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starrysamIt's been forever since I've watched Aoharu x Kikanjuu and Powerpuff Girls Z so forgive lack of specific and more vague mentions, as well as anything I get wrong.
I will be using both of these to make a broader point on anime and tomboy tropes and other themes of how they explore gender and enforce gender roles. Powerpuff Girls Z is from 2006-2007 while Aoharu x Kikanjuu is from 2015. The context of the time period is inextricable and I will not be bringing up more recent examples, not in this post at least.
Spoilers ahead for both
For Powerpuff Girls Z we will be primarily focusing on Kaoru (Buttercup/Powered Buttercup), she is quite a typical tomboy character and hates dresses and skirts. The Powerpuff Girls Z magical girl transformation outfit contains a miniskirt, of course, which she isn't happy with. i want to focus more on the other characters reactions though, her teammates Miyako (Bubbles/Rolling Bubbles) and Momoko (Blossom/Hyper Blossom) are constantly trying to coax her into dresses or makeovers or whatever. The tomboy seems to be defined by youth and immaturity with an expectation that they will grow into femininity.
Aoharu x Kikanjuu however is quite a different show, A highschool aged girl (Hotaru) is mistaken to be a boy and then dragged into participating in a airsoft competition as part of a group with two adult men because she knocked over something expensive and must pay back an exorbitant amount of money (similar to ouran highschool host club, only in that last point, and the mistaken gender part). The thing that really bugged me about this anime upon watching is that Masamune (who is one of the two other members of the airsoft group) starts to fall in love with her even though he thinks she is a boy at the time. I often dislike this trope, it feels like saying that they cannot hide the fact they are a girl after all and that characters can just sense it subconsciously or consciously sometimes. This happens a lot with other characters on the opposition airsoft teams as well that somehow clock that she is a girl and tries to say she doesn't belong. They taunt her with this fact and revealing it which would result in her getting kicked out of the airsoft team. It's so infuriating to me that they can tell, like she is radiating femininity no matter what.
The idea that someone's gender, or really their sex, is something that they cannot hide and the expectations of their gender must be forced upon them if they step outside the mould. The narrative has to keep reminding them that they are an outsider and that many people can tell they don't belong there. That guys won't be able to help falling for them even as they still think the character is a guy. Telling them that no girl can successfully pass as a guy. The narrative has to keep reminding them that they will grow out of being a tomboy and embrace it. Even if the other characters have to force it somewhat violently onto them. That even in the magic of a magical girl transformation, you still have to be forced into a skirt you hate so people can laugh at your discomfort.
Why is there so much violence in conformity?
I will be using both of these to make a broader point on anime and tomboy tropes and other themes of how they explore gender and enforce gender roles. Powerpuff Girls Z is from 2006-2007 while Aoharu x Kikanjuu is from 2015. The context of the time period is inextricable and I will not be bringing up more recent examples, not in this post at least.
Spoilers ahead for both
For Powerpuff Girls Z we will be primarily focusing on Kaoru (Buttercup/Powered Buttercup), she is quite a typical tomboy character and hates dresses and skirts. The Powerpuff Girls Z magical girl transformation outfit contains a miniskirt, of course, which she isn't happy with. i want to focus more on the other characters reactions though, her teammates Miyako (Bubbles/Rolling Bubbles) and Momoko (Blossom/Hyper Blossom) are constantly trying to coax her into dresses or makeovers or whatever. The tomboy seems to be defined by youth and immaturity with an expectation that they will grow into femininity.
Aoharu x Kikanjuu however is quite a different show, A highschool aged girl (Hotaru) is mistaken to be a boy and then dragged into participating in a airsoft competition as part of a group with two adult men because she knocked over something expensive and must pay back an exorbitant amount of money (similar to ouran highschool host club, only in that last point, and the mistaken gender part). The thing that really bugged me about this anime upon watching is that Masamune (who is one of the two other members of the airsoft group) starts to fall in love with her even though he thinks she is a boy at the time. I often dislike this trope, it feels like saying that they cannot hide the fact they are a girl after all and that characters can just sense it subconsciously or consciously sometimes. This happens a lot with other characters on the opposition airsoft teams as well that somehow clock that she is a girl and tries to say she doesn't belong. They taunt her with this fact and revealing it which would result in her getting kicked out of the airsoft team. It's so infuriating to me that they can tell, like she is radiating femininity no matter what.
The idea that someone's gender, or really their sex, is something that they cannot hide and the expectations of their gender must be forced upon them if they step outside the mould. The narrative has to keep reminding them that they are an outsider and that many people can tell they don't belong there. That guys won't be able to help falling for them even as they still think the character is a guy. Telling them that no girl can successfully pass as a guy. The narrative has to keep reminding them that they will grow out of being a tomboy and embrace it. Even if the other characters have to force it somewhat violently onto them. That even in the magic of a magical girl transformation, you still have to be forced into a skirt you hate so people can laugh at your discomfort.
Why is there so much violence in conformity?
