Candidate Number:006879-048

The Role of Filial Relationships in Enriching the Plot of A Distant

Neighborhood
A Distant Neighborhood revolves around a man named Nakahara
and his relationship with his family. These filial relationships help a lot
especially in enriching the plot in the cultural and universal aspect, as
well as moving the plot forward.
There are strong cultural aspects that are shown through the filial
relationship. Since it is a translated work, the book shows the lives of
families in Japan. The filial relationships help establish a Japanese
cultural aspect in the story. To be able to clearly see the authors point,
one must understand the Japanese culture regarding the family. An
aspect of culture shown is having an extended family present in the
home, which was shown through Nakaharas grandmother being part
of the same house. They live under the same roof, which is usually the
situation for the Japanese. This enriches the plot, as it was Nakaharas
grandmother that made his mom decide to stay, which probably
caused his dad to leave. The grandma said Kazue was the only close
relative I hadso she was forced to leave the Kotani house and look
after me (Vol. 2, p. 16) and It was probably methat dragged them
back to stay in Kurayoshi. (Vol 2, p. 21). This also shows the cultural
aspect of caring for the elderly. This is because currently the rates of
aged people in Japan are rising, and it is the duty of the daughter to

Candidate Number:006879-048
take care of her parents. This example shows how much the Japanese
value the elderly, as they are willing to take care of them first before
they follow their own paths in life. This adds to conflict as later on his
dad goes away to follow his dreams. During the parts where Nakahara
had a heartfelt talk with his dad, he states that he does not remember
any experience similar to this from the past. He mentions At that
moment I felt close to my father. Until then, my father had hardly
ever hit me or talked man-to-man with me like this. Following the
Japanese norm, Nakaharas father is distant from his family. He goes to
work usually and as a result, spends a limited amount of time with his
family. This then leads to Nakaharas problem on confronting his dad.
He finds it really hard to connect to him, as he never gets to talk to him
as much as the other people in the family. In the Japanese cultures,
fathers are seen as the highest authority in the family, which is why
fathers spend little time with their family, as they are always working.
This shows a gap between the father and his children. Also, Nakahara
and his sister are close with their mother. Unlike their situation with
their father, they can easily talk to their mom. In the Japanese society,
it is usually the moms that guide and take care of their children. This
adds to Nakaharas problems, as he knows that if his father will leave,
his mom will be devastated. Since he loves his mom so much, he then
tries to stop his father from leaving. In the present, he also follows the
same path as his father. He falls into the trap of being distant with his

Candidate Number:006879-048
family that leads him to an adventure to the past. Therefore, the
Japanese culture helped enhance the gravity of the situation he is
facing, and also enriched the plot. Without knowing the Japanese
aspect of filial relationships, the intensity of the events would not be
felt as strongly.
Tanaguchi also placed some universal aspects in the story, which
helps people from around the globe to be able to attain an insight even
if they have little knowledge on the Japanese culture. People generally
consider their family as the most important people of their lives. This
applies universally, and thus, gives readers a connection with Hiroshi.
Since Hiroshis family is breaking apart, readers are able to understand
his feelings, even if not on the same level. There is also an added
element of one parent feeling distant to a child. Nakahara saying how
lonely he feels and how his daughters are only close to their mother
shows this. This also shows the dilemma of most parents who dont get
the same amount of love from their children as compared to their other
half. As a result, Hiroshi almost gave up on his own family: Right
now I was doing the same as my father! Trying to mostly forget about
my real family. (Vol 2, p. 155). At the present day, it can be seen that
Nakahara has grown up to be like his father. He comes home late and
has doubts about his relationship with his family. There are implications
of him having an affair with another woman. This is an example of how
Nakahara has a ruined relationship with his family. Another example is

Candidate Number:006879-048
when he finally returns home. His wife and children had a feeling that
he was drunk again and passed out. One of his children even said,
Yeah, I thought you mustve gotten drunk again and passed out
somewhere. (Vol 2, p. 202) This then shows his gradual separation
from his family, as it can be inferred that he often does this. In the
present, there is a saying that a child grows up to be like his father.
Often, this is true as the child follows his fathers footsteps. Therefore,
through Tanaguchis use of universal aspects, A Distant Neighborhood
was still able to convey the message even though it was only
translated.
The filial relationships in the story help in moving the plot. The
main conflict of the story is tied to Nakaharas family. Nakahara has
problems with his own family, and realizes, through becoming young
again, that he barely knows his own daughter and his family. Through
his visions, he realizes that his daughter is grown-up and has suitors
already, but he never had the chance to hear it from her. Another
conflict that was important to the story is Nakaharas relationship with
his parents and siblings. Knowing that his father will abandon and hurt
them, Nakahara tries his best to make sure that his father stays. Just
like anyone else, Nakahara wants a complete and happy family, so he
does his best to figure out a way to prevent his fathers departure.
Again, the role of filial relationships play a big part in making the story
what it is.

Candidate Number:006879-048
The filial relationship is very effective in enriching plot, as at the
start, Nakahara is shown on a train seeing a memory. The vision was
her mothers death where someone said, If youre father had been
around, she wouldnt have gone this quickly. (Vol 1, p. 15) This then
gives

brief

glimpse

of

the

Nakaharas

problem.

Nakaharas

relationship with his children and wife, and his dads relationship with
him and his sister showed how similar of a father he was as compared
to his own father. The relationship of Nakahara with the different
people in his life gives the plot. From his wife and children to his
parents and sister, the plot flows smoothly. At the end of the story, he
fixes his relationship with his wife and children and is able to move on
from his past. This then functions as the backbone of the entire story,
as everything is related to his family. The fathers role in the Japanese
culture helped in establishing the reason why they were separating.
This added to the effect, as readers will be able to see the helplessness
that Nakahara felt during that situation.
When one has a background on the cultural and contextual
aspects of filial relationships, one can gain a deeper insight on the
graphic novel. The relationship of Nakahara with the different people in
his life moves the plot forward. There are many things that are
explained by the relationship of Nakahara with his family, which can be
seen through Nakahara following his fathers footsteps. Without him
actually knowing it, he has grown up to be similar to what he perceived

Candidate Number:006879-048
his father to be. He sees a revelation at the train station, when he
clings on to his father, and realizes he too is running away from his
own family. By his sudden realization that he is becoming like his
father, he decides to change his lifestyle. He saw how life could have
turned out for him through all the events, and so, he vowed to never
be like his own father. Therefore, the cultural aspect and the universal
aspect worked hand in hand in being able to enrich the plot.
Through the claims stated, it can be seen that filial relationships
help in enriching the plot and making it established. It gives some
cultural and universal aspects, which ultimately leads to the formation
of the story.
Word Count: 1485