A Centaur in Salaryman's Clothing: Parody and Play in est em's Centaur Manga

Abstract

Japanese manga artist est em (esu to emu) is notable for blurring genre boundaries and subverting established conventions in various publications since her debut in 2006. Two of her works, Hatarake, kentaurosu! ('Work, Centaur!') and equus, focus exclusively on male centaurs in homosocial settings. Classifi ed as shōjo (girls') manga and BL ('boys' love') manga respectively, these two works allow female readers to enjoy the pleasures of homoerotic subtexts and intertextual parody. Th is paper examines how conventions of sexuality and gender, particularly hegemonic masculinity and heterosexuality, are constructed/deconstructed in est em's centaur manga using the framework of intertextuality, with particular emphasis on parody, pleasure and play. By placing centaurs in realistic, everyday settings, these works present a critique of Japan's contemporary salaryman culture, while also highlighting issues of alienation and otherness that both female readers and gay men face in their daily lives.