PG: Is transformation some thing that appeals just to girls?
ST: No, I don’t think so. There are anime for boys that involve
transforming robots. Then you have transforming superheroes
such as Kamen Rider. The difference is that boys transform to
become stronger and defeat evil. By defeating evil, they become
heroes. Boys buy the merchandize, for example Kamen Rider
belts, to act out that moment of transformation.
The boys' side of it is pretty much what you would expect, but it gets really interesting when you look at the transforming heroines, who are specifically transforming into professions for adult women. This comes up a lot in Pretty Cure!
This is taken from Patrick Galbraith's fantastic book, The Moe Manifesto, and the person being interviewed is Sato Toshihiko, the series planner for Minky Momo. The full interview about how transformation in children's media is gendered is absolutely fascinating. I can't recommend buying this book enough.
