Okama Report (Japanese: おカマ白書, Hepburn: Okama Hakusho, lit. “Gay Report”) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideo Yamamoto. The series follows Shinya Okama, a straight college student who works at an okama bar (a cross-dressing gay bar). Okama Report was serialized in the manga magazine Weekly Young Sunday from 1989 to 1991, and was adapted into a three-part original video animation (OVA) from 1991 to 1992.

Synopsis[edit]

While drunk at a party, college student Shinya Okama’s friends dress him as a woman. He later sees a photograph of himself at the party, but with no recollection of the incident, he believes his own image to be that of a beautiful woman and falls in love at first sight with himself. Upon learning the truth, he is persuaded to work at an okama bar – a cross-dressing gay bar – where he adopts the drag persona of “Catherine”. On his first night at the bar he meets Miki, a female college student and regular at the bar who looks exactly like Catherine. The series follows Shinya as he attempts to court Miki while concealing his true identity.

Characters

Shinya Okama / Catherine (岡間進也 / キャサリン)

Portrayed by: Ryō Horikawa (Shinya) and Yuri Amano (Catherine)

A straight college student who works at an okama bar.

Miki (ミキ)

Portrayed by: Asuka Morimura [ja]

A regular at the okama bar who Shinya falls in love with.

Tanaka Yasuyuki (田中康之)

Portrayed by: Issei Futamata

Shinya’s friend, who originally dressed him as a woman.

Manga

Okama Report was serialized in the manga magazine Weekly Young Sunday from 1989 to 1991. It was written and illustrated by Hideo Yamamoto, and is noted as one of his sole works in the comedy genre.

Its title is a parodic reference to “Gay Report”, a report published by the LGBT rights group Japan Association for the Lesbian and Gay Movement [ja] (also known as OCCUR) noted as the first large-scale survey of gay life in Japan conducted by gay men. OCCUR protested Okama Report for containing what it argued were stereotypical and inaccurate depictions of LGBT people, particularly its failure to distinguish between gay male sexual orientation and transgender gender identity. In response, publisher Shogakukan ceased publishing collected tankōbon editions of the manga, discontinuing the release of the series after two volumes.

The series was subsequently printed in full twice: as five tankōbon volumes published from October 1996 to June 1997, and as three bunkobon volumes published from May to June 2009. Both the 1996 and 2009 editions contain “On how to portray male homosexuals”, a postscript from OCCUR noting that the series contains exaggerated and inaccurate depictions of LGBT people.

Original video animation (OVA)

Okama Report was adapted into a three-part original video animation (OVA) produced by Toshiba EMI from 1991 to 1992.

Okama Report
Volume 1 cover
おカマ白書 (Okama Hakusho)
Genre	Romantic comedy
Created by	Hideo Yamamoto
Manga
Written by	Hideo Yamamoto
Published by	Shogakukan
Imprint	YS Comics
Magazine	Weekly Young Sunday
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	1989 – 1991
Volumes	5 (List of volumes)
Original video animation
Directed by	Teruo Kogure
Music by	Jirō Takemura
Studio	Knack Productions
Released	March 12, 1991 – February 6, 1992
Episodes	3