Conflicting Views of Homosexuality Among the Mainstream Films and Gay "Pink" Films of Japan

This thesis will examine the representation of homosexuality in Japanese films through analyzing gay "pink" films, which are soft-core porn films exhibited in specialized theaters, alongside mainstream films featuring gay characters, to highlight ideological differences between the two. Each of the chapters will focus on a certain theme common to both the mainstream films and the gay "pink" films. The first chapter will be centered on gay characters' relations with the familial structure, the second chapter will examine the representation of homosexual desires in homosocial organizations, and the third chapter will analyze how the mainstream films foster female spectators' identification with gay characters, while the gay "pink" film excludes female identification. It will be argued that on the whole, the mainstream films suggest an assimilatory sexual politics, representing the inclusion of gay characters and the internalization of homosexuality within the hegemonic culture. The gay "pink" films offer an alternative representation of homosexuality, however, suggesting a separatist politics in part by excluding heterosexuals from the gay characters' private relationships.