The Illusion of a Flowering Young Lady
"Fantasy and fairy tale do not have to be confused. The two things aren't the least bit similar; they are disparate as heaven and hell, as saints and vulgarity, and as far as we are concerned we must exterminate the fairytale from the necessary fantasy. Both things have the same general meaning, because they are unrealistic visions and daydreams, but when it comes to translating them, isn't there quite a distinction between "It's like a fairytale" and the whole fantasy genre? Of course that would be the definition. However, when people refer to fantasy, they are too often referring to fairytale, and this is a big problem. We therefore must make a clear separation of what is fantasy and what is fairytale. A saint's dream is very different from a fool's, and they both express dreamlike qualities, although a daydream is completely different on an atomic level. The dreamlike immanence of a fairytale has the energy of stale humanism which has been colored with reality. "If I have a dream I cannot be defeated!" "No matter what, I will follow my dreams!" A fairytale seeks out the warmth and gentleness in a dream. In a faded pastel world, where it's absurd to believe that the hearts of children are pure, a clown is shedding tears over the lack of imagination, and it is this which we must scorn. When a fantasy "dream" crosses over the boundaries of reality, conflict ensues. When we are tired of reality, we revive ourselves with fantasy. Yet fantasy and reality are not enemies, but more like accessories. A fairytale is a dream in the shape of reality, and a fantasy is reality in the shape of a dream. To put it another way, a dream is independence from the stiff possession of a worldview. A dream is like losing oneself in a labyrinth, with a resolution to never return. Edogawa Ranpo, Izumi Kyouka, Kafka, Delvaux, Bellmer, Ooshima Yumiko...this is everyone, all the writers who chose to live in fantasy, who couldn't define fairytale. If we're translating fantasy into "illusion," wouldn't fairytale also allow itself to be translated into "illusion"? Ooshima Yumiko's work "Planet of Cotton" (Wata no Kuniboshi), about chibineko (tiny cats) who reconstructed the world with a single glance, is what shoujo manga has come to. The instant a system for fairytales was written, it led to the foundation of Edogawa Ranpo's "A Strange Tale of Panorama Island," about a strong-willed hidden utopia. Because of poetry, the whole world has made a transition towards gimmicky asestheticism. The fairytale containing Ooshima's cat protagonist had equal workmanship but a different style, what I think is a mixing of already established fantasy without the same qualifications. Hello Kitty and Miffy can become either fairy tale or fantasy. The choice is yours. But if you find Hello Kitty insanely beautiful, and despite the harsh, Andy Warhol-style manufacturing techniques you still scream out "Kawaii," then Hello Kitty has probably become your fantasy.
As for me, I think Rika dolls are adorable, I think the dolls of Yotsuya Simon are adorable, I find the Tenniel illustrations of Alice in Wonderland adorable, and I also think that Joel Peter Witkin photographs of cadavers are adorable. When a young lady follows someone into suicide by her own volition, it seems like a dream. But she cannot wake up twice, this flowering maiden who has come to an end."
Original by 嶽本野ばら from Soleilnuit
Translated by
❧The Wild Rose
As for me, I think Rika dolls are adorable, I think the dolls of Yotsuya Simon are adorable, I find the Tenniel illustrations of Alice in Wonderland adorable, and I also think that Joel Peter Witkin photographs of cadavers are adorable. When a young lady follows someone into suicide by her own volition, it seems like a dream. But she cannot wake up twice, this flowering maiden who has come to an end."
Original by 嶽本野ばら from Soleilnuit
Translated by
❧The Wild Rose