Ep. 44 She is Nobel
Written by Cordelia.
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Hello, my dear listeners, and welcome back to the Thursday Night Kissaten Podcast.
In Western society, it's not very common for people to feel the need to live up to their parents' expectations. Most of the people I've met in North America are focused on living for themselves, pursuing their own dreams and passions. There are often clear boundaries between individuals and their families. However, in East Asia, living up to one’s parents' expectations is a significant goal for many.
Today, we're diving into the movie *She is Noble* (あのこは貴族) to explore how girls from different social classes in Tokyo choose the direction of their lives.
**Spoiler alert:** If you plan to watch the movie or read the book, you might want to pause here and come back after you've done so.
About the Story
The story unfolds in four parts: Tokyo, Outsiders, Gathering, and A Year Later.
Part I: Tokyo
As the year draws to a close, many outsiders return to their hometowns, leaving the streets of Tokyo unusually quiet. Hanako, a 27-year-old woman born and raised in Tokyo, is rushing to a family New Year’s gathering. The taxi driver, who’s impressed by the luxurious hotel event she’s attending, keeps chatting, but Hanako isn’t interested. She’s recently gone through a breakup, and her family is expecting her to bring her fiancé to the gathering. When she arrives at the lavish hotel, her family is already there, but when they see she’s alone, they’re disappointed, and the atmosphere becomes tense.
The conversation quickly shifts to a new potential marriage prospect for Hanako. The candidate is the son of a plastic surgeon, with a solid family background, and he works at a private hospital in Tokyo. He has two sisters: the older one is a lawyer, and the younger one, who is divorced, is a dermatologist. The family is eager for Hanako to marry him to secure the hospital’s succession. However, Hanako realizes that finding an "ordinary person" to marry is harder than expected.
Her mother, persistent as ever, continues to pressure her: “You’re already 27. Are you really planning to date slowly and wait for someone to propose? Are you sure you’ll get married at the right age?” Hanako silently nods, accepting the situation. During the family photo session that follows, the atmosphere is cheerful, but Hanako’s heart remains heavy.
Most of Hanako’s friends are already married or engaged. Their regular social activities involve discussing art, travel, and their children’s education in high-end restaurants. A few friends, including Itsuko, a violinist who received an elite education overseas, are not yet considering marriage. They refuse to be bound by traditional expectations. However, the matchmaking candidates Hanako meets, despite their impressive resumes, feel cold and disinterested, making it hard for her to connect with them. These dates end quickly and without success.
Hanako goes on several blind dates with different men—a playboy, a socially awkward doctor, and a man from a lower class—but none of these attempts at matchmaking succeed.
Not long after, Hanako accepts an invitation from a colleague to meet on a rainy day. This new prospect, Shinichiro, is a handsome and steady man, quite different from her previous dates. They share a quiet dinner, discussing life’s moments. Koichiro mentions that all the important days in his life have been rainy, which he finds romantic.
As they part ways, Koichiro politely talks about his favorite movies, saying he plans to revisit them. When Hanako musters the courage to ask if they can meet again, Koichiro smiles and agrees, making Hanako feel like everything is finally moving in a positive direction.
Soon after, Hanako and Koichiro officially begin dating. However, Shinichiro’s family background confuses Hanako. His family has a long history in the shipping industry and is considered part of the upper class. Although Hanako is unfamiliar with the concept of the "upper class," her friend Itsuko explains that children from such families are groomed from a young age for future political careers, which adds to Hanako’s concerns.
Despite some worries, Hanako and Koichiro’s relationship develops smoothly. They enjoy a period of sweet romance, but during a family gathering, Hanako accidentally notices a message on Shinichiro’s phone from a woman named Ishioka Mika. Her intuition tells her that this marks the beginning of a new chapter in her life.
Part II: Outsiders
Meanwhile, the story shifts to Miki, a girl from a small town who, like many others, returns home for the New Year. Miki’s experience of striving to make a life in Tokyo has exposed her to the pressures of city life. She worked hard to get into a prestigious university in Tokyo, Keio University, but once there, she felt the stark contrast between herself and students from “inner circles.”
Miki’s family life is also far from perfect. Her brother lives a hedonistic lifestyle, and her parents' expectations clash with the reality of her life in Tokyo. Despite her efforts to establish herself in the city, Miki often feels isolated and unsupported. She even worked as a hostess to earn money for tuition, but this only deepened her dissatisfaction.
Miki returns to her hometown for a school reunion. She dresses meticulously, but when she meets her old classmates, she feels a sense of alienation. Although they share stories of their lives in Tokyo, their paths have clearly diverged. Despite their common small-town origins, their life choices and lifestyles have greatly differed.
Ultimately, Miki resolves to start anew in Tokyo. Though life in the city is challenging, she hopes to carve out a place for herself through her efforts. She realizes that no matter where she lives, the most important thing is to find inner peace and satisfaction.
Miki meets Koichiro again at a nightclub, they were classmates at Keio University, and they become friends—and more in bed, and have the relationship for 10 years. Miki is Koichiro escape from his family's pressures.
Part III: Gathering
After discovering the special relationship between Shinichiro and Miki, Hanako’s friend Itsuko invites both women for tea. Itsuko's intention is to foster an open and peaceful conversation between them. The conversation indeed goes well, especially for Miki, who expresses that her passion is not only about romance but also her career and the future she wants to build.
Miki breaks up with Shinichiro and reunites with a friend from her hometown to start a business in Tokyo together.
As for Hanako, she chooses to stay in the marriage but slowly realizes that the purpose of this marriage is simply to fulfill societal expectations. She’s expected to have a baby, but her husband does not love her.
Hanako finds herself sitting alone in a taxi, gazing out at the Tokyo streets. In that moment, she doesn’t even know who she is anymore. She spots Miki passing by on a bike and decides to stop her. Hanako follows Miki to her apartment.
In that small room, filled with mismatched dishes and photos, Hanako sees that Miki’s life is full of choices and freedom. She tells Miki that everything in this room belongs to her, a realization that profoundly impacts her.
After that visit, Hanako decides to divorce.
About the Original Work and Writer
This movie is adapted from the novel *She is Noble*, written by Mariko Yamauchi, and first published in 2019. Mariko Yamauchi was born in Toyama City. After graduating from Osaka University of Arts, she moved to Tokyo. In 2005, about a year and a half after moving to Tokyo, she won the Reader’s Award with her work, *Sixteen is the Age of Sex*. Her works often focus on the theme of female friendships, and the relationships with close friends from university have had a significant impact on her writing. The scene where Itsuko invites Hanako and Miki together for an open conversation left a huge impression on me—it’s the first time I’ve seen such a healthy way of handling a situation like that. I remember how deeply touched I was by that five-minute scene.
Ending
In the final part of the story, a year later, Hanako becomes her friend Itsuko’s manager, Miki and her friend’s startup takes off, and Shinichiro continues to work his way up in the political world.
Some comments I’ve read about this movie mention that there’s no clear resolution or forceful conclusion. But what I see is Hanako learning about herself and gaining the ability to live independently, while Miki manages to carve out a life in Tokyo, also independently.
In Asia, it’s very difficult for a woman to lead an independent life, as we’ve discussed in previous episodes. But by the end of the story, a year later, both Hanako and Miki are getting there.
Thank you again for listening to this episode. Please feel free to share your thoughts with us. This episode was written and produced by me, Cordelia. I hope to talk to you again in our next episode.
Reference
Work: あのこは貴族 (She is Nobel)
Movie website in Japanese: https://anokohakizoku-movie.com/
Book in Japanese: https://amzn.asia/d/fJjmukZ
Background music:
フリーBGM「月と海」by Heitaro Ashibe
https://dova-s.jp/bgm/play20998.html
フリーBGM「Dusty Rain」by のる
https://dova-s.jp/bgm/play20685.html
フリーBGM「Sunet」by のる
https://dova-s.jp/bgm/play19520.html