Reviews
Rokudenashiko, a self titled "good for nothing artist" is an amazing activist in Japan, championing the cause of the manko. What is a manko? It's a Japanese slang term for pussy, and considered quite obscene. Not only does Rokudenashiko throw the word around a lot, she dares to make art using casts and 3d scans of her vulva. THE HORROR! Growing out of her work as mangaka, Rokudenashiko had vaginal restorative surgery so that she culd draw a comic about it. For a follow-up piece, she made a cast of her vulva and decorated it with glitter and gems. From that, deco-man was born, and the Japanese state was unhappy. What is Obscenity? is primarily about the response Rokudenashiko received from the criminal justice system in response to her art. In short, she was arrested and charged with violating obscenity laws that hadn't changed in decades. Even though Rokudenashiko's work is about treating the manko as just about body part to love and make fun of, she was accused of inciting illicit feelings. Sure, mountains of pornography are created by Japanese artists, but mankos in other contexts without the necessary censor blur? Totally not allowed. The book is a great read to understand the context of the obscenity debates in Japan as Rokudenashiko not only tells her story, but adds in a lot of explanatory pages on Japanese society and culture that will help Western readers understand her experiences in a more systemic light. This is also a timely book as Rokudenashiki was convicted of obscenity charges on May 10, 2017.
This is a cheerful and curious book. It is inspiring in a dark time. What is Obscenity? is an autobiographical account of a Japanese artist running afoul of obscenity laws. Rokudenashiko was abruptly arrested and jailed for the "offense" of making available 3d digital scans of her genitalia. Public pressure secured her release. I wrote "an account", but this is actually several. The first section treats the author's jail time, which is genuinely disturbing and also funny. The second reflects back on how she came to be such an artist. Several inserted small sections include an interview with a film director, a fantasy retelling of the censorship story, and many two-page background sketches. As a free speech advocate, I approved of Rokudenashiko's struggle, of course. We actually don't answer the titular question, as the reasons for shunning depictions of female genitals aren't ultimately revealed; her prosecutors are mostly figures of fun and danger, rather than people making cultural arguments. Overall the book was brisk and entertaining, issuing a theme I support. Unfortunately it repeats itself a great deal, partly because it seems to have originally appeared in serial form, and because of its treatment of the same ground in two different ways. Some parts are weirdly understated, like the author's marriage and divorce, which take up a handful of frames (not even pages). I haven't been reading graphic novels for too long. I need to catch up.
