Mako Mori test
A test for female character independence in fiction.
The Mako Mori test evaluates how female characters are portrayed in films, television, and other fiction. It was inspired by Mako Mori, a character from the 2013 movie *Pacific Rim*. To pass the test, a work must include at least one female character who has her own independent storyline, and neither she nor that storyline should exist solely to advance a male character’s arc.
Discussions about gender representation in media, particularly film, have been ongoing since the early feminist movement. The Bechdel test is a well-known measure of this, requiring at least two named female characters who have a conversation about something other than a man or a heterosexual relationship. The *Pacific Rim* films do not pass the Bechdel test, even though they feature a strong female supporting character. As a result, a Tumblr user named Chaila proposed the Mako Mori test as an alternative.
Mako Mori appears throughout the *Pacific Rim* franchise, including the films *Pacific Rim* and *Pacific Rim: Uprising*, the graphic novel *Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero*, and the non-canon novelization *Pacific Rim: The Official Novelisation*. She is a Japanese female character, played as an adult by Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi. As a child, she was described as tomboyish and very interested in her father’s work as a sword maker. In the films, she serves in the Pan Pacific Defense Corps’ J-Tech division.
Fans and academics celebrate Mako Mori as a strong, non-sexualized female character of color. Megan Fowler noted that her subtle characterization broadens the range of realistic strong female roles in film. In an essay titled “The Mako Mori Fan Club,” Cait Coker praised her for avoiding common genre pitfalls like over-sexualization and the fetishization of Japanese characters in Western media. Although a supporting character, Mako has her own independent story arc that does not merely serve the male leads, and she avoids sexist stereotypes such as lack of agency.
In the sequel *Pacific Rim: Uprising*, Mako Mori’s role is reduced. Critics argue that her storyline now primarily supports another male character’s arc, so the sequel fails the test. She dies within the first third of the movie. This change has drawn significant criticism from fans of the films and the test itself.
- Field
- Gender representation in media
- Known for
- Alternative to the Bechdel test for female character representation
- Originator
- Tumblr user named Chaila
- Inspired by
- Mako Mori, character from Pacific Rim (2013)
Lore & Background
The Mako Mori test was proposed by a Tumblr user named Chaila as an alternative test of gender representation, after the Pacific Rim movies were noted to not pass the Bechdel test, although they feature a strong female supporting character. The Bechdel test requires at least two female characters who have an on-screen conversation about something other than a man. The Mako Mori test instead focuses on a single female character having an independent plot arc not solely in support of a male character's arc.
The character Mako Mori is featured across the Pacific Rim franchise, appearing in the films Pacific Rim and Pacific Rim: Uprising, the graphic novel Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero, as well as the non-canon work Pacific Rim: The Official Novelisation. She is a female, Japanese character, portrayed by Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi. Her character is described as 'tomboyish' as a child, showing significant interest in her father's work as a sword maker, and is a part of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps' J-Tech division.
In the sequel Pacific Rim: Uprising, Mako Mori is given less of a substantial story arc, which critics say is simply in support of another male character's plot arc and therefore does not pass the test, and dies within the opening third of the movie. This shift has been greatly criticised by fans of the movies as well as fans of the test itself.
Reader's Guide
The Mako Mori test emerged from online discourse as a response to perceived limitations of the Bechdel test, particularly in cases where a work features a strong female supporting character but fails the Bechdel test due to a lack of female-female conversation. The test's focus on a single female character's independent plot arc offers an alternative metric for evaluating gender representation, especially in genres like science fiction and action where female characters may be few. The character Mako Mori is celebrated by fans and in academic circles as a successful representation of a strong and non-sexualised character who is both female and a person of colour. Megan Fowler highlighted the subtleties of her character, and says she widens the spectrum for a greater and more realistic depiction of strong females in film. According to Cait Coker, in an essay called 'The Mako Mori Fan Club', she is heralded as a successful female character who does not conform to the common genre traits of over-sexualisation, and the common fetishisation of Japanese characters in Western media. The test's legacy is tied to the character's portrayal; when the sequel diminished her arc, it drew criticism from fans of both the movies and the test itself, underscoring the test's relevance as a tool for assessing character agency.
Did You Know?
- The test requires at least one female character with an independent plot arc not solely supporting a male character's arc.
- In Pacific Rim: Uprising, Mako Mori's arc is criticized for simply supporting another male character's plot arc, failing the test.
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Elsewhere in Pacific Rim
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