[Elestia]

Originally Posted by kidstandout

You can't sit here and place all the blame on mamako when masato in the very first chapter threatened to disown her over a f%$#ing game. you subscribe to a very warped sense of masculinity where in order for masato as a male to feel masculine, he must be as good or better than mamako (because somehow a strong women leading the pack makes you less of a man?) at a game. And then you falsely equate that to mental abuse and over sheltering a child while on the same breath tell me that they're playing a game together. holy contradictions batman

Yes, I see you have not read anything I have posted. Please read below quote I stated last time.

Originally Posted by Elestia

When I use the word emasculate, I don't mean it in the masculine sense. I'm using it as term to describe situations where agency or a lack of control over one's decision making is superseded. Being unable to let one's child to make their own decisions, for better or for worse, and having a parent do it for them is a much more serious problem than you think.

It's why being overprotective or overdoting can lead to a negative growth in Masato and Mamako's relationship.

If you don't agree that being overprotective and overdoting over Masato, that Mamako exhibits, is bad for their relationship and counterproductive to nurturing a healthy bond between a parent and child, then I really don't have any else I can say to convince you. We'll just agree to disagree.

And then you outright ignore that mamako picking out the party members was something masato himself chose to go along with. If he truly felt strongly that she was going about it the wrong way, then he failed to put his foot down.

Did you even read the scene where Mamako oversees who joins the party? Because I am starting to think you are just blindly typing without checking.

“A-anyway! That’s not the problem here! There’s no rule that says party members need my mom’s approval to join anyway, so…”

“Actually that sounds quite interesting, so we have just added a Mommy Check system to the game.”

“WHAAA?!”

SHIRASE appeared, holding additional profiles and cards with Yes and No written on them.

The Mommy Interview system had suddenly been implemented.The furniture in the room was rearranged to make the interview possible. Mamako the interviewer and Masato the onlooker were on one side, there was a table before them and then a chair for the interviewee. Time to get started.

How can he chose to "go along with", as you put it, when there is a system in place that prevents Masato from making a decision by himself? He literally can't choose his own party members without Mamako's approval. Did you even read that part carefully?Masato had no other recourse and hope that Mamako agrees with his decision.

And even more, you ignore the fact that masato was the one to tell mamako that he initially didn't want wise in the party, and even before they let her in, he told mamako that wise was dishonest and prone to trickery.

That doesn't mean anything. That just meant Mamako only agreed on a whim. It's still one-sided. If Mamako really wanted t, she could have overruled Masato, despite his rejection initially, and have Wise join the party right then and there. It's the same the the three other party members before Porta and Wise. With the Mommy Check System system in place, Mamako has complete control over the party. It's a dictatorship.

And it's her fault for believing him and interrupting them those two times, even though she willingly trusted masato to bunk with wise? so mamako choice's are worthy of criticism but not masato's?

Again, you are not making sense or did not read the scene when you typing this out.

First off, the reason why Mamako split Wise and Masato apart with her was because she was afraid Masato was becoming more intimate with someone else other than her. When Masato was abducted by Wise she became terrified that Masato would abandon her to be with Wise instead, despite being reassured by Masato at the end of their first real fight at the end of chapter one. Is it Masato's fault that Wise abducted Masato and begged him to join his party? Of course not, so how can you expect me to criticise Masato in that situation when he did nothing wrong. Which is why I say these actions, regardless of the circumstances, is because a result of own Mamako's insecurities, not Masato's. This is why I criticise Mamako.

Secondly, when the party was at the inn and everyone was deciding how to split the rooms. Masato refused to bunk with Mamako, which is his fault, and settled on bunking with Porta next, however she was worried she might assault her. He embarrassingly denies it, and she even agrees, because she believed Masato agreed and believes that her son "does not have the courage to assault a cute girl sleeping defenselessly next to him.” But guess what? She decides to sleep with Porta instead, because Mamako knew that Masato liked Porta more than Wise, so she prevented it by having him bunk with Wise instead.

Masato's 'emasculation' is nothing more than insecurity which is the result of his own inability to actually talk things out with his own mom and his lack of priorities when it comes to her. Maybe just maybe, he wouldn't feel the need to compete with her if he... you know... talked to her about things like team coordination, keeping everyone engaged in a quest ect, you know... the basics of rpg's that mamako knows nothing about that for some reason he hasn't gone over with her because muh i have to be the hero? Maybe he could define his own worth based on himself and not in comparison to his mom? you know like collector girl in the party does?

And how do you propose he do that? I agree that talking is the major problem, but he can't even do anything in the party when he is completely useless. The few times he is able to talk is only with Wise, which Mamako denied twice. Both Wise, Porta, and especially Mamako all contribute to the party except for him. With the checks and balances in place, he has no control over anything.

This is not to say that the blame falls solely on masato either, as mamako doesn't know how to connect with masato. But unlike masato, she is actually trying to do so in spite of her complete lack of knowledge on this setting. Maybe she would get somewhere if he were to open up about how he feels uncomfortable around his mom because of her looks... but she can't force him to do that. That's the area where masato needs to man up as it's all on him.

I'd agree, but he can't control how Mamako acts when he isn't around. I'm not trying to blame everything on Mamako, believe me. But when she used the Terra Sword, because she was insecure about Wise and Masato becoming closer together I call her out on it.

also
THIS. the sole reason for the game is the former, not the latter. it's the whole reason they are there and why it was made, in case you missed the several times in the novel where this was said. they don't need to enjoy the game in the same way that you don't need to enjoy therapy.

Yes, but the game was designed from the ground up for something that both the Masato and Mamako can enjoy together. It is an integral part for them to have something to bond over. They cannot get closer in a vacuum, hence why they are so distant in the first place. They have to find something in common in order to make progress, which both you and Tenzen are trivializing. They have to interact together in some way or shape, which the game/adventure provides. They cannot bond any other way, with how the story is setup.

And yes, please provide evidence where in the story it is mentioned several times, because I'd be willing to listen, but so far you have not provided anything to change my mind or provide a compelling argument.