mzen analysis symposium: what does ena like the most about mizuki?
okay so today my most esteemed co-worker @the-overanalyst messaged me out of the blue with a wonderful prompt and we had a little symposium wondering about what it is about mizuki that ena loves the most and what traits of mizuki's she is most attracted to and we both gave each other some mzen brainworms damage lol we approached the matter from slightly different angles, but here are the conference proceedings from this afternoon:
for me, i genuinely think it all boils down to that side story im obsessed with, the one from ena’s first 2* card, the one that details their first hang out one on one. i talked about it already in this post where i was analyzing how their relationship evolved. anyway, during that outing, ena's perception of mizuki gets flipped on its head, and you really have to wonder why. mizuki was still being her teasing, annoying self, after all. yet, ena suddenly looks at her and says mizuki is easier to get along with than she thought. it's about that ease, im my opinion, that's the key. basicaly, i think what ena likes the most about mizuki is that she feels comfortable and seen. even though mizuki is being a flirty lil shit and teasing her, she’s still fun to be around and shares her same interests and listens to ena’s advice on accessories and they work well together. and that simple, easy, natural way of being together startles ena. what she admits to herself, after mizuki pushes, is very very interesting:
"i thought only kanade, who recognized my art, saw me for who I really was... but maybe it wasn't just her."
this is just. mindblowing, when you know ena. it’s honestly huge for ena to have someone who makes her feel seen for who she is so early on in the story. because she built her whole sense of self on her art, and so far only feels seen by kanade bc kanade acknowledges her art. in blank canvas, it’s mafuyu who gives her the words that allow her to overcome some of her angst about painting and needing recognition. kanade and mafuyu both work as her art supports in a way. and of course mizuki also always praises her art but mizuki makes ena feel seen as a PERSON. not just when she’s painting or acting cute/sexy for a selfie. she feels seen even when she’s annoyed, or grumpy, or childish – mizuki sees that and likes it and smiles and… i just think ena likes herself a bit more around mizuki. i think she truly, truly admires mizuki!! for example, she was so impressed by her sewing skills and often ends up praising her (either in a tsundere way or way more directly after ena5) and always ends up enjoying her jokes (sometimes in secret, sometimes overtly) . but overall, i think what she likes the most about mizuki is that she feels the most comfortable around her, even more comfortable than with kanade and mafuyu, and they’re all best friends and extremely close!! she's super close to kanade and mafuyu too! but it's a bit different, bc she has put kanade on an untouchable pedestal and often feels insecure around mafuyu. it's different with mizuki... i feel like, to ena, mizuki is a breath of fresh air. she can just be herself around mizuki and know she’ll be liked even when she’s being an annoying tsundere lol. and i just want to stress how ena has never said anything like the quote above about anyone. and i wanna stress again how insane it is for her to admit something like that (even tho only to herself) after her first outing with mizuki. they didnt even talk about anything deep. just being with mizuki - going to the karaoke place and shopping together, giving each other advice and helping one another wear accessories etc. made her feel seen as a person. her. ms little identity crisis with her self-esteem below the ground. ms. little "im only worth living if my art is acknowledged and if my art isnt acknowledged i'll disappear." it's kinda crazy. so yeah. that's my take on what ena likes the most about mizuki. it's comfort.
my co-worker took a slightly different approach to the question but i think we ended up around the same conclusion. in her esteemed opinion, what ena likes about mizuki is her softer side. the moments when she shows kindness or vulnerability without any kind of farce. i'll quote her in her own words, "my strongest canonical evidence for this is of course picnic, the "you're safe now" moment that i'll never stop thinking about. also the way she reacts whenever she realizes mizuki just straight up did something nice for her (the cheesecake, the birthday cherry blossoms.) i can't think of one rn, but there's gotta be a moment when ena sees mizuki being kind to someone else and gets all smiley about it too. it's the side of mizuki that she trusts to not run away, that makes her feel secure and cared for in a way she sadly isn't used to. tranquility and whatnot. also. if she ever sees mizuki playing with little kids her heart is going to explode."
basically, we both reached the similar conclusion of mizuki being ena's comfort and tranquility. we also ended up discussing how mizuki doesn't even really see this softer side of herself, and surprises herself with it a lot of the time. after all, she thinks she's just a terrible person and a burden on those around her. she thinks her only good qualities are her wit and charisma, and all that remains are things she should keep hidden. she is traumatized by the transmisogynystic abuse she has suffered through her whole life and has grown jaded and cynical. her internal thoughts also sometimes gravitate towards misanthropic thought patterns. and mizuki doesnt like this about herself. and while ena comes to like her wit and charisma (of course), ena, the hopeless romantic, has always liked what lies beneath far more. because she can see the good in mizuki where she doesn't see any. whereas mizuki thinks she only houses bitterness and resentment and she's just a burden (too much to handle with too little to offer), ena tells her very clearly in ena5 that she's none of that. that she's precious to her.
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