So Can You by Mitsuyo Ohira (Kodansha)

One of the major problems still facing Japan today is iijime. This is the Japanese word for “bullying”. Victims of bullying are still ostracized and treated as if the bullying were their fault. Schools often feign ignorance or disclaim deny claims of abuse. A lot of parents seem to be more concerned about appearances and gossip instead of the welfare of their children. Mitsuyo Ohira is one of those victims.

So Can You is based on her own story. She doesn’t hold back any punches and tells us the grim reality of what she went through. She talks about being bullied in junior high school, how it started, how it escalated, ultimately leading to her attempted suicide. The story doesn’t end there. So Can You is also a story of inspiration of how she, a junior high school graduate, was able to overcome impossible odds and become a lawyer.

Mitsuyo tells us up front, the actions in the book had taken place over twenty years ago and that her oppressors probably have no recollection of what they put her through but Ohira says, “But I haven’t forgotten. Even after twenty years, the memories come rushing back as vividly as if it had all taken place yesterday.”

The time was 1978. Due to a family situation, Mitsuyo had to transfer to a new school after the school year had already started. She was looking forward to going there and making new friends.  She enjoys being the center of attention. Her classmates did warn her about a student naemd “A-ko”. A-ko was the leader of the “bad” girls in Mitsuyo’s homeroom. Actually, she was the leader of all the “bad” girls in the first year. 

Mitsuyo thought if she just avoided A-ko and didn’t provoke her in any way, she wouldn’t have any problems. She was enjoying her status as a type of celebrity and with hindsight thinks maybe she was just a bit too pleased with herself. At some point in time, A-ko spoke to her but she didn’t reply. Little did Mitsuyo know that this little act of defiance would have consequences she never imagined.

First, her classmates starting ignoring her. At lunch time, nobody would sit with her or talk to her. Then came the graffiti. Someone had written on Mitsuyo’s desk, “I am a pathetic moron. Everyone hates me. If you want me, you can have me cheap.” It was signed with her name, homeroom and year. The bullying didn’t stop there. Soon, rumors were spread about Mitsuyo being “easy”. 

The second year, Mitsuyo thought she had made some new friends only to be betrayed by them. Their friendship was only a ruse to get Mitsuyo to let her guard down. Once again, Mitsuyo became the subject of a school-wide scandal and thought the only thing left to do is die, ultimately leading to her suicide attempt.

Throughout Mitsuyo’s junior high school years, she experiences being a victim of bullying, attempting suicide, and eventually follows the path into delinquency. Mitsuyo didn’t go to high school and scraped a living by working at a hostess club. A chance meeting with an old friend of her father’s at the hostess club was the turning point in Mitsuyo’s life. 

Ohira-san or “Otchan” as Mitsuyo knew him, becomes her mentor and gives her encouragement to make a new start on life. He is the first person to tell her that it is her fault for not even trying to change. Otchan lights the fire inspiring Mitsuyo to change.

Mitsuyo was not with her life, but with the encouragement of Ohira-san, she starts to set small goals for herself. Once she reaches one goal, Ohira-san encourages her to set an even higher one. This sets the stage for Mitsuyo, a junior high school graduate to attempt to pass the National Bar Exam and become a lawyer!  The story is heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. ~Ernie Hoyt