Wk 9: Akiko and Noa

     In the passage about Noa commenting on his revelation on how Akiko saw him, Lee showcases how Japanese saw Koreans on another level. Especially before and during the second world war. Most Japanese outright would show their disgust for Koreans or, at least, showcase their superiority to Koreans. As time progressed though, some of the superiority became a little more discrete, just as in Akiko's case. Akiko's parents, outright did not think to highly of Koreans, but Akiko, perhaps not consciously, had a more discrete way of seeing Koreans. A big part of Akiko's personality was always to try and go against what she was told or taught. Such as in college, she would propose different viewpoints that would contradict or just present another viewpoint that is not as mainstream. In this quote though, Noa realizes that part of the reason that Akiko is even going out with him is because Japanese women being with Koreans wasn't a popular idea and Akiko tried to stray from those ideas. Akiko wasn't doing it because she thought that everyone was equal or that no one ethnicity was better than another, but because she saw her relationship with No almost like--- as some would say in western cultures--- dating a "bad boy." She wasn't really doing it because she liked Noa for his personality and who he was as a person, but because he was Korean.

    I would say that Akiko and Noa are different in relations with Sunja and Hansu because Sunja was unaware of Hansu's actual intentions with her and his other life, while Akiko knew Noa and be with Akiko for who she was not because she was Japanese. Noa wasn't taking advantage of Akiko like Hansu was to Sunja. 

    I would say that some emotions about colonialism that are being telegraphed in this passage was the fact that, the Japanese still thought of themselves as being superior and better than those they colonialized: the Koreans. In addition, it was looked at negatively, especially by the Japanese, when a Korean and Japanese had a romantic relationship.