Mazohizumu no mon: Masochistic and Sadistic Representations of Women in Japanese Exploitation Films and Reidissu komikku

This article explores the representation of women in imagery through a juxtaposition of Japanese exploitation films (such as Suzuki Seijun’s 1964 Nikutai no Mon) with modern day ‘ladies comics.' Both mediums share similar imagery and stylistic concepts but have a markedly different target audience/consumer base; most (s)exploitation films were/are made with a male audience in mind, while ladies comics are, as the name suggests, manufactured solely for a female audience. In particular, I am interested in the use of masochistic constructs and the ways in which the use of this imagery differ when the target audience is male as opposed to female.