Appropriating the Shinsengumi: Hakuoki fan fiction as transmedial/transcultural exploration

This chapter examines a corpus of fan fiction inspired by the transmedial world of Hakuoki, in its origin a popular Otome game that has spun many other products such as anime, manga and merchandise. The analysis shows how the fan fiction texts rework the mythos, topos and ethos of Hakuoki, contributing to a sense of worldness (Klastrup and Tosca 2004). The setting of the game is the end of the Edo period, which becomes a romanticized stage that the Western fans can use as a background, drawing on a set of Japanese cultural tropes that get brandished as props for authenticity. Finally, the topic of transcultural exploration is discussed against the backdrop of other Japanese popular culture Shinsengumi appropriations.