Okama Report

Okama Report
Volume 1 cover
おカマ白書
(Okama Hakusho)
GenreRomantic comedy[1]
Created byHideo Yamamoto
Manga
Written byHideo Yamamoto
Published byShogakukan
ImprintYS Comics
MagazineWeekly Young Sunday
DemographicSeinen
Original run1989 – 1991
Volumes5 (List of volumes)
Original video animation
Directed byTeruo Kogure
Music byJirō Takemura
StudioKnack Productions
Released March 12, 1991 – February 6, 1992
Episodes3

Okama Report (Japanese: おカマ白書, Hepburn: Okama Hakusho) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideo Yamamoto. The series follows Shinya Okama, a straight college student who works at an okama bar (a cross-dressing gay bar). Okama Report was serialized in the manga magazine Weekly Young Sunday from 1989 to 1991, and was adapted into a three-part original video animation (OVA) from 1991 to 1992.

Synopsis

While drunk at a party, college student Shinya Okama's friends dress him as a woman. He later sees a photograph of himself at the party, but with no recollection of the incident, he believes his own image to be that of a beautiful woman and falls in love at first sight with himself. Upon learning the truth, he is persuaded to work at an okama bar – a cross-dressing gay bar – where he adopts the drag persona of "Catherine". On his first night at the bar he meets Miki, a female college student and regular at the bar who looks exactly like Catherine. The series follows Shinya as he attempts to court Miki while concealing his true identity.

Characters

Shinya Okama / Catherine (岡間進也 / キャサリン)
Portrayed by: Ryō Horikawa (Shinya) and Yuri Amano (Catherine)[2]
A straight college student who works at an okama bar.
Miki (ミキ)
Portrayed by: Asuka Morimura [ja][2]
A regular at the okama bar who Shinya falls in love with.
Tanaka Yasuyuki (田中康之)
Portrayed by: Issei Futamata[2]
Shinya's friend, who originally dressed him as a woman.

Media

Manga

Okama Report was serialized in the manga magazine Weekly Young Sunday from 1989 to 1991. It was written and illustrated by Hideo Yamamoto, and is noted as one of his sole works in the comedy genre.[3]

Its title is a parodic reference to "Gay Report" (ゲイレポート), a report published by the LGBT rights group OCCUR that was the first large-scale survey of gay life in Japan conducted by gay men; okama is a pejorative term for gay men, particularly for those who are effeminate or who cross-dress.[4] OCCUR protested Okama Report for containing what it argued were stereotypical and inaccurate depictions of LGBT people,[1][4] particularly its failure to distinguish between gay male sexual orientation and transgender gender identity.[3]

In response to OCCUR's criticism, publisher Shogakukan ceased publishing collected tankōbon editions of the manga, discontinuing the release of the series after two volumes.[1] The series was subsequently printed in full twice: as five tankōbon volumes published from October 1996 to June 1997, and as three bunkobon volumes published from May to June 2009.[5][6] Both the 1996 and 2009 editions contain "On how to portray male homosexuals", a postscript from OCCUR noting that the series contains exaggerated and inaccurate depictions of LGBT people.[1][3][4]

No. Release date ISBN
1 April 1990 (first edition)[7]
October 1996 (second edition)[8]		978-4091511812 (first edition)
978-4091518415 (second edition)
2 October 1990 (first edition)[9]
December 1996 (second edition)[10]		978-4091511829 (first edition)
978-4091518422 (second edition)
3 February 1997[11]978-4091518439
4 April 1997[12]978-4091518446
5 June 1997[13]978-4091518453

Original video animation (OVA)

Okama Report was adapted into a three-part original video animation (OVA) produced by Toshiba EMI from 1991 to 1992.[2][14][15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "オカマってホモなの？". Mandarake (in Japanese). 24 March 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "おカマ白書 「運命の変身」編 1991". All Cinema (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "過激発言連発!! 打ち切り＆発禁になった伝説の女装男子マンガ『ストップ!!ひばりくん！』『おカマ白書』". Rakuten Infoseek (in Japanese). 25 March 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b c McLelland, Mark J. (2000). Male Homosexuality in Modern Japan Cultural Myths and Social Realities. Curzon. pp. 48–49. ISBN 9780700714254.
  5. ^ おカマ白書〔文庫版〕1. ASIN 4091937373.
  6. ^ おカマ白書〔文庫版〕2. ASIN 4091937381.
  7. ^ おカマ白書 1. ASIN 4091511813.
  8. ^ おカマ白書 1. ASIN 4091518419.
  9. ^ おカマ白書 2. ASIN 4091511821.
  10. ^ おカマ白書 2. ASIN 4091518427.
  11. ^ "おカマ白書 3". Amazon Japan. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  12. ^ おカマ白書 4. ASIN 4091518443.
  13. ^ おカマ白書 5. ASIN 4091518451.
  14. ^ "おカマ白書２ 「真夏のハプニング」編 1991". All Cinema (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  15. ^ "おカマ白書３ 「男の決心」編 1992". All Cinema (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 October 2020.