Popular Culture Review Vol. 8, No. 2, August 1997 | Page 54

50

Popular Culture Review

consumed with domestic interests; rather, they concentrate on their
careers and are often shown problem solving and decision making ...
Often the man is portrayed as an unsophisticated clod or even a
dangerous person (Reep and Dam 1987:380-381). All the women, like
their Japanese counterparts, are also single.
However, this trend does not mean that the new Japanese
women on television reject all traditional feminine traits. They are
shown to be warm, caring, and understanding. (Again, even in A
Family of Matrilineal Descent, the women are portrayed as having a
tender loving side). It is interesting to note that a combination of new
and old traits also has been observed in the heroines popular in
American romance novels (Radway). Since the largest group of
consumers for TV dramas in Japan and for romance novels in America
are women, perhaps, t here is a message here: In the transition to a
new gender order, women across cultures share the same fantasies and
aspirations — gaining the advantages of men without losing the
rehnements of womanhood.
It is also important to point out that many of the screenplays
mentioned in this article are either written by women or based on
novels authored by women, such as Miyauchi Futako (Career
Women), Natsuki Shizuko (W's Tragedy and Woman Prosecutor
Shimo Yuko), Nakajima Suzuko (Woman Medical Examiner Muro
Akiko), Shikamizu Akiko (The Famous Deductive Detective Ama
San), and Yama Toyoko (A Family of Matrilineal Descent). It has
been argued that one of the important signs of moving away from a
patriarchal ideology is the rise of women writers (Kuhn). In Japan
today, the signs are clear and encouraging. In spite of the fact that
television does not necessarily reflect reality, we have good reason to
be optimistic about the emergence of a new gender arrangement in
Japan, as long as the medium helps to keep its viewers' aspirations
aliv e.
California State University at Los Angeles

Lawrence K. Hong

The author thanks Professor Kazuo Misumi of Kyushu University,
Japan, for his comments and suggestions on this work.