Ultimately, as others have mentioned, Shiki's current angle of "oh she's just like this" is toxic too (or at least that's how I interpreted her recent takes), but that doesn't justify Mariya's methods.
Mariya's approach might not have worked, but it rose from Koto's own expression of a desire to change. It's not like she forced Koto, she gave her a push that she objectively needs for Koto to try and pursue her own desires.
And while it didn't work as they hoped, we see now that it wasn't completely pointless, as Koto was able to reflect on herself, to think of her future, and to reconnect with Mariya. All being far more progress than she's ever made with her other friends.
In that aspect, I'd say Shiki's angle is far worse, because she's just discouraging Koto. If she was happy with her current self, that might be mostly fine (although with some issues of not being self-sufficient), but when Koto actually desires and is trying to change, having a friend telling her that she shouldn't is terribly destructive and demoralizing.
I actually really like the "trophy wife" line from Mariya. After realizing that her previous approach didn't work, Mariya neither gave up nor decided to hold her hand. Instead, she told Koto that she'd be there to support her, but putting it in a way that, even to Koto's low self-esteem, was too self-deprecating. It's like a safety net, telling Koto that even if she fails, there will be someone for her, but also making her want not to use that safety net and manage things by herself.
While this, in itself, isn't going to solve Koto's problems, it at least gives her hope to have someone by her side even in the worst case scenario.
last edited at Feb 27, 2023 9:31AM
