Kimi No Na Wa Gender Analysis

Japanese Animated Film Kimi No Na Wa: Your Name and the Gender Performances

Shingo Takatera

California State University, Northridge How do you avoid conflicting your own gender if your body switches to the opposite sex of yours? The Japanese animated film Kimi No Na Wa: Your Name, directed by Makoto Shinkai in 2016 depicts a body switching story between a male protagonist Taki and female protagonist Mitsuha. In their dream, their bodies switch; hence, Taki and Mitsuha have to behave as an opposite gender of their own because they want to avoid conflicting their sex and gender in order to keep the relationship with others as normal; if they violate the Japanese gender expectation, Taki and Mitsuha will convey the opposite gender. The film

It seems very difficult to describe characters without generalization or stereotypes in the storytelling because the characters easily appeal so-called masculinity or feminine if they follow the stereotypical behaviors of the gender expectations. For example, if the storyteller wants the character to appeal feminine, the character has to do something feminine. This can happen in the real world as well as fictional. If I failed to appeal masculinity in the real life, I would struggle between my identity as a man and as myself. I will share my personal story. I am living in a student dorm and sharing a room and bathroom with my roommate. I am born and raised in Japan, so I am little bit nervous about living with an American student because his custom is different from mine. I would harm or give misunderstanding due to the culture differences. One day, my roommate asks me whether I am a gay or not. “No”, I said. I asked him why he thinks so, then he responded that “because you use a lady’s shampoo”. Then, I understood why he thought I am a gay. I was not conscious that using Herbal Essence Rose Scent Shampoo can give an impression of feminine which conflicts my sex. From Japanese and my perspective, it is totally normal to use “so-called lady’s shampoo” because my hair smells good after shampooing with Herbal Essence. I asked him that “is using Herbal Essence gay?”, then he replies that “it is so gay”. This is my personal memory with the gender expectation problem in America. Even the prop like shampoo can conflict or give misunderstanding of my identity. My personal preference of shampoo conflicts against the gender expectation. However, I think there never be an only masculine man in