The otoko-yaku or male-impersonators in particular?attract legions of female fans and have often been portrayed in the context of an “ideal
male” image. They are outstandingly handsome, pure, kind, emotional, charming,
funny, romantic and intelligent -- that is, the complete antithesis of the
salaryman/oyaji stereotype of Japanese men.

There are those who, looking at Takarazuka from the outside, try to
understand it in terms of sexuality. That is not enough. Analyzing only the
raw bodies (namami [the physicality]) of Takarazuka will lead you to ignore
a completely different dimension of the Theatre -- that Takarazuka is
ultimately a fantasy, a fictional creation.

The same goes for the onna-yaku (female-roles) -- both the otoko-yaku and
the onna-yaku are constructs that exist within a particular fantasy [or fictional
space].

We have encountered this with other fans who are lesbian as well, who do not connect
their sexuality with the appeal they feel for Takarazuka. They are lesbians who are
fans of Takarazuka, not Takarazuka lesbian fans.

or the process by which the viewers
identify (and interpellate themselves into) the position of the subjects on the screen.

Silverman explains why women cannot participate equally as
audience members with men. She argues that the traditional film structure denies
female viewers full subjectivity because of their inability to fully suture with the male
actors because of female viewers’ lack of a penis. Furthermore, they have a wary
relation to women who represent symbolic insecurity. Male viewers, however, can
fully suture with the male leads who act both as mirrors of their idealized self-image
and of fathers and role models. They can further suture with the female actors who
represent “warmth and nourishment”