In the Clear Moonlit Dusk

Episodes 5-6

Hi everyone! Sorry, I had to cancel class last week. You see, the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, and the whole city was hungover for 48 hours. Yes, even the children. I don't care about football. Still, feeling as unwell as I was, I couldn't possibly have given this series the attention it deserved.

Aw, who am I kidding? Dear students, your professor is at her wits' end with this dang show. Having to not only come up with something to say, but some intellectual-sounding commentary every week is giving me stress dreams. That's not a joke or a bit. In the Clear Moonlit Dusk thus far has failed to live up to my expectations or hopes in any way. And on top of everything else, the dean is breathing down my neck about the feds and “gender ideology.”

Gender ideology… what gender ideology are we finding here? “The Side of Me I Don't Know” opens with Yoi fully acting like a prince to the girls around here as an avoidance tactic. She's still frazzled by her gyoza date with Ichimura and her feelings for him, and to keep the thoughts out of her head, she's acting as gallant as possible to the girls at her school. This raises the question of just what her “princeliness” is meant to accomplish, consciously or subconsciously. As her friends remark, she totally acts “like a girl” when Ichimura is around.

Discussion questions: What motivation do you think underlies Yoi's princeliness? Is it a conscious choice? If so, why does she make it? If not, what psychological process is being expressed?

But instead of confronting, unpacking, or exploring the dissonance in Yoi's actions, In the Clear Moonlit Dusk pivots to a hoary old shoujo cliche: a jealousy arc. Her family restaurant takes on a new staff member, a boy her age named Ooji, which is homophonous with ouji, meaning “prince.” He's handsome and nice, and protects a girl on the train from a groper. He calls Yoi beautiful, and the two get along well.

Naturally, this drives Ichimura insane with jealousy. He starts to act out, knocking a glass off the counter of the restaurant like a cat looking for attention.

I must admit, class, I am struggling to take a step back from my personal reaction and examine this arc from an academic lens. This is a recurring theme in romantic shoujo series: a new boy shows up, and though the protagonist only has eyes for the male lead, he goes wild with jealousy. It's just so… toxic. And yet, it is apparently a popular fantasy for women who are not me. I must take a step back and look at it from an objective perspective.

Sorry, that pounding on the door is making it hard to focus. While I collect myself, here are some discussion questions:

Shoujo is discussed both as a safe space for women to explore unsafe fantasies and a manual for teenage girls to learn how to love. Are these dual roles in conflict with each other? As adults engaging with this material, is it our responsibility to help young women understand the separation?

In shoujo manga, jealousy is often treated as a sign that the male lead truly cares about the protagonist. In many cases, if he's too laid-back, the protagonist will get upset and demand to know why he isn't jealous. In the case of In the Clear Moonlit Dusk, this is treated as a sign that Ichimura truly cares about Yoi, when he saw his previous girlfriends as little more than diversions.

In preparation for this lecture, I did some brief research into whether jealousy really can be considered love. The results were… mixed, with some asserting that jealousy is a sign of insecure attachment, with others claiming that the desire to protect one's relationship is inextricable from love. Other studies have found jealousy's role in a relationship to be culturally determined. In a culture like Japan, where homosociality is predominant over heterosociality, it may be seen as more justifiable and appropriate to treat a romantic partner's bonds with members of the opposite sex as a potential threat.

But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Discussion questions: How is jealousy in relationships regarded in your culture? How do you feel about it personally? Those of you seated in the back, what can you find to barricade the door?

Yoi is thrown off by Ichimura's sudden coldness, and she turns to her older sister to talk out her feelings. She advises Yoi that it's totally fine for their relationship to be based on looks, and that it's okay if she only likes him because he liked her first, as long as he gets her heart fluttering. Yoi needs to go with the flow instead of reflecting all the time. If she keeps turning him down, he'll lose interest! Although Yoi has the requisite two female friends, her older sister has taken the place of advisor, rather than a peer, as one would find in the usual formula.

Discussion question: Is this good advice? Does anybody hear the sound of wood splintering?

Yoi is left so girlishly frazzled about her feelings and wondering whether she and Ichimura are still going to the festival that she almost burns the home economics classroom down. She manages to come away with one well-cooked muffin, an offering of acceptable femininity to present to Ichimura. Once again, I am frustrated by the show's insistence that performing typical gender roles seems to be the more “natural” state that Yoi reverts to when she develops romantic feelings. Gender is a performance that we choose and…

STOP! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST FOR GENDER IDEOLOGY CRIMES!

Shit, it's the fuzz! Everyone, scatter! Your homework: don't get caught!

Rating:

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.