"Josou Danshi" (JP), also sometimes known as "Josou Shounen" (JP), is a term for a male character who cross-dresses in women's clothing while still retaining some aspects of being a man. Unlike otokonoko, they do not look completely like women and still have traits of being "boyish".
The female counterpart is dansou no reijin.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Josou Danshi Anthology: Syrup
Josou danshi (女装男子) is a combination of "josou" (女装), meaning "wearing women's clothing (cross-dressing)", and "danshi" (男子), meaning "boy/man". The term "danshi" usually refers to "young boys" but is also sometimes used in a general sense for all males, including grown men.[3]
The term describes a male character who cross-dresses in women's clothing while still retaining some aspects of being male.
Origin
While the origin is unknown, the first known use of the term "josou danshi" was in the 2010 boy's love manga anthology Josou Danshi Anthology: Syrup! (JP), a collection of 34 short stories about the romances of cross-dressing men.[4][5]
The use of the term "josou shounen" (女装少年) goes back even further to at least 2004, though this term does not include cross-dressing males older than 17.[6]
History
The archetype first became popular following the 2009 boy's love manga anthology Josou Shounen Anthology (JP), a collection of 8 short stories about the romances of cross-dressing boys.[2] One of the pilots from that collection named Prunus Girl became very popular.[7]
The 2018 boy's love light novel Josou Danshi to Koi no Wana (JP) follows Hikaru Takashina, a senior who is famous within the university as a cross-dressing man who is prettier than most woman, after he confesses his love to Aoi Shiiba. Aoi is drawn to Hikaru's kind and gentle, yet strong demeanor, and the manly side that he sometimes shows. However, due to his past experiences, Hikaru has a tough time gaining confidence in himself. Upon seeing this, Aoi becomes determined to convince him that he's the cutest person in the world.[8]
The 2019 boy's love manga series Poker Face Josou Danshi to. (JP) follows SEN, a famous fashion model known for their beauty, who meets a fan named Masa who discovers their secret that they are actually a cross-dressing boy.[9]
One of the more popular series to use this archetype was the 2021 role-reversal romance manga series Ikemen Joshi and Josou Danshi (JP), about a cute girly man named Iori Akizakura and a cool princely woman named Hazuki Rindou. The story follows Iori's struggles with thinking he's not man enough to take care of Rindou, as she is always the one who takes the lead or carries him like a princess. Despite his insecurities, Rindou likes him just the way he is and even encourages him to continue wearing women's clothing. She even loses her normally cool composure and becomes incredibly flustered when he works up the courage to ask her out on a proper date like a man.[1]
The 2023 romance manga series Josou Danshi wa Skirt wo Nugitai! (JP) follows Uichiro, a junior high school boy, who has a secret that he can't tell his childhood friend Tama-chan. That is, that he is "playing a girl" for her because she has a phobia of men. He continues to dress up as a woman for her because she has feelings for him. However, at the same time, he has a desire to take his skirt off and confess his true feelings for her.[10]
Characteristics
Josou danshi are male characters who cross-dress in women's clothing while still retaining some aspects of and appearances of being a man. Depending on the level of cross-dressing, they may look quite feminine or androgynous in appearance, especially if they are also wearing make-up or wigs.
In many cases, it is preferable to have a lot of male elements left since it is more realistic and relatable to real-life male cross-dressers when compared to the more fantasy-based otokonoko. Additionally, it is also popular with fans of boy's love manga since the character still retains their boyish appearance. This is also true for bishounen characters wearing women's clothing being popular with female audiences.
Some characters may choose to wear women's clothing all the time, while others may only do it occasionally. It is also common for male characters to sometimes be forced to wear women's clothing, such as for school events, going undercover, or losing a bet.
Personality
General Behavior
Josou danshi who dress up as women all the time will usually also have more girly personality traits. However, this doesn't mean the characters have stopped being men or desiring to feel masculine entirely. Some josou danshi might feel like they are not manly enough and feel ashamed for wanting to wear women's clothing. They have a desire to wear women's clothing because they like it, but also want to act manly sometimes, especially if they have a lover they want to impress. Other times though, they do act more femininely and want to be made to feel like a princess and be told they look cute. Having people around them who support them can make them feel more confident wearing women's clothing in public.
Cross-Dressing Cafe
A popular trope is to have male characters who work at a cross-dressing cafe. While at work, they will wear women's clothing (typically in the form of maid outfits) while serving customers. For series set in a school, it is also common for classes to put on cross-dressing cafes as part of their school festival where all boys dress up as maids and all girls dress up as butlers.[11]
While working at the cafe they will usually keep their original masculine personality. In these cases, the appeal is simply from the look of a beautiful man wearing women's clothing.
Sub-Types of Josou Danshi
Although josou danshi doesn't have an age limit, characters generally fall into one of three categories.
- Josou Shounen (JP): School-aged characters (7-17) who cross-dress in women's clothing. They typically look feminine while cross-dressing due to looking more boyish and not having as many masculine features yet, especially when wearing a wig. However, those who look exactly like women fall under otokonoko instead.[6]
- Josou Seinen (JP): Young adult characters (18-30) who cross-dress in women's clothing. Due to being older and more masculine, they are generally less likely to look very feminine while cross-dressing in comparison to the more boyish shounen characters, though this applies to older shounen characters as well sometimes.[12]
- Josou Ojisan (JP): Middle-aged characters (30-60) who cross-dress in women's clothing.[13]
Derivatives
Otokonoko
- Main page: Otokonoko
"Otokonoko" (JP) are young male characters who cross-dress in women's clothing and look "only" like a cute young girl, with no trace of being a boy able to be seen. Unlike josou danshi they are unrecognizable as a male from the surface because they also have a girly face and demeanor. It is more likely for an otokonoko to wear women's clothing all the time, whereas josou danshi may only do it occasionally. It is also more likely for josou danshi to be wearing wigs with long hair, while otokonoko almost always just have long hair due to being designed as a "female character that just happens to be male".
Technically speaking, otokonoko characters 'do' fall under the strict definition of this term (a male who cross-dresses as a woman), however, when an author chooses to use the term "josou danshi" instead of "otokonoko", they are doing so specifically "because" there are still elements of being a boy, whereas otokonoko look entirely like girls and lack the "danshi" (male) aspect of their character design.
Differences From Other Archetypes
In comparison to bishounen, this archetype has nothing to do with having a beautiful appearance or androgynous physical features and is entirely about the clothes.
Similar Japanese Archetypes
- Bishounen: A term for a male character with traditionally feminine physical beauty traits who is portrayed as beautifully masculine.
- Dansou no Reijin: A term for a female character who is elegant and beautifully feminine, but also cross-dresses in men's clothing. It is the exact inverse of josou danshi.
- Ikemen Joshi: A term for a grown female character who possesses traits typically considered attractive in men, including handsome facial features, a cool masculine demeanor, simple clean fashion, and a moderately muscular toned body, while also having the appearance of a beautiful woman and having a feminine charm that makes them popular with both men and women. They sometimes cross-dress in men's clothing.
List of Characters
Gallery
 Rod Bauer and Thane Bauer from I'm in Love with the Villainous  Hikaru Takashina (left) with Aoi Shiiba (right) from Josou Danshi to Koi no Wana  SEN from Poker Face Josou Danshi to.  SEN from Poker Face Josou Danshi to.  Uichiro (right) with Tama (left) from Josou Danshi wa Skirt wo Nugitai  Link from Zelda no Densetsu : Breath of the Wild |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ikemen Joshi and Josou Danshi. Amazon (2021/05/21).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Josou Shounen Anthology. Square Enix (2009/04/22).
- ↑ What is Josou Danshi. Pixiv Encyclopedia.
- ↑ Josou Danshi Ansorojii: Syrup! (bitter). Tokyo Manga Company (2010/12/10).
- ↑ Josou Danshi Ansorojii: Syrup! (sweet). Tokyo Manga Company (2010/12/24).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 What is Josou Shounen. Pixiv Encyclopedia (2010/08/15).
- ↑ Prunus Girl. Square Enix (2009/04/22).
- ↑ Josou Danshi to Koi no Wana (2018/02/05).
- ↑ With Poker Face Transvestite. Comic Walker (2022/07/28).
- ↑ Josou Danshi wa Skirt wo Nugitai!. Shueisha: Ultra Jump (2023/12/19).
- ↑ What is Maid Danshi. Pixiv Encyclopedia.
- ↑ What is Josou Seinen. Pixiv Encyclopedia.
- ↑ JK to Josou Ojisan. Pixiv Comic (2018/04/08).
| v • eAndrogynous Archetypes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Female |
Bokukko ♡ Dansou no Reijin ♡ Ikemen Joshi ♡ Orekko ♡ Otenba Musume ♡ Otoko Masari | |
| Male | ||
| Both | ||