Gender-bender drama, 'Three Kingdoms' spinoff anime, little-known big biz

[Butterfly]

Gender-bender drama, 'Three Kingdoms' spinoff anime, little-known big biz
The Japan Times
Sunday, April 5, 2009


http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20090405cs.html


In Japan, the term "new half" usually refers to a man who becomes a woman through some sort of medical procedure, but on the new daytime drama series, "Mama wa New Half" ("Mom is a New Half") (TV Tokyo, Mon.-Fri., 1 p.m.) it simply describes a man who performs in drag at a special "new-half pub" in Tokyo.

Iwataro (Noboru Kaneko) isn't a transsexual, and he doesn't seem to be homosexual, either. During the day, he's a "normal" salaryman working for an "elite" company and warding off female admirers, who consider him quite a catch. At night, he changes into Runa, a female entertainer, but he keeps this second life a secret from his acquaintances.