SSStttooonnnyyy BBBrrrooooookkk UUUnnniiivvveeerrrsssiiitttyyy The official electronic file of this thesis or dissertation is maintained by the University Libraries on behalf of The Graduate School at Stony Brook University. ©©© AAAllllll RRRiiiggghhhtttsss RRReeessseeerrrvvveeeddd bbbyyy AAAuuuttthhhooorrr... Mediating Trans/nationalism: Japanese ‘Jun’ai’ (Pure-Love) in Popular Media Representations A Dissertation Presented by I-Te Rita Sung to The Graduate School in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature Stony Brook University August 2016 Stony Brook University The Graduate School I-Te Rita Sung We, the dissertation committee for the above candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, hereby recommend acceptance of this dissertation. E. Ann Kaplan, Distinguished Professor, Dissertation Co-Advisor Cultural Analysis & Theory Krin Gabbard, Professor Emeritus, Dissertation Co-Advisor Cultural Analysis & Theory Jeffrey Santa Ana, Associate Professor, Chairperson of Defense Cultural Analysis & Theory and English Department Leo T.S. Ching, Outside Member, Duke University, Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Aaron A. Gerow, Outside Member, Yale University, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures This dissertation is accepted by the Graduate School Nancy Goroff Interim Dean of the Graduate School ii Abstract of the Dissertation Mediating Trans/nationalism: Japanese ‘Jun’ai’ (Pure-Love) in Popular Media Representations by I-Te Rita Sung Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature Stony Brook University 2016 Since the beginning of the 21st century, the jun’ai (pure-love) genre has flourished in Japan, both in works of popular literature and in film. This phenomenon coincides with a time when the country is seen by the media as being characterized by soshitsukan (sense of loss). In jun’ai films, the heroine is often the object of loss. This theme of loss in jun’ai therefore resonates with the Japanese social context, but this connection has not yet been fully elucidated. In this dissertation, I seek to explain why Japanese women, who are arguably treated as “other” within Japan, embody a transnationalism that is often controlled and restrained for the sake of maintaining a cohesive Japanese national identification. I examine a group of 21st-century Japanese and Taiwanese films that feature a jun’ai sentiment between the heroine and the male protagonist, arguing that the jun’ai sentiment shows a gap between the transnational imagination that individuals aspire to, and a national ideology that manages to bind subjects to the status quo. Jun’ai, as a subgenre of romance, is used as a national allegory for such purpose. To explain how the roles of jun’ai heroines are used to recuperate national identification, I also analyze the concurrent trend of transnational adaptations of Audrey Hepburn’s child-woman persona in television dramas and OL (office lady) fashion magazines, which have popularized a local version of “otona-kawaii” (adult-cute) women in Japan. In these media representations, women’s “foreignness” is controlled through the expression of pure-love and the image of women as “evolving” subjects who are capable of adapting to circumstances and mature through the process. Finally, in order to further explore the transnational potential of the genre, I examine the ways in which jun’ai is used as a national discourse in Taiwan. iii Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my father, Kung-ziao Henry Sung (1948-2014), who would be very happy and proud to learn about the completion of this dissertation. iv Table of Contents Introduction: 1 Jun’ai pathos: A domestic sentiment of loss 2 Crying out love in the center of the world in Japan 10 Purity as a guideline of love 22 Kokusaika (internationalization) and Soshitsukan (Sense of Loss) in 29 Japan’s ‘Lost Decade’ Japan’s sense of loss versus foreign abundance 33 Chapter Descriptions 42 Chapter 46 Women as Pure Love-Objects in “Jun’ai” (Pure-Love) Films One: The sacrificial postures of jun’ai heroines 46 Gendered transnationalism in times of kokusaika (internationalization) 60 Striving to be pure: Japan’s trans/nationalism as an internal struggle 68 Conclusion 75 Chapter 78 “Jun’ai” (Pure-Love) and Amae: The Ambivalent Desire to Love Two: Jun’ai as Amae as “Primary Love” 82 Sayonara Itsuka: Ambivalent love in an age of internationalization 97 A Collaborated Monologue: Calmi Cuori Appassionati and Tokyo 105 Tower Women’s sacrificed presence in domestic transnationalism 109 Conclusion: The sense of loss produced in asymmetrical 114 Internationalism Chapter Trans/national (Dis)connections: Audrey Hepburn and the Re- 118 Three: Making of “Otona-Kawaii” (Adult-Cute) Child-Women in Japanese Popular Media Audrey Hepburn’s child-woman archetype and the Cinderella motif 121 Adaptations of Hepburn’s Cinderella motif in 21st century Japanese 130 television dramas v The otona-kawaii phenomenon in fashion magazines 138 A domestic turn of Japanese otona-kawaii women in romantic 154 television dramas Conclusion 156 Chapter Overcoming the Orphan Complex: Taiwanese Cinema and its 158 Four: Japanese Lover in the Post-Millennium Transcending the Orphan Complex 163 Boosting Taiwanese identity by increasing local visibility 175 A transnational consciousness based on assimilating local differences 179 Building a context-based transnational consciousness 183 Conclusion 189 Conclusion: 192 Jun’ai in the transnational field 197 Bibliography 205 vi List of Figures Still 1. Rainbow Song 56 Still 2. Heavenly Forest 57 Still 3. Sayonara Itsuka 116 Still 4. Calmi Cuori Appassionati 116 Still 5. Tokyo Tower 116 Still 6. I Have to Buy New Shoes 116 Still 7. Cape No.7 175 Still 8. Sumimasen Love 183 Still 9. Somewhere I Have Never Traveled 183 Still 10. Cape No.7 183 Still 11. Spider Lilies 186 vii Acknowledgments One of my friends, who is a psychology major, once said, “You can know your classmates’ “dark side” simply by reading the title of their dissertations.” I suppose the same inference could be made for a dissertation written in the field of comparative literature and cultural studies. This dissertation is about love and transnationalism realized at the personal level. To some extent, it is inspired by my own search for the meaning of love, life, and the pursuit of knowledge in day-to- day existence. As my research and writing come together in the form of this dissertation, I realize I have been truly blessed with the luxury to invest years of efforts in this pursuit with the help of so many people without whom the completion of this work would simply have been impossible. It is to my supervisors, Professor E. Ann Kaplan and Professor Krin Gabbard, that I owe my deepest gratitude to. They have demonstrated to me what an academic advisor and mentor should be; throughout the prolonged process of my writing, they have given me their unyielding trust and utmost patience, reading every page, going through multiple revisions of my manuscripts, and promptly offering me concrete suggestions to clarify my argument. Their careful, responsive attitude toward my work has helped me harness my writing in a scholarly fashion, and their comments and encouragements have always fueled my verve to complete the work. Since my research involves cross-disciplinary themes in the field of Japanese studies—a field that our program does not have specific faculty for—I am especially thankful for Professor Kaplan’s support and guidance along the way. Her keenness in argumentation and enthusiasm for the pursuit of knowledge have taught me a great deal and motivated me to become a scholar. I am eternally grateful to my two external committee members: Professor Aaron Gerow and Professor Leo Ching. They have devoted a tremendous amount of time and effort reading through my manuscripts, offering me insightful comments, and directing me to the core materials for my research. In both written communications and during the oral defense, they have specifically pointed out ideas to develop for future study, and their encouraging comments on my work have boosted my confidence to advance my research. Their expertise and generosity in mentoring me will always be remembered and cherished. I also want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the chair of my oral defense, Professor Jeffrey Santa Ana. During the process of preparing for my comprehensive exam and dissertation prospectus, Professor Santa Ana managed to discuss a great number of the texts with me. During those discussions, he always listened to my opinion and helped me develop my ideas into a well- rounded academic argument that I could continue to explore. I also want to thank Professor E.K. Tan, who introduced me to inter-Asia cultural studies when I first entered the program. I could never thank them enough for all the kind guidance they have offered. Professor Iwabuchi Koichi at the School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University, Tokyo, kindly agreed to be affiliated with me while I served as a Japanese Studies fellow under the Japan Foundation to conduct doctoral dissertation research in 2012. During my year-long stay, Professor Iwabuchi invited me to attend the academic conference he organized and never failed to encourage me to develop my academic research into working papers. His viii works in inter-Asia and popular media studies have inspired me in shaping my own research. Therefore, I am greatly indebted to the Japan Foundation for providing me with this opportunity to study, observe, and do research in Japan. I have been extremely fortunate to have Julie Bellemare, who is a Ph.D. student in Asian Art, as my copyeditor. Julie is patient, meticulous, and punctual as an editor, besides being well- versed in multiple languages and cultures. She has witnessed how this dissertation evolved from its rawest to its final form. Her contribution to its development has been immense. Numerous friends and acquaintances have unfailingly encouraged and supported me emotionally to complete this dissertation, which include the dissertation writing group composed of my Stony Brook pals—Beth, Evren, Joana and Claire, and the discussion group I formed with Inin Chu.