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INTEREST: 'Even Boys Can Become Princesses!': Hugtto! Precure Anime Stands Up to Traditional Gender

Those aren't really comparable if you ask me. There's nothing inherently tied to gender about being a blader, duelist, rider, or ranger. Magical girl by it's very name is you have to be a girl. Magical girl was originally an offshoot of said tokusatsu genres so it was kind of made with that in mind. If Pretty Cure doesn't want to have a male cure, I see no issue with it. They've had male characters with powers in the past who help out, but I don't see them not being officially a Cure to be a problem any more than there's extra heroes in super sentai who help out the rangers but aren't considered a sentai ranger, or there can't be a male Sailor Soldier so Mamoru is Tuexdo Kamen, not Sailor Earth.

Cross-dressing has nothing to do with sexuality or gender identity, which is why people oppose to it being co-opted by the LGBT people. The vast majority of men who crossdress are straight and still identify as men. In Japanese entertainment, cross-dressing is pretty common and has a long established history throughout stage plays, television, and comics. It might be seen as a big deal in American culture, but it often gets misinterpreted by American audiences watching Japanese media. You can find it in a ton of shows for all ages.

This was a very good episode. I’m surprised that Japanese fans in particular are so supportive of it, given the state of LGBT rights in Japan as of 2018.

A 2015 poll found 51 percent of respondents were in favor of same-sex marriage. More than than 70 percent of those in their twenties approved, compared with only 24 percent among people in their seventies. Fewer men than women were in favor of the change.

Boys quite literally cannot be princesses, but a prince sure can wear a dress if he so chooses to.

This was a very good episode. I’m surprised that Japanese fans in particular are so supportive of it, given the state of LGBT rights in Japan as of 2018.

TsukasaElkKite wrote:

This was a very good episode. I’m surprised that Japanese fans in particular are so supportive of it, given the state of LGBT rights in Japan as of 2018.

I don't think this episode have anything to do with LGBT movement support.

Just to throw this out there, but should these kind of difficult identity and gender issues be something that a series aimed at children should be teaching? After seeing the comments here, most are affirming this. However, I question if, as adults, we should be teaching children sexual and gender issues, which have deep and long-lasting meaning. Children do not know their left from their right, and I don't mean that in a political sense. It is up to adults to train and teach them the values and skills they need for living. To one extent or another,
children are blank slates. Some here have stated that doing so might be considered abusive.Yet, not doing so, could that also not be considered abusive? If we follow the scientific dictum of input equals output, then does that not mean that teaching children nothing will produce children who believe in nothing? Likewise, if we teach them certain values, is that not more likely to instill those values upon them than something or someone else? Hence, it seems that maybe teaching them about LGBT, gender identity, or other complex issues should wait until their teens when these issues are more applicable to them instead of forcing them to deal with the harsher realities of the world of adults. That said, LGBT equality is an issue worldwide that needs to be addressed in better ways. I just don't know if a children's series is the right place to discuss it.

I think that in this case precure's creators used word "princess" in regard of style and way of living as princess, not being a one literally.

I think that this episode has a subtle message that LGBT movement tries people to realise - there's different types of people in this world and everyone should be treated equally, you should respect their choice and don't let others mistreat people because of this.
This is a good lesson for japanese kids and I hope that small steps like this would eventually bring great changes in old-fashioned mind of japanese society.

dark_bozu wrote:

I think that in this case precure's creators used word "princess" in regard of style and way of living as princess, not being a one literally.

They used "princess" in regard how Henri was captured by a monster and had to be rescued like in a story. It had nothing to do with his way of living.

dark_bozu wrote:

I think that this episode has a subtle message that LGBT movement tries people to realise - there's different types of people in this world and everyone should be treated equally, you should respect their choice and don't let others mistreat people because of this. This is a good lesson for japanese kids and I hope that small steps like this would eventually bring great changes in old-fashioned mind of japanese society.

But I don't think that was what this anime writers had in mind. The message is more about gender roles and don't bulling or telling people what to dress and what to do, than a message about respect for LGTB.

I don't think LGBT people can "co-opt" something that they practically invented.

You have to remember that for centuries, "crossdressing" was one of the only ways for trans people and gender nonconforming folks to express themselves openly. A lot of those folks weren't as "straight" as you think they were.

It's fair to correct me on the technical terminology, but my larger point is still the same: People, even children, should be confident for who they are, neither demanded for their gender, nor labeled for what they are wearing, and certainly not confused that society will choose to define them by a specified classification or definition. This is something that I believe that most children can create for themselves as they develop in age, but I admit in my own personal experience, also not beyond their scope as a sense of identity.

I've got no problem with properties specifically targeted at individual groups of people. My username and avatar come from Transformers, which despite Hasbro's efforts, is still very predominantly a boy's property. My beef is with praising Pretty Cure for doing something like this when it's blatantly transparent just how hollow a sentiment it is coming from them.

At the end of the day, Toei and Bandai aren't really looking to encourage gender neutral ideas with this property. The designs are extremely cutesy and a lot of the themes are based on stereotypically feminine things. The toys are in typical girl play patterns, like role play items, plush and occasionally dolls. Despite being an annually refreshed superhero team that's been around for 15 years, there's never even been a male Pretty Cure. So they're not subverting the idea of what a male hero can be to any large scale.

I'd advise paying closer attention to when you're watching Hugtto in the future, that way you won't make such obvious mistakes over the content of the episode under discussion.

Usagi-kun wrote:

It's fair to correct me on the technical terminology, but my larger point is still the same: People, even children, should be confident for who they are, neither demanded for their gender, nor labeled for what they are wearing, and certainly not confused that society will choose to define them by a specified classification or definition. This is something that I believe that most children can create for themselves as they develop in age, but I admit in my own personal experience, also not beyond their scope as a sense of identity.

I'm not disagreeing with you on people should do what they want, I just think Japanese tropes get misinterpreted is all. Most male characters who cross-dress in anime still identify as men and correct people when they get called a girl.

As long as there's money to be made, say and do what you want.