Okay, let me try to remember some of the things I read from the chapter about outrageous women. I must admit I can't currently find my copy of Samurai from Outer Space, but I did read the chapter a while ago. I do say that it helped me better understand the role of women in Japanese culture, and in anime. Firstly: the equality of men to women. In Japan, there has never been anything similar to women suffrage in America. In fact, I recall reading something about famous empresses, and tendency for Japanese people to believe that women of power held some sort of mysticism. So there, that explains the reason the makers behind Ah! My Goddess made the decision for women/ goddesses of mystical power (Urd Skuld and Belldandy) to roam the earth.
And i remember reading something about mother figures, and how they are not often present in anime movies. They tend to hamper the spirit of young, beautiful, imtelligent, powerful young girls like Belldandy. In American cinema, mother figures are predominantly nurturing and sweet. But Japanese mothers have the connotation of being the ultimate controllers of family matters, always making sure their children adhere to rigid education systems and helping out the family, etc. That is why there could not be a mother to Belledandy and Skuld; she would have overpowered their greatest qualities too much.
Back to the equality of Japanese men and women thing. In Japan, it is not as much of a problem if a couple are equal in strength. Though American women have certainly moved forward with their rights and dominance in the worl force, a typical American couple still has the connotation of consisting of a cheerleader-type plus a football player-type. This isn't so in Japan, since males and females have shared a lot of equality in Japanese history. Samurai from Outer Space brings up Keichi and Belldandy's relationship. The beauty of it is their mutual respect for each other, and Keichi does not care that Belldandy is so powerful and taller than him and yadda yadda. They are simply perfect for each other! :)
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| Keiichi and Belldandy <3 |
The whole thing about the powers women of Japanese households hold is pretty interesting. In Samurai From Outer Space it says that the women of the household usually take care of the family's finances, the college and career choices of the children, as well as even keeping her own maiden name and giving it to the children. This is so different from the typical American experience, where we know it's usually the men who maintains the family's last name. In regards to a family's finances or the future of the children, it's usually a shared experience for both the husband and wife. So it's strange that it's solely the wife who controls such matters.
ReplyDeletePersonally, my family is different from American traditions, too. My mom kept her maiden name, and my older sister kept my mom's maiden name instead of my dad's last name. My parents aren't divorced, but that's just how it is. Myself, my brother, and my little sister all have my dad's last name. As for the finances of the family, my mom and dad work together in the same business, and they take care of all money matters equally and together.
What's wrong with mecha!? I wish Gundams were real...I wouldn't be into my car as much, but I'd be praying to be accepted to test Gundams! Even if there was a chance of death every second, it'd totally be worth it. Back on topic, what you and Kent said are pretty much straightforward from the chapter we had to read. Japan is special because I had totally overlooked the fact that finances and everything are usually a shared thing for a married couple....Japan is different because it's surrounded by countries where men are the dominant sex in politics and public. Oh Japanese people, so smart....they were HellaFlushed before I could do my times tables.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I’m just going to start by saying I DEFINITELY needed that cruise vacation because of school, funerals, and work! I am super relaxed and tan now! I’m going to actually talk about the blog now! The book really did help me understand the role of women in Japanese anime as apposed to the role of women in Japan. I was so confused with the films having ALL of the super powerful women and then hearing that Japanese women are somewhat restricted in actual day-to-day life. I now understand that women are not so put down in the Japanese culture. I too have no seen many motherly figures in Japanese films. In Grave of the Fireflies, the mother dies. All through Hakkenden, there were VERY few mother figures, and almost all of the Dog warriors didn’t even have parents any more. I also agree with the comment about them being a perfect couple, because I just thought the whole story line about them ending up being together in the end anyway was way cute.
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