#i see this a lot with the Chiaki Perfect Gamer Girl GF complaint

[funishment-time]

on critical thinking (and Sayaka Maizono)

i think what happens a lot in Danganronpa, and with Fandom in particular, is that people assume the Problematic Narrative Issues most stories have ALWAYS exist. we end up so used to seeing the Annoying or Problematic thing we sometimes feel like it's there when it isn't. combine that with underused media literacy/critical thinking skills and it's often a recipe for misplaced anger and weird character interpretations.

as a random example: i see Sayaka's treatment maligned a lot as Sexist/Misogynist. it does look like that on the surface, right? she's the cute idol girl love interest, and she dies first in a selfish grab to get out of the school, attempting to pin Male Normie Protag for a crime he didn't commit. ask yourself, though: is this narrative Sexist, or have i seen similar shitty Snake in the Grass Succubus Harpy Girl Attacking The Innocent Bunny Man type narratives so much that i'm projecting? finding evidence of Misogyny that isn't there?

related questions, both in general and for this situation specifically:

how does this situation relate to the themes of the story, to Makoto's arc, to the arc(s) of the rest of the characters?

does Sayaka have depth? or is she just a plot device for Makoto and the others?

what about the rest of the women/femme-aligned folks in the Narrative? are they only there for similar reasons as Sayaka?

especially with something like Danganronpa (translated/localized), what is the original connotation of the text (if available)? are there cultural nuances i might have Missed?

what are other examples i've seen of this situation in other unrelated works? is it Similar? not really that Similar at all?

what might the writers have intended? what is/are their Background(s)?

who is the intended market/audience?

how long has it been since i've played the Game (or read the book, etc)? am i misremembering something from the Game?

related to the above, am i letting Fandom/Fanon/Chuds on Reddit color a lot of my perception because i haven't interacted with the canon in a while?

and of course, to reiterate my first point: have i seen this narrative done poorly so often that i expect it's always written poorly?

maybe you'll come to the Conclusion it's still sexist (or transphobic, or...), and that's fine. i'm not saying there aren't Bigoted and Awful bits of fiction out there that tell us everything we need to know about the author's shitheadedness. but always take a moment to think first.

#i see this a lot with the Chiaki Perfect Gamer Girl GF complaint #as well as with Tenko (who got shafted by localization in a way i don't see talked about much) #danganronpa #fandom #fandom meta #fandom things #sayaka maizono #for the record #i don't think Sayaka's narrative treatment is miso #i do think a lot of Folks get a little cagey about female idols and about male protagonists of VNs though