#nnnn i'm probably reading too much into this. it's a 2020 story after all

[kyaruun]

okay butlers was all in all a really sweet and nice story about idols from different units working together but. as most kinosei izumi i've read,,, there's something with it

i can't judge the other characters because out of the cast in butlers i'm not that much a producer for anyone other than izumi and he reads weird. and i don't mean the translation, i mean his character. i think kinosei likes to remind the players izumi's perfectionism is some kind of "bad habit" he can't/doesn't want to control, but i feel like they're ignoring two key elements to izumi's character and development throughout the series. 1) izumi's perfectionism is aimed at himself before everyone else and 2) he would never speak bluntly to someone in a higher position than he is.

an important part of his character is the fact that he's been working in the industry for a really long time (see portrait) and the way to do stuff "the right way" as been slowly ingrained into his character. things like keeping a good relationship with coworkers and not bothering his superiors to make sure he gets called in again for future work. respecting work hierarchy. yes he is bossy, yes he is hard to please —but that's on his personal relationships. he knows how to separate his work persona from his personal life persona.

i'm not saying izumi is not perfectionist and doesn't require a certain level of perfection from the people around him, but he only does that with other idols around his same level. he will be annoying and bother knights to keep practising until he's satisfied with the outcome because he knows HE can do better ><

i feel like it all boils down to izumi's "i want to show the best side of myself (only)". he doesn't want people to see all the struggle behind the cameras and wants his fans to have the best time, at all costs. he thinks it isn't fair for them not to get a wonderful experience, so he is working himself to the bone for that.

i don't think putting izumi as someone who values himself before absolutely anything else and acts like a karen all the time is actually the take they wanted to make... maybe i'm just reading too much into his motifs (pls read butterfly) but deep down izumi doesn't want to get attached to people so they won't hurt him. but being unnecessarily mean to people in his work environment doesn't really help that out? i thought e! had already worked on that.

for me he feels like the annoying senior who keeps pushing everyone around him to do better because he knows they can do better, with a little extra help! because he gets stuck in similar situations and his own pride won't allow him to ask for help, he'd rather be the help other people need, even though they might not realize it.

so tldr: in my honest opinion, izumi is the kind of person that gets frustrated with himself when something doesn't come out the way he expected it to and actually blames himself for it, even if he won't say it out loud