One thought we had while reading the doujin is the idea of Sakiko as a parental figure for Mutsumi.
I mean, I think it makes sense to consider that Sakiko acts like a substitute mother for her, in particular during the early part of Ave Mujica. She is the authority figure that guides her and that she is clearly afraid of disappointing, and you can make a direct parallel between the way she pushes Mutsumi to join her band (two times) and the child actor career that her parents push her into.
And knowing how it ended, with her mother purposefully neglecting her when she began to consider her a threat, it does give another dimension to Mutsumi's desperation to satisfy Sakiko.
And then, it's kind of funny that Mortis ends up having Soyo as a mother substitute instead when they fall apart. Now, Soyo is in some way a more direct substitute; she is literally the one who ends up taking care of Mortis while her actual mom is fine letting her be stuck in her room.
One element that has been pointed out about Mortis' phone call to the doctor, is that her mom is indeed acting as a doctor during that period. So the fact that Soyo is one who literally answers the call is, well...
Now, one thing I think needs to be pointed out is that both Saki and Soyo are stuck in a larger parentification dynamic with the members of their own family. Saki has to assume the role of breadwinner and caretaker for her father after he loses his job, while Soyo has to act like a homemaker for her mother.
Which certainly explains why they end up taking those roles for Mutsumi. Saki being the more professionally oriented one who pushes Mutsumi to follow her in her career and Soyo having the habit of doing care work for the others.
(To some extent, I think you can also interpret Mutsumi in It's Mygo!!!!! as a sort of kid stuck between her divorced moms.)
romaincrisis
blakekathryn
theartofmadeline
