Warning: Spoiler for Ayakashi Triangle #6 Recent Episodes Crunchyroll cartoon Ayakashi’s Triangle uses the classic gender-swapping formula to tell a nuanced story that transgender anime fans will associate with, but very few people have that opportunity or even take anime seriously due to some appreciative censorship. regret. The Ayakashi Triangle is unfortunately obscured by the majority of which is censored because of the ridiculous amount of nudity. Even before it was adapted into a polarizing anime, most manga readers were aware of this controversial series because Shonen Jump once skipped a chapter entirely because of its obscene content.
On the surface, Kentaro Yabuki’s Akyakashi Triangle resembles most gender-swapping anime and manga. A curse that turns the protagonist into a person of the opposite sex who must embark on a great journey to recover himself. But from the outset, the Ayakashi Triangle has placed more emphasis on the conflict caused by the curse imposed on the male and female protagonists Matsuri and Suzu respectively than on most sexists, with real intent in mind. the curse is to disturb their relationship. But that was before the first six episodes began to explore the dynamics of transsexuality more thoroughly.
Ayakashi Triangle Makes a Positive Turn for Gender Swapping Anime
Matsuri’s curse can be explained from two angles, as it either traps him in a woman’s body or initiates her transition into the person she was born with. The former is typical, and the Ayakashi Triangle follows in this regard. But in episode six, the anime takes on this more dynamic shade. When an ayakashi attacked a girl, Matsuri destroyed the creature while the girl was sleeping, leading to him appearing in her dreams as a boy. Matsuri concludes that it must be because he is still a boy at heart. This is a poignant metaphor for the experience of many transgender people. While they may appear and be treated as a certain gender, that doesn’t change who they really are.
The Ayakashi Triangle also explores Matsuri’s gender swap as a positive phenomenon. Before the “curse”, Matsuri wasted no time making friends as he was always on the hunt for ayakashi. But when transgender, Matsuri is forced to spend time with Suzu and her two friends. At one point, Matsuri even wished that the two of them could see ayakashi like he and Suzu could. Matsuri wants to share his life experiences with people he would never be friends with if he hadn’t swapped genders. More importantly, he’s happy now and can see what he missed before his curse.
The power of being gender neutral
Aside from Matsuri, a strong storyline in the Ayakashi Triangle follows Suzu’s openness as Matsuri becomes a girl. Having always loved Matsuri, it is understandable that she has difficulty with Matsuri’s situation. Over the course of six episodes, Suzu’s view of Matsuri as a girl changes dramatically. Towards the end of episode two, she begins to wonder if she could like Matsuri as a girl. She then goes as far as to agree with the prospect of kissing him as a girl in episode 4 if it means he’ll turn back into a boy. By episode 6, Suzu is quite comfortable with Matsuri during a shower scene.
Though, unfortunately, some characters see her as some kind of deviant and attribute her open-mindedness to her special status as the Ayakashi Medium. , Suzu is a healthy depiction of homosexuality, one that should be celebrated in the same way as transgender people, and thankfully, series do it and then some. Unfortunately Crunchyroll’s Ayakashi’s Triangle has faced as much censorship as it has, because the series’ themes of gender identity provide a story that can resonate with many transgender anime fans.
Ayakashi’s Triangle streaming on Crunchyroll.
