Popular Culture Review Vol. 8, No. 2, August 1997 | Page 48
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Popular Culture Review
work that has been found to be "queasy" even by admirers of Japanese
popular culture (Schodt 9). Many Japanese men, however, must have
found it quite entertaining; it is so popular that a sixth installment
was released in 1995.
Rapeman is a Superman/Batman-like crime fighter in
modem day Tokyo who uses rape as an instrument of justice. In
everyday life, he is a Clark Kent lookalike both in appearance and
in mannerisms; in uniform, he is Batmanesque without the cape and
the pointed ears. However, unlike his counterparts in Metropolis and
.Gotham City, the Tokyo avenger never beats up the villains with
knockout punches ~ if they are women. He rapes them. And the show
always finds an abundance of female evildoers in the capital of
Japan.
Having said that, there is also a body of important works in
recent years, especially on television, that are inspirational and
empowering for women. These shows cast women in refreshingly
different roles, shattering the traditional boundaries. Perhaps, this
is a sign of changing times. Even in Rapeman, there was a hint of new
sensitivity in a recent episode (Rapeman V 1995). Rapeman showed
signs of repulsion towards his work. In the closing scene, after
dispensing justice in the usual way -- sexually assaulting a serial
rapist who had impersonated him - Rapeman looked disgusted and
had tears in his eyes. Perhaps, the irony of raping a rapist caused
him to reflect on his own actions. Incidentally, the rapist was a
woman wearing a dildo. Putting Rapeman and its genre aside, let's
look at some of the works that represent the more enlightened side of
Japanese popular culture — women's dramas on television. All the
teleplays cited here were shown in the 1990s.
Women Understand Women
The Law Office of Seven Women (original English title) is a
long-running television series, as well as the name of the law firm in
the show. From the very beginning, this program made it clear that it
is a feminist story. The first episode dealt with the founding of the
firm, and provided the rationale for having an all-female law office.
(Actually, there are two males: the father of the founder, who is a
retired lawyer, and a young man, who is the office boy running
errands for the lawyers.)