Are the Priestess Girls Really THAT Boring?? (Examining Values Dissonance in Persona)

by simply existing on the internet you've likely come across some salty reactions to Persona pull results coming out of Japan like how yosuke and ruji's popularity are essentially swapped between Japanese and Global audiences now when it comes to the Priestess girls fuka and Yukiko don't enjoy nearly as much popularity in the west than they do at home and even though Makoto is a general fan favorite with the overseas audience I still see no shortage of people who think she's boring and spineless so are the Priestess characters really that boring and are their struggles really that unrelatable well in this video I'll be presenting two main reasons why I think these differences in opinion can be largely attributed to values dissonance between those of Japanese culture and those of others from abroad this will be the first in a series I'll be continually adding on to and is a topic that just means a lot to me having grown up as fourth generation Japanese American on my dad's side yet having also had a mom who was born and raised in Japan all of this meaning I've been well aware of culture clashes from a young age now I'm not looking to convince anyone to like or dislike any character I'm just hoping these explanations may lead to a better understanding of a culture outside one's own so to start off the first reason we'll be exploring is what's considered ideal or at the very least normal when it comes to demeanor in Japan looking at fuka Yukiko and Makoto there's just not much emotion nor feeling outwardly displayed right well aside from yukiko's Infamous laughing fits so it doesn't surprise me that people from countries where extraversion is prized more such as the many anglophone nations or those found in Latin America would find these characters rather boring since comparatively Japan and other East Asian cultures Place more value on introverted traits which all three Priestess girls Encompass much more of than let's say the extroverted lovers Arcana characters the Priestess girls are viewed as uninteresting even among the other introverted party members like Futaba or akihiko since at the very least those two have no filter right as in they just say what they mean and mean what they say which in turn is sometimes viewed more negatively by the audience in Japan meanwhile the Priestess girls are more traditionally Japanese and viewed as more responsible what with being more reserved with their genuine thoughts like how Yukiko remains tight-lipped about how stressed she is with the Inn early on in P4 or makotols outward stoic-ness during psya's Palace despite all the tumultuous emotions that were actually going on not to mention her Steely demeanor all throughout the third Palace Arc on even says later that she only saw Makoto as a robot before these characters just align with the more collectivist values of not rocking the boat or troubling others and not only that but Japanese as a language is more contextual and indirect compared to English in the first place which just further results in what looks like quote-unquote skirting around the conversations to Outsiders all of these things combined is why Japan is still very much a the nail that sticks out gets hammered down kind of place this is exactly why fuka Yukiko and Makoto are so concerned about fitting in and adhering to Japan's very Traditional Values a common enough complaint I hear is that these Priestess characters are just making up this problem in their heads but that's sadly such a misguided and honestly dismissive argument which leads me to the second reason for the values dissonance why are they all so held up by what their family wants them to do this has to be exaggerated right well actually no these worries come from a very real place and are something everyone in Japan can relate to because even if one's parents aren't like this themselves it's still impossible to avoid society's expectations I'm sure many of you who hail from other collectivist countries especially the ones based on Confucian values like China and South Korea can attest to this most players who've only been raised in the individualistic cultures of the West will have trouble grasping the sheer weight of this responsibility ultimately one's own needs dreams and goals are expected and encouraged to come first in a place like the United States but that's not the case in Japan one's family and the organization slash business they work at or in other words the collective takes much more precedence this extreme emphasis on social hierarchy which is legit reflected in the Kegel slash honorifics of the Japanese language itself just adds to the expectation that Juniors must always obey their Elders I've already covered this in much more detail regarding makotol in her dedicated analysis up in the cards the Yukiko one is still in the works now on one final note when it comes to relatability I really want to talk about fuka and yukiko's Infamous cooking Social Links and the traditional gender Norms displayed here on one hand I agree that they could have been executed better but I still like to think a lot of my fellow CIS females especially those raised in traditional households would find this relatable like I get that the whole terrible cook gag especially with the P4 girls can really feel like it's run its course but I also can't help but appreciate the attempt to go against the grain for some games that came out 15 years ago not everyone born female is gonna have some sick Pro Chef Gene from the very start and A Woman's Worth shouldn't be defined by her cooking prowess now I know this sounds super obvious to most western players which is why it's important to remember how Japan is still much more traditional and conservative when it comes to these kinds of gender related things even though mentalities are getting less rigid within the younger Generations Japan is still way more culturally traditional which is why fuka Yukiko and Makoto's arcs all have something to do with challenging the existing expectations of what's considered feminine like fuka going into stem and Yukiko essentially being entrusted with the family business despite Japan's love of mukoyoshi I.E the age-old adult adoption practice that I already discussed in my Haru video but we'll discuss further in the one on Yukiko that I'll link in the cards once I'm done to start wrapping things up cultural values and tastes are often just a matter of perspective in the end like how even the most extroverted Japanese person likely wouldn't be thought of as such here in the states and vice versa though I hope it goes without saying that no group of people are a monolith not every Japanese person will think the same way but do you think the Priestess girls are boring let me know otherwise this is just a short and sweet video compared to my usual Persona analyzes the next one up in the series has to do with the slapstick comedy in Japan so please like And subscribe for more and follow me on Twitter and on Twitch finally I want to give a huge thanks to all my patrons for their support especially big clingy Sam bed Jack Francesco santoyo Rego and meowolin platinum rose Malcolm Lowry Melanie Gutierrez Unholy biscuit Leviathan 8685 Eden corsafgarmilion and cavanic

Channel: LadyVirgilia

Views: 39,845

Keywords: persona 5 royal, P5, p5, LadyVirgilia, persona 5 philosophy, persona 5 psychology, persona yukiko analysis, persona makoto analysis, persona fuuka analysis, persona priestess girls

Id: sQOFy4Qk54Q

Length: 9min 21sec (561 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 26 2022