Pieta is a one volume manga written by Haruno Nanae in 1999 that describes the romantic relationship between two women. The author develops a narrative where the two women are different, though not because of their lesbianism, which sets them apart from others and draws them toward each other. This is done in order to demonstrate an almost Nietzschean dichotomy between, in Nietzsche’s terms, the herd and the Übermensch. It is a work aimed at a popular market and should be enjoyed by young adults and older.
While I shall avoid retelling the story, there may be spoilers, so read at your own risk. The plot is fairly straightforward, two hurt girls (they are in high school) find each other, overcome their trials, and become each other’s support in a somewhat hostile world. The cast involves the two main characters (Sahoko and Rio), Rio’s abusive parents, Rio’s therapists (a husband and wife), Sahoko’s aunt, and various miscellaneous characters, mostly culled from Sahoko and Rio’s all girls school. The art is simplified and a bit stiff, with the character’s often looking unnatural. The power of this work comes from its story, not from its art. This isn’t to say that the artwork is bad, it just isn’t that good.
The main characters are Sahoko and Rio. Rio was abandoned by her mother after her younger sister died. Her father is unsure of her paternity, so he is distant and fails to protect her. Shortly after Rio’s mother left, he remarried to a woman who detests Rio and constantly inflicts psychological damage on her. This results in Rio becoming suicidal, isolated, and unable to engage with other people in normal relationships. Sahoko comes across as normal, if reserved. However, she is overly sensitive and finds immersion in normal social relationships so draining that she withdrew from society. They are depicted as polar opposites, one who is disintegrating because of a lack of nurturing and another who disintegrates through an over abundance of love.
Narrative function is provided primarily through Rio’s therapists, an earnest couple who care for Rio as if she were their own child. Once it comes to light that Rio’s nearly successful suicide attempt had been manipulated by Rio’s stepmother, we are provided with an interesting dialog on how certain people are intrinsically different from the rest of the herd. The manga describes the therapists’ first impression of Rio (who was a grade schooler walking herself to her session) as being “a little silver unicorn mixed in with a herd of chestnuts.” This intrinsic difference causes people to react in various ways. The therapists like those with an unique nature and are drawn to these types of beings. Rio’s stepmother sees them as a dangerous other which needs to be destroyed. Here we see a straightforward depiction of Nietzsche’s accounting of the dynamic between the Übermensch and the herd, including how the Übermensch draws others to them by force of their will, and the ressentiment the herd feels for the other. The manga even describes Rio and Sahoko’s condition as an evolutionary step which reinforces the Nietzschean tone.
I don’t mean to imply that the work is some manga equivalent to Thus Sprake Zarathrustra. My reading of Nietzschean elements may be nothing more than my interpretation of the work, though I don’t feel as if I am projecting things that are not altogether present. The manga also contains elements which are not in keeping with the typical Western interpretation of Nietzsche. One of these is the nature of the relationship between Rio and Sahoko. It is extremely close and interdependent. They need each other. The nature of the relationship is, according to Takeo Doi, typical of Japanese relationships which have an ideal form based on the nurturing relationship between a parent and child. This is called amae. The indulgence and occasional childishness of the relationship serves to show, within a Japanese societal context, how close and perfect their love is. Personally, I am unsure whether such relationships are counter to the Nietzschean spirit, or whether they are merely another type of alliance between Übermenschen who will it to be so.
It should also be noted what role family plays in Pieta. The families of Rio and Sahoko have a negative effect on both of them. The negative role of Rio’s family is obvious with the hatred of Rio’s stepmother seeking her eradication, but Sahoko’s is far more subtle. Her family loves her and she loves them. Her love compels her to try and fulfill her role as daughter, even though her parents are not trying to force such a role on her. As the therapists say, “An environment that the typical child would thrive in was just a burden to her.” Normal love, to these others, is just as dangerous as hatred. I read this as the love of the herd, even when provided with no malice or intent to harm, is poison for the Übermensch.
Pieta is one of my favorite mangas. It tells a compelling story about the growing love between two women without it being solely about their lesbianism. They are Übermenschen who happen to be lesbians, not Übermenschen because they are lesbians. It also avoids the juvenile Randian trap so common in pseudo-Nietzschean works. The cultural nods toward karma may also be off-putting for those who are not familiar with Japanese culture. However, the work is definitely worth a read.
I used the translation provided by Lililicious. According to Baka-Updates, it has not been released in English.
21:18: Minor edits to clarify prose & correct erroneous use of apostrophes.
