Naomi SUZUKI
Graduate student, ICU
【The article below is the same as the article that appears in the ninth issue of the CGS Newsletter.】
As a self-professed feminist, the question of whether to assume a humble attitude or not has long been a concern for me. There are still many people in this world who require painstakingly humble explanations as to why, for example, a comment like “women are child-bearing machines,” is not simply an accidental slip of the tongue by some old geezer, but in fact relates to female discrimination on a much broader level. Those people are the ones who cannot listen unless women bow down and assume a humble attitude. However, before arguing that women are coerced into acting this way, I should first discuss what a “humble attitude” really means.
When I first read Ms. Sachiko Takeuchi’s comic, I was very much surprised by what I felt to be her overly humble tone which seems to overlook the ignorance and misconceptions of (supposed) heterosexuals. For example, one character who had thought that lesbians were all beautiful, expresses her disappointment at the discovery that “most lesbians are in fact ugly.” Another character, who may have confused lesbians with FtMTGs (Female to Male Transgenders) or TGs (Transgenders) asks the author, “Are you going to end up becoming a man too?” Such blunt ignorance and shameless misconceptions are not criticized directly. Even in her latest book, her third, which focuses on the sexuality of women and treats lesbianism as merely one among many forms, the problems of heterosexism are completely unquestioned. I experienced a sense of resistance to the fact that heterosexism and the unconscious ignorance of heterosexuals are so overly tolerated.
However, upon a closer reading, it becomes clear that Takeuchi is not merely being humble, and her skill as a manga artist comes to light. For example, many incidences demonstrate people’s ignorance as they confuse lesbians with yuri (a stereotyped image of a lesbian in Japanese manga or anime), lesbians with FtMs, or real-life lesbians with those in pornorgraphic videos ? in each case, Takeuchi reacts jokingly, with remarks such as “That’s not true!” “That’s a bit different *laughs*,” ”I think there’s some misunderstanding,” thus showing gently but clearly that such ideas about lesbians are mistaken and hilariously silly (it is especially interesting to note that her remarks are always hand-written, which makes them less formal). In one episode, Takeuchi’s friend says that she was so disappointed that lesbians were ugly and wonders whether her sexuality was due to a traumatic sexual experience with a man in the past. The author murmurs “that’s not really it...” to herself and leaves it at that. Immediately after this, however, there is an episode in which one of the main characters becomes angry and hits a man who makes a similar remark. The careful arrangement of these scenes make them particularly piquant and enhances the reader’s enjoyment of this high-quality essay-style comic.
What we see here is not an ingratiation, but rather a patient, tolerant endeavour to reason skillfully with the readership. Her criticisms are indeed discreet and not vociferous, but the primary reason for this is the obtuse understanding of heterosexuals. It is simultaneously a caution for me as a heterosexual and a feminist who had, until now, shared a certain feeling of righteousness with those who criticize vociferously. My initial sense of discomfort and resistance in reading Takeuchi’s comics stemmed from a fear that if such discreet criticisms that are not disagreeable to the ear become widespread, vociferous criticisms will be subjected to further unjust attack. However, the inability to appreciate this author’s patience and tolerance as being of equal value to vociferous criticism would truly be an act of bowing to obtuse understanding.