Posted by Greg Narvasa
On
Friday, March 19, 2010
Tonight i watched the gay japanese movie called OKOGE おこげ. Okoge in Japanese literally means "the rice that sticks to the pot", slang term is a FAG HAG. Okama おかま is literally the rice pot, but slang for faggot. This movie came out in 1992, and very much seemed progressive for its time, because some of the points touched in it are still not common in the modern day japan. Things such as being out is still considered not desirable, most gay men would rather live double lives, rather than live one and be true to themselves. Even getting married and having children, just so it seems normal, but still have sexual encounters with men. For those who might be able to find a copy of Okoge with subtitles, i suggest to see it, its a good commentary/ slice of life of gay Japanese culture.
Rating: ★★★★☆
FROM jfilmpowwow: Okoge - Takehiro Nakajima (1992) The term okoge can refer to two things in Japanese: first, it can mean the crust that forms on the bottom of a pan when rice is accidentally burned or browned. The second slang meaning for okoge is the Japanese equivalent of our North American "fag hag", a woman who enjoys hanging out with gay men as opposed to straight men or women. It's the latter usage that writer/ director Takehiro Nakajima took as the title for his 1992 film "Okoge", which (no surprise) was about woman Sayoko (Misa Shimizu) who meets Goh and Tochi, a gay couple played by Takehiro Murata and Takeo Nakahara), at the beach and quickly befriends them. Sayoko even offers the two men the use of her apartment as a safe and friendly place to meet and soon the trio become inseperable. "Okoge" was one of the very first films, along with Ryosuke Hashiguchi's "A Touch of Fever" (more on that at #1) that helped bring gay issues and gay-themed cinema into the Japanese mainstream. It's original 6-week domestic theatrical run would be extended again and again until it ran in Japan for several months to adoring public and critical praise. Meanwhile overseas the popularity of Juzo Itami's films "Tampopo" and "A Taxing Woman during the 1980's got "Okoge" programmed at a number of films festivals in the West including the 1992 Toronto International Film Festival. Since its release though "Okoge" has been eclipsed by many of the other gay films (some on this very list) and is sadly in danger of becoming a footnote in Japanese and Gay Cinema history. CM
http://jfilmpowwow.blogspot.com/2009/06/top-ten-japanese-lgbt-films.html
- FROM WIKIPIDEA:
- Okoge: A term for the burnt rice that sticks to the bottom of a cooking pot, this currently-used word refers to the straight, female friends of gay males.
- Okama (お釜, おかま) Literally "a pot, a kettle", this word, always with the honorific prefix "O-", refers to a gay man, especially one who is viewed as effeminate or a drag queen. Can be pejorative. The word originated in Edo period slang for the anus. In current use.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_in_Japan
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