Spoilers alert if you haven't watched S2 yet!
(Notes:
- Tbh idk if I'm ready for the comments that may come after posting this, but I still felt the need to address this matter regarding Tsubakino
- Quite a bit of my writings are also heavily based on my personal values. You're welcome to disagree, but when you do so, please leave quietly because I barely have energy to write this due to working on my day job
- Also, apologies for any potential mistakes as English isn't my first language. Feel free to point it out if you find any because I also appreciate the feedback)
My personal views aside, I've wanted to try writing about Tsubakino the moment I heard WBK's getting a lot of hate since his appearance due to him being a crossdresser and romantically attracted to Umemiya, and that's despite the story being one of the most well-written ones I've known.
While you're all welcome to disagree or add to my opinion, a certain "pattern" I've noticed with the hate comments is them disagreeing with Tsubakino's choice because it almost seems like he chose to "abandon" masculinity. However, I think it's a false statement, and while there are certain traits that people must have regardless of being feminine or masculine, there are some that, to me, are the defining traits for masculinity, such as:
Not just physically, but also emotionally.
Emotionally:
He found a way to bounce back from his childhood insecurities and became the Tsubaki we know right now. He has come into terms of accepting himself as a boy/guy who loves beautiful things and dresses himself with those. He gives compliment when/where suitable while also being careful not to overwhelm the person being complimented (Sakura's a special case because we all know how easy it is for him to blush). While he didn't have an easy childhood, he's still willing to accept people and lend a helping hand towards them instead of shutting everyone out.
Physically:
There's not much to say of his physical prowess because we've witnessed it ourselves during his fight with Suzuri (and hopefully more when we get to S3) and when he, Kanji, and Suo throwing attacks on Endo. He's strong enough to support Umemiya, to have the Sakaki twins as his advisors, for Kanji to trust him to protect Shizuka, and to lead the 1-1 Grade Captain trio by example.
While it seems like a given considering his position as one of Bofurin's Four Kings, he doesn't hesitate to protect anyone in need of his help, even if they're not on Bofurin's turf. That being said, him protecting Shizuka and helping Roppo Ichiza still feels in-line with what Kaji said during KEEL arc about "Protecting what's important to the people of the town" (in this case, his connection with Shizuka and people from Keisei Street).
Also, while it seems like he often gets very close into people's personal space, he also didn't push Shizuka to talk about her secret (although he did find out later on in the story), in which implies that him being protective also includes respecting people's secret and boundaries whenever situation calls for it.
While his choice of part-time work isn't exactly common (and might be questionable in certain parts of the world), he knows what he wants, what he needs to do to achieve it, and doesn't back down easily (Kanji did mention he was persistent about working in the Ougi club).
He knew his outfits and beauty products aren't free and he's willing to work hard to earn them (and keep them in stock), he treated our beloved trio to a meal (heck, a feast, even) while still being careful with his earnings (the Sakaki twins might need to learn a thing or two, though), because, well, money doesn't grow on trees, right?
With everything said, the reason why I decided on those 3 traits is if the patriarchy and gender stereotype aren't so toxic and demanding toward either sexes, people can do what they're supposed to do without having to worry about backlash and injustice that might harm them.
(Note:
as I've mentioned earlier, what I put in this post are based on my personal values. I've been taught that men must at least have those 3 traits because they will eventually lead and provide for the family regardless of whether the wife is also earning also because women are supposed to be the "rib", not the "backbone", and that comes from habit. Life won't always be comfortable, and while those who weren't taught to earn what they want and need since youth would probably struggle in their adulthood, I don't find this problem with Tsubakino because he already went through that experience)
To wrap this post up, allow me to say that part of the reason why I felt the need to write this post was to show that I can still appreciate Tsubakino (and how he's written) despite not fully agreeing with his decision. While I might be overthinking it, I see there are certain people who think that "Not supporting LGBTQ+ = Hostile" while in reality, not all of us are like that, and it makes me (and some others who share my view) feel like a minority even among minorities. I want to show that we all can still appreciate and understand where and how we came from without having to sabotage each other (apologies for the lack of better term). And with this post, I hope I can show that I do and will still appreciate WBK regardless of where I'm standing.
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