#(usually naruko. there's a better way to phrase it but putting -ko at the end of names is considered feminine. so. interesting choice)
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our-ensemble · 1 month ago
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Another thing about the okama term being used against her, the characters that used it have either apologized for using it (Koga) or were warned against using it (Akiomi scolding/reprimanding Subaru). Both the characters even giving her a completely different nickname ("Ari" and "Rasshi")
I'll have to look for the exact stories, but there's textual evidence in canon that's its not a good word and she strongly dislikes it
Also it appears to be mostly the English server that doesn't give her pronouns, choosing to instead use her name (even if it makes the sentence clunky/awkward), since Japanese doesn't really have pronouns when referring to someone
Thank you, anon!
You focus on an important part that I didn't delve into re: "okama" as used in-text, which is that the slur is established in-text as having discriminatory connotations, and is known by characters in-universe to be used in a demeaning fashion (which as you've pointed out, is something that characters who do use "okama" in a discriminatory manner have worked against repeating). Arashi's discomfort doesn't come just from light teasing, but from actively experiencing prejudice from her classmates, which is entirely erased when people blindly call her an "okama".
Good clarification about pronouns, because I don't think I mentioned that the English pronouns I was talking about were in the third-person, whereas the Japanese pronouns I was talking about were in the first-person. Sure, they're both pronouns, but their usage wouldn't really be one-to-one. I'll see if this is something I need to clarify on that post based on how people react, but I'll keep it in mind if the topic ever arises again.
Also, regarding how Arashi has been treated across servers, it does seem like the English server is the one that's being the most unusual about it. In the Japanese server, means other than pronouns are used to establish Arashi's gender (the ones that come to my mind now are more indirect, but I would by no means call them insignificant). For the Chinese and Korean servers, I haven't seen anyone note instances of denial of her identity, though in the interests of integrity, that one would require a bit more investigation since the Chinese and Korean servers aren't as frequently discussed in the fandom space, especially since the English server came out. Though from my experience, I haven't heard any notice of discrimination against Arashi in these servers' translations.
The point about the English server translation is important because it demonstrates a specific area where Western views on gender (specifically conservative ones) are being applied to Arashi. In this specific case, we (English-speaking fans trying to familiarize themselves with Enstars, to be more exact) need to investigate views about transness in the West rather than views in Japan to understand why this decision about her pronouns is being made, which I hope I was able to convey in that post.
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