Kakegurui: Psychological Analysis of Midari Ikishima (Anime)
https://bloodorangesangria.tumblr.com/post/164215619840/kakegurui-color-theory-midari-ikishima-purple
Refer to Card 41 (Sexual Masochism Disorder [SMD]) in the following set:
https://quizlet.com/340466138/abnormal-psychology-sexual-disorders-flash-cards/
DSM-5 criteria supports the notion Midari experiences SMD symptoms:
https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/psychiatric-disorders/sexuality,-gender-dysphoria,-and-paraphilias/sexual-masochism-disorder
This is a description of the ESTP personality type:
https://www.16personalities.com/estp-personality
Pathological gambling presents itself in ways akin to Midari’s derangement:
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/psychology/a-study-on-pathological-gambling-as-an-addiction-psychology-essay.php
(Note the latter source is theoretical. It is possible psychosexual and nurture-related factors contribute to gambling addiction.)
The neuroscience behind pathological gambling indirectly aligns with Midari’s mindsets and functions:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3858640/
Midari has dealt with anhedonia and hedonism for years and submitted to her innate impulses in extreme portions to reassure herself she is human. Nobody seems to care for her due to her erratic mannerisms and regular exposure to individuals with apathetic tendencies such as Kirari and Runa, so she has felt outcasted. She also seems largely disinterested in others because of this treatment, but she is ecstatic in the presence of Jabami, whom she believes can understand her. This perceived lack of belonging has resulted in suicidal thoughts and an identity crisis, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she wishes to live, so she continually lingers on the verge of life and death through gambling. When deprived of this pleasure she forces on herself, Midari displays mania such as during her altercation with Erimi in Season 2, Episode 2. As a sexually developed teenager who never receives affection from others, she will naturally be perverted to some extent, but this is amplified by her other baggage. The scene in Season 1 where she removes her own eye in front of Kirari to repay debt perfectly summarizes her duality, hardships, and contradiction.
Her occasionally slurred and dramatic speech further defends the idea she is disinterested in her environment, but it may also indicate a disability. She appears slightly deformed, but this may be untrue considering most of the characters possess unusual designs, and she is very simplistic, narrow-minded, and instinctive, which is typical of people with limited cognitive capacities, albeit this is probably linked to her other issues as well. There are some occasions where Midari exposes the insecurities of other characters in a blunt but accurate way like in her conversation with Yumemi in Season 2, Episode 5 and description of Sayaka’s past, but this rarely occurs because she is frequently lost in her own thoughts or unfeeling for people. It is somewhat possible her unhealthy fixations mask genuine intellect. At minimum, she is immature given her age.
Midari’s design is a combination of both stylish and unkempt, which means she likely attempts to charm men but is not very talented at it, either due to a lack of interest, poor motor skills, or a misunderstanding of the desires of others in comparison to her own. She projects her lust onto others because it is the sole sensation she knows, and she wishes for her peers to savor the same pleasure, which is similar to Jabami’s perspective on gambling. This is one of the main reasons Midari resonates with her. This in some regards presents itself as a lesbian infatuation with her, and her design slightly reflects this due to its faintly tomboyish features. Her voice is a tad androgynous, which may be deliberate as it is with many lesbians. Her assymetrical eyes may symbolize her paradoxical existence — with the bare eye representing the external and the concealed eye signifying the internal. From a general view, it could represent her duality as a whole rather than specific contrasts or vice versa. Her headpiece has hearts on it, implying she needs love but is warped in the head. Midari is visibly desperate and isolated, so she may be accustomed to others’ disgust towards her and unfamiliar with positive emotions like love. The pain of being loathed is one of the many miseries she lies to herself about; the woman convinces herself she enjoys it to cope. Nevertheless, she is not entirely unsympathetic, which is subtly insinuated by her investment in Jabami and lecture towards Yumemi about her absence of talent.
According to the Kakegurui wiki, “Midari” translates to “reckless” and “chaotic” while Ikishima means “hope”, “aspiration”, “intention”, “motive”, “plan”, “resolve”, “shilling”, and “to wear”. Midari’s forename is obviously applicable to her behaviors, but her surname is enigmatic and ironic; she is unsure of her own objectives, yet it implies a sure sense of purpose. Combined with her forename, however, this is more sensible because her goals are stubborn, mad, and counterintuitive. On the other hand, the meaning “to wear” may allude to Midari’s fashionable look and role. Additionally, the girl “wears” her abnormality like a badge of honor, and she is “worn” out because of her circumstances and hurdles.
Midari’s personality type is almost indescribable, but the most prominent possibility is ESTP, also known as the Entrepreneur. She is a very unhealthy case, and she is somewhat ambiverted. Her position in the student council reflects a social nature, but this is not necessarily evidence in itself; she is talkative and desperate for affection, but the kind of attention she seeks is incomprehensible to most, so she tends to be isolated. She asserts herself in situations with methods others are throw off or often revolted by, never hesitating to scrutinize on the basis of her observations, which are frequently more accurate and insightful than what many of her peers could muster. This is displayed when she describes Sayaka to Yuriko and criticizes Yumemi’s strategies for stardom. Unless her obsessions obstruct her ability to ruminate analytically, she is largely logical and unbiased, so her fundamental thought processes are more rational than emotional in everyday circumstances. Due to her overall disconnection from tangible, concrete reality and reliance on risks and probability, it is obvious she possesses many intuitive qualities, but these do not quite dominate her sensory ones. Midari usually approaches casual issues pragmatically and with tactility; she views personal experience as her primary method of comprehension and views these events as snapshots of a greater picture. Midari improvises much of the time and does not seem to limit herself to a timetable or routine, so her prospecting traits overpower her judging traits. The girl’s unstable and inconsistent reactions render her fifth letter a T rather than an A. Hence, her acronym stands for “Extroverted, Observant, Thinking, Prospecting, Turbulent”. Considering the severe but immeasurable despair she has experienced over the years, her personality has slightly changed, albeit she was clearly demented from the beginning. The enneagram personality test is highly controversial, and the alignment chart is rather one-dimensional, so neither shall be used for her. However, via the latter system, Midari would certainly be chaotic.
Midari is not directly connected to Kakegurui’s themes, but she is one of the worst possible products of them. She is the outcome of oppression caused by capitalism and Christianity when left to their own devices.
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