Akira Otani’s The Night of Baba Yaga is a gritty thriller set in 1979 in Tokyo, marking the author’s first novel translated into English. With a masterful translation by Sam Bett, Otani critiques the patriarchal norms upheld within the yakuza (gangster) underworld and across society.
The novel explores the relationship between two women who represent the societal expectations that shape and constrain individuals. There is Yoriko Shindo, a solitary and fiercely resilient fighter. She serves as the bodyguard for Shoko Naiki, a sheltered young woman bound to her yakuza family. Otani’s writing reaffirms fluidity as these characters shift from adherence to resistance. As such, The Night of Baba Yaga is more than a story of reluctant challenges to gender expectations; it portrays solidarity begetting strength.
Shindo is a martial artist, and her deft skill is initially the source of othering. The Night of Baba Yaga opens with a scene of brutal violence as Shindo is kidnapped and then attacked by yakuza henchmen. Her life is spared when she agrees to serve as a bodyguard and driver for Shoko Naiki, the yakuza boss’ daughter.
As such, Shindo’s connection to Shoko begins as a duty and means of survival rather than a choice. Otani uses this scene to demonstrate Shindo’s power; however, she carefully avoids absolutism. Despite her prowess, Shindo is defeated. Otani depicts the character as a “wounded tiger”. In being “wounded”, Otani alludes to her strength eventually regenerating once solidarity is developed later in the novel.
Upon her first introduction, Shoko is a direct contrast to Shindo’s steeliness. Shoko has limited knowledge of the outside world, with her scope defined by classwork and the yakuza. Unlike Shindo’s physical power, Shoko’s identity is shaped by confinement. She is “…fangless. Her polite speech and bearing were her only means of self-protection.”
Yet Otani methodically complicates the character’s identity. She identifies generational trauma as a factor in identity development. Boss Naiki forces Shoko to dress, speak, and act as her mother, who left the family and lifestyle to define her self-empowerment. By controlling his daughter, he can project the control and reaffirmation of gender norms his wife subverted. Through Boss Naiki’s control, Otani draws a sharp line between transferences, control, and abuse.
Otani’s characters reflect multitudes as their development exposes the tension between cultural rigidity and authentic identity. In one scene, Shoko asks to stop for a coffee after class – an excursion forbidden by her father. In this small moment of rebellion, Shoko begins redefining her identity. Likewise, there is no social category into which Shindo can be placed, nor does she try to occupy such a space. Especially within the yakuza, her gender situates her as an outsider, a source of hostility since she is far more skillful than the other gang members.
As the plot develops, Shindo’s and Shoko’s actions transgress gender norms, thereby destabilizing the patriarchal hierarchy. The yakuza resort to violence, drugs, and sexual assault to restore the hierarchy while repositioning Shindo and Shoko within heteronormative control. Yet Shindo’s and Shoko’s connection fortifies their ability to resist and, as a result, decentralize oppressive patriarchal norms.
Queerness is intricately woven into The Night of Baba Yaga. Shindo’s and Shoko’s refusal to conform to the typical expectations of a woman in a patriarchal society is subversive. Here, Otani sees queerness as a means of reclaiming autonomy and rejecting the roles society imposes. Similarly, both characters’ self-empowerment reflects how queerness can be a form of liberation from the prescribed roles of femininity and duty.
Indeed, the fluidity of their relationship, not bound by tradition, becomes an act of defiance against the hierarchical systems of the yakuza, society at large, and, in a way, storytelling. It is essential to note that Otani never clearly defines Shindo’s and Shoko’s relationship. In doing so, she supports her characters in defining their relationship on their terms. Whereas she is their writer, she is not their definer.
The fairy tale of Baba Yaga is an apt subtext reflecting the novel’s exploration of identity transformation and reclamation. At first, Shoko’s blind confirmation of her father’s rigid control and societal roles is much like a damsel in distress. Otani does not miss this opportunity as Shoko initially sees Shindo as a “princess”. However, as their relationship deepens, both define their paths and identities beyond generic archetypes.
They are reminiscent of Baba Yaga’s role as a powerful force who defies conventionality. Whereas defiance provoked fear of Baba Yaga, here defiance provoked Shoko’s and Shindo’s agency. Accordingly, Otani uses the myth of Baba Yaga to show that autonomy is possible only when societal roles are challenged or, in the best-case scenario, completely dissolved.
The Night of Baba Yaga is a fast-paced novel with thrilling storytelling underlined with astute social commentary. Otani pays no mind to the readers’ comfort; scenes of extreme violence and sexual assault are evident throughout. Yet through these scenes, Otani maintains the characters’ powerful and nuanced relationship and ways of being.
Shoko’s and Shindo’s relationship is transformative, illustrating how solidarity informs resilience. An unflinching narrative, The Night of Baba Yaga burns with calls for self-definition that disrupts social conventions and builds solidarity.