Thread:217.212.214.57/@comment-217.212.214.57-20170327143437/@comment-10733658-20170327202322

First and foremost, I honestly wonder why you don't just make an account? You are fairly active around here, so it seems odd to continue being an Anon when an account would make things much easier for you?

That said, on to my actual response!

I find one glaring flaw in your entire essay, which is that you seem to be approaching this entirely from a Western standpoint. Your primary argument revolves around "Tolerance" and the idea that individual choice should be fully respected and those that question would be shunned or hated on.

That.....isn't how it works in Japan. Like many East Asian cultures, Japan is a society that does not value individualism and can be considered very intolerant from a Western standpoint. One of the central values of Japanese society is "Wa", basically group harmony. It is an incredibly conformist society, with a strong belief that individuals should sacrifice their personal desires to fulfill their obligations and follow social norms.

LGBT culture is viewed very differently in Japan, as opposed to in much of the West. Anime and manga can give a mistaken view of great tolerance, when in reality LGBT people are basically viewed as entertainment or as selfish individuals that violate the harmony of society.

An example of this attitude is glimpsed early on in the series, when we get our first flashback to Mutsuki's time at the Academy. We see that the other kids bullied Mutsuki, and the term "Okama" is thrown around. It's basically an offensive, insulting term akin to calling someone a f@ggot. So the kids at the Academy thought Mutsuki was an effeminate gay dude, and engaged in bullying as a direct result.

This is actually the norm in Japanese schools, though not openly discussed. Bullying is seen as a method of forcing people to conform, to punish people for not behaving as expected or standing out too much. Teachers and other authority figures turn a blind eye or may even participate, to enforce the expectation that everyone conform to the group.

So Mutsuki isn't using Society's own rules, because that isn't how it works in Japan. LGBT people are not tolerated or given respect, but viewed as weirdos and selfish people that should entertain society (as Drag Queens and the like) but otherwise are a bother.

And Japanese people absolutely do not have the same restraint in terms of criticizing people that do not fit in. Look at how Saiko is treated within the series -- she is openly mocked for her interests, people openly criticize her weight, and she gets treated as a problem. As already stated, in Japanese society criticizing and shaming people is considered an important tool in enforcing Group Conformity.

The only place where there is a hesitation to say anything is on personal issues, such as Family dynamics or Mental Illness. There remains a serious issue in Japan in terms of minding your own business, when it comes to other families and their problems. It is considered shameful, so families are expected to handle their own problems as quietly as possible. So abuse may not be reported, abuse victims remain quiet and do not report what is happening (Kaneki and covering for his aunt), and signs of Mental Illness are often ignored.

Like I said, I think it may be worth your time to do some reading on Japanese culture. It would definitely give you all kinds of new perspectives and material to work with, in considering the series.