[Discussion] Iguana no musume

Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 9:37 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

that line perplexed me, but only for a second. i didn't read the manga, but here is my interpretation of the drama. western culture might be making us overlook it somewhat.

this is a drama, told *from the perspective of the victim*, about self-esteem. rika was emotionally abused. this is the *central* theme, rather than, as it might seem, a side-effect.

when you see it this way, it makes more sense. rika deserved to be hugged and treated well. but some mothers have issues and take them out on their children.
it doesn't matter whether rika's mother didn't love rika, or saw an iguana, or feared conscious awareness of her own iguana identity. the important thing is that rika deserved to be treated well.

at the end, despite not loving her child, rika treated her child well. this is the most often overlooked point: "so what if you don't love me? at least treat me like a human being". yes, rika probably wanted more, but she deserved that at minimum.

and rika being rika provided it "ippai".

the drama is from *rika's* perspective, not society's. to a victim, being treated like a human being is the most important thing. to society, especially western society, it might matter more whether you "really mean it" and whether you are being "honte". but a good child like rika deserves happiness and she deserves to be treated well regardless of whether "you really mean it".

to see how the drama is from her perspective and not society's, consider the men in the drama. they are clueless and useless. her rival's machinations make a whooshing sound as they go over the heads of the boys. at times, her father, good intentions notwithstanding, should be thrown into prison for failing to protect his daughter from his insane wife. a society perspective would spread the knowledge of what is going on around more. the men are clueless, mami is unjust, and society (except for her friend and friend's mother) is criminally indifferent.

finally, of course, mami learns justice, and noboru gets a clue, and so on.

good drama. well done, awrittensin.

p.s. i didn't understand rika's friend's mother when she yelled at rika. was she saying it was not rika's fault? or encouraging rika? or blaming rika?

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:15 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0