Theatrical realism in manga: Performativity of gender in Minako Narita's Alien Street

Abstract This article examines different conceptions of realism in theatre and manga by focusing on gender performance in Minako Narita's manga, Alien Street (1980‐84). It depicts a male actor who plays female roles in realist theatre productions. I argue that the believability of this gender performance stems in part from the conventions of manga realism, where non-realistic signs are used to mark gender distinctions. However, in contrast to these conventions, this manga also highlights the performative nature of gender by revealing how a realist stage forces the performers to cite and repeat the conventional gendered practices. In doing so, Alien Street mixes manga and theatre realism and complicates our understanding of gender conventions.