Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo - Episode 9 Discussion / Poll

[sikvod00]

It can be selfish in some situations, but in general there is nothing wrong with following what makes you happy.

[Sumeragi]

Of course that is in general, but we're discussion the ungeneral.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Dawnstorm

I think this particular question is a bit of a bait-and-switch plot element. Here's my take on this episode and it's place in the show:

1. Rita probably quit painting because she can't keep up with Mashiro. Then Mashiro quits painting for no reason apparent to Rita. Now none of the two paints. This irks Rita more than the wasted talent spiel she's going on about, but she doesn't see her on part in the equation, and that comes out as resentment.

Calling it "a spiel" does Rita's arguments a disservice. I think her arguments are entirely sincere, and entirely defensible.

Even if you're right about Rita's primary motivation, it takes nothing away from the sincerity of Rita's arguments. In fact, it only adds to them.

"Do you have any idea, Mashiro, how much I'd love to have the talents that you have? Do you have any idea how it effects the rest of us aspiring painters to see you so casually throw away your painting mastery in order to pursue manga?"

If you're right, this is likely what Rita is thinking/feeling. It makes her words more sincere and intense, not less.

In fact, it's very similar to certain ideas that the anime Hyouka explored very effectively and at length.

Originally Posted by Dauerlutscher

It simple because she has absolutely no obligation to please anyone. Simple as that. It's her life and she can do what she wants with that.

There's a word for people that go through life without caring one iota about other people. That word is selfish.

A person who only does what s/he wants to do, and never considers the hopes or feelings of another, is a very selfish and self-centered individual, imo.

That's certainly not a philosophy that I would want to hang my hat on.

Why should anyone care what other people want?

Have you never heard of the concept of empathy?

A better example.
Shiina is a film actres and has talent for it, but her disire is to become an author and so she stoppes with acting and starts with writing.
Some fans will gett disappointed, but why should she care?

Maybe because these are the people who have been supporting her throughout her career? Maybe because it's good for people to care at least a little bit about other people?

And a personal question.
Have you no problem If someone would appear and dictate you how to live your life?

Rita was too pushy, no doubt. But I would hope that nobody would fault Rita for simply trying to persuade Mashiro to return to her painting. Rita went a bit father than that in two or three of her lines, but the overall attempt at persuasion (raising the possible historical significance of Mashiro's paintings, for example) is perfectly reasonable and fair.

Of course it is their choice and they have every right to decide what they want to animate. The rage was uncalled and absurd.

And no one said that fans have no right to get disappointed,

This is a contradiction in two lines! Fan disappointment will often be displayed as "rage". Insofar as that rage is peaceful (i.e. people just expressing it in message board posts, for example) then it's not uncalled and absurd.

It's not absurd to feel anger at someone or some company for refusing to do something that you know that they're great at, that you would love to see more of, and that you know is profitable for them (so it's not like you're expecting them to commit financial suicide, which would indeed be uncalled for and absurd).

The problem here is that you seem to believe that Shiina should not be allowed to do what she wants with her life, which is conflict with one of the fundamental human rights.

The final choice is of course Shiina's. That doesn't mean people don't have a right to have an opinion on what choice she makes, though.

Originally Posted by sikvod00

Like others have mentioned, it's up to the individual to decide how or if they use their innate talents. Everyone should be free to pursue whatever ambitions make them happy regardless of what others says. There are exceptions where I believe you have an obligation to use your talents for the "greater good", but this isn't one of those times. Mashiro should do what she likes and her friends and family should support her endeavor.

No, Mashiro's friends and family have a right to their opinion. They have a right to disagree with the choices that Mashiro makes.

If you make a choice that you know will piss off a lot of people, including many of the people close to you, then you shouldn't insist on those people supporting you when it comes to this particular choice. If you do insist on that, then it's you that's dictating to other people how they should live their lives, and not them to you.


Now, to be fair to Mashiro, I can understand why she said "stupid Sorata" in this episode.

This is how I think Mashiro sees it: "I supported you, Sorata, in pursuing your dream to become a game developer, so why are you now not supporting me in my dream to write manga? That's not fair, stupid Sorata."

So I sympathize with where Mashiro is coming from in her anger towards Sorata.

However, I can still totally see where Sorata is coming from as well.

It's (so far) a very good character drama conflict precisely because both sides are acting generally reasonably and in understandable ways.

It would not surprise me if Rita is pushing so hard for Moshira to return to painting because of her own feelings of inadequacy in art. She is a former painter herself and worked hard to get better at something she loves (I assume). Seeing someone else in her field so effortlessly create world-famous paintings while she struggles must be a frustrating experience. Then Rita sees Mashiro drop all of that fame and recognition to go "waste" her talents on manga. It's a slap in the face of everything she's done. It's still irrational and she has no right to foce Mashiro back, but it's definitely relatable.

Why do you think it's irrational?

[sikvod00]

It's irrational to push someone to do something they clearly don't want just because they are good at it and you feel they are "wasting" their potential. That's not up to others to decide and there's no rule saying they have to simply do what comes easy to them.

As for friends and family supporting an endeavor, I should have clarified that. It's not about insisting or dictating that they should support you. To me, it's just natural (or ideal) that the people close to you would want to see you happy and support the path you choose. Clearly that's not always the case.

[wontaek]

Since no one is exploring the tangent I offered, forgive me for repeating it.

1. When someone does not utilize the best talents they have, inevitably, when they grow older, they get stricken with grief at knowing they may have wasted good part of their life when they could have been doing great things. While Mashiro's short term happiness may lie with concentrating on manga, if you value her long term happiness, you should encourage her split time between manga and fine art drawing so she could retain her artistic drawing skills. Contrary to popular notion, much of art involves techniques that needs to be constantly honed, thus it will be hard for Mashiro to return to fine arts if she gives up on it for several years. Just look at how Michael Jordan looked during first few games when he returned to Basketball.

2. Her working on manga can help broaden her vision and world as an artist. Rita should be made aware of possibility that being a mangaka could help Mashiro grow and experience things she cannot experience if she returns to art studios in London. Mashiro also needs to be made aware that letting herself work on fine art drawing on whatever spare time she can find, can help her continue to grow as mangaka, because the soul of artist can enrich her manga in diverse ways.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by sikvod00

It's irrational to push someone to do something they clearly don't want just because they are good at it and you feel they are "wasting" their potential. That's not up to others to decide and there's no rule saying they have to simply do what comes easy to them.

As for friends and family supporting an endeavor, I should have clarified that. It's not about insisting or dictating that they should support you. To me, it's just natural (or ideal) that the people close to you would want to see you happy and support the path you choose. Clearly that's not always the case.

As general rules of thumb, I get what you're saying, and I basically agree with it.

But like what Sumeragi said, we're discussing the ungeneral here. We're discussing the exceptional case.

We're not talking about someone that's merely "good" at something. We're talking world-class talent here (that's definitely the impression I'm getting anyway).


I mean, it can't be that hard to see how it's painful to see someone that's absolutely brilliant in a particular field choose instead to be average-to-pretty good in another field.

Imagine if KyoAni decided tomorrow that they were going to turn into a video game company. Their first two video games were Ok, not bad, but they're not exactly Mass Effect 2 or Modern Warfare.

A couple years down the line, I can understand anime fans thinking "Man, do I ever miss the old KyoAni. Instead of making average video games they used to make absolutely kickass anime!"


Edit: I basically agree with what wontaek wrote above. Painting vs. manga doesn't necessarily have to be an either or.

[-Necromancer-]

I hope mashiro and sorata get together xD although i like the other girl who just moved in ( from soratas school ) also will this be 2 seasons? going to be tight for 12 eps.

[Itlandm]

Should we assume that Shiina has simply been given the gift of painting by Zevs? All things say that she has been practicing relentlessly year after year, with obsession most people cannot even imagine. This is how she came about her greatness. If she does the same with manga, would she not be able to touch the lives of millions through her art as a mangaka? Do we not think that passion will once again bring greatness? Talent is overrated. Passion is underrated.

Sorata no baka!

[sikvod00]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

As general rules of thumb, I get what you're saying, and I basically agree with it.

But like what Sumeragi said, we're discussing the ungeneral here. We're discussing the exceptional case.

We're not talking about someone that's merely "good" at something. We're talking world-class talent here (that's definitely the impression I'm getting anyway).


I mean, it can't be that hard to see how it's painful to see someone that's absolutely brilliant in a particular field choose instead to be average-to-pretty good in another field.

Imagine if KyoAni decided tomorrow that they were going to turn into a video game company. Their first two video games were Ok, not bad, but they're not exactly Mass Effect 2 or Modern Warfare.

A couple years down the line, I can understand anime fans thinking "Man, do I ever miss the old KyoAni. Instead of making average video games they used to make absolutely kickass anime!"


Edit: I basically agree with what wontaek wrote above. Painting vs. manga doesn't necessarily have to be an either or.

It's about perspective, I guess. The big picture view would be that the world lost a genius in one area and gained a sub-par individual in another. In that case it is a waste. However if the person in question is happy and loves what they are doing despite minimal success, I say let them be happy. Unless their contribution in the former profession meant solving world hunger or achieving world peace, in that case they have an obligation that goes beyond themselves. But it has to be something big in order for me to change my mind. We seem to agree about that.

Now there's usually two people who think an exceptional person is wasting their talents on irrelevant endeavors.

1. People who love to consume the exceptional person's works: that would be people who are fans of KyoAni, MJ fans who get a thrill out of watching him play basketball, or art lovers that adore Mashiro's paintings.
2. People also in the same line of work who envy the exceptional person's innate abilities: that would be Rita and Sorata.
   
   I really sympathize with the second group because I can relate to that feeling of inadequacy and despair. It's that feeling you have when you know no matter how hard you work and sweat at something you love, there is someone so much better at it, yet they barely have to try and they may not even care about it. (like you said, Hyouka is an excellent example of this.) You feel justified in thinking that they have no right to do something else because if you were in their shoes, you'd be taking advantage of your gift.

Originally Posted by Itlandm

Should we assume that Shiina has simply been given the gift of painting by Zevs? All things say that she has been practicing relentlessly year after year, with obsession most people cannot even imagine. This is how she came about her greatness. If she does the same with manga, would she not be able to touch the lives of millions through her art as a mangaka? Do we not think that passion will once again bring greatness? Talent is overrated. Passion is underrated.

Sorata no baka!

Hmm. We've seen her work hard at manga, but not so much with painting. She's been doing it since it childhood; I assume that meant she displayed signs of artistic talent at an early age and has been doing it ever since because that's what others expected her to do. I don't think it was the case that she worked hard at it every day for years and that's how she became world-famous. The series so far has put a lot of focus on the idea of innate talent vs passion/hard work. I though Shiina and her painting represented the former. But I guess we don't really know for sure because they've only teased about her past.

I agree that talent is overrated in most cases. Sometimes people (including myself) use it as an excuse to not try harder because we are lazy, intimidated, or scared of failing. The lesson to learn is that you probably will fail and you probably do suck at whatever you're doing at first lol. That's no reason to stop going...like the little engine that could.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Itlandm

Should we assume that Shiina has simply been given the gift of painting by Zevs? All things say that she has been practicing relentlessly year after year, with obsession most people cannot even imagine. This is how she came about her greatness. If she does the same with manga, would she not be able to touch the lives of millions through her art as a mangaka? Do we not think that passion will once again bring greatness? Talent is overrated. Passion is underrated.

Sorata doesn't strike me as a guy with a genre/medium preference for paintings over manga. Rita probably does have that preference, but I doubt that Sorata does.

And Sorata seems to think that Shiina's paintings are on an entirely different level than Shiina's manga. If not, then I'd expect him to say "Shiina's paintings are awesome, but so is her manga. So why does it matter which one she does?"

Also, Shiina is getting a lot of help on her manga from Sorata. I don't think it comes as naturally to her as painting does.

Could that change over time? Maybe, but I have my doubts.


I would generally put passion over talent until we get to the very top of the talent pyramid. That's where talent really is an overwhelming factor - When you get to the Jordans, the Gretzkys, the Ruths, the Picassos, the Shakespeares. These people just "get" their particular field of talent in this breathtaking way that gives them a massive leg-up on the competition. I think this anime is arguing that Shiina is on that level when it comes to painting... but she's not when it comes to manga.

[Dawnstorm]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Calling it "a spiel" does Rita's arguments a disservice. I think her arguments are entirely sincere, and entirely defensible.

Even if you're right about Rita's primary motivation, it takes nothing away from the sincerity of Rita's arguments. In fact, it only adds to them.

"Do you have any idea, Mashiro, how much I'd love to have the talents that you have? Do you have any idea how it effects the rest of us aspiring painters to see you so casually throw away your painting mastery in order to pursue manga?"

If you're right, this is likely what Rita is thinking/feeling. It makes her words more sincere and intense, not less.

Hm, you're right. Calling it a "spiel" wasn't that fair. I ought to apologise to Rita.

Also, your paraphrasis of what I said in Rita's words is pretty spot on. That's exactly what I think she'd say. But my point isn't about adequate expression of what you're feeling (which is important). It's more about where you direct your energy. Should Rita direct her energy towards creating paintings she enjoys creating, or towards convincing Mashiro to return to painting?

Now, there's no reason she can't do both, but the resentment towards Mashiro's talent is, I think, an indication that sees the energy-allocation as an either/or, with only one clear answer. And that's a narrowing of her point-of-view that helps neither herself nor Mashiro.

Put this in the context of the Japanese school system with public grade rankings and competition on the forefront, while excentric standing-out is frowned upon, and then look at Sakurasou, where excentricism is the norm, and competition not so much (although it's still a haunting presence; cf. Jin). And finally look at how in Rita's mind "come back to painting" attaches to "come back to England". Is England some sort of painting Mecca?

For what it's worth, I don't think that Rita is wrong to try and pursuade Mashiro to go back to painting, but the way she goes about isn't perfect, and I think it's because she doesn't face her own issues. If she wants to paint she should paint. If you structure art like a competition and only the most popular bother producing stuff, I'm pretty sure my own tast would fall by the wayside. By quitting painting she does to the people who'd enjoy her painting exactly what she thinks Mashiro does to the artworld at large. There's an unintentional hypocricy there, and she needs to resolve that for her own good.

ETA:

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Now, to be fair to Mashiro, I can understand why she said "stupid Sorata" in this episode.

This is how I think Mashiro sees it: "I supported you, Sorata, in pursuing your dream to become a game developer, so why are you now not supporting me in my dream to write manga? That's not fair, stupid Sorata."

That's probably part of it, but I saw a different element in it, too:

"So you don't care if I go away? Sorata no Baka!"

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by Dauerlutscher

It simple because she has absolutely no obligation to please anyone. Simple as that. It's her life and she can do what she wants with that.

Why should anyone care what other people want? It's not their life, It's mine and I have to live it. As long my actions doesn't affect others in an extremely negative way, there is no problem to that.

Because some of us have responsibilities that we have to answer to people who supported us up to this point- Teaches us the skills we need, put a roof over our heads and clothes on our body.

The idea that one has no obligation what so ever to anyone is a fairy tale, because at some point in your life, you owe someone something important whether you think so or not.

Originally Posted by Dauerlutscher

If i don't like what a developer does, i don't by that produkt. It's extremely simple.
And the fact still remains that no one has the right to dictate how someone should live his life.

And your analogy is by no means comparable or relevant to Shiina's situation.
1: Shiina is not a company and is not responisble for employees. She is only responsible for herself and to what she wants to do with her life. It's her live after all and not anyone elses.
2: Fans who don't like a the produkt, are not forced to by it. The world is not going to end becaue of it anyway.
3: A game series with an ongoing plot stopping half the way is a completely different than a painter that doesn't want to paint anymore.
4: Every fan has a right to get angry if they don't like the produkt anymore, but they have by no means the right to dictate how you should life your life.

1. BS- you think she can have that reputation without a small army of PR agents spreading the word? Without someone to run and buy the supplies for her painting? Without someone to negotiate prices and talk deals with art galleries? Without someone to ship the paintings overseas? People like her have a small business operating solely around her.


2. And yet here we are on the internet in a space full of dissatisfied customers- I don't know if you're being a hypocrite or this is truly your honest words- But I'll bear this in mind on and I hope I never catch you complaining about something you don't like, or you telling people what you think should have been done...


3. Different tune same thing. You still would want more from the same person... At least up to a point where you don't care.


4. Same as number 2. I'll keep an eye out from now on.

Originally Posted by Dauerlutscher

A better example.
Shiina is a film actres and has talent for it, but her disire is to become an author and so she stoppes with acting and starts with writing.
Some fans will gett disappointed, but why should she care? It's not their life, It's hers.l

SOME?!

...I'm willing to bet that if Hanazawa Kana decided to stop being a Seiyuu and instead become a Nun and shaved her head, half the people here would jump out the window and slit their throats on the way down.

While the other half flies to Japan to stop her.

Originally Posted by Dauerlutscher

And a personal question.
Have you no problem If someone would appear and dictate you how to live your life?
Try doing that in real life and see how many people will say that you should mind your own business.

Of course I would have a problem- but I can see two sides of the argument while you're blindly holding on to your precious thoughts of freedom.

[Dauerlutscher]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

There's a word for people that go through life without caring one iota about other people. That word is selfish.

A person who only does what s/he wants to do, and never considers the hopes or feelings of another, is a very selfish and self-centered individual, imo.

I care about my family and friends and still would never let anyone dictate how i should life my life. See the difference.
There is nothing wrong with it as long it doesn't affect other people in a negative way. An i mean extreme things like killing them or destroy their lifes.

Your father hopes for you to be a doctor but your dream is to become a lawer. Should you not be allowed to live your dream just because your father wanted something different fo you? Is your life not your own?

Your father demands from you to marry girl A but you love girl B.
Should you not be allowed to be with the one you love just because your father thinks girl A suits you better? Who has to life with the girl you marry in the first place, your father or you? Is your life not your own?

The same again about my actres example.
Shiina is a film actres and has talent for it, but her desire is to become an author and so she stoppes with acting and starts with writing.
Is it right to demand from her to throw away her life, her dream, just because some fans want that?

Would you throw away your dream just because some people got butthurt that you are following your dream?

Would you jump from a bridge just becaue some people expect that from you and get disapointed if you don't do that?


I think the answer to those questions is clear.

That's certainly not a philosophy that I would want to hang my hat on.

I say the same to people that are too week to live their live on their own strenght and force their hopes and expections on other people and demand from them to throw away their dreams just because they are not capable to do what the same.

If you want something, do everything you can for it. If it is not possible for you to achieve that, accept it, instead on forcing other people to do that for you.

Have you never heard of the concept of empathy?

How about empathy for the person that is forced to throw away his dreams?

Maybe because these are the people who have been supporting her throughout her career? Maybe because it's good for people to care at least a little bit about other people?

If these people really cared they would respect that my life is my own.

Rita was too pushy, no doubt. But I would hope that nobody would fault Rita for simply trying to persuade Mashiro to return to her painting. Rita went a bit father than that in two or three of her lines, but the overall attempt at persuasion (raising the possible historical significance of Mashiro's paintings, for example) is perfectly reasonable and fair.

I didn't see here just a simple attemt to persuade her but an attempt to force her.
I can't tolerated people who try to push there hopes and expection on other people.
It's like with this mothers and those beauty contest where they force their little childreen just because they themselve where never capable to do that.

This is a contradiction in two lines! Fan disappointment will often be displayed as "rage". Insofar as that rage is peaceful (i.e. people just expressing it in message board posts, for example) then it's not uncalled and absurd.

Rage is in most cases not justified and comletely exaggerated.
And I read many comments that were not peaceful.

It's not absurd to feel anger at someone or some company for refusing to do something that you know that they're great at, that you would love to see more of, and that you know is profitable for them (so it's not like you're expecting them to commit financial suicide, which would indeed be uncalled for and absurd).

It is absurd simply because it's not their choice if the studio does it or not. It's simply not their business. They can ask/begg them if they want to do that or make a petition, but that is all.

The final choice is of course Shiina's. That doesn't mean people don't have a right to have an opinion on what choice she makes, though.

Of course it's up to Shiina how she lives her life, that is clear as a day.

And I was not talking about opinions here because it's clear that everyone is entitled to have one. What I was talking about was the "should not be allowed", which basically means people have no right to decide to do with their lifes what they want and other people have the right to decide that for them. And that is just absurd and goes against human rights and I will never accept or tolerate that.

The whole point here is this. My life is my own and I decide how i live my life and not someone else.
If i want to be an actor and please people with that, it's ok because I myself wanted that.
If i want to be a singer and please people with that, it's ok because I myself wanted that.
If I want to be basketball player and please people with that, it's ok because I myself wanted that.

If I want to retire from the things I said above and do something else, it's ok because it is my life and I myself wanted that.

[Itlandm]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I would generally put passion over talent until we get to the very top of the talent pyramid. That's where talent really is an overwhelming factor - When you get to the Jordans, the Gretzkys, the Ruths, the Picassos, the Shakespeares. These people just "get" their particular field of talent in this breathtaking way that gives them a massive leg-up on the competition. I think this anime is arguing that Shiina is on that level when it comes to painting... but she's not when it comes to manga.

But we have Shiina's own words that she did nothing but paint from the age where other kids learned to dress themselves. "I painted. I painted. I painted." In that case, it is impossible to tell talent apart from an immense amount of work. It will perhaps take her another decade to become a world leader in manga, but if she continues with the same single-minded effort she has shown so far, it could certainly happen. She may have been painting till she fell asleep every night for the past decade, too.

I may be totally off, having only watched the anime, but it seems to me that its message is that people who have an overwhelming desire to create something will eventually grow up to it. But the cost is to become "Sakurasou", freaks who live on the very edge of the normal world. Sorata is only now beginning on that path, but the others have been on it for quite a while, and Shiina perhaps since she was a toddler, having never had a normal life.

[rpgkiller999]

Someone posted what Rita's motivation might be, here's my guess:

Mashiro's talent break down Rita's confident in what she liked doing - painting, so she wanted to bring Mashiro back to painting to made her give up what she enjoy doing - mangaka. This emotion might happen subconsciously, as Rita's surface emotion is just to make sure Mashiro's talent not going to waste.

I speculate in later episode Mashiro will insist on being a mangaka, even she might not have the talent for it; which trigger Rita to reconsider her own possibility to pursue painting, even without the talent as good as Mashiro.

My 2 cents, cheers.

[king12354]

Why all the arguing? Couldn't Mashiro do both if she wanted to?

[jeroz]

it's possible to reach a compromise between the two.

[relentlessflame]

Two points related to the ongoing debate:

1. I think it's important to consider Sorata's reaction in light of what we know of his character: he's someone who feels a great sense of inferiority over his lack of innate talent. So, his gut-reaction comment is rooted primarily in envy: "I can only wish I had half the talent you had, and if I did you can bet that I'd feel happy and fulfilled". But this is a complete lie. People with great talent are often tormented with overwhelming feelings of inadequacy, and struggle with finding motivation to do even the things they need to do (even using their talents!). Having talent doesn't make it easier to find fulfilment in life by any means.

2. I think it's important to remember the way Mashiro was basically pushed into this world from a young age because of her talent, without having been given the time to come to terms with her own ability and limitations. Her talent isn't just a matter of putting paint to canvas, but also depends a great deal on creativity and passion. Unless she can discover that for herself, and unless it comes from the inside (and not just external pressure), she won't really put her heart into her work. She can coast on her talent for a while, but doing this takes an emotional drain that accumulates over time. Unless she finds fulfilment in what she does, she'll only be a shell of a person.

So what Mashiro needs isn't an ultimatum, it's just time and support. She can always go back to the world of painting when she's ready for it, but that doesn't have to be today. Creative people need outlets to explore their creativity in unconventional ways to help scratch itches, but everything is connected, and sometimes scratching that itch will bring their passion back in their main area of expertise. I fully expect the answer to this arc will be that Mashiro isn't closing the door forever, but there are things she wants to do right now that are important to her, and people will have to respect that if they really care about her. And that degree of selfishness, at least in my view, is not unreasonable. People aren't machines.

[TimeSkip]

There might be someone making profits from Mashiro's works and pressuring her into making a masterpiece after another.

So Mashiro's moving to Japan and wanting to become a mangaka might be a way to escape from those pressures.

[felix]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

There's a word for people that go through life without caring one iota about other people. That word is selfish.

A person who only does what s/he wants to do, and never considers the hopes or feelings of another, is a very selfish and self-centered individual, imo.

That's certainly not a philosophy that I would want to hang my hat on.

Selfish means you care only for yourself. You can "go through life without caring one iota about other people" as you put it, yet not be selfish, by simple virtue of you caring for anything other then yourself (some kind of hobby, animals, etc, for example) to the extent that doesn't involve self-pandering. Introvert is more accurate.

With regard to your second point, not all "hopes" and "dreams" are positives, try as you might to make them so by surrounding them in your sentence with negatives. In addition, most "hopes" and "dreams" are not of any sort of tangible nature so as to be trashed by others as easily as you would imply; unless you're an extreme extrovert, or social zelot, in which case all I can say is "taste your own medicine".

The episode itself isn't as gray, Rita is clearly in the wrong. Is it because she wants Mashiro to go back to painting, and Mashiro currently doesn't feel like it? No. Different play on events could have yielded a "positive" impression. The wrong is she wants her to go to England, and now; as if either have any relation to her going back to painting.