[Kaoru Chujo]

Interesting discussion. Props to the show and to the posters.

I come down on the side of staying in Japan. It doesn't have to be permanent, but it can be as long as Mashiro likes. She is gaining friends and affection and becoming a more independent person. Let her go back to painting later, after she has gotten manga-making out of her system. It hasn't been more than a few weeks or months. Let her have at least a year or two of this richer life.

Does she have some responsibility or other? Maybe in the long run she should try to develop her best talent, but at age 16 she should work on what she wants, not box herself into what others think is best. There's no other way for her to become a full-scale person.

Is Rita "manipulating"? Yes. She is using any stratagem she can to convince Mashiro to go (working on Sorata first, in this case), and she feels she has the right to. To her understanding, Mashiro is a simpleton who needs guidance. That is exactly what she was when she arrived at Sakurasou. I think she is a bit beyond that now. I was never happier than when Mashiro shut the door.

I believe Mashiro will eventually go back to painting. But it might be four years from now. Let her grow and develop more as a human, so she will have a deeper basis for her painting. Don't force her back into being a pampered monkey existing for the enjoyment and profit of art collectors.