“Madame Butterfly,” a story published by American author John Luther Long in 1898 in The Century Magazine, was adapted into a play by David Belasco in 1900, and then into an opera by Puccini in 1904. As David Henry Huang criticized the portrayal of the Japanese woman in “Madame Butterfly” as a representation of Western Orientalism in his play M. Butterfly (1986), the image of Madame Butterfly, a submissive Japanese woman who was willing to take her life for the white man she loved, had dominated Western narratives of Japanese women in the 20th century. The “Madame Butterfly”-style romance between a Caucasian and an Asian woman became popular as Geisha movies among American Hollywood film offerings following the second world war.

On the other hand, other “Madame Butterfly”-style romances were produced and performed in Japanese theaters at the beginning of the 20th century. Exemplifying this trend is the “Morgan O-Yuki” story based on the life of Yuki Kato, a geisha who married George Mogan, a nephew of J.P. Morgan, in 1904. The first “Morgan O-Yuki” novel was published in 1902 under the title Morgan O-Yuki 40,000 Yen in which an American man, desperately in love with O-Yuki, attempts to kill himself for her. Thereafter, many writers wrote on this topic and described the sensational relationship between O-Yuki and Morgan. Most importantly, the “Morgan O-Yuki” performed by Fubuki Koshiji appeared as the first Japanese musical at the Japanese Imperial Theater in 1951, functioning as iconic of the new Japanese woman at a time when Japan was under the occupation of the United States. In this presentation, I will examine how the interracial romance of an American man and a geisha was presented differently in the United States and Japan and utilized for differing purposes. This comparison will shed light on cultural norms and barriers of the time as well as the ideological complexities embedded in such interracial love stories. Throughout the discussion, I wish to present “Morgan O-Yuki” stories as Japanese counter-narratives of “Madame Butterfly.”

Manga versions of Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama have been published in over 80 countries and the total number of volumes sold is over 260 million as of 2024. The animated versions have been broadcast in over 80 countries. In this presentation, the influences of many countries on Dragon Ball and the modifications of the English animated version will be examined.

Originally, the setting of Dragon Ball (Weekly Shonen Jump, 1984-1995) was in China. According to an interview with Akira Toriyama, the origin of Dragon Ball was The Journey to the West, an old Chinese story, and the main character’s name is Son Goku after the original main character of The Journey to the West. Other characters’ names are Oolong, Yamcha, and Tenshinhan, which are Chinese food and drinks’ names. The dragon who possessed the dragon balls is called Shenron. The title Dragon Ball is named after the Hong Kong film Enter the Dragon (1973) featuring Bruce Lee.

On the other hand, in Dragon Ball, it is revealed that when one collects seven dragon balls, one’s wish can come true, which was inspired by the old Japanese story Nansou Satomi Hakkenden, in which one’s wish can come true when one collects eight balls.

Thus, in the first place, Dragon Ball was based on old Chinese and Japanese stories. After that, however, as the story goes on, many characters appear whose names are vegetables such as Nappa[leaf vegetable], Vegita[vegetable], Cacarrot[carrot], and musical instruments such as Piccolo, Tambourine, and colours such as Blue and Purple. Furthermore, not only earthlings but also Gods in heaven, a hermit, a hermit cat and many extraterrestrials, such as Saiyans and Namecks, appear.

The world and the narrative space of the story grows wider and wider as it proceeds. The first theme itself, in which Goku wants to collect seven dragon balls, changes into other themes of battling, friendships and family love. Thus, the initial Chinese influence in Dragon Ball weakens as the story unfolds, and the work expands in the dimensions of space, narrative, and character naming.

Turning now to the anime version based on the original manga, the English version of the anime aired in the United States has several modifications to the original story. First, for example, in the original, Goku trains in kung fu, but in the American animated version, he trains in karate. The scenery is Chinese in nature, which seems strange to a Japanese viewer, but in the U.S. they wanted to emphasize Japaneseness. Several other alterations were made, including the addition of a chair to cover Goku's front in the scene where he bathes naked, and the cutting of the scene where Goku reveals to Bulma his age of 14 years, and the unnatural cutting of the scene where the pig Oolong transforms into Bulma and tricks Kame-Sen'nin (Turtle hermit).

This presentation will examine the influences and worldviews of Dragon Ball, starting in China and expanding not only to Japan but also to other countries, the universe, and the heavens. Besides, to examine the changes and modifications conducted to the animated version shown in the U.S., the background of Dragon Ball and the acceptance of this work in the world, especially in the U.S. will be revealed. We can know how pop culture of one country can cross borders in a specific way.

Comparative literature traditionally refers to the academic study of literary works written in different languages, often comparing works in native and non-native languages. The criteria for such comparisons are as diverse as those found in general literary studies.

The concept of tojisha-hihyo (patient criticism) may be unfamiliar to many. This emerging field embodies an aspect of comparative literature. Tojisha-hihyo is a term coined by the Japanese psychiatrist Saito Tamaki to describe the presenter's academic work. To grasp the essence of tojisha-hihyo, one must first understand pathography.

Pathography is an academic discipline where psychiatrists analyze the literary and artistic works, as well as the life histories of their creators, to identify the source of genius within their mental health conditions. The term "pathos" means "disease" in Greek. In recent years, a new subfield called "salutography" has developed within Japanese pathography. Salutography examines how brilliant individuals, despite tendencies toward mental illness, achieve "salutogenesis" through their creative endeavors. "Saluto" means "health" in Greek. This modern perspective has indeed enriched pathography.

The presenter’s practice of tojisha-hihyo is based on salutography. While psychiatrists have historically offered their interpretations of literature and art with reference to mental health, the presenter—as a person with autism spectrum disorder—expressed his views by drawing upon knowledge about mental health. This approach incorporates comparative literary methods, examining works in various languages. Through this exploration, new possibilities for comparative literature are revealed.

The presenter’s approach to tojisha-hihyo can be divided into three types. The first is "comprehensive tojisha-hihyo," which comprehensively expresses the presenter's worldview as someone with autism spectrum disorder through literature and art. The second is "individual research tojisha-hihyo," which employs traditional literary research methods to examine autism spectrum traits in the works and life stories of various creators. The third is "dialogical tojisha-hihyo," which interviews other individuals with autism spectrum disorder to understand their interpretations of literature and art, thereby analyzing the aesthetics of their reception.