Homosexuality and Bara Manga in Japan - Representation of the Psychological State of Mind of the Contemporary LGBT+ Plus Size Men in Japan
Abstract
This article discusses various aspects of LGBT representation and history in Japan, including the history of homosexuality in Japanese culture, the challenges faced by the LGBT community in contemporary Japan, and the representation of LGBT people in Japanese popular culture, particularly in the genre of bara manga. This article seeks to promote awareness of the rich popular LGBT culture in Japan that can inspire other readers to follow and inform about the contemporary societal issues in Japan and worldwide.
Sources cited in this article included academic texts, personal narratives, as well as Japanese-language sources. This overview study analyzes 7 bara manga artists and their representation of plus-size men and their experience with heteronormative prejudice in Japan.
The study gives case study examples from several manga sources as testimonies and reflections of real-life Japanese LGBT+ experiences.