#like imo there's a lil bit more nuance to will not saying hes gay out loud like this kid has been called homophobic slurs for Years now

[pyreshe]

livvy and will gay lesbian solidarity is actually the most important thing

[lokiarsene]

My thoughts on episode 3.

I really like how they’re doubling down on Ren’s kindness and even just him being a polite, respectful young man. Sensible, too! Him shooting down Ryuji’s salivatin’ over cogni!Ann was such a nice change of pace, and he didn’t even have to say a word! It was just a look of, “please do not bring your boner into this discussion” (which is exactly how I feel any time Ryuji ever mentions anything about girls ever).

AND

AKECHI

STARING AT REN

GAY LOVE AT FIRST GAY SIGHT

THANK YOU, DIRECTOR

More on the subject of polite/respectful Ren: his stunned silent reaction to Ann’s confession about what Kamoshida was doing, how he was dangling the threat of ruining Shiho’s chances over her head to coerce Ann into doing more and more things she hated... at first I was a little frustrated that they didn’t have Ren say anything, that he was just listening to her--but then I realized, the fact that he’s even listening is pretty huge. No one gives Ann the time of day. By her own admission, she has no other friends except for Shiho. By sitting there with her, listening to her finally spill the truth about what she’s going through, he’s allowing her to confide in him, even if he doesn’t have any answers for her.

Anyway--the way they handled Shiho’s suicide attempt went pretty much how I expected. There’s a little bit more nuance to this depiction than how it went about in game. In there it felt more like a heightened ultra dramatic moment, with no attempt to really highlight how much pain Shiho was in to drive her to such a thing. But in the anime, the focus is entirely on how much she loved Ann and on how much she was hurting after what Kamoshida did. And it’s handled with a sort of gentle respect. That fade to black after she jumps gives the viewer space to breathe, to process what they saw, to sit with it, before the show picks right up again.

More on the subject of Ren: he’s smart. Quick thinking, easily able to read a situation and people’s motives. It really shows him as an equal to Akechi, IMO.

I like that they really drove home, by Ren’s own words, that the need to go back to the Palace to put a stop to Kamoshida is worth the risk of possibly killing him. Ren’s backed into a wall here, with the threat of being expelled backing him into the corner and forcing him once again to act. It’s understandable that he would wait ‘til this moment to really commit to Palace infiltration: he’s been told repeatedly to stay out of trouble, to keep his head down and his nose clean and just make it through his year of probation, but now he’s stumbled into a mountain of misery and abuse that he can’t possibly ignore. That’s not in his nature, and the anime highlights that by repeated examples, and he uses his determination to protect others as the impetus to return to the Palace.

Ren: This can’t go on. We can’t let others go through what Shiho did.

And to Ryuji’s credit, he’s quick to see this, too.

Mona

is

so

cuuuuuuuute

I like how they use the tic of Kamoshida licking his lips to hint at what his Shadow does during the boss fight.

I’m still enjoying how Ren is the voice of compassionate reason from the get go here. Him encouraging Ann to speak up, to not give in, to get justice for her and Shiho by reminding Ann of how much Shiho means to her--him focusing on something that gives Ann strength to then have her realize she can fight back just reminds me of how much better this story feels when you have the protagonist talking constantly.

YESSS SHOWIN ANN’S BLOODY FACE DURING HER AWAKENING. YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

REN’S PROUD SMILE AT HER AWAKENING ASJKFLDSJAFKLDSJ !!!!!!1

SHE IMMEDIATELY CUTS HER COGNITIVE SELF IN HALF YESSS BITCH YESSSSSSS

Ren protecting the crew with Arsene’s wings ;___;7

Annnd I wish the show had stuck to their decision to show Ann as proud of her catsuit. I guess it doesn’t help that ONCE AGAIN, RYUJI’S BONER INCHES ITS WAY INTO THE CONVERSATION jkdls

Ren awkwardly adjusting his glasses while he makes his lil celebratory speech about them being a team from hereon out is precious and adorable and I love it. In fact, everything about this characterization is immediately hitting all the right buttons for me. Ren feels so warm and genuine, it’s so easy to see why Ryuji and Ann attach themselves and trust him as quickly as they do. Ryuji knows how it feels to be treated like shit unfairly, and he and Ren are the first to discover the Palace together. They’re bound by that experience. And with Ann, he was the only person besides Shiho to listen to her, to notice her and care about her feelings--and he reminds her of those feelings during her panic and fear in the Palace.

Ren’s just... totally.... totally too cool haha. IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT GORO WOULD TAKE ONE LOOK AT HIM AND BE LIKE WELP, I’M IN LOVE.