on cultural understandings of personal and collective identity. His favourite character in animation is Alucard from Castlevania and his favourite animated film is Ponyo!
From Cinderella to Steven Universe: How language has shaped Trans+ and Genderqueer representation in animation across the last century
The Timeline From famous Disney villains inspired by drag queens, to the openly non-binary characters of new fantasy cartoons, the way that trans and genderqueer characters are described, voiced and treated has shifted massively over the years. This post will cover several canonical transgender and non-binary characters, as well as those who are genderqueer-coded, to … Continue reading From Cinderella to Steven Universe: How language has shaped Trans+ and Genderqueer representation in animation across the last century
The basics: Terminology around Genderqueer, Trans+ and Gender Non-Conforming identities in Animation
Here is a list of concepts and terminology in relation to trans, genderqueer and gender non-conforming identities with explanations to help deepen understanding of this area. Androgynous Androgynous is not a specific label for an identity – instead it refers to a mixture of feminine and masculine characteristics, or an absence of gender. Characters who … Continue reading The basics: Terminology around Genderqueer, Trans+ and Gender Non-Conforming identities in Animation
Amzad Hossain & Fu (2014) Young Girls and Flying Images: A Semiotic Analysis of Hayao Miyazaki’s Animations
Uses semiotics to analyze meanings in nine Miyazaki films (1984-2008) - Nausicaa, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, My Neighbour Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo. Studies recurring images and representations and how they connote meaning in regards to female characters, as well as proportions of speech … Continue reading Amzad Hossain & Fu (2014) Young Girls and Flying Images: A Semiotic Analysis of Hayao Miyazaki’s Animations
Blush (2021) Bending the Elementary: Queering Gender and Sexuality in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Beyond
Looks at the role of television in constructing gender for children and reinforcing traditional gender roles, especially Judith Butler’s “heterosexual matrix”, with lexical analysis of how characters do and don’t escape it. Investigates the ways in which Avatar: the Last Airbender (2005-2008) either upholds or subverts the dichotomies of gender and sexuality, by analyzing the … Continue reading Blush (2021) Bending the Elementary: Queering Gender and Sexuality in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Beyond
Campanelli (2019) Gender Nonconformity and Lesbianism in the Magical Girl Genre
Explores conventions of the “Magical Girl” and “Good Witch” tropes within the Shojo/Shoujo genre. Covers older representations of heteronormativity, gender conformity and nonconformity in the 90s, analysing a variety of animes from this genre. Focuses on the demonization of “butchness” and lesbianism as well as the sexualization of adolescent protagonists, through semantic and pragmatic analysis. … Continue reading Campanelli (2019) Gender Nonconformity and Lesbianism in the Magical Girl Genre
Chen & Liu (2023) A Study on Chinese Audience’s Receptive Behavior towards Chinese and Western Cultural Hybridity Films Based on Grounded Theory – Taking Disney’s Animated Film Turning Red as an Example
Analyses Chinese reactions to the Disney film “Turning Red” (2022) as a hybrid of Chinese and Western culture and values on screen. Explores the depictions of mother-daughter relationships, female friendships and support and the influence of Chinese culture and society on these, whilst discussing the resonance of these themes with Chinese viewers. Also describes the … Continue reading Chen & Liu (2023) A Study on Chinese Audience’s Receptive Behavior towards Chinese and Western Cultural Hybridity Films Based on Grounded Theory – Taking Disney’s Animated Film Turning Red as an Example
Finley (2023) Defamiliarizied Gender in the Works of Hayao Miyazaki
Argues that Miyazaki’s films portray unconventionally strong female protagonists through defamiliarization, stating that the films Spirited Away and Kiki’s Delivery Service borrow from and rejects elements of Japanese culture to create characters and settings that evoke the defamiliarization of gender, e.g. in genderbent references to folklore and historical figures. Contains close analysis of the original … Continue reading Finley (2023) Defamiliarizied Gender in the Works of Hayao Miyazaki