eiko takao lovemail

I think that Eiko (from Makoto's Confidant) is overhated, and while not the most likable of people, she is realistically written. She doesn't do well in school, she doesn't have a good home life, and she doesn't seem to have a lot of friends either (she's kind of similar to Mishima almost although from what I he never struggled academically). Eiko's lonely, and she doesn't feel valued as a person at her core, which is why she attaches herself to her boyfriend who's very, very bad for her: he makes her feel like somebody.

And that's why she's so defensive when Makoto tells her he's bad news and tells her that she just doesn't understand: she has low self esteem and because of that she'd rather feel like she's worth somebody to someone even if they're toxic than be alone. That's what not being whole and not loving yourself will do: you develop codependent relationships with folks who are not good for you (or even ARE good for you but you rely on their companionship waaaaay too much).

Literally almost every person that I have encountered kwho dislikes Eiko will say "Oh she's so stupid she should've listened to Makoto." And she should've listened to Makoto, yes, because Makoto was right about Tsukasa being a bad person. But not listening to her doesn't make her stupid. Eiko was in an emotionally manipulative relationship because somebody took advantage of her low self image and once an emotional connection was formed it wasn't easy to break it off. It's very easy to say from an outside view that it's obvious that someone should leave a toxic relationship, but it's not as easy as just up and cutting that bond off, even when you know that it's unhealthy. Eiko wanted a long lasting relationship (and iirc she actually even knows deep down that Tsukasa is bad news but she doesn't want to it it because she's that desperate for somebody to care about her) and put herself in dangerous situations in order to get it.

The thing that bothers me the most is when people find humor in Makoto hitting her and say that she deserves it. I could understand saying "it was a last resort", but to say that violence is deserved towards someone who's being emotionally manipulated doesn't sit right with me. Makoto hit her because she was angry and frustrated and that is never okay; which is why Makoto then makes amends with her later because she its that she often acts impulsively and out of emotion (which is immature but she is working on it) and it is a fault of hers. And it's immensely frustrating that a lot of folks think Eiko getting hurt is funny and even warranted, just because she's stupid.

I am not saying that you have to like her or that you're wrong for disliking her, or that if you dislike her it is solely because you do not understand her, so please don't misunderstand. What I am trying to say is I feel like a lot of people DO misunderstand the nuance in her character (and that's not their fault because P5's writing is not always 10/10 let's be real) and because of that they reduce her to "stupid and annoying" when it is not that simple, is all. Eiko is a young woman struggling to find her worth. She's a victim, just like a lot of the cast, and getting through to her isn't pretty or fun because the affects of emotional manipulation are not pretty. (Same with Mishima and his codependency. He's been physically abused by people in authority and verbally mistreated by his peers)

Abuse victims do not recover overnight and they will not always listen right away even when they know that their friends love them and want what is best. It takes time to unlearn codependency. It takes time to unlearn self hatred. It takes time to learn to love yourself and associate with others who genuinely love you too. It takes time to set healthy boundaries if you didn't have them set and let people mistreat you. It's a process and it can be frustrating and I think the fandom as a whole could be more gentle in regards to characters who ittedly are not as appealing character wise but are still hurting and struggling like basically everybody else in the game. That's what P5 is about: rebelling against corruption but also helping and sympathizing with the people who are victims to it.

If you read all of this, thanks for giving me your time. I appreciate it. Anyway, take care of yourselves, and have a good day.

Edit: What the heck how did this get featured I'm-

Thank you tho.