Japanese queer/gay cinema

[Eike Exner]

"Love My Life" and "Kitchen" have already been mentioned, but there are 
a few other recent ones, most notably perhaps "Boys Love" (which you can 
even find on DVD at Kinokuniya in LA, and also watch on Youtube).
There's also a gay character in "Waterboys," although it's only a minor 
element. And there are several older cross-dressing gay men in the film 
as well.
"Tokyo Tower" also features a gay minor character as well as a scene in 
a gay bar.
"Samurai Fiction" hints at its main villain/antihero being gay a few times.
"Honokaa Boy" features an older straight Japanese-American man wearing a 
??? t-shirt. Because he cannot read it he asks the Japanese 
protagonist to do so for him. His response is something about love 
surpassing walls. Later the old man finds out what it really says, but 
after scolding the protagonist for lying to him remarks "but it was a 
good translation."
Your student might also want to check out the TV drama (movie?) version 
of 4TEEN. I have only read the book, but it features one story about a 
gay teenager, which may have made it into the TV version.
That's about all I can think of right now. Hope it helps.

Eike


On 4/14/2010 1:49 PM, Dick Stegewerns wrote:
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> I have a graduate student who wants to write on Japanese films dealing 
> with homo- or trans-sexuality but who is not terribly successful in 
> finding films and sources. I am afraid my mind is blank and I cannot 
> think of more than a handful of films (not pink or porn) in which 
> homosexuality is a major theme and cannot recollect having read one 
> book or article on the subject.
>
> Film titles and reading suggestions (both English and Japanese) most 
> welcome.
>
> Regards,
>
> Dick Stegewerns
> Oslo University
>
>
>
>
> On 13.04.2010 04:51, Alex Bates wrote:
>> How was the film? I'm looking forward to seeing it.
>> There is a great resource at the Japan Foundation for finding 
>> translations:
>> http://www.jpf.go.jp/e/culture/media/exchange/translationsearch.html
>> A search there showed translations in German, Spanish, Polish, 
>> Italian, Hungarian and Czech, as well as English.
>> Here is the citation for the English version:
>> "Villon's Wife" translated by Donald Keene, in New Directions 15, 
>> 1955. pages: 176-195
>> best,
>> Alex
>>
>> Alex Bates
>> East Asian Studies
>> Dickinson College
>> Carlisle, PA 17013
>>
>>
>>
>> On Apr 12, 2010, at 10:19 PM, Michael Kerpan wrote:
>>
>>> Just enjoyed seeing Negishi's new adaptation of Dazai's Villon's 
>>> Wife -- and wonder if there is an English translation of the source 
>>> story?
>>
>