Personal feelings and bias aside, Kurebayashi - at her big age - keeps making the same adverse choices (directly or by avoidance) and it's certainly deserving of criticism. She's been governed by her fear of being different and torn between protecting herself, her loved ones and the greater community and resorting to hiding as to not upset the collectivity, all of her known life to us. She's been consumed by shame, prompting her to evade facing how said fears have affected her view of the world and her actions.
By extension of doing so while still fundamentally involving herself in these events, she imposes her fear and shame-driven views on to others - namely YOUNG, impressionable people - she ultimately invalidates their needs and choices and suppresses anything that threatens the "order" of things she deems safe and acceptable. Disguised in genuine kindness amidst overarching confusion and aggression, she still chooses to manipulate the ppl close to her for that purpose.
Whether u hate her, blame, excuse, understand or agree with her, this is (at least part of) her character so far and it shouldn't be sanitized to become palatable. It should cause us discomfort. An outwardly kind, supportive person, misguided by fear of deviating from the norm and being ostracized, ends up harming themselves and those they care for, in pursuit of conformity - which is being upheld as an all-encompassing solution.
Personal feelings and bias aside, Kurebayashi - at her big age - keeps making the same adverse choices (directly or by avoidance) and it's certainly deserving of criticism.
She's been governed by her fear of being different and torn between protecting herself, her loved ones and the greater community and resorting to hiding as to not upset the collectivity, all of her known life to us. She's been consumed by shame, prompting her to evade facing how said fears have affected her view of the world and her actions.
By extension of doing so while still fundamentally involving herself in these events, she imposes her fear and shame-driven views on to others - namely YOUNG, impressionable people - she ultimately invalidates their needs and choices and suppresses anything that threatens the "order" of things she deems safe and acceptable. Disguised in genuine kindness amidst overarching confusion and aggression, she still chooses to manipulate the ppl close to her for that purpose.
Whether u hate her, blame, excuse, understand or agree with her, this is (at least part of) her character so far and it shouldn't be sanitized to become palatable.
It should cause us discomfort. An outwardly kind, supportive person, misguided by fear of deviating from the norm and being ostracized, ends up harming themselves and those they care for, in pursuit of conformity - which is being upheld as an all-encompassing solution.