As I make my run into reading amd watching MagiReco stuff I've now reached the Kaoru Maki MGS, and had your recent Rainbow Colored Summer liveblog in mind, specially your comments about Natsuki which Yeah something about her character is always just... Off.
But I don't find intentional Malice in the way the writers deal with her, it always seems like they want to have it both ways and are just "Not sure how to write her well so they just avoid doing that" which isn't. Good. But feels more like feeling too comfortable with not dealing with these concepts rather than trying to say something.
I think her dialogue and even her sprites while talking on Kaoru's MGS have been specially telling, she's just trying So Hard to keep herself busy with stuff so she doesn't have to think about playing actually means for her, but it's sad that as soon as you start to think "Hey is she doing good?" the story will take a super fast turn and not mention her angst again for a long period of time.
It's like when they write her they can't help but bring topics they don't know how to talk about so they just Switch Topics...
I'm still very early into Magireco stuff but the amount of details that keep showing up has been really worth the watch! Sorta random ramble but I couldn't help but remember you when I saw Natsuki showing up
Yesss! I totally agree! I don't think there's malice in it either-- in fact, I almost kind of want to say that the writers are trying to do something meaningful but that there's a limit to what they're allowed to do (or what they think they're allowed to do).
There's no way to talk around this issue; one problem I think is the target audience for the game. I don't want to be rude or presumptive, but the main audience is going to be older men (by "older" I mean as in "older than teenagers"). Men can obviously relate to female characters-- that's why the series is as successful as it is imo-- but I imagine writers would want to shy away from issues like sexism that could alienate a core part of their audience.
Natsuki can't play baseball because of sexism, but it's not because of a specific man or a group of men. It's a vague set of rules that's preventing her. She makes her wish for her brother and she's very supportive of all her male friends, and those friends aren't portrayed as being misogynists-- sexism is being brought up, but it's tempered by her attitude and her close bonds with other boys. It's a vague bogeyman in the closet that everyone acknowledges is there but can't be fought directly, because it might make the audience uncomfortable.
(I'd talk about the Amane twins but that would be another 15 paragraphs-- suffice to say, Tsukasa is also dealing with her sexist father but I'd argue that Tsukuyo's mother is portrayed as more awful of the two parents. There's a reason that Tsukasa has kept her surname but Tsukuyo abandoned hers to take on her fathers.)
But like you said, I don't think there is intentional malice here. In fact, I think the writers are trying to bring up serious topics that would affect a primarily female cast, it's just that they can't do anything once it's there, so issues like sexism get waved to the side before it could possibly offend anyone or make a person uncomfortable.
The other issue is one that plagues a lot of characters and not just Natsuki: characters don't develop very much, especially the side ones. They have their tragic backstories and then they have a moment where they realize they need to change and then.... and then that's it. There's no moving forward, no development. It's not great, but in a way it's like we're seeing a brief snapshot of these girls' lives, so it's not the worst thing.
So like... Natsuki. Her story could be so good if we go the route of "she thinks her dreams are impossible so now she devotes her time to cheering on others." Any time Natsuki says "oh I'm fine this is all I actually wanted," it could be a lie she's telling herself and others around her. I honestly thought this was the route her magical girl story in Exedra was going, but the ending did a hard 180 and made me want to spoon out my eyes and eat them; so the less talked about that, the better.
I think it wouldn't take too much. I think there's already a lot we can read into as it is. For example, Natsuki watching the female athletes practice. Yeah she's a person who wants to cheer on others, but maybe there's a bittersweet forlorn happiness in there at what could have been.
I just remembered that Natsuki got an Alina's Atelier thing where she got to see her witch. Let me rewatch it real quick.
Like this is all good right here. Natsuki lets go of her smile and admits what her despair looks like. She puts all her passion into other things to avoid having given up on being a player herself.
However she doesn't ever talk about sexism or frustration with her gender or the system. Like, I'm not expecting a feminism 101 course here, but it's interesting how she phrases this-- jealous of everyone who could play baseball that she wanted to blame them. Jealous of EVERYONE (not just men) that she wanted to blame THEM (her friends and not the system).
Not that it wouldn't be valid for some misplaced anger against her dudebro friends imo, but the phrasing implies she's mad at herself for having negative feelings at being denied a passion of hers for something she had no control over.
Which again, could be a very interesting thing to go into with her character. It's heartbreaking that Natsuki lost her dream and then would deride herself for feeling bad about it. As though she thinks she can only support others, no matter the cost to herself, and that any negative emotion she might feel is something she must get rid of.
Alas.
Natsuki doesn't move forward, she stays right where she is. There's so much to examine here, but her talking about "choice" breaks my heart. What choice? You mean your wish? Do you mean to stop playing baseball? That wasn't your choice. Was it to be a cheerleader? When did you ever get a choice in this, Natsuki?
Like... if I was more confident in the writers, I'd say that this sad heartbreaking feeling is intended. That Natsuki doesn't allow herself to feel sad because she's already given up, that she avoids how she feels by throwing passion and activity over it until she's too busy cheering up others to think about how she feels. It's so close to be that. If I trusted the writers a tad more, I WOULD believe that.
But, for me, they just... don't. Cowardice or restraint by audience, I think that Natsuki is intended to be a character who briefly mentions that sexism against women exists before scurrying back and assuring the reader that everything is fine, she's okay and happy! See? You don't need to worry or feel bad about yourself.
I have so many Natsuki feelings ;_; Thanks for sending this ask!