Representation in anime is always a hot-button topic. While it has undoubtedly gotten better in the last 20 years, there remains room for improvement. This is especially true for transgender representation, as it is still rare to find trans characters in anime. And even when it happens, there is a good chance they'll be built around an offensive and outdated stereotype. However, one episode of the cult-classic anime Dirty Pair featured fantastic transgender representation, despite hitting screens way back in 1985.
The Dirty Pair franchise started as a series of light novels written by Haruka Takachiho and illustrated by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko before being adapted into an anime by Sunrise in 1985. The story is set in 2138, with humanity having spread out and colonized space -- which can lead to the colonists running into surprising problems. Thankfully, the World Welfare Works Association helps those in need by sending Trouble Consultants to solve their client's issues. Dirty Pair follows Kei and Yuri, two Trouble Consultants nicknamed the Dirty Pair due to their habit of leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
Episode 7 of Dirty Pair, titled "Love Is Everything, Betting Their Lives on Elopement," sees the Dirty Pair hired by the billionaire Moon de Goldjeff. He tells the duo that his son Clicky has been kidnapped by a woman named Lilis Joanca and wants the Dirty Pair to rescue him. However, it turns out Goldjeff is lying -- Clicky wasn't kidnapped. He's actually in love with Joanca, but Goldjeff can't accept their relationship because Joanca is a transgender woman.
The viewing audience gets to see a lot of Joanca, who is a wonderfully realized character with a lot of depth. And unlike many series with a transgender character, she is never the butt of the joke, nor is she played for laughs. She is treated like any other character in the show and is given emotional moments and character development. In fact, one of the highlights of this episode is how Joanca and Clicky's relationship is handled.
The two are shown to have a loving relationship, and Clicky knows about and fully accepts Joanca. One of the cutest moments in the episode is when the couple decides to go and buy burgers, only to start singing the restaurant's jingle together as they drive. This stands out as it's so rare to see transgender characters enjoying themselves and their relationships, as they're often used for tragic storylines or mean-spirited humor.
However, one of the standout moments is when Goldjeff confronts Clicky and Joanca personally. He says he can't accept Joanca as "she used to be a man." Clicky responds by saying that she's a woman now and he doesn't care about the past. Goldjeff agrees, but notes he still won't accept her. However, despite being the villain, Goldjeff never misgenders Joanca or resorts to slurs, which is extremely rare. On top of this, the Dirty Pair respond to the revelation by chastising Goldjeff for being "closed-minded" before pointing out that, in the world of Dirty Pair, "one in ten people have gotten their sex changed," suggesting that transgender people are much more accepted in the future.
This is topped off by the fact that Joanca survives the episode's events. The final scene sees Clicky chasing after Joanca in a rocket ship so the pair can be together, marking a rare example of a transgender character getting an implied happy ending rather than being killed off for the sake of tragedy and drama.
"Love Is Everything, Betting Their Lives on Elopement" is an example of an anime handling transgender representation with tact and decency. Joanca is an amazingly realized character as Dirty Pair tackles the transgender experience without falling back on offensive stereotypes. It's stunning to realize an episode from 1985 outclasses most modern anime. However, it also presents an excellent model for other shows to follow and build on, proving you can create a character who sensitively represents the transgender community while also being a fantastic addition to the cast in their own right.
