Is there a political message to Demon Pond? For example, can you see a political message in the standoff between the villagers on the one hand and Akira/Yuri/Gakuen on the other? How might it correlate with the historical situation in 1911 (rise of nationalism with the successful Sino-Japan and Russian-Japan wars, creation of the Thought Police (Links to an external site.) to suppress radical intellectuals and artists). Provide concrete examples of dialogue to support your position. Why do you think so many directors feel that the story is relevant to contemporary issues?

Consider the conflict between villagers and Akira/Yuri/Gakuen

p. 154: Kôzô:

“Friends, Friends! Let’s be sensible. Stop all this tomfoolery. A woman’s a woman. How d’ye think she takes a bath? Bah, what nonsense. Listen, like it or not, it’s the duty of any man worth his salt, if it be for his country, to stick his wife* and go off to war. That, my friend, is the spirit of our fatherland–Bushidô [Way of the Warrior], in other words. You too would be willing to lay down your life for your fellow man to save your village, ‘cuz it’s all for the state, our fatherland. Compared to that, what’s so hard about letting the missus ride an ox for the night? I’ve got an open mind, I’ll tolerate a sniveler or two, but someone with a quick temper’d take you for traitors.”

*Movie translation: "kill your wife before going off to war so as to not be distracted"

But note that the play does not simply assert the primacy of ninjo (passion) over giri (obligation): consider that the dragon princess Yuki is also dealing with a giri-ninjo conflict.

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