You can find several gender-bender stories in the anime world, not just today but even in the past. Spanning many genres, these great and highly intriguing shows highlight one of today’s most talked-about issues.
Gender Discourse Through Animes
Anime is so vast, even larger than real-life TV shows in terms of possibilities, since creators can experiment on almost everything since they are animated, not involving actual human beings. For instance, the gender-bender anime is a massive hit for fans.
Basically speaking, the term “gender-bender” pertains to a person who dresses up as the opposite gender, defying societal norms and expectations. This is the main focus of the stories of animes under this genre.
Gender is a much-talked-about issue today. It is an issue because the world isn’t very open yet to accepting genders other than a straight man or woman. Discrimination is everywhere, and these gender-bender animes are sparking a discourse about gender equality. Want to know the best gender-bender animes around? Read on.
The Best And Most Intriguing Gender-Bender Animes
We’re doing the list in descending order, moving toward the best of the best.
10. ‘Kokoro Connect’
This anime, which began as a light novel series, centers around five high school students encountering supernatural phenomena that get them testing their bonds and relationships by forcing them to reveal their deepest secrets.
9. ‘Onimai: I’m Now Your Sister!’
That title sounds fun. It is fun. This series follows an otaku and NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) NAMED Mahiro Oyama, living alone with his younger sister, Mihari, a scientist. One day, he just wakes up transformed into a young girl due to one of Mirahi’s experiments. Hence, the title, “I’m Now Your Sister.”
8. ‘No Doubt In Us’
If you are a K-Drama (Korean drama) fan and familiar with the hit series “Mr. Queen,” you will be reminded of this when you watch “No Doubt in Us.”
Most animes are set in Japan, but this one happens in China. Its story starts with an emperor who switches bodies with his empress, only to find themselves dealing with awkward falling-in-love as they learn to accept each other.
7. ‘Girl Meets Girl’
This title is yelling gender-bender. The story of “Girl Meets Girl” focuses on Hazumu Osaragi, an effeminate yet average high school boy killed when a spaceship carrying aliens crash lands on him, only to find his lifelong dream come true – the crash landing turns him into a girl. But, this has a consequence as Osaragi also finds herself in a love triangle with her two best female friends.
6. ‘Birdy The Mighty: Decode’
The story of “Birdy the Mighty Decode” goes like this. There’s this in-demand model by day, Birdy Cephon Altera, who spends her nights, meanwhile, hunting deadly alien terrorists. But, when an innocent high school pupil named Tsutomu Senkawa wanders into her line of fire, his human form gets destroyed, so his consciousness must live in Altera’s body until his body completes rebuilding. This makes him more dangerous than the bad guys.
5. ‘Our Home’s Fox Deity’
“Our Home’s Fox Deity” is one of those gender-bender animes – or perhaps of all animes – with stunning visuals. How its characters look will remind you of those in “Cardcaptor Sakura” or “Inuyasha.”
Its story begins with Toru and Noboru Takagami, two brothers who have grown away from the secret of their clan. Specifically, their family is capable of using the water ki and ward off demons. But Toru finds his life chased by a demon. To have his family keep him safe, they must awaken Kūgen Tenko, the fox deity.
So, where’s the “gender-bender” here, you ask? Well, gender-bender animes are not just about characters of different genders swapping bodies. It may also be about characters who have powers to change genders at will, such as one in “Our Home’s Fox Deity.”
4. ‘Yamada-kun And The Seven Witches’
Next on the list is this gender-bender anime titled “Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches.” Its story is also about opposite genders swapping bodies. It starts with high school student Ryu Yamada, who is delinquent in his classes as he has gotten bored of them after just a year of attending them. One day, he accidentally falls from a flight of stairs onto the school’s ace pupil, Urara Shiraishi, only to find himself waking up in Shiraishi’s body.
3. ‘Cheeky Angel’
“Cheeky Angel” may sound like a slice-of-life anime, but it isn’t. While it may present some slice-of-life anime, it is actually a gender-bender anime most of the time. The story of this comedy-drama series revolves around the adventures of Megumi Amatsuka, a 15-year-old schoolgirl who is a tomboy, famous and beautiful, who always finds herself in fights. She actually has a secret: she used to be a boy. Quite intriguing? Time to stream this anime right now.
2. ‘Your Name’
Another gender-bender anime that deserves to be on your must-watch list is “Your Name.” “Your Name” is actually a movie, more than a series. Inspired by the natural disasters that frequently hit Japan, its story involves Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu, high school students, who, all of a sudden, start to swap bodies despite having never met, bringing forth chaos upon each other’s private lives.
1. ‘Ranma ½’
The consensus on which the best gender-bender anime is says it’s “Ranma ½,” and you would probably agree, too. It’s such a prime classic that anime fans very well know that its story revolves around Ranma Saotome, a teenager quite adept in martial arts since he was a child. But, an accident meets him during training, cursing him for turning into a girl when exposed to cold water and back to a boy with hot water. Throughout the series, Saotome journeys to find a cure for this curse.
Wrapping Up
Truly, animes have evolved a lot since the time the first anime premiered. There are a lot of genres, from comedy to even those that talk about particular interests, such as cooking and food animes. But, if you want awareness on some of the world’s biggest issues, binge-watch some gender-bender animes.
