Ever met someone who just has that aura about him that makes you want to turn away? If you've lived as long as I have, you know that's pretty normal. Hasty generalizations and preconceived notions are built from experience and shaped by our instincts for self-preservation.
I'm sorry, but I'm not going to want to get acquainted with a bald guy with a swastika tattooed on his forehead. He may be a nice guy underneath, with a wealth of knowledge he's willing to share. But no thanks.
Now, what if you meet a naked woman with six arms, the lower body of a giant snake, and a Glasgow smile in the mountains in the dead of night? And this is just after you've seen your grandpa high-tail it out of there, knowing that the very same mountain has been the setting for brutal deaths and the source of incurable curses? Only a lunatic wouldn't piss himself right then and there—or faint.
Luckily, for our entertainment, Dara-san of Reiwa, or Reiwa no Dara-san, has not one but two insane kids who are just like, "Hey, lady, your tits are hanging out."
 |
| An idiot gets taken to the shadow realm by Yamatagi Madara |
Who is this naked snake-lady?
Fair warning: Dara-san of Reiwa does feature a bit of nudity. The namesake of the show is a centuries-old deity born from the union of the lower half of a giant snake god that once terrorized the area, the torso of one of the two sisters who eventually quelled its wrath, and several arms taken from the victims of the creature's eventual onslaught.
So, having Dara-san appear naked at the beginning of the anime makes sense. It's not in bad taste or just there for fan service. In fact, her nudity is a pretty good symbol of who she is as a character.
Before the events of the show, Dara-san experienced a traumatic event that drove her to indiscriminately take vengeance on anyone unfortunate—or dumb—enough to cross her path in the mountains. Stripped of her humanity, her wrath eventually replaced the original snake god in the nightmares of the locals. It was this fear that led her to adopt the name Yamatagi Madara.
But after a few centuries, sometime around the 1920s, or the Taisho era, Dara-san's desire for vengeance began to subside. As she puts it, "Even if you never stop hating someone, it takes energy to continue being angry at them."
Now free from the shackles of the lust for vengeance that turned her into Yamatagi-Madara, yet unable to live as we humans do, Dara-san has been stripped of her identity. All that's left is a being who patrols the mountains, making sure humans don't wander into the lands that seal away cursed and evil entities.
Innocence in the face of certain doom... or the prospect of it at least...
Japan's current era, Reiwa, began when Emperor Naruhito ascended the throne and continues to this day. This explains the second part of Dara-san of Reiwa—the anime is set in the present day. But where did Dara-san come from? Enter the Misogiya siblings, Hinata and Kaoru.
The Misogiya family is entrusted with looking after the mountains that house Yamatagi-Madara. Hinata, a middle schooler, is the older sister, while Kaoru, an elementary schooler, is her younger brother. But you wouldn't know that just by looking at them.
 |
| Dara-san is at the center. Guess which of the other two is the two kids is Hinata and which one is Kaoru. Come on, I'll wait. |
Growing up as Misogiyas, the siblings were exposed to the tales of the mountain at an early age. Their grandfather actively looks after the shrine dedicated to Yamatagi-Madara, and their home also contains writings about the creature's history.
One night, during a fierce storm, the siblings' grandfather rushes to the mountains to make sure the shrine is safe. Then, bells ring, signaling the presence of Yamatagi-Madara. And the sensible elder Misogiya runs his ass off.
Unbeknownst to their grandad, the siblings have followed him—and they're greeted by the same bells. But unlike their grandad, these two are different.
We could attribute it to curiosity or innocence.
Instead of treating the monster before them as a scary, malevolent entity to be feared, they simply see her as some naked girl with a snake's lower half. Hinata even reminds the deity how indecent it is to be naked in front of a young boy.
This willingness to look past the tales of terror is what introduces us not to Yamatagi-Madara, but to Dara-san—the nickname Kaoru gives her.
Squeezing Humanity Out of a Monster
It's truly a treat watching Dara-san react to the siblings' nonchalant attitude. For the first time since she was human, she's no longer treated as the scary monster that is Yamatagi-Madara. Though she reminds the siblings of the dangers she could easily pose, they remain calm and playful around her, treating her as... well... human.
And this is where Dara-san of Reiwa showcases its charm.
 |
| Dara-san gets to enjoy some hot meals courtesy of Hinata and Kaoru |
The vengeful Yamatagi-Madara is gone. In her place is a woman cursed to become the very deity humans fear and bound to a mountain. She's never played video games or experienced a trip to the movie theater. Even the simple joy of drinking a cold soda is something she's never experienced. Hinata and Kaoru give her the one thing she was deprived of many centuries ago: the chance to be human.
She's easily swept up in the kids' enthusiasm. After initially encouraging them to stay away, she accepts that these two won't be deterred easily and simply enjoys their company. Like a normal friend group, the three eat hot meals, play video games, and visit the pool. And unlike a normal friend group, they visit the spirit world from time to time.
Dara-san's humanity never truly left her, either. The protectiveness she felt toward others in her human life remains. One example is when she monitors a meeting between Kaoru and his teacher, who looks like a dirty, perverted fatso straight out of a hentai. The shame we humans feel is still there, too. Like when she feels ashamed of having hastily judged the teacher based on his appearance.
AND SHE'S ALSO AN IDIOT! By our standards, at least. Imagine writing "I'm sorry" on the poor teacher's window in what can only be assumed to be blood after realizing she'd wrongly judged him to be a bad guy.
Her relationship with Hinata and Kaoru gives her a second chance at humanity, in a way. Maybe it's the curse or just the passage of time, but she can't remember a huge chunk of her past. Memories of her former life, right down to her name, may have faded. But now, she gets to create new ones.
We all have our pasts, just like her. And just like us, she now gets to have a present because of Hinata and Kaoru.
Dara-san of Reiwa has two faces. On one hand, it's a comedy about how the innocence of youth can overpower the prejudices of conventional wisdom and pave the way for a woman's second chance at life. On the other, it's a tragedy about how humanity can abandon its own, driven by ignorance fertilized by resentment and envy.
I've purposely stayed away from Dara-san's past, which the show explores. It's very dark. But it's quite telling how, in Dara-san of Reiwa, the darkness brought about by the actions of adults is brightened by the curiosity and innocence of youth...
No comments:
Post a Comment