#if there's not that's ok too

[nieves-de-sugui]

A Gay For You trope conversation

This is a thought that has come to me after reading the manga of Tokyo in April is...

First, I gotta say the show was a very good adaptation of the manga imo. There are some details that are different but overall the spirit of the story is the same, and I praise the makers of the show for it. Great job, folks 😎👍

Secondly, onto the topic of this post. I am definetly not the first to talk about this, @heretherebedork talks about it in this post. And @emotionallychargedtowel also touched upon this on another post. But I want use this post to gather both thoughts and expand on that conversation.

As I was reading the scene with Kazuma and Ryunosuke facing each other, a thought came to me. The manga really does go more into the Gay For You trope than the show does. When Kazuma says that he doesn't care about gender, that he's only interested in Ren, in the show there is still some possibility left for Kazuma to identify as some type of queer, however it goes a little differently in the manga.

read from right to left, from scanbean's scanlations

Both in the manga and the show Kazuma rejects any label and it could be said that he basically describes himself as "Ren-sexual". However, while in the show it's left more ambiguous (since being bi could still be a possibility) in the manga he rejects both the gay and bi labels. He does not confirm being heterosexual either, so it doesn't fall a 100% into the gay for you trope.

The Gay For You trope (for those who might not know it) is basically a straight main character being in a homosexual relationship while maintaining their heterosexuality. While this has been a trope widely used in Japan, it is true that recently it has been more of a "only attracted to you". So while they do not identify with any queer label they do not declare their heterosexuality as sternly as before. Even though this in a gay relationship but still straight most likely stems from homophobia, this recent shift in Japanese BL makes for an interesting conversation.

In the posts I mentioned above Heretherebedork describes this as some kind of demisexuality. And Emotionally Charged Towel ponders upon if this might be related to the early Shonen Ai idea of "pure" love.

I feel like Japan has a tendency to explore situations "out of the norm/societal expectations" without diving into the specifics. Scratching the surface of themes that step away from heteronormativity while not really diving deep into it either. There's a duality of characters that might or might not use western labels to understand themselves or their feelings. We can see this in how Koisenu futari talked about asexuality (very specifically) VS how Me, My Husband And My Husband's Boyfriend talked about polyamory (quite ambiguosly).

Personally, I wonder if there's something there to be said about how we understand romance and sexuality. Can sexuality and romance be separated succesfully without erasing the importance of one another? Are these characters that do not define themselves according to sexuality constructive in some way?

In the case of Tokyo is April is... Kazuma's mom refer to Kazuma and Ren's love as exceptional ("I have never experienced a love like that"). Kazuma's character in the show has never really considered his sexual tendencies. As highschoolers Ren asks Kazuma is he would want to have a girlfriend and have sex with her, to which Kazuma gives what would be "the expected answer" according to society. I personally believe that Kazuma's train of thought might have been something like: "Boys are supposed to like girls, and it is expected that they want to have sex with them, so probably yeah I would want to have sex with my potential girlfriend in the future". To me he does not seem to have made any kind of introspection of his own feelings or desires, as he has never thought of it he gives the probably expected answer. So who knows? He might not be straight, but he does not seem to have really given it any thought.

I like the idea of it being a sort of demisexuality.

It is intersting to consider if sexuality and romantic love can be explored separatedly. Could the use of this kind of ambiguity open the door to an new interpretation of romance? Much in the way of the yaoi concept of "pure love"?

This are the questions that have popped into my brain regarding the possibilities of the tropes. I hope it makes for an introduction or starting point to a more developed conversation of the topic.

I hope some of this stirs up thoughts on those that know a lot more than me about these topics, and are so much better at explaining them. I'd love to read whatever @bengiyo @waitmyturtles @wen-kexing-apologist @emotionallychargedtowel @heretherebedork and anyone else that sees this might have to say about it :) ...if there's anything to say at all

[dendrochronologies]

maya angelou saying the funniest thing anyone has ever said about editing, which i can never let myself forget EVER AGAIN [x]

[lilacandladybugs]

my friend told me that her boyfriend got her a super cool rock while they were on vacation together and you would not BELIEVE my disappointment when i realized she was talking about her engagement ring

[ayo-edebiri]

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse + text posts

[knifebucket]

if you're ok with an incessant amount of boops reblog this so I can get those other 2 badges <3

[temeyes]

biker ghost? biker ghost.

[snarkspawn]

the devil you know

[roppiepop]

Who’s coming to the cookout?

[aminta]

skyler white: youre a drug dealer and youve been lying to and gaslighting me this whole time about what you've been doing. i think you are an active danger to myself and this household but you refuse to move out of the house or let me receive a divorce. what do you have to say for yourself?

walt:

[minimanuke]

This image was MADE for them

[isjasz]

🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌖

(happy eclipse day yesterday🎆🎆🎆)

[ganondoodle]

then perish.

[zhukzucraft]

nuclear family as described by Iskall

[soulmvtes]

it's about the small acts of intimacy... forehead kisses, putting jewelry on you, rubbing your hand with their thumb, putting a jacket on you, touching your necklace, running your hands through their hair, wiping away their tears, peeling them an orange, un/zipping their dress, tying their shoelaces, holding hands, removing an eyelash from their cheek, washing their hair, putting an anklet on them, tucking their hair behind their ear, sorting out their collar, untangling their necklaces, drinking out of a cup in their hands

[thatdiabolicalfeminist]

just to be completely clear, the amount of military power and political influence Israel has has NOTHING to do with its settlers being Jewish. Israel is a force for American & European interests in the region and they're just doing what America does and allows/encourages its close allies to do.

war crimes aren't considered war crimes when someone America finds useful is doing them. european and american pushback against anyone criticizing Israeli apartheid & genocide is 100% because these crimes are useful to American & European hegemony.

Governments that are deeply antisemitic, like France, aren't suddenly caring about Jewish people. Jewish people, persecuted the world over, don't hold some kind of hegemonic power outside of Israel.

The state of Israel and its attendant brutal treatment of the locals are both incredibly useful to the US, and American hegemony means we're expected to celebrate both.

not bc they're Jewish. this isn't a break in the pattern of western antisemitism and it's not evidence that antisemitism doesn't exist.

it's just like how you could get fired for saying shit against the US war in Afghanistan when i was growing up. it is 100% about US military and political interests (ok slightly western europe too but lbr)

[tawnysoup]

The one eyed Siffrin Wink™