Irony of Koharu
Koharu is a woman who wants to love and be loved despite the nature of occupation. Because of her occupation she is seen as emotionless and cunning, ready to take any opportunity to better her status. Jihei himself, who swears on his love for her, jumps against her immediately after misunderstanding her intentions. It turns out that she threw herself on Tahei to protect Jihei from their intended double suicide. She sacrificed herself so that he can continue leaving with his family unharmed.
Irony of Osan
Jihei’s wife Osan is a character of a wife completely dedicated to her husband and whose kindness and generosity goes as far as sacrificing everything to save her husband’s mistress. She could be seen as the most tragic character of the film, because of the way she gets everything taken from her, and her father forcing her to leave her home and children.
Divorce is a woman’s fault
Osan’s father comes to her home to scold her and her husband for his misbehavior and his recurring visits to the brothel, as well as his entanglement with Koharu. In a painfully chauvinistic portrayal of the view of marriage and the role of a woman he warns Osan that it will be her fault if they get a divorce. As everything else in the movie, this scene is intentional in its criticism of the society it portrays and the theme of feminism it explores.
Romanticizing suicide
The film is problematic in its romanticization of love-induced suicide. The topic of suicide is discussed lightheartedly in the film between the two lovers who see it as an escape from the clutches of reality and an opportunity to be together. This highly romantic portrayal of lovers escaping together, giddy at the thought of each other’s company, but also of their determination to end their lives together intensifies the already disturbing atmosphere of the film.
