Red Suspicion - Lights and Shadows of the Showa Era Reflected by Maternal Love (1975)

Red Suspicion - Lights and Shadows of the Showa Era Reflected by Maternal Love (1975)

In the 1970s, Japan was experiencing rapid economic growth, but also pollution and family unrest. Television flourished as a national pastime, and melodramas that families watched together became a social phenomenon. Symbolic of this were the "red series" starring Momoe Yamaguchi, of which "Akai Giwaku" (Red Suspicion) is particularly special. The story depicts a family with a daughter afflicted with leukemia, and Sachiyo Juju plays the role of the mother, Harue Oshima. Her helpless yet desperate support for her daughter, who is suffering from the disease, vividly reflected the strength and sorrow of maternal love. The earnest emotion that permeated her restrained performance drew sympathy from viewers and brought tears to their eyes. The film received an average viewer rating of over 30%, and the themes of intractable disease and familial love resonated with the anxieties of the times, creating a great response. This film established Juju's reputation as an actress who embod
ied maternal love, and led to her subsequent works, "Akai Fate" and "Akai Iko" (Red Shock). While her contemporaries Yoko Yamamoto and Shima Iwashita showed urban intelligence, Juju played a mother rooted in the home and symbolized the Showa era image of the family. Akai Giwaku" was more than a mere melodrama; it was a masterpiece that marked the lights and shadows of the Showa era.