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Gender-switching anime.


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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@



Joined: 14 Feb 2006
Posts: 3498
Location: IN your nightmares
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 1:08 am Reply with quote
{I took the liberty of adding this thread to the "Anime Hunting - NO Recommendation threads allowed!" OP. ~nbahn}
Ok this is sort of a list thread since I'm listing highlights of anime I'm familiar with that involve a character or characters changing from one gender to the other. It also includes a few examples of crossdressing characters who primarily appear as the opposite sex throughout most of the series and are convincingly the gender that they are impersonating. With this topic (so as not to get locked) I really want to discuss more of what people think of this type of anime, if it's getting more popular or if it should be more popular and some favorable or unfavorable reactions toward this type of anime. I am a die-hard fan of gender bender anime (crossdressing, homosexuality and gender changes) but I really want to concentrate on talking about anime that involves actual physical transformation of a character's sex.

I'm not giving brief synopsis of each show (use the encyclopedia) I'm just describing the basic type of gender change that occurs.

First and foremost is the gender bender classic:
Ranma 1/2: Cursed boy switches between male and female when splashed with water depending on temperature.

Maze: Girl changes into a boy when the sun goes down and returns to female at sunrise.

Simoun: Takes place on a world where all children are born female and upon adulthood they can choose to become male or stay female.

Kashimashi ~Girl Meets Girl: In ep 1 an effeminate boy gets changed into a girl by aliens (change is permanent).

Sailor Starlights: The Sailor Senshi (women) transform into a troupe of men when not fighting villains. Thanks, Aylinn.

Escaflowne: A side character who was originally female got mutated into a man with a magical spell of sorts.

Tenshi na Konamaiki (aka Cheeky Angel): A young boy gets changed into a girl by a wicked genie. Story takes place later in High School and the main character has remained a girl (wow I gotta check this one out, I heard about it but I didn't catch the plot). Thanks, CrockPot

Vandread: To become an undercover operative in the male vs female war, a man (side character) undergoes a sex-change operation.

Sailor Moon: not an actual gender switch but there's a villain who's male in the Japanese version and female in the English version. Thanks, undeadben.

Fushigi Yuugi (crossdressing): One of the Suzaku Seven is a boy who wishes he were born female but dresses and acts the role and has a crush on one of the other male Suzaku.

Otome Wa Boku ni Koishiteru (crossdressing): Boy has to attend an all girl's school so dresses, acts and looks like a girl.

Okay I'll count this even though he's only a PT woman (and quite a beautiful and busty brunette she/he is, I might add): Strawberry Eggs: A guy teaches at a high school as a woman because the school only hires female teachers. Thanks, undeadben.

There are a few other ones involving crossdressing mentioned in the thread below. Also, I'm not counting Revolutionary Girl Utena because even though very prince-like, she is very obviously female.

Any others that people know of please mention them and I'll add to the list (I know I'm forgetting a few).


Last edited by P€|\||§_|\/|ast@ on Thu May 03, 2007 11:54 pm; edited 6 times in total
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KyuuA4



Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 1361
Location: America, where anime and manga can be made
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 1:27 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Ranma 1/2: Cursed boy switches between male and female when splashed with water depending on temperature.


Nothing can top Ranma 1/2 when it comes to gender-bending. Laughing Just add water. Brilliant.
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Urd



Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 317
Location: Paris, France
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 1:33 am Reply with quote
Ribbon no kishi: Princess Sapphire was raised as a boy because a girl couldn't take the throne.

Versailles no Bara: Lady Oscar is raised from birth as a man.

Chevalier of Eon maybe too... I haven't seen that series yet. Embarassed
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Amasa



Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 340
Location: Japan
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 1:42 am Reply with quote
From Peace Maker Kurogane there was that guy who sounded and looked exactly like a woman. I hated the first few episodes so I stopped watching it but I don't think there was any particular reason for the cross-dresser to be there. I don't know what there is to like about gender bender anime unless it actually functions as a plot device or signficance like Perfect Blue. It just annoys me if there's an interesting female character that turns out to be male (or always is but I just never picked up on it). I forget, was Haku from Naruto a girl or a boy? I remember the scene where it was revealed but I forget what the actual truth is...
Anyway, Past would you care to explain what interests you about characters that are more than just androgynous to the point that they're no longer a member of their original sex? It sounds interesting and a lot 'deeper' than what a lot of yaoi fangirls would say about why they like effeminate men.
I've never actually seen an anime where the gender is physically changed, I didn't know that material that intense even existed in anime. In those titles you mentioned is the sex change the central plot?
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jetz



Joined: 31 Jan 2007
Posts: 2148
Location: Manila, Philippines
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 5:39 am Reply with quote
Princess Princess. It's about this all boys school and they pick some guys in their school who look feminine and make them wear lolita outfits during special occasions, just to add some spice to their school. I haven't watched it yet but that's the plot of the series.

How about Ouran? Haruhi went through most of the series pretending to be a guy. The other members of the host club are also found to cross dress sometimes through the series. There's also Haruhi's dad, who works at an Okama bar.

I have no problems with crossdressing/gender bending plots in anime. It makes it more interesting, and most of the time the androgyny is used as a plot device.
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Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 6:11 am Reply with quote
Kino no Tabi at the beginning i thought that Kino is he.
Fruits Basket Ritsu Soma was pretending to be a women.
I don't remember exactly because i watched it 10 years ago but i think something like this was in Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. The Sailor Starlights were pretending to be men.
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bonbonsrus



Joined: 15 Oct 2003
Posts: 1537
Location: Michigan, USA
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 7:27 am Reply with quote
This was seen a long time ago, so perhaps I could be wrong, but didn't DNA2 have some physical body switching for a bit? Maybe I am thinking of something else, I don't care to go watch now to double check.

Gankutsuou had a character in it that was a cross-dresser, but not a main character.

I am sure there are more (Body Transfer, ReiRei) that fall into the adult catagory, where there is an actual physical transformation.
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TestamentSaki



Joined: 11 Oct 2005
Posts: 1012
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 8:16 am Reply with quote
Amasa wrote:
I forget, was Haku from Naruto a girl or a boy? I remember the scene where it was revealed but I forget what the actual truth is...


spoiler[It's been quite the discussion... I don't know what they say in the Japanese dub, but in the LA dub, spoiler[Haku said "I'm a boy."]. I presonally think he's a guy who uses his androgynous appearance to his advantage.]

bonbonsrus wrote:
This was seen a long time ago, so perhaps I could be wrong, but didn't DNA2 have some physical body switching for a bit? Maybe I am thinking of something else, I don't care to go watch now to double check.


No... spoiler[Junta just turns into the Mega Playboy (a red-haired, taller and Don Juan-like version of himself) when his allergy to girls seems overwhelming. However, he goes back to normal when hecan't stand it anymore)]
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LuckySleven



Joined: 13 Mar 2007
Posts: 426
Location: Refer to page 2
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 8:58 am Reply with quote
In Bokura ga Ita Motoharu Yano's sister ,Yuri Yamamoto, plays a big role even though she doesn't get seen a lot. She really looks like a woman o_O"
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CrockPot



Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 75
Location: Jackson, MS
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 9:12 am Reply with quote
Don't forget Tenshi na Konamaiki.

In that the main character ten years previous to the story is granted a wish and asks to become the "Manliest man in the world" and instead gets the opposite the "Womanliest woman in the world". At least that is how the info blurbs describe it.
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undeadben



Joined: 06 May 2006
Posts: 1212
Location: West Texas
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 9:14 am Reply with quote
The gender bending in Ranma does not stop at Ranma. Ukyo when first introduced is thought to be a boy, and the later introduced Tsubasa Kurenai, who is always chasing Ukyo, is the biggest cross-dresser of them all. spoiler[At first everyone thinks Tsubasa is a lesbian girl when in reality he turns out to be a cross-dressing heterosexual boy. ]

The character from Gankutsuou is Peppi who early on tricks spoiler[Albert in to falling in love with him.] Boy I haven't seen this in ages can't believe I remembered that.

From Sailor Moon S there is also Fish eye who acted spoiler[feminine and was always attacking good looking men.]

Also Utena form Utena, can't forget about her. I mean she's the girl spoiler[who dreams of being a Prince.]

And I haven't seen it but I think I My Me Strawberry Eggs also has the cross dressing theme, I remember from one of Zalis's avatars.


ETA: I think there is another character from Sailor Moon but I don't remember, and I think I should remember because I think it was a pretty big character.. Hmm... LydiaDianne, can you give us a hand?
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TestamentSaki



Joined: 11 Oct 2005
Posts: 1012
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 9:20 am Reply with quote
undeadben wrote:
ETA: I think there is another character from Sailor Moon but I don't remember, and I think I should remember because I think it was a pretty big character.. Hmm... LydiaDianne, can you give us a hand?


Could it be Zoicite? That's the one I remember.
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undeadben



Joined: 06 May 2006
Posts: 1212
Location: West Texas
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 9:38 am Reply with quote
TestamentSaki wrote:
Could it be Zoicite? That's the one I remember.

That's right, it was Zoicite who was spoiler[pretending to be a woman. ] Ok, so there's one more.
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Kouji



Joined: 01 Oct 2005
Posts: 978
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 10:05 am Reply with quote
Zoicite was gay but he wasn't a crossdresser expect in one episode where he disguised himself as Sailor Moon but that was a part of Kunzite's trap. There's also in Escaflowne spoiler[Dilandau who is a man but is later revealed to be Allen's sister who was kidnapped and mutated into the body of a boy by Zaibach.]
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LydiaDianne



Joined: 28 Jan 2006
Posts: 5633
Location: Southern California
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 10:17 am Reply with quote
undeadben wrote:
TestamentSaki wrote:
Could it be Zoicite? That's the one I remember.

That's right, it was Zoicite who was spoiler[pretending to be a woman. ] Ok, so there's one more.


Well, there was Zoicite but there is also Tenoh Haruka aka Sailor Uranus (Ogata Megumi was the VA) who was mistaken for a boy because of her short hair and the fact that she wore her school's boys' uniform.

And you mustn't forget the Sailor Starlights as well! I still haven't quite figured THEM out!
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