I don't get it? Lol. Because she commented on the nails and she hates the nurse she refuses to ever do her nails again?

It really does feel like either I'm missing something or this story is and I'm leaning towards the latter.

Mannic posted:

I don't get it? Lol. Because she commented on the nails and she hates the nurse she refuses to ever do her nails again?

I think—strong emphasis on think—that she took the nurse's questions about her nails as a reprimand and comment on her being a foolish kid, rather than the innocuous small talk and mild curiosity they probably were. There's also the whole thing where she admits that the nurse probably brushed off the whole incident, but she wants it to be more important to her. And I guess her desire for it to be more important resulted in her acting like it was and rejecting what she labeled as childish behavior on her own?

I don't know. Like I said, it feels like it's missing something, but I'm not entirely sure what.

It really does feel like either I'm missing something or this story is and I'm leaning towards the latter.

Mannic posted:

I don't get it? Lol. Because she commented on the nails and she hates the nurse she refuses to ever do her nails again?

I think—strong emphasis on think—that she took the nurse's questions about her nails as a reprimand and comment on her being a foolish kid, rather than the innocuous small talk and mild curiosity they probably were. There's also the whole thing where she admits that the nurse probably brushed off the whole incident, but she wants it to be more important to her. And I guess her desire for it to be more important resulted in her acting like it was and rejecting what she labeled as childish behavior on her own?

I don't know. Like I said, it feels like it's missing something, but I'm not entirely sure what.

Trying to interpret Uno Zinnia’s works and feeling like we’re missing something is definitely the norm lol

My guess was that Touno never actually liked doing her nails, she liked the feeling that she was trying hard to be a woman when others weren't. That's why the very first line is some guy going 'you have to do it to keep up appearances.' When Jimizu treated it like it was just something quaint that didn't matter that much, Touno first tries reasserting how hard she tries compared to someone like Jimizu who wears the cheapest clothes she can to work. That doesn't resolve how Touno feels inside, though, and since she doesn't do it for her own sake she gives up. Ultimately, Touno has made everything up in her head, and so watching Jimizu dress up for someone else destroys all of her assumptions about her, her reason for throwing her nail kit away and makes her feel pretty stupid; that's why she's mad.

Still @_@

I don't understand what happened. But that's ok too.

I took it as her feeling guilty and even a little scared over saying that, and that it'd come back to haunt her in some way so in an act of penance she threw away the nail stuff. But it also made her resentful and now seeing the teacher dressed up, it all feels even more pointless and stupid, which makes her just more sulky and resentful.

yeah this feels like the central conflict is that the girl was self-conscious while the nurse was not. like, to the girl, her nails defined who she was socially and carried a lot of importance. but the nurse seems so unconcerned with that, like she's above all those struggles of social identity. tangentially it reminds me of how missing social cues (eg because of autism) when socializing with women immediately makes you the enemy. if you can't read minds and pick up on subtleties, and especially if you come across as confident, the assumption is that you think you're better than them. much like the anger she feels and takes out on the nurse here. in reality, she was just doing her job and being polite, and that's only a fraction of her larger life (which the girl has no place or weight in). pretty accurate take on teenage emotions tbh

I don't understand what happened. But that's ok too.

I fee that exact way about every one-shot that came out of this compilation

I think this is a pretty interesting exploration of what it means to be a woman and be expected to perform femininity. In the beginning, Touno was insecure about her femininity: she derived self-worth from exaggerating her own expression of it and degrading those who did not meet that, because she thought it was how women can have value in society. After the interaction with the nurse, she swung hard the other way, imitating this idealized version of Jimizu that rejects every one of these notions that she found harmful. But the real Jimizu was neither of these – rather, she’s just comfortable in who she is, happy to do one thing sometimes and another thing other times; able to reject the pressure to constantly perform while also take pleasure in owning a feminine identity for herself. Touno is conflicted: her role model is embracing the tools of the oppressor; everything she thought she needed to reject to find peace in herself is being done like it’s nothing.

I find it very realistic – we are always caught between the femininity that is a tool of oppression and the femininity that is a tool of empowerment. Is there a right answer between these two? No, not really. And there’s always some amount of bitterness there: can you fit in well enough to perform? Or can you even afford not to? I think it’s that bitterness this oneshot captures well. No matter what you do, you can’t truly free yourself from having to exist in society, and you can look around you and see that everyone is failing in one way or another.

^ Thank you for making it make sense, I was totally lost.

Media literacy is hard.

^ Thank you for making it make sense, I was totally lost.

Media literacy is hard.

I think it's super fair to be lost here. This mangaka is artsy and often doesn't state things directly. There's a lot of reading between the lines with the short narrative of the story, and interpreting the story through the themes and the art. Which isn't a bad thing, it's simply how the creator likes to convey their ideas.

My guess was that Touno never actually liked doing her nails, she liked the feeling that she was trying hard to be a woman when others weren't. That's why the very first line is some guy going 'you have to do it to keep up appearances.' When Jimizu treated it like it was just something quaint that didn't matter that much, Touno first tries reasserting how hard she tries compared to someone like Jimizu who wears the cheapest clothes she can to work. That doesn't resolve how Touno feels inside, though, and since she doesn't do it for her own sake she gives up. Ultimately, Touno has made everything up in her head, and so watching Jimizu dress up for someone else destroys all of her assumptions about her, her reason for throwing her nail kit away and makes her feel pretty stupid; that's why she's mad.

Still @_@

Makes sense, thanks.