Hana Kimi – The art of androgyny

Androgynous: (adj) a term derived from the Greek words άνδρας (andras, meaning man) and γυνή (gyne, meaning woman)that can refer to two concepts regarding the mixing of both male and female genders or having a lack of gender identification.

Above definition from Wikipedia.

In Hana Kimi, Ella (pictured centre in the above poster) of the Mandarin pop trio, S.H.E., won fans over with her hilarious personification of the trials and tribunals of a girl cross-dressing as a boy to enrol into an all boys school to get up close and personal as her idol (an accomplished athlete studying in the same school).

What doesn’t fail to entertain through the history of such cross-dressing series is the confusion that arises from mistaken gender identity. Of gay men who can tell a woman from a man better than other heterosexual men or women. Of (heterosexual) men doubting their own sexualities when they fell for these (wo)men.

Ultimately, it boils down to a single question – how far should our sexuality be tied to our gender.

And it is precisely because of this controversial aspect of the storyline that the series did not pass through the local censorship board unscathed. Crucial scenes capturing the dialogue between the female protagonist with her love counsel, a gay teacher, were heavily censored to remove any direct mentions of homosexuality – obviously an unpopular and taboo subject in an island-nation that cannot afford to put the sexuality of its limited population to test.

But what really puzzles me is why did the local TV station even consider airing Hana Kimi in the first place, knowing and understanding that gender confusion/(homo)sexuality is a major theme in the series?

Thankfully for me at least, I do not need to rely on local channels solely for my entertainment needs.

I couldn’t imagine deriving any joy from watching the censored version after watching and enjoying every bit of the uncensored original.