I was really trying hard NOT to enter into this argument, but it keeps popping up, and I can’t help it.  

The thing I’ve always like about Persona 4 is how open ended it was.  You could interpret a character in whatever way you wanted, really.  I personally always felt that Naoto’s whole thing was with gender issues, but I never had an issue with fans who saw her as being transgendered – and never will, for that matter (hell, I’ve read some great fics that went this way and loved them).  What I thought was great about this fandom was that you could take your pick and go with it, and everyone would respect each other… at least, that’s what I thought, until recently  :(

There’s things that come up in my life that make me think like Naoto, “What if I were a boy?  Then I wouldn’t have these issues.”  I work at GameStop and yes, even now, in 2012, I’m asked, “Do you even play video games?”  Seems like such a small thing to get irritated at, but when it comes up over and over and over again it gets to you (and trust me, it’s not just men, but women too – mom’s and girlfriends who are just STUNNED that I play these things).  I’ve had customers completely ignore me to talk to a male coworker instead, and even if said coworker is like, “Ask her, she’s played the game,” they still look stunned.  Or I get people who ask me about something I don’t play, like Call of Duty, and they get this, “Ah, of course you don’t play THAT,” look on their face.  Sometimes I feel the need to justify myself, like, “But I do play God of War, Street Fighter, ect.,” as if I have to prove myself as a “girl gamer.”  I enjoy these games, yes, but sometimes I feel like I need to shout it from the rooftops or else I’m going to be looked down upon.  I get embarrassed to admit I like things like Dance Central, in fear of receiving that, “Of course you do,” look, “It’s a dancing game, that’s what girls place right?”  

I’ve had people straight up say, “You don’t look like you play games,” or even, “Do you have kids,” or when I talk about Resident Evil 6 or something, “Are you getting that for your boyfriend,” assuming that I’m a mom who works at the store so I can get a good discount for my gamer kids, or husband, or boyfriend.  Hell, even when I do say I play games I get, “Oh, my girlfriend has a wii too,” or I hear, “What’s a good girl game,” and things like that.  I’ve even WORKED with men who will talk to male customers who are like, “My wife won’t let me get an Xbox,” then coworkers go, “Oh yeah, women, I know,” and I’m like, “… I’m standing right here you know!”  It gets annoying, and I think to myself, “Damn, if I were a boy, this would NEVER come up.”

Does it mean I want to completely change myself?  No.  I don’t mind being a woman, I just don’t want to be looked down on like that because I have breasts!  So the thought of “being a man” has crossed my mind before.  When I met Naoto I thought, wow!  Someone who GETS IT!  She gets what I feel like!  It was great to have a character I could relate to, an awesome female character in a game who kicked ass!  I especially thought it was great for her to spend time with the other girls.  You know, they’re pretty girly, but they jump into that world and fight those battles, too, so that had to mean something to her.  I mean if you look at Chie, who is the tomboy of the group, she identifies as a woman but we all know she kicks ass, so that had to mean a lot to Naoto, I think.  It also kind of meant a lot to me, too.  Here Naoto was, posing as a man, and here’s these three girls who ARE girls and who can still whoop your ass.  It was this wonderful contrast between the thought of, “I need to be a man to be taken seriously,” and, “Wait actually, no I don’t, look at those girls over there." 

Now, as far as the transgendered thing?  If you want to think of her as transgender, then by all means.  Her dungeon was pretty intense, and it certainly HINTED at an operation.  I think the anime took it a step further, with her confession coming from her shadow while she was strapped to the table.  But we all know the shadows take things to an extreme, so if you want it to be symbolism for the gender issues, go for it.  If you want it to mean she really, truly, wants to be a man then go for it.  As I said before, I’ve read some wonderful fics where she DID want to be a boy, like, really wanted to be one, and they were well written and I enjoyed reading them and seeing her interpreted in that way (there was one in particular, where she stopped eating, or something, to try and lose the curves and everything because she was so disgusted with her body, it was sad to read but very powerful and good).  

The ONLY problem I have is fandom wank about it.  If someone doesn’t see it your way, why do we have to FIGHT about it?  I have NEVER seen a fandom get upset over a strong female character becoming… stronger.  I’ve seen some female characters get redesigned and just get completely destroyed – 3rd Birthday (and she’s supposed to be a GROWN woman and hey, you can BLOW her clothes off with a grenade, tee hee), Metroid: Other M (… no words, no more words on that) – why are we so angry over… long hair and a suit?  Really?  And the book isn’t even OUT yet!  Why are we assuming that her character has changed so drastically over that?  As long as she’s the same Naoto, shouldn’t that be all that matters?  

I mean it’s one thing to not like her new design, but to outright RAGE about it and BASH the company for not having the guts to take it to the level you wanted it?  Out of all the game companies out there, hell, out of all the creators out there – Shin Megami Tensei – do you really think they’re scared to make someone be transgendered, or gay, or anything like that?  If they want someone to definitely be something, they’ll do it.  In fact, I think they made the shadows and characters so complex because you know what?  

PEOPLE ARE COMPLEX!  

And what better way to get all of us talking than to make them so complicated.  They could’ve made Naoto’s shadow easy.  They could’ve had Naoto’s shadow dressed like a police officer, or one of the detectives from the novels, or be in a police station or something and say, "I hate the police who assume I’m weak because I’m a woman,” or hell, Naoto didn’t have to crossdress at all.  She could’ve been a girl the whole time struggling with the police force, you know, cute girl detective in a skirt fighting to be on equal ground.  Instead, she crossdresses and her shadow talks about an operation.  She comes in as the thing she wants to be then has it ripped away from her.  That’s much more intense, isn’t it?  

Another example: they could’ve made Kanji a tough guy who liked cute things and left it at that, but no, they added a very interesting shadow AND his interest in Naoto AS A BOY to raise the question, “Well… is it more than just liking cute things?”  Is there a flat out answer to that question?  No.  And that’s the point!  I think it was a video I watched, or an article, talking about how bland Kanji would’ve been (come on, we’ve seen the “tough” guy in the RPG) had it been as easy as, “I’m a thug with a soft spot.”  That’s still there, yes, but because of his shadow we as players/viewers/Persona fans raise questions.  Again, that’s the point!  That’s why Persona 4 sticks out in the RPG world!  To have you look at things and think, “Hmmmm,” and talk about them – and maybe even connect with the characters yourself.  Let’s face it, we all have to deal with society’s view of us, and it’s hard.  That’s the point of the game, facing that and dealing with it.  It’s supposed to be about coming together and facing things, NOT about arguing over long hair and a new suit.

I just… I’m sad that there’s so much hate over a strong female character.  Personally, I WANT more strong, female characters.  I think the wank comes from the people in the transgender Naoto camp thinking that this new Naoto is the end of the Naoto they loved, like she’s going to come along and destroy that one.  I’ll leave it with this: Naoto is a complex, awesome character, male, female, whatever.  Sometimes, I like my Naoto being a woman, be it the blushy blushy one from the game or this new one who seems much more confident in herself.  Sometimes, I like my Naoto being a boy, and she’ll turn Kanji onto his stomach and take him like a boy (… excuse me… brain dead from the image).  Is one picture going to change that for me?  No.  That’s what makes her so awesome.  So please, everyone, play nice.  Let’s just all agree that Naoto Shirogane is a bad ass!  

(not that I expect my rant to change the world, I just wanted to get it out of my head, I’ll go back to posting crafty Persona things like a good little fangirl)