choki-choki - Tumblr blog

choki-choki · 1 month ago

Text

trans woman doi... again!

i've already made a post about this headcanon, but i wanted to revisit it to articulate my thoughts a little better. i will be referencing extra material, like tsudoi and the stageplays. i may edit this at a later day if i can think of any more points.

as always, this is just for fun! don't take it too seriously. i hope you enjoy! i'd love to hear people's thoughts about hanko-chan.

crossdressing

there are only a handful of characters that have a strong hesitation / resistance to crossdressing, doi being one of them, and... you have to wonder why, right? doi doesn't have any issues with passing as a woman as hanko, so what's really the problem? you could easily reason it's just something he doesn't care for, but if it's something he's so against, like eating fish cakes, he just wouldn't do it at all. doi has his childish moments, and this easily could be another, but... it's interesting how he ends up presenting himself once he does put a kosode on.

( eps: 30-11, 28-10 )

…doesn’t seem so against it now, huh.

crossdressing in nintama is seen as an art in itself. it isn't just a matter of having long hair and wearing makeup, as illustrated by some... less successful attempts at it. like any skill, you have to hone it! which is why it's interesting that feminine mannerisms seem to come easily once hanko is in the picture. we can assume either that it is something doi has practiced extensively before, or it comes to him naturally. either one is good.

in regards to physical appearances, it's established that doi doesn't dedicate a lot of time to cleanliness. his room is a fucking mess. his clothes are always wrinkled. his hair is damaged. but, again, as hanko, he really values looking pretty! the difference in the way he presents masculine versus feminine really intrigues me. little regard vs genuine enthusiasm...

( eps: 32-60, 30-11 )

i like this line from the 1996 movie because i think it's got a fun 2nd meaning if you see it from a slightly different angle-- hanko isn't denying womanhood outright, it's more of a dig on her age. she's not an obaasan, she's an oneesan, get it right!!!

( eps: 1996 movie )

speaking of earlier seasons, it's been interesting seeing hanko's design changes over the years. it's nothing super important to note, but just as doi's personality has changed to be gentler (though still scolding), hanko has grown more feminine.

( eps: 1-9, 13-2, 28-10 )

i like to imagine doi's tsundere-ness to crossdressing is more repression than actual disdain. doi is a very self-sacrificial character, and i think he would prolong his happiness if it meant keeping up the image of a reliable, older brother/teacher figure for his students. the guilt of preferring women's clothes paired with his apathy of men's clothes manifesting as neglecting self care... doi-sensei!!!!!!!

names

it's established in rookie that "doi hansuke" is not doi's birth name. in ninmyu 12 he's given the name "yogiri" while in his former ninja squad. doi taking on a new name make sense given his circumstances, but, conceptually, abandoning a name that doesn't serve you anymore plus the euphoria of finding one that's right is incredibly transgender. the "han" of hansuke, meaning half, symbolic of how much still has to grow, and maybe that extends to discovering things about himself, too. a bleak life rife with tragedy and violence, it makes sense that doi wouldn't know the kind of person he was outside of being a ninja.

after consulting my good very smart friend duck, doi's last name appears to be a topographical name. they came up with the idea that since doi is trying to lay low, it would make sense for his last name to be from a location rather than anything pointedly identifying. the kanji in doi, "earth" and "well" also evoke some images of support and life. someone who is grounding and providing... it very much suits him!

i like the idea of doi honoring denzou naming her, keeping "han" as a keepsake of her new beginnings, and choosing to live as hanko.

nurturer

in 19-90, one of my favorite episodes, it gives a glimpse of how much doi and kirimaru mean to each other. the neighborhood lady and landlord gossip over their relation, whether they’re siblings or parent and child, and kirimaru denies both. to me, doi encompasses both roles, the playfulness of an older brother, the guidance of a father, and i don’t think it’s too off base to assume doi fulfills traits commonly attributed to motherhood, too. gentle scolding, loving honesty, warm affection, that sort of thing!

i wrote about doi's natural affinity with caring for children here, but i wanted to dive a little deeper. it's pretty obvious that after five years of teaching, he's gotten used to taking care of kids, but that child rearing also extends to babies, too! kirimaru has doi help out with his part-time jobs frequently, babysitting included, and doi is really, really good at taking care of babies. don't believe me? hear it from kirimaru.

( eps: 23-51 ) look how sad she is when she has to give the baby up. i'm gonna die.

in my previous post, i talked about how easily doi would be able to settle down with a family. a wife and kids of his own, isn't that what he would want? in tsudoi, amako-sensei states that after 1-ha graduate, doi retires and opens up an orphanage. kirimaru comes by to help out. rikichi drops his own baby off. (crazy.) and while this isn't concretely canon, i see it very fitting for doi's character arc. teaching brings him a lot of joy, obviously, but considering how worried sick he gets of his students, it makes sense he would want to find another way to give back the kindness he's received in a less sending-children-off-to-war kind of way. doi values childhood, his own was cut very short. to care for children without families would bring him a lot of fulfillment.

what does this have to do with gender? well. it doesn't have to! but i just find it curious that doi doesn't seem interested in marriage or having biological children. he could just be happier single, or, in my mind, maybe there's no use in having biological children if it's not the way he really wants. doi longing to be a mother, but he doesn't have the body to carry or birth a child... we have to make womb transplants possible in the sengoku period.

misc

these will be little points that don't really fit in with other categories.

in ninmyu 12, when doi is describing his own image of a peaceful scenery, he uses the lyrics, "swaying a flower basket in her hand, with a smile on her face, a maiden joyfully gathers mugwort." curious.

in an interview about the design of the tenohira tenki figure, the sculptor noted that tenki's outfit is reminiscent of yamabushi... as well as binan-kazura. binan-kazura's were men playing female roles in kyogen. curious.

all credit to jellyfishlover on dreamwidth for this (who wrote a lovely review of the 3rd movie, go check it out!)-- if we assume tenki is what doi would be like without the influence of the yamadas, kirimaru, and the rest of his students, it's fair to assume that deep, monotone tone might be closer to his natural voice, and he may be pitching his voice up. curious.

#FACTS #amako sensei pick up on this #this post belongs in a museum

27 notes · View notes