In this blog post, I’d like to examine the process of Agheha’s growth and search for identity as depicted in ‘Swallowtail Butterfly’, as well as the film’s themes and messages revealed through its fantasy-adventure format.

Why Is ‘Swallowtail Butterfly’ a Fantasy?

On one portal site, ‘Swallowtail Butterfly’ is listed under the genre “Drama/Noir.” However, while watching ‘Swallowtail Butterfly’, I felt that the film possesses many characteristics of a “fantasy-adventure.” This is likely due to my own definition of fantasy, which differs slightly from conventional genre classifications. What I intend to discuss here is precisely why I defined ‘Swallowtail Butterfly’ as fantasy.

Fantasy: A Different Way of Viewing Reality

Todorov argues that fantasy—or illusion—is something that leaves us hesitating between the question of whether it is reality or illusion. Applying Todorov’s analytical framework more closely to this film, ‘Swallowtail Butterfly’ could be classified as “grotesque wonder.” Although the setting, “Yentown,” is a world created by the author, the story is set in the real-world location of Japan, and the events depicted are not entirely impossible. In other words, while it is clear that this is not reality, it is because it can be explained rationally.
After referring to this film as “fantasy” earlier, it may seem contradictory to now call it “grotesque wonder” according to Todorov’s classification. This is because “wonder” implies a clear recognition that something is not real. In other words, it is a state of unhesitating belief, much like illusion. I believe this confusion arises from mistaking the genre of “fantasy” for the illusion described by Todorov. In other words, I do not believe that the illusion described by Todorov constitutes the entirety of fantasy.
I believe that fantasy is a unique way of presenting the world. Fantasy presents reality in a style distinct from that of other genres, and I believe this style is “metaphor.” In other words, within fantasy, there exist countless secondary concepts of metaphors, and we can find the primary concepts of those metaphors in certain aspects of reality. For example, one could interpret the One Ring in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ as a real-world nuclear weapon. Compared to fantasy, other genres use fewer metaphors and rely primarily on everyday metaphors. Furthermore, the objects that serve as the secondary concepts in these metaphors are also everyday. However, the secondary concepts used in fantasy are non-everyday objects. A good example of this is Fiona, who appears in the movie ‘Shrek’—a film that mocks our era’s tendency to praise only visible beauty—and has green skin to illustrate true beauty.

Ageha and Her Allies

The main characters in a fantasy adventure include the hero (the protagonist), the antagonist, and the allies. In my view, the hero—that is, the protagonist—of ‘Swallowtail Butterfly’ is Ageha. She is a nameless existence until the death of her mother, Yuriko—a prostitute from Yen Town—and her encounter with Griko, a complete stranger connected to her through a series of “acquaintances of acquaintances.” Yen Town represents not only a socially and economically marginalized position within Japan but also a state of personal abandonment, where she cannot even answer the question of who she is.
Her allies include Griko, who gave her a name; Feihong, Lan, and Nihat, who gave her part-time jobs; Aaron, who taught her boxing; and Hoan, who, after being knocked down by one of her punches, became her subordinate. Additionally, Ryoyanki appears as an ally who saves her life when she collapses from a drug overdose. The doctor in Yentown also looks into Ageha’s pain and heals it.
What remains somewhat unclear in this film is the identity of the antagonist. This is because Ageha fights against everything that seeks to destroy her world. Ageha affirms her personal identity by receiving a name from Griko and establishes her social identity with the help of Mr. Third Culture, who assists her in forming the Yentown Band. This is the world Ageha seeks to protect.
When she sees the caterpillar Griko drew on her chest and says, “My name is AGEHA,” she is creating her own personal world; establishing the “Yentown Club” in downtown was a declaration of her social identity—namely, that she is from Yentown. However, obstacles arise during her second attempt. To succeed in mainstream Japanese society, Griko had to become Japanese, and without him, the Yen Town Club closes its doors. The antagonist is Japanese society, which oppresses those from Yen Town.
As discussed in the definition of fantasy, rather than simply accepting the above at face value, it is more important to consider what Agheha symbolizes, what being from Yen Town symbolizes, and what Mr. Third Culture symbolizes. I believe these interpretations can take various directions.

Ageha’s Adventure and Journey to a New World

Fantasy adventures have a very long history, and their plots are highly formulaic; according to Joseph Campbell’s theory, they can be divided into three stages: separation, initiation, and return. In this regard, Ageha’s journey fits this framework perfectly. She travels from Yen Town to Downtown, and then returns to Yen Town.
Ageha was born and raised in Yentown as the daughter of Yuriko, a prostitute. One day, Yuriko becomes entangled in a drug deal and returns home as a cold, lifeless body. This incident serves as the catalyst for Ageha’s adventure. She goes from one acquaintance to another, eventually meeting a woman named Griko—a complete stranger who happens to be an acquaintance of one of her acquaintances. Griko is also a Yen Town resident who came over from China. At first, Griko tries to sell Agheha to a brothel she knows, but changes her mind and takes her in as her younger sister. After that, Agheha begins living by helping Griko with her work.
By chance, Ageha notices a swallowtail butterfly tattoo on Griko’s chest. Griko explains that the tattoo is the only mark that can identify her as herself in Yen Town, where there is no other way to prove one’s identity. Griko then gives Ageha—who has no name—the name “Ageha” (which means “swallowtail butterfly” in Japanese). Citing her young age as the reason, he draws a small caterpillar on her chest with a pen. Looking down at her chest, Agheha murmurs her name. Griko has planted the seed of identity necessary for Agheha to build her own world right there on her chest. In other words, Griko becomes a mentor who helps Agheha shape her own world.
Furthermore, by introducing Agheha to Feihong, Lan, and Nihat—who will do anything for money—Griko creates a path for Agheha to engage with the world. Here, while helping Feihong with his work, Agheha mingles with people of many different ethnicities gathered in Yen Town and gradually learns their way of life. Just as Fei Hong had deliberately punctured a tire with an arrow to make money, Ageha also runs up to passing cars without hesitation, washes them, and forces them to pay her.
She also meets Aaron, a former boxer who deals with Griko’s troublesome customers. Aaron teaches Agheha how to box, and since this skill later helps her start a relationship with Juan, Aaron becomes one of Agheha’s allies as well.
One day, when a man named Sudo—one of Griko’s customers—attempts to assault Ageha, Aaron beats him and accidentally knocks him out the window, killing him. While disposing of the body, they find a cassette tape of the song “My Way” inside Sudo’s stomach, and this becomes the catalyst for their departure from the world of Yen Town to Downtown. It also serves as the catalyst that brings them into conflict with another world.
This tape had been obtained by Ryoyanki, the king of the Yen Town refugees and a master forger. Things begin to unravel when Sudo—a subordinate of an organization with conflicting interests—takes the tape and is subsequently killed. Ryoyanki is Griko’s older brother, and he dispatches his own men to track down and kill whoever is in possession of the tape. Through her informant, Ran discovers that the tape contains the magnetic data for 10,000-yen bills. Using this information, she transforms 1,000-yen bills into 10,000-yen bills, and by saving up this money, they are able to leave their home, “Aozora” (which means “blue sky” in Japanese). Aaron and Nihat return to their hometown, while Feihong, Griko, and Ageha head downtown; Ran and the children remain at Aozora.

Yen Town Club and the Conflict of Identity

As a full-scale investigation into the counterfeit bills used to raise this money begins, Feihong decides to set up a live music venue for Griko. While recruiting band members, they meet Mr. Third Culture—a man who looks American but was born in Japan and speaks only Japanese. Through an interview with him, who is in a similar situation to her own, Ageha begins to reflect on her identity as defined by society. In other words, even though Ageha—who didn’t come here to make yen—is not actually a Yentown resident, society still calls her one. Just as Mr. Third Culture is mistaken for an American even though he isn’t one. He, too, emerges as a key figure who greatly helps shape Ageha’s identity. With his help, a band is formed for the Yen Town Club.
While putting up flyers to promote the club, Ageha gets into a altercation with Hoan and knocks him out with a punch she learned from Aaron. As a result, Ageha gains another ally in Hoan. Hoan’s gang later helps Ageha exchange counterfeit bills so she can reclaim the Yentown Club.
Meanwhile, the Yentown Club is a huge success, and Feihong stops by Aozora, where Lan is staying, to share the news that Griko has signed a contract with a record label. Lan hands Fei Hong a gun and asks him to become Glico’s “guardian of her dreams.” Meanwhile, the record label suggests that Glico become a Japanese citizen, citing her album sales figures as the reason. They also raise concerns about her lack of a visa. Fei Hong tells her that if she can become a star, it’s fine for her to become Japanese. After their intimate moment, Fei Hong strokes the butterfly tattoo on his chest and says, “Fly.” This is likely his roundabout way of praying that her dream will come true.
However, due to a scheme by the record label president—who views Fei Hong as an obstacle—Fei Hong is arrested as an illegal immigrant and sent to a detention center. There, Ageha packs him a lunchbox every day and sends him messages asking after Griko. Fei Hong finds himself facing forced deportation, while Griko is on his way to becoming a superstar, selling out shows.
Meanwhile, Agheha’s crew discovers drugs, and Agheha injects some into her arm and passes out. In a panic, Hoan rushes out to seek help, and the person he finds is none other than Ryoyanki. Ryoyanki takes Agheha to the doctor in Yen Town who had tattooed “Grikko” on her. There, under the influence of the drugs, Agheha looks at a poster of Grikko on the wall and blurts out the name “Grikko.” Hearing this, Ryoyanki realizes that Grikko from the Yen Town band is his younger brother. Liao Yangqi also emerges as the savior who saved Ageha’s life.

A Collapsed World and Ageha’s New Beginning

Fei Hong, who had expected to be forcibly deported, is released all too easily because she has no criminal record and lacks the money to return to China. As she runs through the city, reveling in her freedom, Fei Hong sees Griko’s swallowtail butterfly taking flight. It turns out that an image of a tiger swallowtail butterfly—the cover art for her album—has been installed on a large billboard in the city. With this, Feihong believes there is nothing more she can do for Griko. A heartbroken Fei Hong extorts money from Gricco’s boss, and the members of the Yentown Band, believing he sold Gricco out, quit their jobs. As a result, the Yentown Live House is forced to close.
For Ageha, the closure of the Yentown Club brings a sense of frustration—that her world can no longer expand. However, she strives to rebuild her world. As a first step, she decides to go to Opium Street to get a tattoo of a fully grown swallowtail butterfly. The tattoo artist, claiming he lacks the power to make the butterfly fly, accepts only the portion of the tattoo fee covering the body and returns the amounts paid for each wing. I believe this signifies that the power to make the butterfly fly lies within Agheha herself.
While tattooing her, the doctor asks her to recall her first memory of seeing a butterfly. Agehah recalls a butterfly from her childhood that was trying to escape through the window; she struggled to hold it back but ended up crushing it to death against the window frame. She then asks the doctor if that is indeed her memory. In response, the doctor asks her whether she is speaking of that memory as a child or as a butterfly. I believe this symbolizes her own existence—crushed by society—that is, Ageha, the tiger swallowtail butterfly. In other words, by helping her reveal the pain and suffering within her and shed tears, the doctor is also a character who helps Ageha.
To rebuild her world, Ageha asks Ran for the tape, explaining that she needs it to “get everything back.”
Ageha then gathers all of Ho-an’s gang members, organizes them into a structured operation, and amasses a huge fortune by exchanging counterfeit bills. Taking the money she’s collected, she visits a real estate agent and says she wants to reclaim the Yen Town Club. However, blinded by greed, the agent attempts to kill her but gives up, simply advising her to go back. As a result, Ageha is unable to reclaim the new world she had built in Downtown.
Meanwhile, a deranged woman from the red-light district, who witnessed the Griko gang killing Sudo, tips off a reporter. She also sells the information to Ryoyanki’s henchmen, who had been tracking the tape’s whereabouts. After seeing evidence of her prostitution, the reporter blackmails Griko, and Ryoyanki’s henchmen—unaware that he is Ryoyanki’s younger brother—threaten Griko while he is with the reporter. After escaping the threat thanks to the reporter’s intervention, Griko calls Feihong and asks for forgiveness for abandoning everyone.
Liao Yangki’s gang also storms into the place where Feihong is taking the call. Feihong hides the gun Lan gave her inside her clothes, tells Griko to wait at Aozoora, and hangs up. Instead of Feihong, who lacks a visa, they take the old man—the nominal owner of the Yentown Club—and Feihong into custody. Using the gun, Feihong fends off Liao Yangqi’s henchmen, then stops a taxi at gunpoint. Realizing he has no money, he attempts to exchange the single counterfeit bill remaining in his pocket at a vending machine but is arrested by police who had been lying in wait.
Once in custody, Fei Hong is threatened and forced to reveal who was behind the massive counterfeit bills that Ageha had scattered; in the process, he is severely tortured and dies. Meanwhile, Griko, recaptured by Ryoyanki’s henchmen and dragged back to Aozora, begs Lan to lend him a tape. Facing off against Ryoyanki’s henchmen, Lan takes them down using her friend’s bazooka.
As a result, Ageha returns to Aozora. Agehaha, who went to retrieve Feihong’s body, reveals details she couldn’t share when her mother died—namely, that Feihong’s name was Yan Town, and he was from neither Shanghai nor Beijing. Agehaha, Griko, and Ran bring the body back to Aozoora, place it in a car, and burn it along with the large sum of money they had exchanged for it.
While arranging flowers for Feihong’s cremation, Ageha reveals her chest, saying, “The caterpillar has become a butterfly.” This signifies that Ageha has matured. Furthermore, just as Feihong once said, “If heaven is where a soul goes on a rainy day, then perhaps this place—where the soul cannot ascend to the sky but touches the clouds and falls as rain—is heaven,” Ageha comes to realize that where she is now is heaven.

The Open Ending and Ageh’s Choice

The film’s ending is open-ended. As Lan aims her gun at Ryoyanki, preparing to kill him, Ryoyanki—unaware that he is being targeted—mutters from inside the car about retrieving the tape and making one last big score before returning to China. He comes face-to-face with Ageha, who is riding by on a bicycle, and stops the car. After asking about Ageha’s well-being and exchanging pleasantries, Ageha hands Ryoyanki the tape as a token of gratitude for saving her life just as he is about to leave.
When Ryoyanki asks her name, she replies, “Ageha”—“a name given to me by the prostitute Griko.” This implies that she has returned to her former self as the prostitute Griko, no longer Griko of the Yen Town Club. The film ends with Ryoyanki driving away. Thus, the outcome of the situation between Ryoyanki and Lan remains open-ended.

The Realization That This Is Heaven

“Swallowtail Butterfly” does not follow the typical plot of a fantasy adventure. There is no clearly defined antagonist, nor is there any acquisition of treasure. However, I believe it holds great significance in terms of finding one’s identity and positively embracing that identity, regardless of one’s social standing.
A girl who once had no sense of identity at all begins to realize her own identity, but fails in her attempt to internalize the identity of another—one distinct from her own. Through that failure, she comes to realize that no matter how hard she tries to forcibly adopt someone else’s identity, that place is no longer the paradise she once lived in, and she returns to her former life.
This film conveys the realization that paradise isn’t somewhere far away—it is right here. Isn’t the reality we live in, which fantasy seeks to capture, also like that? We strive to force an identity that doesn’t fit us onto ourselves, but that garment is always uncomfortable and never brings us happiness. I believe ‘Ageha’ depicts those forced efforts of ours.
Of course, I do wonder if this conclusion might encourage the laziness of people who live without taking on challenges. However, if becoming happy is the purpose of our lives, I think we need to keep in mind that progress does not necessarily guarantee happiness.