ジキルとハイド: Split Personality in Japan

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When someone has two different personalities, they’re called, “ジキルとハイド,” or “Jekyll and Hyde” in English. Based on the Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the names have not only been used for dissociative identity disorder in Western culture but also in Japanese culture. To say, “jikiru to haido,” to someone’s face is a little harsh, even if it’s true. (I recently met a teacher who is calm during office hours, but outside of the office, he becomes what teachers have said, “Jekyll and Hyde” or a “monster”.)

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There is a manga called ジキルとハイドと裁判員 (Jikiru to Haido to Saiban-in), translated as Jekyll and Hyde and the Citizen Judges (also, the word “saiban-in” can be “jury” or “lay judges”). It still follows some of the original story from the 1886 novella, but it includes a supernatural twist that only Japan can do.