Gender Benders in Dramaverse

"Gender is a social construct," hambal ni Judith Butler, an American philosopher and gender theorist. Gender is something that is "performed" by individuals. Basically, men are expected to be masculine and women to be feminine. A gender bender, on the other hand, is a person who disrupts or "bends" expected gender roles. Bending expected gender roles may also be called genderfuck, but we will not go into that discussion.

Arsenal Military Academy (2019)

Ang aton lang tulad amo ang gender bender trope sa asianobelas. These are stories involving characters nga, due to certain circumstances, kinahanglan mag disguise as the opposite sex, usually for the purpose of survival, to help a family/friend in need, or even revenge. Iban nga gender-benders, like the body swapping stories, involve elements of magic or even a curse. Whether the gender bending in these dramas are a form of social activism to defy sex-role stereotypes or destroy rigid gender roles in Asia would surely depend on how the dramaholic viewer perceives them... basta ako takun nga viewer naga enjoy lang makalantaw ka cross dresser. Yaas!! Queen!! Werk!!!

Buhay run dya ang trope nga bayluhanay gender roles but ang "gender bender" nga term ginapatihan nga naghalin sa title ka Episode 14 kang The X-Files (Season 1) where the monster-of-the-week are murderous (nonhuman) beings that can change their sexes at will in order to prey on their intended victims. Ang interpretation kato anay is representation sanda ka contemporary sexual anxieties. Bukon pa gid abi mainstream ang cross dressing sa prime time tv that time. Tulad raku nga mga gender-benders ang makita especially sa dramaverse, main leads man sanda ukon side characters. Pinaka popular ang mga female characters dressing up as men... dason papatihon kita nanda nga laki gid sanda despite the obvious body structure, voice, and the whole damn kawaii face. Dramaland magic. Ang male cross dresser sa drama series daw laka laka lang gawa (suno sa mga nalantawan ko) but indi man sanda magpa urihi.

Sa karakuon ka mga gender-bending characters nga nakita kag nakumudan ko, amo dya ang akon top 4 favorites. They were serving a "realness" sa role nanda nga very minimal ang pusnga-pusnga ko in disdain and disbelief. Luwas nga committed sanda sa character role, they simply have the looks to pull it off. Ginpasunod ko lang dya halin sa pinakauna ko nga nalantawan to the latest.

Go Eun Chan (Coffee Prince, 2007)

Yoon Eun-hye

Sin-o lang ang waay nakalantaw ka dya, unless namuong dugo ka pa lang at that time? Para kanakon iconic si Eun-chan sa mga female characters disguised as a guy. Hard-working tomboy realness. Permi man lang tana gakasal-an laki so when offered to work in an all-male cafe, waay na run gin insist ang ana presence of matris. Aside sa Coffee Prince, raku nga kdrama gender-benders nalantaw ko pay so far si Eun-chan angud ang akon standard. Hmn... Park Shin Hye as Go Mi Nam (You're Beautiful) came close but not quite...nalupig tana sa eyeliner/guyliner ni Tae-kyung character.

Pi Ya Nou (Bromance, 2015)

Megan Lai

Pi Ya Nou is unfortunate enough to be born a female, amo dya hambal ka fortune teller sa parents na and following drama logic, she was raised as a boy and must live as such till age 25, or else she dies. Pag 26 na pwede run mag "out" as a real girl. Garing before her birthday, nagkilal-anay sanda ni triad leader-love interest (when she accidentally helped him and his sister) and become "sworn brothers". Ang nauyunan ko kay Ya Nou, aside from looking badass, she puts her martial arts skills into good use. Kag kun imaw gani sanda ni Ze Fing (Baron Chen), nagaaso ang screen.

Ogawa Miki (Joshi teki Seikatsu - Life as a Girl, 2018)

Jun Shison

This is a story of Miki who identifies as a lesbian trans woman. Tulad ko lang na encounter ang dya nga LGBTQ+ representation sa dramaverse and I love nga bukon tana fan service or tragic character. Fully developed si Miki bisan mugot lang ang series (4 one-hour long episodes). Trans woman realness. Raku introspective moments revealing her thoughts, struggles & heartbreaks but endearing ang developing friendship nanda ni highschool classmate Goto.

Hey Miki you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my (ovaries) mind, hey Miki!

Koibuchi Kuranosuke (Kuragehime - Princess Jellyfish, 2018)

Koji Seto

Political ang family ni Kuranosuke but he'd rather pursue fashion design. Hobby na pa ang cross dressing but is forced to pretend to be a real woman para mabuligan ang tenants ka no-man-allowed Amamizukan apartment who are all otaku, particularly jellyfish nerd Tsukimi (Kyoko Yoshine). Si Tsukimi lang nakamaan ka ana true identity. He played the matchmaker para kay Tsukimi and his brother Shu until he realized that he may have feelings for her. Seto Koji as a woman makes me question my sexuality. "Am I a joke?" dugang pa ka akon naga iga-iga nga femininity.

The fun in gender benders siguro is watching the way the characters navigate their gender roles. Kasadya makita nga ga saramihay sanda trying to understand their feelings and cope with their budding/"bading" relationships. Pay ang pinaka hakot factor kang amo dya nga trope in dramas is the concept of total acceptance and a "love beyond/without borders"... To quote Han-gyul’s famous line to Eun-chan in Coffee Prince, “I like you. Whether you’re a man or an alien, I don’t care anymore.” Swoon! Who could resist that abi?? (unless ikaw ang alien sa episode 14 kang The Ex-Files, Season 1) Katahum matuod nga makita ang amo dya nga sahi ka gugma, a love so unconditional nga bisan tay-ugon ang core ka anda identity kag self concept ang aton OTP would still choose love. In short, waay dun te iban pa that says, “I will love you for who you are no matter what” way better than this drama trope. Te love wins eh.

Here are some gender-bender dramas that I've enjoyed bisan may paaman nga kumod (ginhawa ko lang dya ka pagamay ka listahan)

• Hanazakari no Kimitachi e & Hana Kimi remake (I enjoyed the Japanese versions more)

• Ouran High School Host Club

• Gu Family Book

• Love in the Moonlight

• Splash Splash

• You're Beautiful (Ikemen desu ne is also an enjoyable version)

• Ice Preechaya in Rak Gan Panlawan & Stupid Cupid

• Mulan (all versions)

• Go Princess Go

• Butterfly Lovers (sakit sa may heart!)

• Yang Mi in Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms & Legend of Fuyao

• Oh My General

• My Bratty Princess (2005 version)

• Body Swap in Leh Lub Sarub Rarng, Secret Garden & Yamada kun to 7 nin no Majo

***Winner gid sa number of entries ang Chinese costume dramas

Life as a Girl (2018)

Coffee Prince (2007)

Princess Jellyfish (2018)

Bromance (2015)

And more gender benders on my To-Watch list:

• Arsenal Military Academy

• Ashes of Love

• Ashi Girl

• Chicago Typewriter

• Chinese Paladin (all versions)

• Mendol

• Ngao Kammathep

• Sungkyunwan Scandal

• The Scholar who Walks the Night

• The Tale of Nokdu

A special drama recommendation: IS - Otoko Demo Onna Demo Nai Sei (2011)

Ang drama nga dya is a hidden gem among gender benders. The story follows the pain and troubles that intersex (i.s.) people go through in their lives. Amo lang dan mahambal ko.

Intersex people are individuals born with any of several variations in sex characteristics including chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones or genitals that, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies"