Popolare, sovversivo, stereotipico: analisi delle rappresentazioni queer nel fumetto giapponese fra il 1990 e il 1999

Over the past decade, scholars, especially in English-speaking regions, have begun analysing Japanese comics and animation through feminist and queer lenses due to their growing popularity. This interest is closely tied to concepts from visual studies like representation and appropriation, which describe Japanese pop art productions’ historical, social, and stylistic elements. Given the current relevance of queer criticism and the lack of Italian academic research on this topic, this study aims to explore the evolution of queerness in Japanese comics and animation by comparing theoretical-critical analyses from both Euro-North American and Japanese perspectives. The research will start with a diachronic analysis of Japanese queer history and lexicon to examine how social and transnational factors have influenced LGBTQ+ community representation in comics and animation, focusing on works from the 1990s to the present. This paper will specifically analyse the decade from 1990 to 1999, using the following works as case studies for different representations: Wish (Uisshu, 1995-1998) by CLAMP, Gravitation (Gurabitēshon, 1996-2002) by Murakami Maki, and Double House (Daburu Hausu, 1996-1997) by Haruno Nanae.