via http://ift.tt/2tOn4pX:One of Japan's First Mainstream LGBTQ Films Is a Groundbreaking and Delightful Success:
levynite:
Japanese pop culture’s insistence that trans women stick to comedy that can undermine them made it difficult for Ogigami to find someone to portray Rinko, who is wonderfully played by cis male actor Toma Ikuta.
“There are some transgender TV stars like comedians and people accept them, but I couldn’t find any transgender actors in Japan,” she explained. “It’s still very hard for them to come out, and I couldn’t find any transgender actor as good as [Ikuta],” she said.
“That was very a big problem. But I think he did a good job.”

levynite:
Japanese pop culture’s insistence that trans women stick to comedy that can undermine them made it difficult for Ogigami to find someone to portray Rinko, who is wonderfully played by cis male actor Toma Ikuta.
“There are some transgender TV stars like comedians and people accept them, but I couldn’t find any transgender actors in Japan,” she explained. “It’s still very hard for them to come out, and I couldn’t find any transgender actor as good as [Ikuta],” she said.
“That was very a big problem. But I think he did a good job.”
