screw that planner, I can't get this itch off.
Oddball wrote:
It's possible. Of course no real mention is ever made of this and Misha doesn't actually dye her back back to the color it was before she changed it for Shizune, so it could just very well be Misha just cutting it for the reason she actually stated in the game.
But it's Misha. It's hard to tell when she's doing things for a reason that she's not sharing with anybody or when she's just ...well... being Misha.
Oddball wrote:
Is it just me, or would anyone else would have liked to see Misha with her normal, brunette hair?
Personally, I think if she was trying to make a statement that she was getting over her relationship, dying her hair color back to brunette again would have been a lot more symbolic than cutting her hair.
Again this is where we see a different aspect in the story. Remember about the 'unreliable narrator'? This is where it strongly plays its part.
In the entire story up until ACTIII, you (the reader in general) never fully understand what's going on with Misha and Shizune
except if one of them themselves tells it directly to Hisao--but is it credible? Did they tell Hisao everything, or just
partial details while keeping the rest undercover or underplayed?
There's a lot--
a lot of things that forces the reader to guess what is going on between Shizune, Misha, and Hisao with most of the expectations of what is going to happen taking place in the mind of the reader. Half of the time I'm reading her arc for the first time I initially BELIEVED Misha has interest in Hisao--until that particular chapter when you realize 'oh shit, I'm the problem in this entire relationship' when Misha said 'I'm gay for Shii-chan'; not to mention, Misha asks Hisao how he feels about her
twice, which further mislead your initial guess. Shizune's arc is also chock-full of traditional Japanese cultural references that frankly, I'm not surprised many missed it. This actually makes it vital that some basic cultural understanding of Japan is necessary in fully capturing Shizune's story (give yourself a pat in the back if you catch most of them
)
Now then, on the hair subject...
In traditional Japan, a male samurai would often wear his hair in a top-knot as a status symbol, which meant he belongs in the 'upper class' and is forbidden to work in the field (farming. Samurais are often hired, so if no one hires them=no job=no money=no food). However, if the samurai decides to cut his top-knot it means in a literal sense that he is 'undergoing dramatic life-altering change' and proclaiming a drop in his status (another way to say it is basically abandoning the way of the bushido and taking the job as a farmer). Following on another tradition, it is known in traditional times that an ideal Japanese woman would have meticulously long hair (the 'Yamato Nadeshiko', if you will. A good example would be Kaguya from the story 'Taketori no Monogatari/Tale of the Bamboo Cutter' or another name for it 'Kaguya Hime/Princess Kaguya'). It's basically similar to the expression 'a woman's hair is her life', which gives great symbolism to how valuable one's hair is for the 'perfect' woman/Yamato Nadeshiko. But the point here is about cutting one's hair.
So with this regard following cultural mentality of that time, if a girl cuts her hair it is the same as
cutting one's life/connection to previous existence; this continues as a tradition and a well-developed mentality. If you've been watching J-dramas and anime and you see a particular character with long hair suddenly cutting her hair short or gets a new haircut
after a 'life-altering event', then you know shit just got real
even if she said otherwise (mostly prevalent in romance stories. A good example would be from School Rumble on the character Mikoto Suo after she met her senpai. Go watch/read if you haven't.).
Dying one's hair is not enough.
It needs to be cut!
Now, in a similar fashion Misha cuts her hair
after she realize how Shizune has been spending less and less time with her and more with Hisao, but still tries to make the effort to cater to her. This contributes to her unrequited love, which then leads to the chapter where she deliberately tries to avoid Hisao and Shizune after the trip as a means to give them some time; in a sense, she's feeling as the 'third wheel' in the relationship and wishes to move on--though as we all know, that didn't happen.
Hell, if I am to be honest the entire arc smells like highschool J-drama. You have the best friend who is in love with the main character playing as the cupid to get the MC's love interest despite having feelings of her own towards the MC. Then when the MC finally did get together with the LI, the BF celebrated the fact...for awhile until she/he realizes how painful it is to watch in the sideline (while developing a mentality that led him/her to believe as being the 'third wheel'). In the end, the BF tries to overcome this problem by solving it through his/her own power (e.g. leaving, suicide, getting a partner of his/her own, etc.) but ends up hurting those around her--or herself. School Days by Overflow is one good example, though with all due respect the MC over there needs to be shot dead regardless.
It's that simple, I'm actually rather surprised the first time around when some people don't understand what's going on in her route
Though I can see why now, I guess...
Ste wrote:
Everything.
Lack of realism isn't Shizune's arc biggest flaw, anyway.
Its biggest flaw is that the whole story doesn't make any sense. Shizune could have said "I want to be a pearl diver in theTennessee River" instead of "a philanthropist", in the end. It would have been the same. No difference.
Then you don't understand everything that is going on in her route. And I really mean
everything.
Do you know what a philanthropist is? Philanthropy in definition means "The effort or inclination to increase the well-being of humankind, as by charitable aid or donations", "Love of Humankind in general", or something that "promotes human welfare, such as an activity or an institution". A Philanthropist is basically a person who makes these things happen as a career. Now let's look at Shizune as a character.
In all of her drive to accomplish something 'greater', be it her demand from Lilly in ACT I, Hisao's involvement with the SC and the festival, up to the point where she tries to win Misha once again after the breakup, does she have any ill-intentions hidden in between? Or is it because she wants those around her to feel happy or accomplished?
You see, Shizune wants everyone--regardless if it's her friend or foe--to be happy and accomplished, and she'll do anything even if it meant taking everyone's job so they could all have fun. One problem with Shizune as a character is her disability which prevents her from actually understanding her target audiences situation and left everything according to her own guess work--but still she'll do it anyway even if it means there's a slim chance that she can see a 'true' smile from the people she helped.
With this in consideration, let's look what she wants to be. A philanthropist, humanitarian--you can expect she'll be going around the world with NGOs or aide group helping someone somewhere. This goes in play with her character.
Now a pearl diver? Gimme' a break...where the hell did you get that idea anyway? If any, I dare say Shizune's arc is second place in having the amount of realism involved in it (overtaken by Emi's arc).
You want to know an arc that is full of nonsense (though this actually goes hand-in-hand with implausible details)? It's one that involves sparkling vampires, but that itself is off-the-grid in the first place...oh wait, that isn't part of KS at all! That's good to know
