Mako Mori test

English

Etymology

Named after the character Mako Mori from the 2013 film Pacific Rim by a Tumblr user known as "Chaila", who thought that the older Bechdel test was sometimes insufficient for measuring the representation of women in films.

Proper noun

Mako Mori test

1. (literature, critical theory) A feminist test for evaluating works of fiction by whether they have (i) at least one female character (ii) who has her own narrative arc (iii) which does not exist to support the narrative arc of a male character.
   • 2013, Ryan Syrek, "She Needed Her Space", The Reader, Volume 20, Number 35, 10 October 2013 - 16 October 2013, page 22:

     But what stood out most to me was how the film [Gravity] proves we need The Mako Mori Test.

   • 2015, Lani Gerbi, "The Bechdel Sword in the Stone", On Dit (Adelaide University), Volume 83, Issue 7, 15 July 2015, page 19:

     It [Run Lola Run] does pass the Mako Mori test though, because Lola is motivated by her boyfriend's safety, her actions do not always impact his story arc.

   • 2015 August 17, Charlotte Hann, “Feminist Fandom”, in Salient, volume 78, number 19, Victoria University of Wellington, page 30:

     Below is just one take, and uses the established Bechdel and Mako Mori tests to assess whether a work is feminist/representative.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:Mako Mori test.