Netflix First Impressions – Back Street Girls: Gokudols

Three young yakuza members screwed up really big, causing their boss losing millions. Contrary to yakuza traditions, their boss did not want their little fingers chopped off, for doing so would not bring his money back anyway. Instead he sent them to Thailand for extensive plastic surgery (transgender included) and then promoted them as an idol group. Their careers become so successful that most of their fans know absolutely nothing about their true identities. On the other hand, the three often feel frustrated for having to live two lives on and off stage. – ANN

Streaming: Netflix

Episodes: 10

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: A conflict between two rival factions of the Yakuza goes very wrong, and three young members of the organization are to blame. Rather than demand a more traditional demonstration of atonement, their boss gives them one option that doesn’t involve death or dismemberment: travel immediately to Thailand, undergo sex reassignment surgery, and make back the organization’s lost funds by forming an idol group.

Though the three turn out to have the right “look” upon their return, their inner attitudes still need some fine-tuning before making prime-time strides. They undergo brainwashing by watching hour upon hour of idol performance videos, and their boss hires a famous manager to whip them into shape. Considering their origins, the manager’s typical tricks don’t work to inspire his new charges. Once he identifies their rough origins, though, a few choice words and they’re able to get into character. Still, their former lives manifest from time-to-time; perhaps this is just the fate of the Gokudols.

The first problem worth discussing here is the incredibly transphobic plot element that forms the bulk of the set-up. Gender confirmation surgery is one way (of many) in which some transgender individuals are able/choose to present their gender in an public-facing way. While I can’t speak for the situation in other countries, in the United States with our lackluster health-care system, this type of surgery is expensive and often not covered by health insurance carriers. In addition to cost, there are other hurdles, access being a major one, though social hurdles exist as well. The point being that this process isn’t something that someone can undergo on a whim and isn’t a choice often made in the heat of the moment.

In this episode, however, the sex-reassignment surgery is presented as something easily available at a moment’s notice; just hop on a plane and boom, a brand new you. For those who want it this is rarely the reality, so to trivialize it in this way is cruel. Secondly, it’s presented as an option barely more desirable that dismemberment or death; not the case for those who want or need it as a confirmation of their inner self. Forcing someone to represent themselves as someone they’re not is a serious (and sometimes deadly) issue, no matter what form the pressure takes, so to use it as a vehicle for humor is honestly pretty grotesque to me.

This series also seems to have a major issue with gender in general, although in light of its other qualities it might not be quite as apparent right away. The nature of the idols’ punishment is revealing in how it measures one gender’s worth against another. It’s not a secret that femininity is perceived by some as inferior, and while it’s easy to identify certain people and their attitudes as “sexist,” the reality is that this is often more subtle than we realize. Think of the different ways we talk about masculine “tomboyish” girls in comparison to feminine “sissy” (not a word I like) boys; there’s a subtle distinction for some folks between the two cases. Masculinity is seen as superior, and something that girls would naturally aspire to, but if boys demonstrate gentleness, express certain emotions, or even just show an affinity for the colors pink or purple (as my husband does), there are some people who take issue with it and demand that they “man-up” (ugh). The fact that the Yakuza members’ punishment takes the form of forced feminization is an issue in itself. When a persona is built so completely around performative masculinity, femininity is framed as a downgrade and the ultimate embarrassment. This is profoundly grating to me.

While the series in its current form is essentially dead-on-arrival, what’s ultimately disappointing is that a few tweaks could have resulted in something that wasn’t completely insulting. Imagine a version in which the Yakuza had still suffered a financial loss, but the guilty parties were instead tasked with assembling an idol group and managing it to financial success as punishment. Being Yakuza themselves, the only young women who come to mind as potential members are those from Yakuza families, and the girls’ inherently rough attitudes (due to their gangster lifestyles) run contrary to the sweet approachability that’s required of idols. It’s essentially the same set-up and provides the opportunity for a similar story arc while capitalizing on the recent trend of “trash characters.” Heck, it even provides a good opportunity to comment on the manufactured nature of idol groups, which this episode does attempt before burying itself in garbage. Look, I (sort of) fixed it.

The only real comment worth making about the animation is that it exists – barely. This isn’t really that big of a problem since the sort of vector-style static character animation has become popular for a lot of gag series and doesn’t seem out of place here. The rendering of the characters does reflect the show’s inner ugliness, however; many scenes (including the one pictured above), look as though they’re traced (badly) from character models rendered (poorly) in 3DCG. It’s a visual style as unappealing as the rest of the episode.

There are a lot of plot-related factors here that some fans are likely to perceive as “edgy;” the kind of gross-out, transgressive material that sometimes results in exclamations of “it’s just a show/book/movie/video game/comedy routine/whatever, get over it!” This line of thinking is unfortunately pretty common, and I understand why people tend to want to cling to these types of reactions. It’s easier to laugh at an uncomfortable joke than to take the time to think about the people who exist at the joke’s terminus. What I hope viewers come to understand is that hateful material, even as it exists in the context of a piece of media that’s not intended to be “taken seriously,” still helps to cultivate and maintain a culture that doesn’t fully accept the people who are being poorly represented. It gives permission to some people to persist in indulging their hatred, because there continue to be no measurable social consequences for them to do so. If an organization as huge and international as Netflix rubber stamps their logo across the face of the content, it must be okay, right?

This is one of those times where I’ve wished, in retrospect, that I’d watched a downloaded version of the episode. At least then I would have been able to send a message, however small, via a missing viewership number, that no, it’s not okay.

Pros: The episode makes a few aborted attempts to comment on the manufactured nature of many idol groups.

Cons: The visual style is unappealing. There are copious amounts of transphobia and misogyny built directly into the premise.

Grade: D-