A review by nmcannon
Naomi by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki

funny lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

YES, I am here because of Bungo Stray Dogs, leave me alone.

Salaryman Jōjo is a man obsessed with the West and Western culture. He longs to be stylish and handsome, but fears his “too Japanese,” masculine looks will never fit his inner ideal. One day he stops by his favorite café, and a new waitress, Naomi, serves his coffee. Jōjo sees traditional white features in her face and envisions a life in which they indulge in modern pleasures of movies, fashion, and theaters. He makes his dream a reality, taking Naomi in as his bride and purchasing a house where they can play out their exoticized racial fantasies. Under Jōjo’s dubious tutelage, Naomi matures into an educated woman who turns the tables on her husband.

Naomi is exactly as advertised. A twenty-eight year old idiotic, pretentious man takes in a fifteen year old girl, so he can treat her as a pet and dress-up doll. I’m not sure what the Japanese word for this is, but he’s like a reverse weeaboo? He, and later Naomi, are obsessed with the West, with whiteness. Tanizaki lambasts Jōjo ruthlessly, and the man more than deserves it. I was greatly reminded of a version of My Fair Lady wherein Eliza puts Higgins’ head on a pike. While the novel is from Jōjo’s point of view, you can peek through his blind spots to witness Naomi come into her own. She marvels at the quixotic mix of new freedom and restraint Jōjo’s middle class life grants her. It was immensely rewarding to watch her build her Charisma/Manipulation stat and get what she wants. 

While reading, I kept returning to a certain passage of Jōjo’s narration. Jōjo says that men enjoy being deceived by women. According to him, men are always, actually in control, and they only let women think they’re manipulating them. This type of misogynistic thinking (in the novel and irl) has no basis in reality, obviously, but served an interesting function in the novel. One example would be Naomi and Jōjo’s chess matches. In the beginning, Naomi is unfamiliar with chess, and Jōjo wins every match. She protests, and Jōjo makes mistakes so she can win the subsequent matches. As the games continue, Naomi wins even when Jōjo makes no mistakes. Jōjo thinks magic has occurred, or that he’s become senile with age. What has actually happened is Naomi became good at chess. Naomi takes advantage of Jōjo’s sexist thinking to build her skills.

Naomi is a great novel and a great character. It was fascinating to watch a guy fail to be a father, teacher, romantic partner, hobbyist, and compassionate human being. It was even more fascinating to watch a young woman rise in social power and prominence in a society set against her.