Naoto is very complicated to me, I'm at the point where I don't think they meant to write a trans story. it's been explained that the story is about specific issues in Japanese culture (at the time?) of women not being accepted in professional roles like that and feeling the need to reject womanhood outright to be accepted. if the intention was what they said, imo it's a pretty good concept. the problem is they (intentionally or not) stumbled into a trans narrative and now it's so much more messy and difficult to view any other way. I think there was a way to tell the story they wanted to, but through either not knowing how to tell nuanced stories about women or just being way too heavy handed, we have Naoto. what was meant to be a payoff at the end of the story (leaning into femininity some) feels at odds with the story leading up to it
sexism against chie is fucked up for sure. again, l blame so much on Hashino being an awkward weirdo about anything other than stories about guys
HASHINO: I’ve never successfully forged a true friendship with a girl in real life.
SOEJIMA: Neither have I.
HASHINO: I guess that means we couldn’t implement it into the game because we don’t know what it’s like. (laughs)
SOEJIMA: Now that I’m on my thirties, I’m more open to the notion that it is possible, though. Back in high school, I admit I couldn’t look at girls that way.
Naoto is very complicated to me, I'm at the point where I don't think they meant to write a trans story. it's been explained that the story is about specific issues in Japanese culture (at the time?) of women not being accepted in professional roles like that and feeling the need to reject womanhood outright to be accepted. if the intention was what they said, imo it's a pretty good concept. the problem is they (intentionally or not) stumbled into a trans narrative and now it's so much more messy and difficult to view any other way. I think there was a way to tell the story they wanted to, but through either not knowing how to tell nuanced stories about women or just being way too heavy handed, we have Naoto. what was meant to be a payoff at the end of the story (leaning into femininity some) feels at odds with the story leading up to it
sexism against chie is fucked up for sure. again, l blame so much on Hashino being an awkward weirdo about anything other than stories about guys
The guy who didn't know a man and a woman could be friend before it hit him around his forties? You don't say 😂
reading that part of the interview made me understand why certain things were so poorly written lol
for anyone who hasn't seen it (link):