Gender Bending




I am beginning to think that I am a closet masochist. I have recently found myself visiting sites that cater to the fans of the DiC dub. More specifically, I have been visiting "Negaverse" sites that idolize Zoycite, the female counterpart the tempestuous little sakura, Zoisite. Perhaps it is because the subject appears to be making the rounds in the Dark Kingdom community. Various essays on some of my favourite haunts have been popping up as of late, thus bringing the subject to my immediate attention. Reading through these essays, I've begun to realize something; I really don't like Zoycite.

No big deal, right? The internet is full of DiC-bashing sites and fans. Well, the truth is, I never considered myself a dub hater. Oh, don't get me wrong, I prefer the original a thousand times over, but I'm not one of those ranting-and-raving die-hard haters of it. I have my fansubs and translations, and I am quite happy to watch those and ignore the dub. I've never given into that sentimental crap that DiC dubbed the show for the good of North American children, or that rot that they are a group of stuck-up, conservative homophobes hell-bent on destroying everything good about the anime. They saw a profit to be made, and acted accordingly. They did what they did for the all powerful dollar, not a higher purpose. So why, then, do I harbour such animosity towards their creation Zoycite? For the most part, it isn't as much her as what her fans have done to her (and her amour Malachite).

zoisite + male symbol [original fanart]

Lets get one thing straight (pun unintended), I am not a mushy romantic at heart. I don't get teary-eyed at the thought of love at first sight, or the prince and princess riding off into the sunset to live happily ever after. If I was into that sort of thing, I would have become obsessed with Mamoru and Usagi. It was the anti-fairy tale that first sparked my interest in the Dark Kingdom (or the Negaverse, as I too was introduced through the DiC dub). I knew right off the bat that Zoycite had been a man in the original. That alone was able to get me interested (a gay character in a children's show? How cool!), but there was something else.

That was, that Zoycite and Malachite were not a fairy tale couple, gender bending aside. Yes, they were in love, but the plot didn't revolve around their relationship. First and foremost, they were villains, and they had a job to do. No mushy romance like Usagi and Mamoru. They weren't the type of couple that I could see settling down, getting married and having children. They were different, and I liked that.

It's a bit out of context, but I'm reminded of a quote in an article at Aestheticism. The article dealt with female characters in Shoujo anime who defied the norms. Interestingly enough, it delt with one of my other favourite couples: Haruka and Michiru.

"For once female characters get to be both sexual and satisfied in a requited relationship that *isn't* what the main action is about. Haruka and Michiru have to save the world. While doing so they incidentally get to have sex and each other. Bravo."

That's what I liked about Haruka and Michiru, but it also shows what I liked about Malachite and Zoycite. They defied the stereotypes (not as much as Kunzite and Zoisite, but that's another argument).

Yet whenever I visit a Negaverse shrine, I find the same sentimental emotion that was not present in the show. Against pastel backgrounds, these sites make Malachite and Zoycite into a fairy tale couple. They get married. They have children. They do all those things that Mamoru and Usagi do. It's enough to make me nauseous. These sites have tainted whatever affection I originally had for those characters.

I don't see anything spectacular about the quintessential female dream of a fairy tale marriage with a couple of rugrats thrown in. I'm not big on kids. I don't want to have any. Ever. There are enough people on this planet, and I don't see anything so amazing about my genes that I have the urge to pass them on. Yet Zoycite fans have gone and turned her into that generic princess that I never saw in the show.

Moving away from personal dislikes for a moment, I want to give a rebuttal to some of the main sentiments Zoycite fans spout off. While I have nothing against them as people, their reasoning for why she is better is so laughably inadequate that I can't resist blowing the wind out of their sails. Let's take a look at some quotes from a well-known Negaverse shrine (no links, as I really dislike the page).

"It's sad that most people online decide to like her better as a male, even if they have never seen the Japanese version. And why do people like the male version in the first place? Their reasons are all the same - they say it's because Zoisite "should not" be a woman. But is that really a good reason? No."

Actually, the "He should not be a woman" argument is quite valid (it is also interesting to note that the author of this quote likes the female version better, even though she refuses to see the original. A bit hypocritical, ne?). Takuchi Naoko is an artist, and she brought a world to life with her manga. In her vision, Zoisite was a man. Ikuhara Kunihiko is an artist. He directed many other anime series (including Shoujo Kakumei Utena). His vision was different than Naoko, and the anime that he helped create evolved the original story line. In his vision, Zoisite is also a man (one in a homosexual relationship to boot). Yes, the anime differed from the manga, but it did so for artistic reasons. Why did DiC dub Sailor Moon? For a profit. Why did they make Zoisite a woman? So they wouldn't offend the homophobic North American population. If I may quote Soylent Green,

"Yet once again I ask you to review the possible motives for DiC's deliberate, well thought out change. They begin as political, but round out to the all-powerful financial. Bad PR can hurt a company, after all. And bad PR is exactly what they would get, should they fling something so markedly queer as Zoisite into the faces of children across the continent. I wouldn't call fear of reputation a righteous or artistic motive for Zoi's sex-change. Their intent in Zoi's alteration wasn't to improve the show, but to avoid the flak of some rather excitable viewers. What kind of a change is that to embrace? And, more to the point, what does that say about your own social philosophy when you accept such a change?"

As an artist, I would not appreciate my work being altered to make it easier to handle. It isn't right, no matter what the Zoycite fans may say. "Zoisite should not be a woman" is a good argument, because it is true. Artists saw him as a man. Corporate dubbers saw that gender as a threat to their profits. Making him a her was the easy way out, not an artistic vision.

"I think she is very pretty and she looks nothing like a man, anyway. I never thought she was anything but a girl. No man could have that long golden hair, and those big green eyes. I never understood how people could like her as a male when she is so obviously female looking. (gets confused) I am so glad that DiC did the sensible thing and made her a woman!"

Men can easily have long hair. Just because social norms dictate that men should trim their hair short does not mean that it is incapable of growing long. If one wants to argue that only women can have long hair, then Nephrite and Kunzite must be women as well. Besides, Naoko-sama's notes indicated that she thought of Zoisite being rather young, only 16 or 17. That would make him younger than Mamoru, and thus a certain androgyny is to be expected. He isn't feminine looking (although Fish Eye certainly is). He's androgynous. There is a difference.

Facial features aside, his figure is not that of a woman's. While I understand that, in real life, a woman could have a chest that flat (especially when wearing a uniform), but that doesn't work here. This isn't real life, this is anime. No anime woman would have a figure like Zoisite's unless she was trying to look like a man (like Haruka). His shoulders are too broad, and his hips far too narrow for him to be a woman.

Once again, DiC's "sensible" decision was only sensible in the fact that they wouldn't have to bar the doors against hoards of irate people. The hate mail they would have received (not to mention low ratings) was their motivation.

"I think the female is better. (and she makes a heck of a lot more sense)"

The author likes the female better, and that is her opinion, but she has come to that opinion without comparing her beloved Zoycite to the original version. Yes, when I first saw the dub, I thought Zoycite was neat, but then I got my fansubs. Dear gods, Nanba Keiichi's vocals made me melt into a little puddle. His voice alone put the DiC dub to shame. I had nothing against Zoycite at the time, but after hearing his original voice, I could no longer stand listening to the dub.

As to the female version making more sense, well, that statement annoys me, plain and simple. How in the world does she make more sense? Is it because, as a woman, the couple becomes a heterosexual one? Is there something wrong with homosexuals? Does she make more sense, because being a woman would allow Zoycite to have children and all that rot? Quite frankly, Zoycite never struck me as the type who would want a family, but maybe I'm wrong.

I think my temporary interest in the Negaverse has passed. If I look at one more site, I think I will end up vomiting. I never did figure out if I was a masochist, though. Maybe I'll just try playing with something sharp next time. At least that won't make me sick to my stomach.


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