Jarinko Chie and Yā-san Tetsu - Inter

Jarinko Chie and Yā-san Tetsu:
Representing the Face, Heart and Underbelly of Osaka
Jason Christopher Jones
Abstract
Tokyo and Kyoto have become synonymous with Japan for the outside
observer, with the former serving as the country’s financial capital as well as
the representative of the Japan’s pop culture, and the latter serving as Japan’s
cultural capital, becoming a window to what people perceive as a relatively
undisturbed, preserved past. Lost between the two, is Osaka, which was once
known as Japan’s mercantile capital. Despite its contributions to the body of
culture that Japan has to offer, Osaka is often overlooked when compared to
its cousins, and when it is given treatment, it can come out looking more like
a villain. We can argue that this penchant to discount Osaka as a land of
crime syndicates, seedy characters, gamblers, overzealousness towards all
matters financial, and a dialect restricted to evoking either fear or laughter is
at least partially the result of Japan’s prefectures forming their identities
through how they are mutually perceived, and is crystallized within Japanese
film. One film that remains close to the heart of those in Osaka, but much
less known to the outside world, is an animated work called Jarinko Chie.
The characters in this film embody Osaka’s persona - one that may include
the aforementioned elements. At the same time, Jarinko Chie, through the
juxtaposition of the daughter, Chie, and her father, Tetsu, allows the
informed viewer to extract a more balanced view of the city and its citizens.
This paper firstly examines how the somewhat antagonistic relationship
between Osaka and Tokyo has come to influence how Osaka is defined,
placing the latter in a much more dubious context. Next, we go on to briefly
examine how Jarinko Chie’s being quintessentially “Osakan” makes
reference to the city’s virtuous, as well as villainous side.
Key Words: Osaka vs. Tokyo, Jarinko Chie, animated film, dialect, culture,
Shinsekai, Kita, Minami, Japan.
*****
1.
Chie Takemoto – Luckily Osaka’s Unlucky Little Girl
Ask anyone in Japan to name the unluckiest little girl in the country,
and you might get a variety of responses. If one were to pose the same
question to someone from Osaka, however, they might just respond, “Chie
Takemoto”, better known as Jarinko Chie. Jarinko Chie began its life as a
comic book in 1978, written and drawn by Etsumi Haruki. The series
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garnered a loyal constituency spanning its publication period of almost 20
years until 1997. The existence of three video games, several iterations as
pachinko and slot machines, a dedicated Jarinko Chie Research Society as
well as a long running television series all attest to the popularity of this
particular work1. In 1981, only three years after the initial publication of the
comic book, Jarinko Chie - The Movie was released, bringing to life the
characters on the black and white pages of the Action Comics publication.
Despite the national popularity of Jarinko Chie, it remains
quintessentially a work rooted in the culture Osaka, and whose interpretation
requires a working knowledge of the area in which the story takes place. This
alone perhaps is the key reason why Jarinko Chie remains largely unknown
in Western countries despite what would seem like an upsurge in the number
of people interested in Japanese culture, and particularly in animated films,
video games, and comic books. Jarinko Chie is very much a cultural work,
relying on an understanding of the central character’s plight and the
surroundings that influence that plight as well as her responses to it. This lies
in stark contrast to works such as Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball, the
animated series Dragon Ball Z directed by Daisuke Nishio, or Rumiko
Takahashi’s Ranma 1/2, all of which have long held followings in countries
outside of Japan. Animated films such as Katsuhiro Ōtomo’s Akira would
become such an icon that it would go on to be parodied in animated
television shows such as South Park2. Also, while Hayao Miyazaki’s works
have unarguably gained international recognition, one would be hard-pressed
to say that acceptance amongst an international crowd is not one of the prime
considerations of Studio Ghibli when planning and producing an animated
film.
Performing a search on Jarinko Chie in that vast, yet non-definitive
cultural repository known as Wikipedia accentuates these discrepancies. As
of this writing, Haruki's work has received only the most cursory review,
which serves more as a placeholder, offering the most general of information.
In this entry, in which the Japanese has been seemingly hastily translated to
“Chie the Brat”, we can make at least two observations. One, the background
of the story - Osaka - is not mentioned one bit, telling us that there is a lack
of appreciation for exactly how very connected to Osaka this particular work
remains. Secondly, while the direct translation may indeed be “Chie the
Brat”, the central character, Chie, is very much the converse of what one
might refer to as a brat. This is rather symbolic, as we might say that Jarinko
Chie is the antithesis of what people outside of Japan have come to know as
Japanese comic books or animated works of art, and requires much more of a
base in the cultural background of the story to interpret.
Jason Christopher Jones
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2.
Osaka and Tokyo - A Tale of Two Cities
Jarinko Chie, at the same time, represents one of two entities that are
diametrically juxtaposed within Japan - Osaka and Tokyo. The sheer
persistence of this rivalry of two cities perhaps remains largely unseen by
those outside of Japan, who usually associate Japan either with its political
and financial capital of Tokyo, or what is seen as its cultural capital of Kyoto.
This juxtaposition of Tokyo and Osaka has become fodder for so many
publications, that the comparison seems almost cliché by now. For example,
Giichi Fujimoto's Osaka Tokyo Zenikane Cultural Theory focuses on the
differences in which people in each city go about making money, beckoning
those in Tokyo to learn from their counterparts in Osaka. His argument, and
in fact that of many others is that since Osaka has been the commercial
capital in Japan since the Edo Period, there is no better domestic location
from which to study the vicissitudes of making and using money, as money
has been woven into the DNA of Osaka's citizens3. While Fujimoto's
observation is right on the money, it also establishes a sort of antagonistic
relationship between Osaka and Tokyo, and while the overall message is that
people in Osaka are better at entrepreneurial endeavours than people in
Tokyo, this "making of money" and the focus on such ventures could be
construed as a "vulgar" pursuit of cash rather than a positive aspect of
Osaka's culture.
Such ideas are rife in Japanese media as well. For instance, in the 27th
film in a series total of 48 films, Otoko wa Tsurai yo saw its lead character
Torajirō - a Tokyoite - travel to Osaka, where he sets up a roadside shop in an
area with a number of other roadside shops, only to be greatly outdone by the
surrounding salesmen4. Unable to attract any buyers, while the Osaka natives
make sale after sale, an exasperated Torajirō quips that there is no use
competing against the Osaka crowd, and comes close to resigning himself to
returning to Tokyo. Thus, this connection between Osaka and the pursuit of
money is one that cannot be broken, and continues to define Osaka and the
people who reside there. This relentless pursuit is also one that allows for the
creation of characters with vices, and thus characters of a rather villainous
demeanour, as we shall see with Tetsu, Chie Takemoto’s father.
While conceptions of money continue to be perceived as a key
difference between Osaka and Tokyo, we must be careful not to
underestimate the scope to which people perceive differences between the
two cities. Other written works have been far more willing to encompass the
entirety of each city’s culture, to create larger, overarching juxtapositions.
One of such works can be roughly translated as People in Osaka and People
in Tokyo: Why are they different? What is different about them? To what
extent are they different? From the title alone we get the impression that
Osaka and Tokyo are vastly different entities, with vastly different people, of
vastly different cultures. The author goes on to describe Tokyoites as
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Jarinko Chie and Yā-san Tetsu:
Representing the Face, Heart and Underbelly of Osaka
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romantics born from a new, bourgeoning Edo culture, and Osaka citizens as
realists who have stuck to more traditional ways of thinking concerning
entrepreneurial matters. He goes on to make an extraordinarily poignant
observation, in that perceptions concerning the dialect spoken in each
particular area or prefecture go far in determining the development of that
prefecture's "personality". In other words, each prefecture’s identity is tightly
woven to the dialect spoken in that prefecture, and no prefecture can develop
a personality independent of other prefectures 5. As Anthony Bourdain states,
“It’s Tokyo that Osaka is most often compared to.”6
When matters are reduced to an issue of dialect, Tokyo inevitably
comes out on top, with Tokyo's "dialect" being recognized as the official way
of speaking in Japan, and Osaka's dialect being relegated to comedic use, or
use by society’s more unsavoury elements, if not ridiculed. The importance
of dialects cannot be overlooked, in positioning Osaka as the lesser in any
comparison between the two cities, or in determining how a certain work will
be interpreted. One of the undeniable reasons that Jarinko Chie has garnered
such a following in Osaka, is that the entire series - the film and television
show included - is written in Osaka dialect. This also stands as one of the
primary reasons that Jarinko Chie lacks an overseas constituency. If language
and culture are inseparable, then it stands that the use of Osaka dialect lies at
the heart of Jarinko Chie, and any inability to translate, comprehend, or
interpret it correctly would impede on the audience's ability to get value and
meaning out of the work. More importantly, within the scope of this short
paper, we must also consider how the perceived "superiority" of Tokyo
dialect works to position Osaka dialect unfairly, thus making it easier to
situate the latter as "comical", "vulgar", or even as a prerequisite to
"villainy".
Katsushige Kondo adds to the dichotomy of "Osaka vs. Tokyo" with
his work, "Osaka's Common Sense is Tokyo's Lack of Common Sense".
From an obviously pro-Osaka perspective, he discusses a number of issues
that are misunderstood when it comes to interpreting the behaviour of
Osakans versus that of Tokyoites. The fact that Osaka must be defended tells
us that Osaka has been placed at a disadvantageous position. In his work
detailing the life of a middle-aged Osaka-born man living in Tokyo, Masaaki
Kitagawa focuses on the aforementioned cultural differences from an
everyday perspective, in the form of a diary.
One of the most definitive and objectively titled works done on Osaka
culture, Kōichi Ōtani's "Osakagaku", examines Osaka through a variety of
places and problems that are seen as decidedly Osaka, including illegal
parking, manzai comedians and sense of humor, supermarkets, and Osaka
dialect before moving on to matters more geographical in nature. Ōtani
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concludes his work by informing us of something that remains largely
ignored when discussing Osaka - Osaka has two very different personalities,
marked by a geographical divide, called "Kita" and "Minami" by those in
Osaka. According to Ōtani, understanding this difference between Kita and
Minami is key to understanding Osaka7. Thus the fact that this difference is
easily overlooked adds to the city being misconstrued. Very simply, Kita
refers to the northern area of Osaka, which Ōtani calls the "face" of Osaka,
while Minami refers to the southern area of Osaka, which constitutes the
city's internal organs. One interpretation of this is that Kita is more concerned
with visual appearance, and is in that respect more subdued than Minami.
Minami, in comparison, is the more visceral part of the city, less concerned
with appearance than with "what's inside". This cultural difference within
Osaka is the result of Minami having been Osaka's amusement and
entertainment district replete with long established stores, and Kita being the
newer area of the city marked by the development of the Hankyu department
store by entrepreneur Ichizō Kobayashi8.
These differences between Kita and Minami are obvious to those who
have resided in Osaka. Within the context of film and other popular culture
endeavours however, we could just as easily say that Minami is perceived as
being the face of Osaka. Yoshinobu Takebe in his work on motion pictures
filmed in Osaka takes notice of the fact that there are very few films using
Kita as the backdrop. The reason, according to Takebe, is simple - Kita is not
"Osaka" enough9. Whereas much of Kita is either hidden underground in the
form of subterranean shopping arcades, or jutting high above ground in the
form of department stores and office buildings expanding vertically in space,
Minami appears to be much less ordered, and expands horizontally in space.
Kita is just like any other area in Japan, and thus receives much less attention
than Minami, or more specifically the Shinsekai area of Minami. Again,
using Otoko wa Tsurai yo - Naniwa no Koi no Torajirō as an example, the
opening shot of the first scene occurring in Osaka is of the Tsutenkaku
Tower, which is the building that marks one's arrival not only in Shinsekai,
but in Osaka.
This distinction between Kita and Minami is of particular importance
for our purposes here for several reasons. First, it tells us that despite there
being at least two very different sides to Osaka, in on- and off-screen
depictions the city is relegated to the one side that could possibly be
contrasted to other cities in Japan (particularly Tokyo). This
oversimplification and obfuscation, in turn, provides a situation in which
Osaka and its citizens can either be stereotyped as carefree or cheerful in any
given situation, or easily vilified. Secondly, Shinsekai is the area in which
Jarinko Chie takes place, and thus lends to the characters those qualities that
could champion one character, while vilifying another. Keeping in mind
Osaka’s being defined through a juxtaposition with Tokyo, and the forced
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Jarinko Chie and Yā-san Tetsu:
Representing the Face, Heart and Underbelly of Osaka
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relegation of a multi-faceted Osaka to an oversimplified concept, we are
finally ready to look at the film adaptation of Jarinko Chie, and how Chie
and her father represent both the cheerful, hard-working side of Osaka, and
the more sinister, villainous side of Osaka.
3.
Jarinko Chie and the Many Faces of Tetsu
Jarinko Chie is of a different breed than other stories sharing a similar
history of having developed from a comic book, thus resulting in a different
sort of film - a film completely dependent on cultural iconography to make
sense of it. There is no final enemy to destroy. There are no superpowers to
be unlocked or discovered. There is very little feeling of redemption at the
end. In fact, it has no real end.
As previously mentioned, the film takes place in the Shinsekai area of
Osaka, as can be seen by the presence of the Tsutenkaku Tower landmark.
While Shinsekai is seen as one of the more nostalgic areas of Osaka, it comes
with a history perhaps traversed by many areas that once enjoyed a period of
livelihood. Until WWII, Shinsekai was home to an amusement park, movie
theatre, stage theatre, and rows of eateries on par with Tokyo’s Asakusa
district10. After WWII however, Shinsekai became somewhat of a forgotten
area of Osaka, and escaped any significant development. This is partially
why to this day, Shinsekai - literally meaning “New World” - ironically has a
nostalgic feel to it.
Chie, the star of the film, is from a broken home, in this somewhat
neglected part of Osaka. Her mother and father - Yoshie and Tetsu - are
separated, though still married. Chie's feelings about her parents are fairly
clear by the manner in which she addresses them. While Chie calls Yoshie
"Mom", she refers to Tetsu by his first name, calling him "Dad" only when
she needs him to acquiesce. Chie is also close to her grandparents on Tetsu's
side of the family. Additionally close to Chie and her family is Tetsu's former
elementary school teacher, who served as the matchmaker between Tetsu and
Yoshie in their arranged marriage, and of whom Tetsu is terribly afraid. What
is important to note here, is that all of these characters serve as a
counterbalance in Chie's life, protecting her from being overly influenced or
discouraged by her father. This leads us to the question, exactly what kind of
man is Tetsu?
Throughout the film, Tetsu proves to be a "Yā-san" - a derivative of
the term "Yakuza" which refers to the members of Japan's underground crime
syndicates, for which violence may or may not be a means to an end.
However, in Tetsu's case, the term Yā-san can be interpreted a bit more
loosely, and refers more to Tetsu's violent tendencies than his membership in
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any crime syndicate. Tetsu proves to have many faces, most of them
extremely negative. Below is a brief synopsis of the many faces of Tetsu.
Tetsu the Liar - The film begins with Tetsu telling his father that Chie
was sick at home, and that he needed money to take care of her. Ignoring
precedent, he lends his son the money, which is already known to Chie by the
time Tetsu returns home. Tetsu's grandmother yells at her husband, saying
that Tetsu once even told them that Chie had died to convince them to give
him a sum of money. What we have learned in the very beginning of the film
is that Tetsu is a habitual liar for whom nothing is sacred when the objective
is to get money.
Tetsu the Gambler - Tetsu's pursuit of money is for one purpose - to
squander it all on gambling. Chie, who remains acutely aware of this, goes
out of her way to hide any and all money from her father. Throughout the
film, when Tetsu is not within sight of Chie or any of the other protagonists,
it can almost be assumed that he is out gambling.
Tetsu the Cheater - Tetsu the Cheater is the logical progression of
Tetsu the Liar and Tetsu the Gambler. Just because Tetsu gambles does not
mean that he is particularly skilled at it. He very often loses, and as one might
expect, he is not a graceful loser. When he can, he cheats his way out of a
loss with such childish ploys as telling his opponent that there is something
behind him, or even asking for proof that his losses are as extensive as
claimed. What is important to note is that Tetsu does not cheat for cheating's
sake. He cheats only to avoid losing money, telling us again that what is most
important, is that his balance sheet can be filled out in black ink. Tetsu being
unwilling to give in, the owners of the gambling facilities, who are also Yāsan of sorts do what their line of work determines they should do - react
violently to physically usurp what is owed them.
Tetsu the Violent - Tetsu's habits of lying, gambling, and cheating
would be unsustainable if he lacked the ability to enforce his will. Tetsu thus
finds himself in as many physical conflicts as he does games of chance. In
fact, acts of violence are Tetsu's one and only forte. When Chie finds her
unemployed father a job with the very people to whom Tetsu had been
dodging payment of a debt, the only prerequisite is an ability to fight. Upon
Chie telling him that she found a job for him, Tetsu cannot believe it,
quipping, "So, let me get this straight. I'm going to get paid for beating up
Yā-san... So in actuality, it's not work so much as it is pursuing my hobby."
Tetsu the Embarrassing - Needless to say, being the child of a lying,
gambling, cheating, violent father is a great embarrassment to Chie, and
Tetsu holds nothing back in embarrassing her even further. On one occasion,
Tetsu unexpectedly shows up to Chie's school on parent participation day,
which in itself is enough to embarrass Chie. Chie is so embarrassed that she
loses the ability to perform in class, and refuses to raise her hand to answer
any of the questions that the teacher asks. Tetsu conveniently vocally blames
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Jarinko Chie and Yā-san Tetsu:
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the teacher (Hanai) for being partial towards the other students. Naturally,
this mortifies Chie, and she begins to cry. Tetsu being Tetsu continues to
blame the teacher, ultimately relying on his assortment of threats and
violence, telling Hanai, "I know that this is not the proper place, so I'll be
waiting for you outside the school gates. Don't try to run away. You're going
to urinate blood tomorrow." In the same scene, Tetsu also hits one of Chie's
classmates. Thus, Tetsu's violence comes at the detriment of Chie.
Tetsu the Ignorant and Irresponsible - That Tetsu is ignorant and
irresponsible is by now no longer moot. The point is given even further
credence through Tetsu's wishes to make his daughter resemble himself.
After being so thoroughly embarrassed through Tetsu's participation in her
class, Chie threatens to quit school. Instead of admonishing her, Tetsu smiles
broadly, distressing Chie even more by telling her that he hated school as
well, and that they are thus two peas in a pod.
Tetsu the Unconcerned - Chie, feeling tired and discouraged threatens
to leave home and begin a life of her own using the money that she has
secretly saved. Tetsu, instead of telling her to stay, demands that she leaves
the money at home before she departs. Again, even if meant as a passing
joke, we see that money has more relevance for Tetsu than does his family.
Tetsu the Jealous and Selfish - Chie secretly rendezvous with her
mother, Yoshie, throughout the film. She cannot see Yoshie without Tetsu
becoming jealous, and thus her and her mother are forced to hide their
relationship from Tetsu. When Tetsu coincidentally catches sight of Chie and
Yoshie at a local festival, he withdraws from Chie's life, even refusing to
return home. However, we later learn that Tetsu is not so much hurt as he is
craving for attention, and although he sulks when Chie visits him at his
workplace, he actually enjoys being the object of her attention.
Tetsu the Instigator - Chie befriends a local stray cat, whom she calls
"Kotetsu", literally meaning "small Tetsu" - a name she chose in light of the
cat's fighting ability resembling that of her father. Tetsu manages to anger
Kotetsu, who retaliates by throwing a stool, hitting Tetsu in the face. Tetsu,
sulking as usual, devises a plan to instigate a fight between Kotetsu and
Antonio Jr., who is the son of a cat that Kotetsu had defeated in an earlier
altercation. The violent Tetsu therefore sees violence between others as a
lark.
To say that Tetsu is a representation of the image of Osaka would be
far from an overstatement. This image is made possible even further due to
the propensity to restrict Osaka to its Minami area, and made even more
possible when we consider how Minami is often represented by the Shinsekai
area, which we have already mentioned is an area that time has somewhat
forgotten. There is a steady proliferation of images that place unsavoury
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characters such as Tetsu within the Shinsekai area. As Takebe mentions,
films such as Onibi (1997), Koigokudō (1997), and Osaka Gokudō Sensō Shinoidare (1994) all help to solidify the image that Shinsekai is an area in
which only two words are of any influence - money and Yakuza11. Despite
there being quite a number of Yakuza films based in Tokyo (Ichi the Killer
comes to mind), people consider those films made in Osaka to be of a
different, scarier standard. The reason for this, as is also pointed out by
Takebe, is the use of Osaka dialect. Of course, this is often an
oversimplification as well, as the words used by Yakuza in film are not
always of the type of Osaka dialect that we would be likely to hear being
used by everyday people in Osaka12. That, however, is of little concern, for as
we have already mentioned, the dialect used greatly influences exactly where
the audience will place the film, as well as the audience’s expectations
towards what they will see and hear in the film. In that sense, Tetsu is par for
the course. It is in this manner that the denigration and vilification of Osaka
provides a readily used platform from which to create villainous types as if
from a mould.
4.
The Juxtaposition of Virtue and Villainy
Despite Tetsu being one of the worst possible examples of fatherhood
to grace the big screen, Jarinko Chie prevents the audience from parting
ways with the film through the juxtaposition of Tetsu and Chie, thereby
contrasting the villainous with the virtuous. We can argue that it is this very
juxtaposition that makes Chie all the more attractive. In other words, Jarinko
Chie tells us that the precondition of the existence of positive elements is the
existence of villainous elements. Instead of living in a vacuum, they coexist,
giving value to each other through occupying the same time and space. Chie
resembles Tetsu in many ways. She can be violent. She cares about money
more than other children her age, perhaps because she is the breadwinner of
her house. She is much more likely to hit her father than he is to hit her.
Nonetheless, unlike Tetsu, these traits form the trademark of a little girl who
comes from a city that takes to heart life’s matters, and will fiercely protect
that heart. Chie Takemoto is Osaka’s redemption.
Notes
1
Jarinko Chie Research Society, viewed on 1 August 2009 <http://www.jarinko.com>
Trey Parker and Matt Stone (Creators), ‘Trapper Keeper’ South Park Season 5, 2000, DVD.
3
G Fujimoto, Osaka • Tokyo Zenikane Bunkaron - Kono Chigai ga Omoroi. Ie no Hikari Kyōkai, Tokyo, 1999, p. 16.
4
Y Yamada (Director), Otoko wa Tsurai yo - Naniwa no Koi no Torajirō, 1981, DVD.
5
K Higuchi, Osakajin to Tokyojin - Naze chigau? Dō chigau? Doko made chigau? Goma Books, 2003, p. 67.
6
A Bourdain, ‘Osaka’ No Reservations Season 2, 2006, electronic download.
7
K Ōtani, Osakagaku. Shinchō Bunko, Tokyo, 1994, p. 200.
8
Y Takebe, Zenbu Osaka no Eiga ya nen. Heibonsha, Tokyo, 2000, pp.60-61.
9
Takebe, p. 60.
10
K Wakaichi, Osaka Chimei no Yurai o Aruku. Best Shinsho, Tokyo, 2008, pp. 106-107.
11
Takebe, p. 174.
12
Takebe, p. 175.
2
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Jason Christopher Jones is an Assistant Professor at the Osaka University of Economics and Law, Faculty of Liberal Arts
and Sciences. His interests include analyzing film remakes and adaptations of every variety, and pursuing technological and
cultural endeavours of any kind, including making and editing his own short films.