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Debate No. 1
Is Berubara a feminist piece of work?
In many cases, Oscar has been presented
as the epitome of the feminist "heroine" (feminist being used here in its
broader sense). She represent a strong, positive, feminine role model for young
women, not least because she manages to rise in a man only
environment. Although it does take quite a suspense
in belief that a woman could have genuinely served in the Royal military
service, it is nevertheless the base of a story depicting a self assured,
confident character, yet keeping all the attributes of femininity:
- She is very attractive (whether
as a man, or as a woman)
- She has a feminine perception of events and retains the feminine
trait of feeling strong emotions male characters may not perceive (although she
manages - in most cases, and sometimes with a helping hand - to control or
repress them)
- She
remains "real", although one of the most noticeable difference between the Manga
and the animated series is the fact her character appears more "relaxed",
mischievous (in her younger age) and happy (she smiles!) in the Manga, which
hits the nail on the head when it describes her as a more selfish character -
due to her social position - as demonstrated in her treatment of Andre as well
as the episode where she locks herself in her room and refuses to come out until
her 12 men have been released, which has been "slightly" altered in the series.
All in all, her depiction in the Manga renders a more "human" feel, and does
make sense, considering her upbringing (she is still a noble, and a
woman).
Very good, would you tell me. All in
all, doesn't she have all the attributes of a feminine and feminist
icon? Well, there is just a MASSIVE
consideration which knocks down the pretence that Oscar should be a feminist
character at all: the fact that, when Oscar is depicted as "strong", it is, in
every case, when she is acting as a man:
- Her position is assured because of
the disguise (she could hardly lead her troops in a dress!). The royal family
and the Jarjayes family do not judge it necessary for everybody to know her true
gender. All her acts of bravery are conducted while wearing the uniform or
otherwise having opposing characters believing she is a man.
- Her "moments of weakness" (whether
of tears or rage) are all associated with emotions she would feel as a woman,
emotions described as such "to which a man may not have picked up on or reacted
to". Although it is understandable that her position and the ambiguity
surrounding her could prove difficult and quite tiresome, her reactions towards
what she, after all, embraced willingly when she decided to take up the uniform,
are described as totally female, and she blames herself for this part of her
character, thus deciding to "live more like a man", which is equated to "being
stronger and less confused".
- When she decides she is in love
(wakes up to her feelings as a woman and decides to acknowledge them), she gets
back to the typical female role: the dress and the ball. In this female role,
she feels she is allowed to demonstrate her feelings, which, coincidentally,
leads her to feel weak as she ends up crying at the fountain at the same time
she truly embraces her feelings for Fersen. On the other hand, she gives the
impression that her strength is only due to the fact that she can repress those
feelings while in her male role, rather than deal with them, while other male
characters appear to have more freedom over their own feelings and are allowed
to explore them without being viewed as "weaker" when they have to come to term
with them, paradox worth noting. It highlights the point that Oscar is seen as
having to exercise more control over herself because she is a woman, and, while
this proves her strength, this is also seen as the source of her
weakness.
- When she finally decides to give in
to her femininity and her love for Andre, at the same time as she abandons her
"male" role, she also abandons her free will, which made her such a fascinating
character in the first place and thus becomes "the wife of Andre Grandier".
Once joined to a man, she rallies the social position of "regular" women,
leading a very secondary role to their husbands.
Granted the Manga was written in Japan
in the early 70's, however, this character just spent 3/4 of the story as a
strong leading female!
She then proceeds become the accessory
to Andre's will, as it seems obvious that, from now on, she WILL follow him.
This is further reinforced by the declaration to her men that "she is no longer
their Leader, as she is Andre's wife".
Still, it has to be pointed out that, in
the Manga at least, she did ask Andre to come to her room (granted she knew she
wouldn't be facing rejection, especially after declaring her love to him in her
father's office), which may also be seen as paradoxical (keeping in mind the
time and place this was written/drawn).
- The following (and tragic death of
Andre) does reinforce her as a much weaker, but more human, character, as she
seems utterly destroyed by the loss of her beloved (which is a recurring theme
in Shoujo Manga, this might be the only point in Berubara where it might be
considered traditional).
- Finally, her decision to go fight
for the Revolution despite his Death might be seen two ways:
In the animated series, she does look
like she is continuing something Andre and her both started, and she has to be
motivated by Alain, and it feels like it would be betraying him to give up now.
Besides, she knows her fate and the fact that, regardless of the outcome of the
battle, she is set to die anyway.
In the Manga, although she appears more
affected by his death (her desperation is painted much more realistically), she
seems to have a genuine "drive" for France.
However, in both cases, she would have
been tempted to "get away from it all and get married". Had she kept her
"manly" attitude, she would have not even considered such a
possibility.
A vehicle for History, or History as a vehicle for a Romance?
In Japan, the term "romantic" (roman) is
widely used to cover more ground. European history (and French in particular)
is also considered "exotic", and therefore has a certain appeal, but also the
drawback of being "hardly known", although most Japanese have now a basic idea
of the French Revolution in particular.
The fact that Ryoko Ikeda encountered
some difficulties with getting "Berusaiyu no Bara" published at the time,
reflects the fact that it was an ambitious piece of work.
With over 1,800 pages, set in France, in
a time period not so well known, she had to have a strong, accurate knowledge of
the period, historical facts and figures (and must have done some impressive
research on the subject!), as well as developing her own fictional characters
and a romantic story.
In this sense, Berubara could not be
considered your typical "Shoujo Manga". The accent on History is actually put
in different ways in the Manga and the Animated Series.
The way the story is set-up, although
Oscar Francois de Jarjayes is the leading character, she appears later in the
Manga, which presents Marie-Antoinette first, explaining her upbringing and
justifying the period the piece is set in. Non fictional characters also appear
a lot more often and for a longer period in the Manga, as Ikeda is trying to get
more credibility and prepare the scene for the entrance of her fictional
characters, while the Anime is decidedly concentrating more on the central
actors, even fictional, and the action is more limited to them (certainly due to
the fact that the authors needed to cut each event in a convenient 25 minutes
piece).
- The story is, from the start, a piece
of fiction (a woman in the military in these days, in such a position, and how
she does not get noticed as such in Versailles of all places!) and there are
noticeable inaccuracies (the uniforms are more napoleonian, for instance...),
but one fact to notice is that those striking inaccuracies seem to be more
prominent in fictional characters. At the same time, those inaccuracies
seem to "reassure" us that this is a piece of fiction, same as there are scenes
in the Manga which are ultimately designed to "lighten up the mood" and provide
some relief in the middle of a difficult event. Some fictitious characters,
like Nanny, are designed for that function, as well as providing a tool for
action at the same time.
- The interactions between "real" and
entirely fictional characters never lead to incorrect historical facts,
which could (in theory in a work of fiction) be overcome later, but Ryoko Ikeda
does not take the risk and remain very accurate in her description of the
events.
It would be easy to say that the
animated series, as it focuses more on the character of Oscar, tends to be more
"romance" orientated, while the Manga, having to make the point in the first
place that you can set fiction in an historical background, has to introduce the
setting a lot more.
However, for all those who have seen
or read the Manga, this beautiful piece of work contains more romantic
elements than the animated series:
- Oscar is a more "human" character, showing
her feelings more often, and she seems more relaxed - she smiles more
often!
- Andre's
declaration is more heartfelt and heartbreaking.
- The "Poison" incident is very similar to
Romeo & Juliet
- The first kiss after the night in the Tavern
- Fersen and Oscar in many scenes, but
especially the final meeting and subsequent separation
In the end, this just lead me to believe
that this should not even be an issue at all, and should be appreciated as it is
presented by the author: a love story with deep reaching meaning and issues,
which took its strength from as well as it brought into light this historical
settings and would have certainly brought a very different outcome should those
settings have been altered.
This way, the events highlight the
issues raised in the Manga, and the love story does use a lot of the history to
get to its conclusion, making it a compelling piece of work as well as a strong
and passionate romance.
Berusaiyu no Bara; Lady Oscar: All Rights Reserved Ikeda Productions 1972-1973, Tokyo Movie Shinsha Co. 1979-1980.
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