Rapeman?!
Trigger Warning
Apparently there's a comic called Rapeman that features a superhero who sexually assaults women who have "wronged" men. Anyone know anything about this craziness?
Thanks to Maddy for the link.
Posted by Jessica - December 22, 2008, at 09:33AM
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The internet knows. Apparently it was a black comedy manga series started nearly 25 years ago by a female writer.
I know this is some sort of anime from the 80's, that I've heard of and refused to watch, but I didn't know it was written by a woman?!? What the hell is wrong with her?
What's wrong with her? The same thing that's wrong with any writer who features a murderer as a protagonist -- nothing.
The fact that the characters are twisted doesn't mean the writer is, too.
A character is the product of its writer, no?
As a writer the characters are a product of the writer, but you can have some seriously screwed up characters and not be seriously screwed up yourself. However, I would like to add that this is a case where the main character does something completely repulsive over and over again. And she writes it so that the women often fall in love with him. That is sick and a sick thing to write about.
So yes, I think in this case, this writer is wrong and there very well could be something wrong with HER if she doesn't see how awful what she is putting out there is.
Very true. Can I throw out there, though, that may be she does know?
The great and wise Wikipedia describes Rapeman as "black comedy." Could the manga be satire, a tongue-in-cheek mockery of popular culture -- where, at least on TV shows, rape victims are often shown marrying their rapists?
The biggest issue, I think, is with the studio (Pink Pineapple), not the writer. Keiko Aisaki stopped the comic after 13 volumes. Pink Pineapple created nine Rapeman live-action feature films, where they changed the costume from the manga (Rapeman had a penis-shaped mask, in itself a decent argument towards satire) to the ninja-esque outfit that we see here.
So, in short, I think we've been furious at the wrong target. The writer wrote a satire. The studio took it way, way too far.
Very true. Can I throw out there, though, that may be she does know?
The great and wise Wikipedia describes Rapeman as "black comedy." Could the manga be satire, a tongue-in-cheek mockery of popular culture -- where, at least on TV shows, rape victims are often shown marrying their rapists?
The biggest issue, I think, is with the studio (Pink Pineapple), not the writer. Keiko Aisaki stopped the comic after 13 volumes. Pink Pineapple created nine Rapeman live-action feature films, where they changed the costume from the manga (Rapeman had a penis-shaped mask, in itself a decent argument towards satire) to the ninja-esque outfit that we see here.
So, in short, I think we've been furious at the wrong target. The writer wrote a satire. The studio took it way, way too far.
I'm curious if anyone (someone who can read japanese?) can weigh in on the original comic. The mask thing does sound sort of ridiculous, maybe it is somehow satire. Does anyone know? Either way, the clip linked here doesn't make it look like satire.
I think this whole thread is like blind people trying to describe an elephant, except the elephant left the room 20 years ago.
And may very well have tentacles at this point.
Perhaps you have a suggestion for a better approach? We'd be interested to hear it.
Something apart from using a contextless post to generate outrage without a target (absent the invention of an outrage-powered, time-traveling DeLorean), unless somebody wants to start with the next closest thing... a boycott of Steve Albini-produced albums. Because even his Rapeman album is 20 years old at this point.
I generally ignore threads that irritate me, unless I have some constructive input on how we could approach the issue better. But then, I've never found generalized snarky comments to be that helpful.
Oh, he's right everyone. We're past the 20 year statute of limitations on analyzing rape in our culture. Everyone pack it up and go home.
I'd like to point out that Western and Eastern culture is different. It's not rape in our culture; it's rape in their culture. Still a horrendous aspect of Japanese culture -- idealize rape -- but you cannot apply it to Western culture as it's NOT.
In the words of the brilliant Twisty Faster, "culture is just another word for patriarchy." And that's a putrid state we ALL live in, whether in the US or Japan.
From what I can tell, the post was made simply for the purpose of commenting on something that's disturbing (regardless of when it happened) and also asking for more information on it. There's vintage sexism posts on here frequently, and I suspect no one jumps up and goes marching off to protest nor do the maintainers of this blog ask for such a reaction.
Anyway, I can't boycott Steve Albini because he's worked with PJ Harvey and Fugazi, so that would just suck.
Sorry about the double-post. My Internet's been screwed up lately.
Strat, you make a very good point. If it is indeed satire then I feel bad for her if the studio took it further (and in a different direction) than she intended it to go.
True, but what about the fact that the overall MESSAGE of Rapeman is that his actions are just?
Alex from "A Clockwork Orange" is a character who rapes and revels in being violent, but it is understood to be part of a commentary on society , how it deals with it's criminals, and whether or not rehabilitation is possible. We understand despite what Alex thinks of himself, what he is doing is not good and not being endorsed.
Rapeman presents a world where women "have it coming" because they have somehow "wronged" male characters who then hire the Rapeman to "put them in their place" I seriously doubt there is any attempt at a greater statement being made here.
When it comes to the anime, sure, it's fucked up.
But as open_sketch notes later in the comment thread, the original (the manga) was satire.
That's what I was pointing out: there were other possible motivations for Rapeman that no one had mentioned.
It appears to be real, and even more disturbing than it first appears:
wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rapeman
IMDB live action review:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287649/
(warning, the review is extremely disturbing)
There's a band named after them, too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeman
From the article:
Rapeman's performances would often be the target of protestors, who felt that the band was mocking or even encouraging rape and violence against women. Albini has described such criticisms as idiotic, arguing that punk ideology is generally very sympathetic to feminism.
Yeah, so many problems with that. Self-described progressive men so frequently have a problem giving up their douchery.
Hmm...so Steve Albini has his head shoved up his ass.
Only 7:41 am and I've already learned something new! Thanks.
Albini describes himself as a progressive man? Ha. I guess I learn something new every day, too. I always figured even he could only ever describe himself as an ass, and proudly at that.
I mean, the band's LP was named after a bestiality magazine, and there's a song on it called "Kim Gordon's Panties." Neither it nor any of that band's others is nearly as good as his other bands', though.
the IMDB review really is disturbing. The rape scenes are "tame"? A "perfect film to cheer someone up?" that is just sick...
Here is the wiki page on the anime:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rapeman
Wow, every time I think hentai cannot get any more repulsive or sexist and voila! There is always something worse. What I am a bit worried about is the "cult following" in the West and that some people got so inspired that they named their music band after it?!
While Japan still retains many sexist molds in its society, crime has always been quite low. This is inspite of the enormous amount of hentai and avs produced that are just gobbled up by the middle aged salarymen bracket. I always wonder if any study has gone into domestic violence and marital rape and if they are ever reported. I'm not sure if it is my paranoia that so much media about violence against women can be consumed by a society and very little repercussions take place (at least compared ot the West). Is it that the crimes aren't reported or maybe the Japanese are very good at laying lines between fantasy and reality? More importantly, what does rape as a fantasy for a man mean?
So confused...
-anin
Regarding crime in Japan, I also have to wonder how much domestic violence and sexual assault is simply not reported to the authorities. We hear about the groping on public transportation, and I think there are even special female only trains in Japan so that women can avoid being assaulted. I've even seen photos of supposed products that women can buy to avoid being raped -- one was a costume that she can put on so she can masquerade as a vending machine. I never could figure out if that was a real product or a joke.
Somewhat relatedly, I recently saw a documentary about depression in Japan. The issue of depression was simply not discussed for a long time, and it was only after the pharmaceutical companies started peddling their drugs that it was publicly recognized.
My point is that just because it's culturally frowned upon to talk about certain topics it doesn't mean those things don't exist or aren't happening.
I believe there are studies showing that even the rate of unreported rape in Japan is still very low. Certainly much lower than in the U.S.
I don't think fantasies of violence necessarily have to lead to violence. According to a good friend of mine who lives there, people in Thailand are obsessed with horribly gory and violent movies, such as Saw and other such films. Meanwhile, the country is Buddhist and has very low violent crime. (Although its sex trade is another ball of wax.)
sorry, but i call bullshit. not on you, but on the perpetrators of this LIE that rape in Japan is uncommon. Some insight into why it is so underreported:
If you are raped, you report the rape to authorities in detail.
You are then made to go back to the 'scene of the crime' with the authorities.
THEN (and this is awful), you RE-ENACT the scene using the police or investigators, ostensibly so that they can have the facts right in order to prosecute. (?!)
The authorities see nothing wrong with this.
Are you from Japan? I never knew that was the case over there, thanks for telling me...
Regarding Hentai, etc., maybe because it's only drawings people turn a blind eye. If it's real people, it is easier to objectify someone. Manga and Anime are so obviously not real, so it may be easier not to apply the same attitudes to real people...?
I should clarify that I do not know that this is the case in all of Japan. My close friend who lived through this was close to Tokyo, and this took place close to Yokosuka:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/victims-are-finally-learning-to-speak-out-against-japan%E2%80%99s-outdated-rape-laws
I also know that other strong factors in not reporting are the ingrained gender roles, such as deference to males and elders, as well as saving face for the family. If the rapist is known to the victim, it is even worse as it is often not taken seriously. (sound familiar?)
I have no clue about how common rape is in Japan, but I do know that the crime rate in Japan seems to be very low. At the same time, I also do know about the molestation in trains that are reported to be quite frequent (as another poster had mentioned) and that the victims rarely shout for attention or help because of the "shame" involved.
That's why I always feel very disturbed when I come across hentai with exploitation, rape, loli, forced-incest and so on. I am not one of those convinced that violence in media will perpetuate it in real life, BUT when one considers the volume of hentai available and its popularity, it is impossible to ignore that a majority of a country's male population seems to be okay with treating women in a derogatory and cruel fashion in their fantasy. So, how is it possible that the crime rate is still low? Answer, as you said, it probably isn't. Reporting of crime is low.
When I was in Japan waiting for the train, we suddenly got this announcement that there was an "Accident" and so the train is going to be delayed by 6 mins. I later found out that this is a code word for a suicide, that is, someone had thrown themselves off the platform into the train's path. And this happens quite regularly. So, I think we can state that the Japanese are masters at understatement. Maybe it is the same with the crime rate too?
-anin
Japan's low rate of REPORTED crimes has a LOT to do with Japan's large organized crime community, the Yakuza.
They commit a high proportion of Japan's crimes, and, unlike the Mafia here, they operate openly - down to and including having offices, business cards and all the other things legitimate businesses have.
Needless to say, reporting a crime committed by a Yakuza member would be a death sentence for the person stupid enough to call the cops on them.
On the question of rape - marital rape is legal in Japan, and acquaintance rapes aren't considered real rapes.
And even for those who are victimized by the classic 'dragged in the bushes' rape - as the above poster pointed out, the cops humiliate the survivor as much or more than the rapist.
As for the unreported rapes - put it this way, there is a new cultural form in Japan, the 'cell phone novels'.
These are novels written in text messages by amateur writers - mostly young women.
According to a recent article in the Atlantic Monthly, almost all of these novels have the rape of the heroine of the book as a major story element.
Many of these novels are also at least in part autobiographical.
Obviously, rape must be a common feature in the lives of young Japanese women if it is so commonly written about by them in their books.
In any case, it's clear that Japanese police have a strong institutional stake in making sure that REPORTED crimes are very low - this does not mean that crime doesn't happen, just that it gets kept out of the press.
Misuse of the word superhero. At least use scary air quotes.
You know, I had the scare quotes on there - but I took them off because I had scare quotes on 'wronged' as well. (Didn't want people to think I was going scare quote crazy!) But definitely. Not a superhero.
Holy jebus. That's disgusting! A woman wrote that piece of shit??? *vomits* She needs a checkup from the neck up!
This is horrifying, and an embarrassment to the comic book/graphic novel industry. Just as the medium of graphic novels is finally starting (*starting*) to move toward equality, just as there are some women (Jessica Abel, Lynda Barry, Marjane Satrapi) who are becoming icons in this field, things like this come along. I realize it's older, but the fact that it even exists is a stain on the medium of comics/manga/graphic novels. It frustrates me as an aspiring graphic novelist. It infuriates me as a woman.
I need to go read some Jessica Abel or Alison Bechdel right now...
May I recommend some Diane DiMassa?
I'm not familiar with diMassa--I'll have to look her up! I just discovered Faith Erin Hicks, though, and she's awesome. I also forgot Dylan Meconis and Danielle Corsetto (both web comic artists). There's so much good happening in the world of graphic novels. It sucks that there is also trash like this to make the whole industry look bad. It's not like the industry doesn't have a history of misogyny anyway...:(
Diane DiMassa did a comic called "Hothead Paisan Homocidal Lesbian Terrorist", which primarily consisted of the titular character offing misogynists of every stripe. Hey--they want their angry vengeful fantasies--let me have mine. The comic also frequently addressed gender and queer issues. I thought it might provide a good cleansing of the palate from the foul taste that is Rapeman.
http://www.hotheadpaisan.com/
thank you for mentioning her
http://www.hotheadpaisan.com/Pages9.07/Art.html
here is a link to her website which is fantastic!
why not go there instead of clicking on this youtube video to watch a show that revolts us and adds views for this user who posted this insulting cartoon. I don't understand the logic here sometimes. Why would we want to promote what we dislike?
I am curious about the female writer of this cartoon clip featured above, more so than the video itself. Can someone mention her name and give any details or bio that might enlighten us?
Being a female writer of a cartoon series myself, I am always wondering what my point is it I'm trying to make and how I want to display it. And how the socio-sexual rearing I've undergone in my life influences me to make the decisions I make with my show. I'd love to have a discussion with her about that.
Something tells me, I'll be back to talk more about this.
This is fundamentally offensive and disturbing.
I find it interesting that rape is seen as a fair punishment for the "crimes" of women, not only for crimes that sexually/emotionally "wrong" men (that apparently need a superhero to rectify since they are such a huge injustice), but also for petty thievery (swindling people out of money).
Though I obviously disagree with the line of logic, I could originally see how some readers might see rape as a "punishment of passion" to fit a "crime of passion" like cheating on a boyfriend, but clearly the idea here is that rape is a suitable punishment for any crimes women commit because it is a punishment *just for women*.
You know what else is awful, one of the things the narrator listed in what those women did wrong was: "left their boyfriends." What the fuck? How does leaving your boyfriend make you deserve rape? That's disgusting.
took the words right out of my mouth
Yeah, it's been around the fandom circles for a while. I don't harp too much on porn.
I can not believe there is a rapeman, which thats just creepy I might add.
The only thing I can say on this cartoon's behalf is that they call him what he is, RAPEman. We all know of too many circumstances when society fails to come out and say the word rape, thereby diminishing or deliberately hiding just what has happened.
Perhaps this lends to the argument that this is indeed satire, as I find that rape-apologists rarely have the guts to call it what it is.
At any rate, I am repulsed by it, especially if it was once satire but has been twisted to lose it's only redeeming quality.
Rapeman's motto is "righting wrongs through penetration." WTF???? How messed up is that?
This is seriously evil misogyny.
I can't believe that any but the most twisted minds would think that rape is justified in some (many?) cases, and yet that is what the reviewers on IMDB seem to think.
I don't know what to say. Is there any hope for equal treatment for women in society? Reading crap like this makes me seriously wonder.
I originally encountered this, or something very much like it, in a book about modern Japanese views on sex, cultural and practical. It goes into some detail about the role of geisha as well, even though they do not provide sex as I am sure most of you know.
I do not remember the name of the book nor the author at this time. If anyone is interested I will try to find it again and post the information.
I'm interested, if you have the energy.
This is appalling.
Sorry for the delay in responding, I have been involved with some family medical issues and this is the first chance I have had to check for any responses.
I will get back to you with the information as soon as I can.
I have looked high and low for the book without success. Fortunately, my wife remembered the name so I could look it up. It is Pink Samurai: love, Marriage & Sex in Contemporary Japan by Nicholas Bornoff.
I don't remember how deeply Rapeman was covered, but it was the first place I had read about it. I would recommend reading it as it was a very interesting read. The examples of bias against women can be very aggravating though.
Normally I'm pretty libertarian about most things and hard to offend but this is crazy. This is a WTF moment.
I know that the original manga was satire, parodying porn, cultural perception and masculinity. Unfortunately, the parody didn't carry over with the character. As someone who discovered this, was appalled, then had it explained in detail by a Japanese friend, the original was generally a vehicle for exposing double standards, and it shifted gears and audiences in order to make money when the rights were purchased.
Unfortunately this happens a lot with things which were originally made as a satire of poor attitudes towards women. Apparently Married With Children started off as a satire too but a lot of the audience just did. not. get. it. and instead you have guys saying Al Bundy is their Hero.
I don't think our society or Japans' is in a climate where people 'get' satirical misogyny and really maybe people should stop trying for satire and go a different route..
If it was really a satire I can't imagine how uncomfortable it must be for the creator that it turned into this...
For all the people wondering about crime rates in Japan-yeah, violent crime is low, but sexual harassment, rape and domestic violence are astronomically under-reported. Being groped on the train is common, and one guy even masturbated on my bike.
And, not that I think Rapeman would actually cause anyone to go out and rape, but it is pretty awful. The only defense for it is that it's pretty similar to a lot of other hentai, or pronographic, manga and anime where sex is used as a weapon. Devilman, Uretsuki Doji, and almost any gay male show all have horribly violent or jarring rape scenes. Rape sucks in Japan, yeah, but I don't think the attitude about it is quite the same as it is here, for whatever reason. if it happens, you're supposed to ignore it and try to get on with your life. I don't think people emphasize the need for healing or the desire to come to terms with it.
For all the people wondering about crime rates in Japan-yeah, violent crime is low, but sexual harassment, rape and domestic violence are astronomically under-reported.
And, not that I think Rapeman would actually cause anyone to go out and rape, but it is pretty awful. The only defense for it is that it's pretty similar to a lot of other hentai, or pronographic, manga and anime where sex is used as a weapon. Rape sucks in Japan, yeah, but I don't think the attitude about it is quite the same as it is here, for whatever reason.
sorry about the double post
WTF!? I thought Law & Order: SVU made this shit up! It's a real comic? Fuck.
This is somebody's review of the film; it's horrifying. I don't want to live on the same planet with this person:
Most people find the subject of rape a very strong, criminal and evil part of life. And they have every right to believe that way. Then there are other people who think rape can be used as a means of justice, a way to avenge rights and honor. Well, before this movie I always thought Rape was a weird touchy subject. Obviously there's some whacked out nut cases out there, hurting people and families for their own sick pleasures and some of these sickos will actually commit murder. But I also believed that the act of rape can be a desirous outcome for certain people. Well, the latter is tackled somewhat in a movie I'll most likely never forget...Their motto is "Righting Wrongs Through Penetration". One of the funniest and "coolest" mottos I've ever heard.
I've lived in Japan for 16 years, and I've never heard of this manga, but it's existence doesn't surprise me. Their brand of satire is quite different from ours, so I'm quite sure that the comic was meant as some sort of statement AGAINST the patriarchy, but most likely it was taken over by others who saw a chance to support their own twisted and perverted views.
Crime IS low in Japan, even in Tokyo, where I live, which is supposedly the most dangerous city. I've never felt afraid walking alone even late at night, and you very rarely hear reports of violent crime. When you do, the yakuza (mafia) are almost always involved.
It is also true, however, that the majority of sex crimes go unreported. First there's the shame factor, which women in western countries feel as well, but added to that they still have a blame the victim mentality. This is reinforced by the police, who interrogate rape victims as if they were the criminals. If a woman doesn't have serious injuries, she's questioned mercilessly as to why she didn't fight or resist MORE, as if a woman has to have the shit beat out of her to make a rape a rape. A couple of years ago, there were some university students caught drugging and raping women at "rape parties". A Japanese politician, Seiichi Ota, had this to say about it:
"Gang rape shows the people who do it are still vigorous, and that is OK. I think that might make them close to normal."
Can you imagine that?? One thing is for certain is that they are in dire need of a strong feminist movement here. At the moment, "feminist" is used as an insult, meaning the woman is some sort of ugly "loser dog" that no man would want. Women don't want to call themselves feminists, and most seem to prefer being controlled by the patriarchy to being self-reliant and responsible. Personally, I think that people who refuse to fight for their rights are only hurting themselves.
I agree. It's unfortunate. I dunno how you can make people fight for their rights.
On the other hand, women are more self-reliant nowadays, and most of my Japanese female friends don't hold the same values as their parents. I think things will change, but it's going to be slow...
What can I say? Japanese hentai can be incredibly disturbing. It's also always weird to see a well-dressed businessman reading some tentacle porn on the subway.
What can I say? Japanese hentai can be incredibly disturbing. It's also always weird to see a well-dressed businessman reading some tentacle porn on the subway.
Rape as a sexual fantasy is quite normal, of course there is a (reverse?) double standard whereby women with rape fantasies are considered kinky, submissive, or misguided, whereas men with rape fantasies are considered a live and dangerous threat. More generally though, rape as a sexual turn on is much more taboo in our culture, whereas Japan has its own quirky taboos (like showing an uncensored penis or vagina).
This doesn't ignore the fact that Japan is HORRIBLY SEXIST and HOMOPHOBIC, but the success of something like RAPE-U-MAAAAAN! is tangential to the issue. Japan has a sexually disempowered culture, so being both public and sexual in any way, even by reporting sex crimes or holding hands and kissing in public(!) raises a very thorny issue.
I wonder if it's even possible for a culture to sexually conservative and be feminist. I think Japan shows us that it's impossible to cause change without bringing these issues to light.
I was thinking of this comic vs the american show Dexter. Dexter is about a serial killer, and lots of poeple like to watch it. I think there are some key difference though. 1) Dexter is not really presented as a hero. You sympathize with him but he's definitely messed up. 2) Dexter only kills people who have committed murder.
I think that last one is really important. Even though in principle we condemn vigilante justice, we can sympathize with a TV character who does it, especially since he's careful to make sure he has the right person.
What do you think the reaction here would be if Rapeman's thing was to find men who have raped women and rape them as punishment?
I think the reaction would be that sexual assault is fucked up no matter who it happens to. People would still be disturbed.
"What do you think the reaction here would be if Rapeman's thing was to find men who have raped women and rape them as punishment?"
Then there's two rapes--how is that any better? I've never gone in for people who use the idea of prison rape, for example, as a source of schadenfraude or justice being done. "Well, the guy who raped you and those other kids, Rusty, well now he's going to prison and will get raped up the butt by a bunch of bigger men than him!" This never made me particularly happy, if anything I didn't want to have anything to empathize with him about.
Regarding Dexter Morgan,yeah, he's also a revenge-fantasy character. But it still feels different for a few reasons. First, consider the transgressions involved: Dexter wants to kill both women and men who are killers themselves, and have taken innocent lives. Rapeman, by contrast, wants to rape ONLY women, for crimes such as breaking up with their boyfriends. These two things seem pretty different to me.
Secondly, does Rapeman ever reflect or question what he's doing? Dexter is prone to existential musing, he alternately seems to either condemn himself as a monster or make excuses and justifications for himself. The more he learns about his foster father the more he questions the ethics he's been taught. Does Rapeman ever go through anything like this, stop and say "hey, maybe this is not cool?" Or is it all seen as ok because it's "just" women who "have it coming"?
Well, yeah, they ARE very different. That was sort of my point. But what if we changed it so that it was more like Dexter-- only attacking people who have hurt innocent people in the same way. (You could include women who committed rapes if you could find any). It would still be disturbing, for sure, but people might be more ok with watching it. Just like clearly lots of people are ok with watching Dexter even if they wouldn't want him around in real life.
Ok, I see what you're saying and I do lurves me some Dexter, but I'm still not feeling it. Just how I am.
I'm not saying people necessarily would or should like it with those changes. I wanted to discuss the differences between this show and a show like Dexter. I identified some obvious differences and I'm saying well, if we changed those, would people like it? Or is rape inherently worse than murder?
I think the first comment about the writer being female is kind of wrong (if you can trust wikipedia)
I just read the first few lines of the japanese wikipedia article and there is stated that they made up the writer Keiko Aisaki so that they dont get any ceirique from females :/
It seems the biggest part wrote Shintaro Miyawaki.
A friend of mine wrote a whole blog entry on this: http://brechto.blogspot.com/. Interesting
Hm. "Madame, you have wronged someone, through swindling them. Prepare for vengeance dicking!"
See, my girlfriend bugs me for reading Western comic books due to rampant sexism, but...wow.
Don't forget the live-action movies.
Disturbing though it is, it really is intended as something resembling comedy. Probably not good first date material, though.