Boys’ love (BL) media, a genre centered on male-male romance, has emerged as a global media phenomenon, yet its transnationalization across Southeast Asia highlights stark contrasts shaped by institutional and cultural disparities. This thesis compares the Philippines and Thailand through the lenses of Historical Institutionalism and Queer Theory, examining how government participation, private sector, and the viewing public interplay with queer identities in shaping BL media. By analyzing government and corporate documents, Pinoy and Thai BL series, and in-depth interviews with leading media practitioners, the study reveals the factors accounting for the diverging outcomes of BL media in both countries. In the Philippines, weak institutional pathways—marred by state censorship anchored on moral policing, a reluctant and homophobic media industry, and a divided viewing public lacking BL literacy—relegated Pinoy BL media into the periphery of the industry, exposing its precarity. In Thailand, its conducive institutional pathways, especially through investments from media companies, enabled the mainstreaming of BL in Thai media but commodified queerness in favor of marketable, masculine gay images. These findings highlight a contradiction: BL media’s potential to challenge heteronormativity is often coopted by institutional forces that prioritize profitability. The thesis concludes with a challenge to reimagine BL not as a genre controlled by market logic but as a platform for genuine queer representation.

Amidst Japan’s population and labor dilemma, tourism became a significant resource to help revitalize its economy. Japan is a tourism nation, capitalizing on its cultural industry and large consumer market. Under the concept of content induced tourism, a specific phenomenon of anime tourism is recognized and embodied in national economic policymaking, mainly touted in the "Cool Japan Strategy." Today, Japan's tourism in major cities has considerably developed, but the impact of tourism in the rural setting is relatively understudied. In 2016, the anime film, Kimi no Na Wa or in English “Your Name” became a global success. The fictional town of Itomori is modeled after the small town of Hida-Furukawa in Gifu prefecture and became known for its anime sacred sites for the film. The town thereafter saw an influx of anime pilgrims. This study aims to understand the anime tourism phenomenon that occurred in Hida-Furukawa by exploring and analyzing the narratives of participation of the residents and the local government's tourism plans. The study describes the actors in anime tourism and determines its influence that underpins local revitalization in a rural town. It shows that tourism in Hida-Furukawa is unsustainable and suffers a boom-and-bust pattern, wherein tourism experiences a surge and decline once the anime's popularity fades. However, the touristification and the locality's participation in tourism generate a distinct branding of Hida as a travel destination. Moreover, because tourism involves exchanges between actors, it leaves a lasting effect on the people-to-people exchange between locals, domestic and overseas tourists. The tourism phenomenon influences a more globalized perspective for the residents, while simultaneously promoting their local culture. This study aims to contribute to anime tourism studies and in general to Japan's contemporary tourism studies.

As an alternative development policy, Gender and Development (GAD) intends to include marginalized sectors as the centerstage in policy crafting and implementation. With women as the usual face of GAD efforts, it also relevant to place the Lesbian, Gays, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community in the concept. As such, this study aims to determine the position of LGBT people in the GAD policy of the City of Manila, Philippines. Using an exploratory case study method, the researcher had employed three phases for data gathering-policy analysis of GAD reports, Key Informant Interviews, and Focus Group Discussions. Findings revealed that the City of Manila utilizes GAD for LGBTs through institutionalization of gender protection ordinances (i.e., Manila LGBTQI Protection Ordinance of 2020) alongside advocacy building, LGBT protection, and healthcare programs, projects, and activities (PPAs) for both women and LGBTs. An all-gender inclusive approach may be the starting point of reconceptualization to ensure the welfare of the LGBT community through a focus in trans health, same sex marriage/unions, and protection through legislations and ordinances in the city. It is recommended to map the future of Manila GAD to ensure that development efforts for the LGBTs are intersectional, grassroots based, and driven by social justice.