Manga Cultures and the Female Gaze

Kathryn Hemmann received a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and is the author of numerous essays on Japanese fiction, graphic novels, and video games. They also run the blog Contemporary Japanese Literature (japaneselit.net), which features reviews of fiction in translation and posts on gender, society, and popular culture.

• 1. Introduction: Interrogating the Text from the Wrong Perspective.- 2. Short Skirts, Superpowers, and the Evolution of the Beautiful Fighting Girl.- 3. The Maiden and the Witch: CLAMP's Subversion of Female Character Tropes.- 4. Queering the Media Mix: The Female Gaze in Japanese Fancomics.- 5. Beautiful War Games: Transfiguring Genders in Video Game Fancomics.- 6. Link Is Not Silent: Queer Disability Positivity in Fan Readings of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.- 7. The Cultural Cross-Pollination of Shōjo Manga.

“Kathryn Hemmann’s insightful book adds a much-needed perspective on our understanding of the field of Manga Studies and its interconnectedness to closely related disciplines and mediums, particularly as Japanese popular culture, despite the relative cooling down of the ‘Cool Japan’ frenzy during the 2010s, continues to inspire and draw audiences to professional and fan-made content.” (Brandon Murakami, ImageTexT, imagetextjournal.com, Vol. 12 (2), 2021)