Aoko Matsuda > Quotes

“The woman dies.

She dies to provide a plot twist. She dies to develop the narrative. She dies for cathartic effect. She dies because no one could think of what else to do with her. Dies because there weren’t any better story ideas around. Dies because her death was the very best idea that anyone could come up with.

‘I’ve got it! Let’s kill her off!’

‘Yes! Her death will solve everything!’

‘Okay! Let’s hit the pub!’

And so, the woman dies. The woman dies so the man can be sad about it. The woman dies so the man can suffer. She dies to give him a destiny. Dies so he can fall to the dark side. Dies so he can lament her death. As he stands there, brimming with grief, brimming with life, the woman lies there in silence. The woman dies for him. We watch it happen. We read about it happening. We come to know it well.”
― Aoko Matsuda

“How unfair society was! Male employees had to pretend to be capable of doing things they couldn't do, while female employees had to pretend to be incapable of doing things they actually could do. Over the years, how many women had seen their talents magically disappearing in that way?”
― Matsuda Aoko, Where the Wild Ladies Are

“When they are truly into something, they are absolutely single-minded in their fixation. They give it all they have. They throw heaps of money at it, research it endlessly, and do whatever seems necessary to draw closer to it. You sense real passion there.”
― Aoko Matsuda, Where the Wild Ladies Are

“Let's become monsters together.”
― Aoko Matsuda, Where the Wild Ladies Are

“I don’t have an obsessive personality, but these women remind me a lot of certain friends of mine who are fixated on something—figure skating, a particular pop star, a hobby, what have you.”
― Aoko Matsuda, Where the Wild Ladies Are

“...Everything's all swish and swanky. It's horrible. And what's with all this pink rubbish you've got strewn around the place?'
My aunt held up between her thumb and forefinger the pink cushion she'd been leaning on, as if handling something unspeakably repulsive.
'Pink maximizes your romantic potential!' I cried. My aunt had succeeded in striking a nerve. I clenched my fists tight to hide my fuchsia-painted nails.”
― Aoko Matsuda, Where the Wild Ladies Are

“Previously she'd lacked confidence and was forever putting out feelers to the people around her to gauge what they were thinking, but these days she gave out an almost authoritative aura, as if to signal that she couldn't care less what other people made of her. It was like she'd become invincible.”
― Aoko Matsuda, Where the Wild Ladies Are

“He who speaks of love must do so with courage.”
― Aoko Matsuda, Where the Wild Ladies Are

“How unfair society was! Male employees had to pretend to be capable of doing things they couldn’t do, while female employees had to pretend to be incapable of doing things they actually could do. Over the years, how many women had seen their talents magically disappear in that way? How many men had seen talents they didn’t possess magically summoned into existence?”
― Aoko Matsuda, Where the Wild Ladies Are

“There is a certain type of people in this world whom I regard as extremely brave. And sometimes, because they are too brave, they seem to be very frightening creatures. Sometimes I suspect that bravery simply means not thinking about anything.”
― Aoko Matsuda, The Girl Who Is Getting Married