“The Grotesque And The Isolated” — Transgressive Bodies In ‘Visitor Q’ (2001) & ‘Elfen Lied’ (2002-2005)

Themes of bodily transgression feature prominently in contemporary Japanese media, as exemplified by Takashi Miike’s film Visitor Q (2001) and Lynn Okamoto’s manga series Elfen Lied (2002-2005). These texts engage with the socio-cultural implications of bodily transgression through examining personal corruption, sexual deviancy, and depictions of the body in a state of extremis.

By analyzing how Visitor Q and Elfen Lied engage with these themes, it becomes possible to gain insight into how popular media commentates on the social and cultural issues affecting contemporary Japanese audiences and how they intersect with the politicization of the human body.

Bodily Transgression & Social Commentary In Visitor Q

Takashi Miike’s Visitor Q is a cult-classic Japanese horror film and is the first in Miike’s discography of satirical, boundary-pushing Japanese horror films. The film explores the body in extremis through commentary that draws attention to how individuals use and understand their bodies, how they communicate and interact with the assistance of technology, and how their egos become corrupted.

The highly disturbing opening sequence of Visitor Q effectively establishes a focus on the corruption of the ego through an exploration of antisocial acts and desires. The film opens with the dysfunctional family’s teenage daughter, Miki. Miki is alone with her father in a hotel room, having recently run away from home to engage in prostitution. 

During the encounter, Miki persuades her father, Kiyoshi, to engage in sexual intercourse, which is recorded through his video camera. The scene is presented with limited, shaky angles resembling a private home video. As the chilling opening line, “Have you ever done it with your dad?” appears on the screen, Miike prepares the audience for a confronting experience of humanity at its most depraved.

While Kiyoshi films her, Miki displays no fear or anxiety. She nonchalantly endures the encounter while taking photographs with her Polaroid camera. According to Fiona Giles (2009), this portrayal is significant, as it suggests that while the characters obsessively record and display their lives, they fail to see one another and are thus incapable of forming ethical connections¹. 

The film implies that living through cameras prevents the characters from fully comprehending the severity of their transgressions, therefore hinting at a fascinating insight into the implications of our relationship with communication technology and its potential as a catalyst for self-exploitation.

Voyeurism, Cameras, & Disconnection In Visitor Q (2001)

Psychoanalytic theory suggests that there is power in watching rather than acting. Otto Fenichel discussed adapting Freud’s concept of scopophilia to understand the role of voyeurs. In The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis, Fenichel argued that voyeurs might retreat from the physical world due to the overwhelming nature of reality. Furthermore, physical objects may be utilized in conjunction with voyeuristic behaviors as a means of self-soothing². 

Miike suggests that cameras, and the moments they capture, function in this way. In the film, both father and daughter obsessively photograph and record their encounter, using the camera as a vessel to separate themselves from their physical actions and the associated emotions of anxiety and guilt.  Consequently, the act of sexual deviancy only becomes bearable when mediated through the camera lens.

Throughout the film, Kiyoshi’s video camera symbolizes his disconnection from reality. As he increasingly prioritizes captured moments over lived experiences, his capacity for regular social interaction deteriorates.

For example, when Kiyoshi catches bullies humiliating his son, Takuya, his first instinct is not to intervene but to record the encounter from a safe distance. A similar instance occurs when the bullies firebomb the family home, for the father instantly reaches for the camcorder and enthusiastically captures the event.

Kiyoshi’s emphasis on recording violent and disturbing scenes, such as the assault on the family home and, later, the rape of a coworker, illustrates that the camera, when used with voyeuristic intent, appears to soothe his moral corruption by altering his perception.

Visitor Q (2001) & The Influence Of Technological Violence

Building upon the intersection between violence and technology, a hot-button issue at the turn of the twenty-first century surrounded the effects of exposure to violence through technological intervention, such as in video games or films. Research in this area has previously examined how technological exposure to violence can alter individuals’ perceptions of its severity and impact their ability to experience empathy.

A study published in the Journal of Adolescence revealed that the effects of exposure to real-life violence differ significantly from the effects of violence encountered through media technology. The study demonstrated that exposure to real-life violence could alter cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes. However, it is simulated violence, or violence consumed through media or technology, that significantly impacts an individual’s capacity for empathy³.

The study supports this claim by citing a 1994 study from Japan. In this study, three hundred seven primary school students in Japan were surveyed, with conclusions identifying a correlation between students who regularly engaged with violent media and a general decrease in empathetic responses⁴. 

Considering these developments, it is reasonable to hypothesize that the lack of empathy displayed by the family in Visitor Q reflects real-life concerns regarding how individuals engage with violence. This phenomenon is particularly evident through Takuya, who brutalizes and abuses his aging mother throughout the events of the film.

Takuya is depicted as an anti-social recluse who is quick to anger and is severely bullied in school, in many ways, mirroring the uniquely Japanese phenomenon of hikikomori. Audiences are first introduced to him in a scene preceding the subtitle: “Have you ever hit your mom?”

Takuya’s mother, Keiko, is shown adorned with bruises and marks, suggesting previous beatings, while she sits in a partially destroyed room, an implied additional victim of Takuya’s anger. Takuya’s uninterrupted abuse of Keiko is showcased throughout the film, including in instances where Kiyoshi is present but sitting idly by.

The juxtaposition of action and inaction communicates to audiences the consequences of our apathy towards violence, using the presentation of an elderly female body in an extreme state as a vessel to convey this message through a confrontation with human cruelty.

Visitor Q As A Symbol Of Apathy & Desensitization

In an homage to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s film Teorema (1968), Miike’s film centres on the arrival of a mysterious guest known only as Visitor Q. The visitor’s presence in the family’s home remains unexplained, but his appearance catalyzes the household’s total destruction. Miike’s decision to characterize Visitor Q as an apathetic entity within the family’s life critiques how witnessing bodily transgression can corrupt individuals.

Visitor Q is a mysterious stranger who remains with the family for several days, observing their transgressive actions without interference. Notably, when moments of disgust and fear are expected, Visitor Q passively observes.

The study by Funk et al. suggests a strong correlation between exposure to violence and desensitization to violent stimuli, indicating that prolonged exposure to violence not only desensitizes individuals but also leads to an increased tolerance for violent behavior. Based on this perspective, it is plausible to interpret the world depicted in Visitor Q as a satirical reimagining of Pasolini’s film, updated to speak to twenty-first-century anxieties.

In this imagined reality, the relationship between individuals and violence has been corrupted, leading to desensitization and apathy toward witnessing bodily extremity. Visitor Q, therefore, can be understood as the embodiment of this distorted relationship.

Bodily Transgression In Elfen Lied (2002-2005)

Like Visitor Q, Elfen Lied engages with transgressive elements, including sexuality, violence, and the ego. However, while Visitor Q critiques the ego through depictions of bodily transgression, Elfen Lied presents a more nuanced perspective, suggesting that bodily transgression can both corrupt and liberate.

The narrative centers on Lucy, a member of a mutant human species known as Diclonius. At the beginning of the story, Lucy is confined to an isolated research facility where Diclonii are studied. In the first chapter, Lucy escapes by violently killing the human workers in the facility. 

During the escape, Lucy is shot, and the bullet that grazes her skull causes her personality to split. Although Lucy survives and manages to escape, her head trauma results in the emergence of a second personality, characterized by childlike innocence and limited linguistic ability. 

Later, two university students, Kouta and Yuka, discover Lucy after she washes ashore near their home and decide to care for her, referring to her as “Nyu.” Meanwhile, the research facility continues to pursue Lucy.

The Sexualization Of The Adolescent Body In Elfen Lied (2002-2005)

One of the most controversial aspects of Elfen Lied is the depiction of Lucy’s body, which resembles that of an adolescent girl. When Lucy is first introduced, the accompanying illustration in the graphic novel portrays her naked, emphasizing her tall and slender physique, hyper-feminine features, large breasts, and long, flowing hair. These physical traits remain prominent even when Lucy transitions to her alternate personality, “Nyu,” who exhibits a childlike mentality.

Despite Nyu’s limited cognitive abilities, reminiscent of a toddler, Lucy/Nyu continues to be depicted with exaggerated, bouncing breasts and placed in situations that could be interpreted as baiting engagement with fetishistic sexual fantasies. Examples of this include scenes where Lucy/Nyu urinates on the floor or takes a bubble bath with another underage girl.

According to Perry R. Hinton, however, this art style does not merely exist to present provocative imagery that arouses readers. However, the portrayal of sexuality in texts like Elfen Lied is undeniably contentious within Western media contexts, partially because this form of storytelling has been significantly censored in Western imports of Japanese texts since the early 1990s⁵.

This transgressive depiction of sexuality, known as the “Lolita complex”, involves supernatural beings, such as demons or monsters, who take the physical form of young women or girls. Lucy’s characterization exemplifies this trope.

Hinton argues that reducing the Lolita complex to a xenophobic stereotype that assumes it merely panders to a perverted male audience oversimplifies its cultural significance. Instead, he posits that it often serves to “reflect teenage anxieties about the adult world and changes in society and gender roles”.

The Social Context Of The Lolita Complex

The relevance of the Lolita complex became more pronounced toward the turn of the century when Japanese comic book culture surged in popularity, likely as a form of rebellion against rigid social norms that required young men to focus primarily on academics⁶. In contrast to Western societies, where teenagers have more freedom to explore their sexuality through dating and relationships, Japanese youth often found such behaviors at odds with societal expectations.

Consequently, reading, writing, and exchanging literature that Western audiences might deem pornographic became more commonplace, leading manga featuring adolescent sexuality to emerge as a safe space for readers to explore their sexuality.

For female readers, these narratives offered a vision of liberated female sexuality, unbound by traditional roles such as wife, mother, or housekeeper. Female characters depicted as monsters, aliens, or robots provided an avenue to explore alternative fantasies, unrestricted by adult responsibilities yet still engaging with their developing sexual identities. Similarly, for male readers, these stories provided protagonists who were often their age, allowing them to project their desires and explore themes of agency and rebellion.

Lucy/Nyu As A Multifaceted Character

Understanding this cultural context allows for a more nuanced interpretation of the sexual content in Elfen Lied. Christie Lee Barber discusses how the series’ themes mirror the social and personal struggles of Japanese teenagers.

Barber asserts that Lucy/Nyu’s sexualization serves more than just to attract the male gaze; it also addresses the sense of powerlessness felt by young men within the academically demanding Japanese culture. By identifying with Lucy/Nyu, who is simultaneously sexually expressive, immature, and powerful, male readers may experience a sense of liberation⁷.

Barber also argues that Lucy’s versatility as a character makes her more adaptable to the target male audience than a traditional male protagonist. While Lucy embodies the brutal force typical of a masculine hero, Nyu offers a “voluptuous female body that can be eroticized by readers”.

Similarly, female readers may connect with Nyu’s representation of cuteness and hyper-feminine sexuality while also finding resonance with Lucy’s challenge to traditional femininity.

Gender/Violence In Elfen Lied (2002-2005)

Beyond its exploration of transgressive sexuality, Elfen Lied also contains graphic depictions of violence. Barber describes the representation of violence in Elfen Lied as “harmful,” emphasizing the frequent inclusion of disturbing themes such as child sexual abuse, rape, torture, and sadomasochism. However, while such content may seem particularly confronting to Western audiences, Barber notes that this kind of depiction is not uncommon in manga⁸.

The opening chapter of Elfen Lied situates readers within the Diclonius research facility, where female Diclonius, resembling adolescent girls, are confined, often naked, and subjected to non-consensual experimentation by an all-male research team. Barber contends that this depiction of gendered violence emphasizes how “women are often made [to feel] helpless to control themselves under usually older male authority”.

Although much of the violence depicted in Elfen Lied involves male perpetrators victimising women, the most graphic and brutal acts of violence are carried out by young women against otherwise powerful men. The opening sequence of Elfen Lied is particularly notorious for its extreme portrayal of body horror.

Lucy, using her “vectors,” methodically and violently murders those holding her captive in the research facility. She decapitates, dismembers, disembowels, and mutilates countless men, all of whom are rendered powerless against her.

Mental Health Context In Japanese Society

As the series progresses, it becomes clear that Lucy’s violent tendencies are not innate but are instead the result of severe childhood trauma, primarily stemming from her sense of isolation after experiencing prejudice and discrimination from male classmates. However, the intense violence portrayed in Elfen Lied serves a purpose beyond mere shock value. Instead, it can be seen as an emotional outlet for those who identify with Lucy’s struggles.

Readers who have faced feelings of shame, loneliness, or isolation, especially those stemming from childhood or gender-based violence, may find their experiences reflected in Lucy’s characterization. In this way, Elfen Lied becomes a medium through which audiences can explore their own emotional pain and confront the darker aspects of their psyche.

The transgressive elements in Elfen Lied, including its portrayal of sexuality and graphic violence, offer a unique form of catharsis. The series provides an opportunity for readers to disconnect from their suffering by identifying with Lucy, whose desperation, hatred of authority, and resentment towards an oppressive society reflect the internal struggles of those who feel marginalized⁹.

Despite the disturbing nature of the violence, the text challenges audiences to consider how fictional violence can serve as a means of confronting their darkest emotions. In doing so, it allows readers to explore the satisfaction that may arise from seeing conformist and hierarchical social structures dismantled.

Revisiting Bodily Transgression In Visitor Q (2001) And Elfen Lied (2002-2005)

Visitor Q and Elfen Lied are two contemporary Japanese media texts that explore the theme of bodily transgression. Through an analysis of their sociocultural implications, it has become evident that the instances of sexual deviance, personal corruption, and depictions of the body in extremis in these works are not merely for shock value. Rather, they serve as a lens through which to examine isolation, technology, empathy, sexuality, identity, and trauma.

Ultimately, these texts demonstrate that bodily transgression in Japanese media highlights the societal issues of contemporary Japan, challenging audiences to consider the broader implications of the disturbing imagery.

Footnotes

1. Giles, Fiona. “From ‘Gift of Loss’ to Self Care: The Significance of Induced Lactation in Takashi Miike’s Visitor Q.” Giving Breast Milk: Body Ethics and Contemporary Breastfeeding Practice, 2009. ↩︎
2. Fenichel, Otto. Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis. Taylor & Francis, 2016. ↩︎
3. Funk, Jeanne B., et al. “Violence Exposure in Real-Life, Video Games, Television, Movies, and the Internet: Is There Desensitization?” Journal of Adolescence, vol. 27, no. 1, Feb. 2004, pp. 23–39. ↩︎
4. Sakamoto, Akira. “Video Game Use and the Development of Sociocognitive Abilities in Children: Three Surveys of Elementary School Students.” Journal of Applied Social Psychology, vol. 24, no. 1, Wiley-Blackwell, Jan. 1994, pp. 21–42. ↩︎
5. Hinton, Perry R. “The Cultural Context and the Interpretation of Japanese ‘Lolita Complex’ Style Anime.” Intercultural Communication Studies XXIII, Jan. 2014 ↩︎
6. Hinton, Perry R. “The Cultural Context and the Interpretation of Japanese ‘Lolita Complex’ Style Anime.” Intercultural Communication Studies XXIII, Jan. 2014 ↩︎
7. Barber, Christie Lee. “The Displaced Self in ‘Elfen Lied.’” The International Journal of the Humanities: Annual Review, vol. 6, no. 11, 2009, pp. 1–8 ↩︎
8. Barber, Christie Lee. “The Displaced Self in ‘Elfen Lied.’” The International Journal of the Humanities: Annual Review, vol. 6, no. 11, 2009, pp. 1–8 ↩︎
9. Barber, Christie Lee. “The Displaced Self in ‘Elfen Lied.’” The International Journal of the Humanities: Annual Review, vol. 6, no. 11, 2009, pp. 1–8 ↩︎