I totally agree with you （￣へ￣）
I would actually disagree with you. The role of pride and shame are so integrated with Japanese culture and their mindset, that I find her actions completely understandable and forgivable. There was no mention about her parents, so I would assume she had no family support, and pushing her mistake onto a friend would be extremely shameful. She hated herself so much, she was willing to commit SUICIDE as a way out. Reading this last chapter made my heart cry for Saena, and perfectly illustrates why I'm pro-choice aha. I don't know much about the Japanese adoption methods, but I know in normal cases, there aren't severed ties between the birth family and the child. Also, if the American foster care program is anything to go by, it's not exactly the best option. Just my two cents (▰˘◡˘▰) lots of love
So it's better that she preserve her reputation and scar a child for life than suck it up and do something else about her? Like I said, it's not like she didn't think Kyoko was in danger in her care and not like she didn't realize she would hate her when she was born, so what would she have done if she decided to up and drown her as a kid or smother her in her crib or beat and starve her? Besides, it's not like she didn't wind up "pushing her off on a friend" in the end, so why not do it before the damage was done? There's no way someone as smart as Saena wouldn't realize the effect growing up in a home with a parent who actively despises you would have on her. She made the choice to keep her, so she should've taken care of her. There is absolutely nothing forgivable and understandable about the way she treated her.
It's true that Saena ignored her, but there wasn't any indication of abuse, was there? Many of the adults around her were making sure she didn't physically hurt her. Kyoko spent all day with children her age, and a couple who helped raise her, so her childhood wasn't that bad? Sure, she was never around, but I grew up with two working parents and can attest that as long as there is someone else there, its not that bad. The only thing I can fault Saena for is the lack of encouragement or interest in Kyoko, and I'm inclined to just shrug my shoulders and say, "ehh, it worked out in the end."
No indication of abuse?Kyoko is a psychological wreck because of the emotional torture her mother put her through. Ignoring is one thing, but her mother was needlessly cruel and cold to her. Saena treated Kyoko like a pariah for years and made her so desperate for love and acceptance that she was willing to throw herself at Sho, who anybody on the outside could see was in insufferable dick, and then said on national TV that she didn't exist. She didn't just lack encouragement either; she made Kyoko feel like no matter what she did it would never be good enough. It got to the point where she had to run off into the forest to go cry because she had no one to turn to despite being a little girl. Kyoko grew up thinking she was an unwanted failure whose mother threw her away because she was worthless. And she didn't grow up with kids her own age; her only male friend was Sho and girls hated her because of it. And even if she did, that doesn't make having a parent who despises you just magically not matter. Just because Saena didn't beat her and Kyoko didn't turn into a prostitute or a serial killer doesn't mean "everything worked out in the end". Who knows how much damage she did to her.
Physical abuse is just one type of child abuse. Neglect and emotional abuse can be just as damaging.
I'm relating to real life situations.
This can happen.
Being pregnant when not wanting to be pregnant, really busy with work so you don't have time to raise a child and most of all, you've been impregnated by a guy you fell head over heals for bit turned out to be a complete dick bag and might have raped her.
Keeping the baby or aborting a baby is the biggest and toughest decision a mom will make.
She wasn't raped. -.- If she wasn't prepared to take care of a child, then she should have used contraception.
I'm sorry but even after seeing her backstory I still find Saena's behavior disgusting and inexcusable. If the time to have an abortion passed and she was entirely convinced she would wind up hurting Kyoko at some point (which she must have thought since she herself admitted that she sent her away to the Fuwa's to protect her), why would she continue to raise her only to psychologically, emotionally, and almost physically torment her for years on end? Why didn't she leave her with the Fuwa's or some other friends earlier, put her up for adoption, give her to a family member, leave her at an orphanage, etc...? Abortion or keep a child she hated weren't the only options she had. If she was going to keep Kyoko she could've faked it instead of almost going out of her way to act like she hated her just for existing. I didn't sympathize with her before and I definitely don't now.