Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2025)

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Tokyo Love Story: Conforming to or Challenging Hegemonic Masculinity and Hegemonic Femininity

Authors
Weiyi Chen1, *
1Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
*Corresponding author. Email: weiyic801@gmail.com
Corresponding Author
Weiyi Chen
Available Online 31 December 2025.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_9How to use a DOI?
Keywords
hegemonic masculinity; hegemonic femininity; Japanese drama
Abstract

This study examines how gender roles are portrayed, negotiated, and challenged in the 1991 Japanese TV drama Tokyo Love Story, focusing on the concepts of hegemonic masculinity and femininity. By using qualitative research methods and multimodal analysis, this paper explores the ways in which the main characters conform to and resist these dominant gender norms within the context of 1990s Japanese society. Through an analysis of key characters like Kanji Nagao, Kenichi Mikami, Rika Akana, Satomi Sekiguchi, and Naoko Nagasaki, the study reveals how these characters embody or subvert the expectations of masculinity and femininity in both subtle and explicit ways. The findings suggest that while Tokyo Love Story introduces some challenges to traditional gender roles, it also reinforces patriarchal structures, particularly through its portrayal of female characters. This research highlights the cultural nuances of gender representation in Japanese media, contrasting it with Western ideals of gender, and contributes to a broader understanding of how media can reflect and shape societal gender ideologies.

Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2025)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
31 December 2025
ISBN
978-2-38476-511-9
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_9How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Weiyi Chen
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
TI  - Tokyo Love Story: Conforming to or Challenging Hegemonic Masculinity and Hegemonic Femininity
BT  - Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 69
EP  - 75
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_9
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_9
ID  - Chen2025
ER  -