User:Suzaku44/Beijing Opera (manga)

Beijing Opera (manga)
Bushin Gikyoku (lit. "Beijing Opera"), is a fantasy manga by Hiroshi Ueda, published in (?) by

(?). The story is centered around Tatsuaki, a Japanese kung-fu student in 2002 Tokyo, who is

transported to Beijing 1924, after putting on his grandfather's old opera mask.

Tatsuaki
Tatsuaki is a cheerful, energetic boy, whose grandfather teaches him kung-fu.

After his grandfather shows him an old opera mask, Jii-san explains that it was

a gift from Mei Lanfang, a world-famous actor in Beijing Opera. After he puts on the mask,

Tatsuaki is transported to Beijing in 1924. He joins Mei Lanfang's acting troupe, and

quickly masters the brutal training, due to his kung-fu skills. He befriends Hong Lan, the

most promising student in the troupe. He is loyal to his friends and the instructors, but is

determined to return to his own time period. His most notable features are his large eyes, and

his hedgehog-like hair, which grows into two bangles by his ears.

Hong Lan
Hong Lan is the most skilled student in Mei Lanfang's acting troupe, and treats Tatsuaki as a

nuisance at first, but quickly warms up to the boy. He sometimes scolds Tatsuaki for making

mistakes during training. He is often shown wearing an unpatterned Donegal cap. It is later

revealed that "he" is actually a girl, during a physical exam. Tatsuaki

walks in with a load of medical supplies, and Hong Lan covers "his" chest with a blanket, but

due to the fact that s/he has not yet developed breasts, Tatsuaki niavely assumes "he" is just

shy.

Later in the series, (?), a Westerner who is obsessed with Beijing Opera, attempts to force

himself onto him/her, but Hong Lan is rescued by Tatsuaki and Shi-long, who agree to keep her

real gender a secret. Towards the end of the series, Hong Lan reveals her true gender and lives

as a sort-of girlfriend to Tatsuaki.

Mei Lanfang
A young man in his twenties/thirties, Mei Lanfang is a tall, dark-haired actor in Beijing Opera.

He is contemplative, observant, and liberal. After Tatsuaki and Shi-long discovers Hong Lan is a

girl, he tells them that he hired a girl on porpose, for when the traditional ways of men-only

performances are abolished in the near future. His character is based on the real-life actor. (See

Article: Mei Lanfang)