The Culturally Engrained Ideals in Waga Koi Wa Moenu
There are often times where a solution to a problem seems simpler than it actually is and it is not until one comes closer to reaching that solution that one realizes how far from it they actually are. One such example of this is seen in the Japanese movie, Waga Koi Wa Moenu released in 1949. Throughout the film, the main character, Hirayama Eiko wishes for equality among men and women and thus takes steps to achieve that ideal. However, as she progresses farther along to reach this ideal she comes to understand how deeply engrained this inequality truly is. The film starts by having Hirayama meet an activist named Kishida Toshiko. There, Kishida tells Hirayama of her ideals, saying that until now women have been raised in submission to men’s desires and how she believes that women should not be treated as slaves and are entitled to the same rights as men. As Hirayama i...
