#mizuki is TRANS DEAL WITH IT

[cautiouslyliving]

ITS SO MIZUOVER!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 ANYONE HEAR THOSE OMNIOUS BELLS TOLLING??????? 🤣🤣 NO????? JUST ME???????? 😭😭😭😭😭😭

never ask a mizuki fan OR ANY TYPE OF PJSK FAN FOR THAT MATTER what happened on october 12th 2024

anyway this is me over-analyzing the mizu5 cards because this event has ultimately crushed me, i literally feel every emotion that mizukis feeling like deadass

again, it is so mizuover

[c0rpsedemon]

the thing about the queer media tournament that really gets me is that last i checked there wasn't a single mxtx work on it. like not even the untamed made it in and don't get me wrong the og mo dao zu shi books are huge but cql is def more popular among tumblr circles. idk it just really rubs me the wrong way how every single piece of western media that ppl have ever gotten a lil bit aggressive abt shipping with is there and then for east asian media there's utena and madoka magica and the handmaiden and last i checked that was pretty much it. and then for the rest of the world there's next to/nothing but idk enough to really make judgements there.

[jibunbosh]

you there. project sekai twitter akiyama mizuki fan. name one transfeminine person in your friend group

[pensivespacepirate]

half came out to friends i didn't plan to come out to (blurted out im bi when they asked if i liked girls) (guy who asked took it well ("ayyy women enjoyers") and i didnt see the others' reaction) coincided with mizu5. im. uh. yeah

[proseka-headcanons]

someone reblogged this earlier and i just remembered another addition:

THIS. it's so interesting how all of this stuff is actually real. i'm almost convinced it's not a coincidence.

transmasc rui: an essay (/silly) by mod mizuki

made on june 7 2024. scheduled for (if i'm correct) exactly june 24 2024 12am JST in honor of rui's birthday

so. i talk a lot about transmasc rui. but i've never explained the headcanon. that is what i am here to do today because i've been meaning to make this post since *checks notes* ... april. oh wow and i only did this while half asleep on june 7... and then scheduled it for rui's birthday.... oh dear. well anyways. a lot of this is kinda jokey. in fact the first point is the only 100% serious one i think. but without further ado, here's why rui kamishiro is transmasc!

1. rui's connection to the cat plush in the wonderland sekai

this is a BIG one. it's pretty clear, isn't it? the cat plush is VERY obviously meant to mirror rui. the worry of being seen as weird and being ostracized for sharing his ideas? yeah. that's obviously rui. however, with this comes some trans coding. why? the cat plush is a calico. if you don't know, male calico cats are RIDICULOUSLY rare, and almost always sterile. a common statistic is that only 1/3,000 calicos are male, but it's unclear if that's the real statistic. either way, male calicos are so rare that when one is born, discovered, or adopted, there are news articles made about it. a big example being charlie unicorn (as he was nicknamed), a cat from colorado discovered in april of 2023 to be male and adopted in june of the same year.

^ that's charlie

male calico cats (as well as male tortoiseshell cats) are known as the unicorn of cats because they're just that rare. so rui (a canon male) being so closely tied to the calico plush... yeah seems like trans coding to me, accidental or not.

2. this fucking card

that's it. yeah. that card.

look his earring is trans flag colors okay. also. the costume. it's called fucking transition gentleman there's literally nothing more to say here moving on

3. his friendship with mizuki

i like getting opportunities to talk about them. so mizuki and rui are friends we all know this. and they bonded over being outcasts. but what if. they also had something else in common. transness or something idk. transfem transmasc solidarity is a thing and it's cool. if two trans people know they're both trans they're likely to get along well. they can feel safe because the other won't judge them for who they are. ... a lot of the time.

maybe he's an outcast for being autistic and a trans boy. you can't tell me otherwise. also them both being trans makes the dynamic so much better in my personal opinion :3

4. holy shit!!! a binder!!!

if you look closely, the thing he's wearing underneath the white shirt... has no sleeves. it has like. straps. it could easily be a tank top but it could also just as easily be a binder. i choose to believe it IS a binder. you can't tell me otherwise

i might be forgetting things, but i'm tired. i'm eepy. so thank you for coming to my ted talk. mod mizuki out.

[hovkinnie]

mizuena/ena5 incoherent rant below bc i love them so much im losing my mind

I can't stop thinking about how much of mizuki's conflict in prsk is resolved entirely by ena's actions, not mizuki's own, and that's actually really fucking good. hear me out.

One of the driving emotions for Mizuki's conflict is obviously fear; she's afraid of being left once people know her secret, she's afraid she can only ever have shallow connections with people who wouldn't really accept her as who she is, she's afraid of losing the few friends she has and the one space where she feels like she can express herself through their shared art.

But beyond that, the other driving emotion for her is guilt. She feels guilty that she's been "deceiving" everyone else, she feels guilty that she's left Ena waiting for so long without telling her her secret, she feels guilty that everyone else seems to be moving forward and facing their fears while she seemingly can't. And when her secret is revealed, the strongest emotion she's going through isn't her fear of being left behind, it's the guilt that's been eating her away from the inside.

She tells ena that it can't be the same, that now ena won't be able to treat her the same, that she knows Ena and Kanade and Mafuyu are so kind they'll smile and tell her they're fine with it, but that they'll just be forcing themselves for the sake of kindness. That they'd rather not have to deal with everything that makes Mizuki complicated, but they would anyway because they're kind like that. That she can't bear that. She doesn't deserve that.

And all of this guilt is so real for this young trans girl to feel because it's what we're pushed towards constantly, even when we're supposedly accepted for who we are. The lie that we're deceiving others when we present as our own gender is so deeply written into our collective psyche, and even beyond that, even in "progressive" spaces, the violence we suffer is often treated as our own burden to bear, as something we have to deal with and not burden other people with.

So many basic bitch stories about trans women, with trans women protags written by cis people, have them struggle and "grow" as the story progresses, having to "face their fears", to come out to people they're scared of leaving them, to "trust their loved ones" and take that first step. I think a lot about The Missing, a game that gets a lot of the horror of being a trans girl and yet still has the protagonist, who is so terrified of how her mom would react to her coming out she tries to end her own life, learn the lesson that she should come out anyway, trust this person that's only given her reasons to fear her, because that's the only way for her to move forward.

Mizuki doesn't do that. She doesn't have to. Mizu5 is all about the horror of being outed before you're ready to come out yourself, even to someone you know would show you kindness. And it allows Mizuki to stew in her own guilt, the guilt that she never faced her fears herself, that she's burdening N25 with her suffering. But Ena5 is about Ena, so patient and unwilling to hurt Mizuki, finally being moved to action by kaito and meiko agreeing that it's up to her to be selfish and try to bring Mizuki back, to recognize that Mizuki doesn't want to be alone.

It's up to Ena to do the scary thing, for her to be open and vulnerable about her feelings. For her to go up to Mizuki, despite being ignored for so long, as someone who is so sensitive to being ignored- to being rejected- and to tell Mizuki what she needs- and deserves- to hear. That she's wanted. That Ena doesn't care if Mizuki thinks she deserves it or not, that Mizuki's guilt shouldn't factor in because Ena wants Mizuki beside her.

It's the ultimate transfem fantasy because it's the fantasy of being truly wanted, of being unconditionally loved. It's the fantasy of someone seeing you for who you are, and not just "accepting you" as if it's a favor they're doing you, but going as far as telling you that the way you've been conditioned by a lifetime of violence to feel and act to protect yourself is NOT your fault, it's NOT just your responsibility to deal with, that you deserve someone who will go through the effort of digging you out of that hole and that you're not a burden for needing that.

In a lot of subtle ways, Mizuki's story feels 1000% written by people who understand trans girls so far beyond the scope of the usual explaining-transness-to-cis-people style of narrative, even understanding ways that these narratives fuck up routinely and also understanding exactly what is needed to sneak this into a highly commercial hatsune miku gacha game. There's a lot of compromises made there for the sake of being this kind of story in this kind of game, but what we get in return is so much more meaningful as a transfem narrative than anything of similar popularity that I can think of, it fills me with so much emotion and I truly can't fathom believing it's somehow "bait" or "not real rep" unless you've never had to think about transmisogyny and how it emotionally affects you to this degree.

I'll never stop thinking about them. Congrats on the wedding mizuki and ena. someone like ena is exactly what every trans girl deserves, and never has someone proven herself more deserving of a trans girl's love than ena. i love them both so much my heart feels like it's going to explode whenever i think of them. huge thanks to everyone involved in creating their story

[project-sekai-facts]

I want to preface this by saying that I’m not trying to be antagonistic! I don’t participate in discussions like this often but this event has sparked many discussions and a lot of intense feelings on this blog and I wanted to give a different perspective maybe?

While I fully agree that clpl took a cowardly route and didn’t have Mizuki state their secret on screen and that people have a right to feel upset by that (as I do as well; it genuinely pisses me off that they tell everyone off screen, locked behind a card story) I feel that saying that we were baited and that Mizukis story has no meaning and is pointless now is a bit much? Mizuki is still a queer character, their queerness wasn’t disproven or erased or anything like that. Yeah they didn’t have them literally say what they are, but that doesn’t diminish their story and what they mean.

Their trans identity is something that can’t and shouldn’t be disconnected from their character. It sucks that this aspect of them is hidden behind a (quite frankly) absurd amount of subtext. I will say though that the sentiment of ‘Mizuki is Mizuki’ isn’t necessarily a bad one? I can see a little how that could be seen as dismissing their identity, but they ARE mizuki. There’s far more to that character than just their Trans identity. While obviously it’s an important part of their character and part of the main conflict for this arc, I don’t believe that clpls emphasis on Mizuki being Mizuki was meant to dismiss her identity.

Mizuki has always been a kind and selfless character, Ena and the rest of niigo are very endeared to her and want them in their lives because of this! Ena states that she may not understand all of the grief that Mizuki has endured and continues to deal with because of being othered by people at school and in society, but that she is willing to learn and stay by their side. Their identity isn’t something that warrants the end of their friendship, it’s not something that Ena cares about in the sense that it doesn’t change who Mizuki is as a person.

I’m not sure how the Japanese fanbase is reacting to this but I feel that the Western fanbases focus on having them literally say what they are seems in line with how queerness is expressed in Western countries like the US. (I myself am an American, and a queer person.) I can only go off of what I’ve seen in Japanese media, but they seem to be a bit more reserved when talking about being queer. It’s usually alluded to, and not explicitly stated all of the time. There’s clearly a cultural aspect as to why this story was told the way that it was. (There was also most likely corporate meddling as well though, lmao)

I do believe that clpl had good intentions with this particular story. It is very unfortunate that some things happened the way that they did, but I think that it’s important to look at what we were given and try to see what was trying to be conveyed. Perhaps that is a bit naive, and I’m not saying that everyone needs to accept the story that we were given and not look at it critically. Leaps and bounds still need to be made in terms of how stories like these are told. I’m saying that we should be a bit more open minded to the various aspects that gave us the story that we got.

I hope that that was coherent, this is something that I’m a bit passionate about as well! Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts, I hope that you have a lovely day/night!

.

[kyu-kurariin]

its been over a month since mizu5 and ppl are STILL calling mizuki a boy, and as a trans person, im frustrated about it.

so, i put together a post detailing why she absolutely IS NOT a boy!!

in this post, im going to address some of the common "arguments" these people present to justify their blatant transphobia.

(cont. under cut)

-

"She's just a femboy!!"

femboys are relatively accepted in japan. if she were simply a femboy, she wouldnt be bullied as much as she is and she would have no reason to worry about her friends accepting her. she also would NOT react that way to simply being outed as a femboy, because like i said, being a femboy isnt a big deal over in japan.

Also, the point of being a femboy is that you are openly identifying as a man whilst dressing femininely. if she was a femboy, she would have no reason to hide the fact that she is "a man."

"She uses boku, thats a male pronoun!!"

almost all japanese pronouns can be gender neutral. this includes boku. while it is traditionally used in a more masculine context, its not uncommon for women to use it on themselves.

in japanese media, this trope is known as bokukko, and its actually pretty common in anime or games like prsk. some well known examples of this trope are Zero Two from Darling in the Franxx, and Furina de Fontaine from Genshin Impact, who are both cisgender woman that use boku.

"Her bullies said she was a boy!!"

yes, because theyre her BULLIES. OF COURSE they would call her a man. theyre TRANSPHOBIC. thats the POINT. if youre seriously considering her bullies as a valid and reliable source for info ab her, then i dont even know what to tell you.

"Sega wouldnt make a queer character bc of jp censorship!!"

sega is VERY openly pro-lgbtq. i wouldnt put it past them to put an openly queer character in prsk. in fact, they already have. of course, the main example other than mizuki would be minori, who is canonically wlw and has a crush on haruka, but there are more characters who can be read as queer-coded as well, such as rui, an, and kohane.

"She never explicitly said she was a girl!!"

she never said she was a boy either!

she doesnt have to look directly at the screen and say in perfect english "i am a trans woman" for her to be a trans woman. it lies in the subtext, the implications, everything about her backstory. everything in mizu5. everything ive listed in this post and more. if you still choose to call her a boy despite everything about her telling you she isnt, then you either severely lack reading comprehension or youre just intentionally transphobic.

-

Thank you so much if you took the time to read through all of this!! i hope this post can be used to help educate at least someone out there, although yall can be really stubborn with your beliefs. if you still believe mizuki is a boy after reading this, i genuinely dont know what to tell you. just please dont comment on this post trying to convince me that shes a man. there is no point. i will not listen. i will simply block you, and i suggest you block me as well.

thats all, thanks again for reading!! ♡

[butterfly-ribbon]

the most immediate aspect of ena5 i keep coming back to is how ena lingers on how those boys asked if "she was a guy too." it comes up repeatedly throughout the event, her guilt about not knowing what to say, not reacting perfectly at the time, what she could have done differently, and most importantly how she can’t stop thinking about it – it’s exactly what mizuki hates, what she fears, because mizuki's wish was always for nothing between them to change—her wish is to not be treated in a different way from any other girl.

i think this makes sense in the context of ena feeling guilty, but it's also ena being cognizant of the fact that she can't help but fixate on the truth behind mizuki’s secret. internalized misogyny has always been a struggle for ena, despite how honest she is in her hatred of men (especially her father) – even though she clearly loves girls, that harm inflicted upon her, that victim-blaming and infantilization lead to an externalized self-loathing which she takes out on others almost in spite of herself.

ena's first focus event was about her feeling like she isn't a good enough artist for niigo and the trauma she has from her father telling her she isn't talented enough – quite literally him telling her she will never be good enough to do the one thing that fuels her existence.  her second one is fairly self-contained, less about niigo and more about her trying to go back to art class after running away, and once again dealing with the long-term effect of how her father dismissed her. her third is about learning to engage with mafuyu as a victim in productive ways and learning to recognize that her pain can coexist with mafuyu’s which is very important in the context of how ena reacted to finding out that mafuyu is suicidal despite being OWN. and then her fourth is her having the opportunity to see her father as a flawed person rather than the insurmountable idea of an Inherently Talented Artist. these four events have built up to that which she now has to recognize in the complex experience mizuki has with womanhood.

her fifth is also a very obvious parallel to the third, because while ena does very genuinely care for mafuyu and mizuki – she ends up projecting so much self-loathing and envy onto mafuyu, leaving mizuki in between to manage and deflect their emotions – even sometimes making subtle passive-aggressive remarks to get back at ena either because she can't risk fighting or expressing too much of herself and her own dissatisfaction because she would at the biggest disadvantage as the more vulnerable between the two. and when ena has to navigate speaking to mafuyu's mother, there is a recognition of how subtly insidious the woman is and how it both contrasts and parallels her experience with her father. it’s further meaningful because ena3 is about ena breaking the shell of her victim blaming mindset. the way ena treats mafuyu changes a lot from hereon, but what’s important is that isn't enough on its own. ena's growth isn't complete unless she learns to properly engage with mizuki, which she can only do by learning to engage her complex reality as a trans girl.

with that in mind, i really love to see ena acknowledging not just the way she fixates on the “what ifs” and “how she could've handled things differently” – it’s further how she fixates on mizuki's transness. what’s also even more important is that she acknowledges that this is what mizuki hates more than anything. she knows it isn't right of her. she doesn't want this because she doesn't want to hurt mizuki in the way she fears the most. this is through no fault of mizuki’s of course. after all, she doesn't deserve to have her transness fixated upon because that turns it into something inherently Other. that’s why i also like that they're willing to acknowledge that being outed and acceptance isn't simple. it can be complex and painful on both sides without it being something that decentralizes the person most affected (the trans girl, mizuki).

as much as mizuki wished she could just say it and keep going as though nothing changed this couldn't have happened either ... we live in a world where misogyny and transmisogyny are baked into everything ... it's vital for ena to engage with her own biases and prejudices when thinking about approaching mizuki because otherwise she can’t move forward with her. she can't just treat this as though it changes nothing about their dynamic because it absolutely does recontextualize so much … ena being a transmisogyny exempt girl holds fundamental privilege/power over mizuki, just like the prejudiced students do, so ena must tread the thorn-laden path, enduring pain, in order to reach mizuki and bathe her in the warmth of her light, because the pain of making mistakes and still pushing forward is worth everything.

this is ena’s turning point. it's ena talking to someone who knew mizuki back in middle school – the time when she was forced back into the closet – learning the extent of the loneliness she's always felt. she thinks back to the specific moment where student A is like "are you a guy too?" and then finally starts to understand the depth of the cruelty that mizuki has been subjected to. even if she can't truly imagine it (and while we're on this topic, i think this is yet another way the writing acknowledges that mizuki is not a boy and that this is abuse). it also isn't fair for ena to continue fixating on mizuki's transness in this way while wallowing in her own misery, since in doing so, she would be centering herself when the one who was the victim in that moment was mizuki herself.

ena might've messed up, but it wasn't out of bigotry or actual like... looking down on mizuki. she acted in a way that she ended up regretting in a very messy situation and i think that's meaningful too, because again she's done that in many situations with mafuyu and genuinely felt bad about it after the fact. ena is messy and her way of loving people ... she can be so ... rough sometimes, y'know? but she always shows a willingness to learn from her mistakes and interrogate her own behavior. even in my footprints, your destination she keeps pressuring mizuki to talk with her about her problems for most of the event and it's not out of any ill intent, but it's not a good approach because this kind of thing can easily veer into coercive territory and that's particularly traumatic in the context of a trans girl being forced to come out? ena obviously didn't mean anything bad by it because she didn't know or understand the gravity of what she was dealing with, and she was genuinely concerned for mizuki's well-being and wanted her to know that she has someone in her corner who's more than happy to hear her out, but she's also brash, demanding and hot headed so it was a good opportunity for her to see things from a different perspective, leading her to adopt a more patient and understanding approach for the first time? this event builds on this in an interesting way specifically because it isn't afraid to explore how a cis girl like ena needs to unpack her own biases before she's able to connect with mizuki again, but what makes this even better is that mizuki doesn't exist to fix her or make her a better person – mizuki makes ena want that herself. ena doesn't become a better person because mizuki acts like a manic pixie dream girl for her (if anything she constantly fails at this in ena's presence because her mask starts cracking around her a lot), but ena strives to better herself because she can see those cracks and she wants to provide mizuki with genuine support. she wants to be someone that mizuki can truly rely on and drop the facade around because she loves her so much.

mizuki is also being allowed a more mafuyu role here and i think that's compelling insofar as a deconstruction of mizuki's facade and how it's rooted in a fraught engagement with transfemininity in the history of anime and manga.

i also really love this because it’s a callback to the locked room from mizu5. once again, the reason ena finds mizuki is because she knows her better than anyone else. this time there are no boys to co-opt mizuki or interfere with both of them. she ended up avoiding going to school directly and this being the reason ena found her … it's like an answer arc to mizu5. the locked room of mizuki’s heart and how ena has the key to that, finally, after making effort to understand her. this could also be seen as a reference to the hermit cards and the lock upon mizuki’s heart.

[protector-utahime-miku]

yes you are! c'mooon, girl!! you're just like him in terms of denial!

ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ME BEING "IN DENIAL" AGAIN??

... mmaaaaybeee?

mizuki, i'm NOT in denial!!

i am surrounded by denial...

oh no! don't go bald girl!!!

[poof! long hair for you!]

there we go! have some long hair, instead of baldness!

- 🎀, @protector-utahime-miku

YAAAUY THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

[babyniigo]

anyone else scared for mizu5

Genuinly terrified! ૮ ྀི◞ ⸝⸝ ◟ ྀིა

I wish people weren’t being so cruel about ena, it’s clear that mizuki is scared because she got outed as was foreshadowed in the last event. ໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১

And I can’t stress this enough-

Mizuki is scared of disappointment and confrontation, she’s not scared of Ena.

Mizuki is scared that once Ena knows, she would leave like her old friends :(

Also Ena isn’t cruel; she’s so selfless and always seeks to understand and reach her friends better like she did with Mafuyu All along.

I just hope the event is executed well, mizuki has always been a beautiful and accurate trans representation to me, I hope this event seals the deal and makes it work for mizuki :(

[project-sekai-archives]

ignore this if you want because i’mma yap but

it PISSES ME OFF when people say mizuki’s a guy or try to make it look like their gender is SUCH a “mystery” when it doesn’t even require thorough reading of n25’s stories to confirm that they aren’t a man (coming from someone who’s not even queer,and who can’t read game stories without a transcript)

riddle me this,transphobes; if mizuki’s a guy who’s a crossdresser; why would she go SO FAR to have her friends view her as a girl? why does rui (who knows her secret) still refer to her as a girl? most crossdressers switch back to wearing their assigned gender clothes when they’re home—if mizuki’s a crossdresser,why does she still dress feminine at home? why would she be horrified at ena hearing that “she’s a guy”? (From her BULLIES. mind you,they don’t think she’s a “real” girl,so ofcourse they’d refer to mizuki as a guy,they assumed ena was “a guy too” because she’s friends with mizuki,for fuck’s sake! and that’s the most terrified a pjsk character has ever looked like,that’s not the face of a crossdresser being outed!),why would colourpale/SEGA go out of their way to add this whole theme of identity and being what you want to be to mizuki? why would they put her in with all the girls in game mechanics if she was just a crossdresser? (for example,mizuki is not one of the male characters you need to use for the “boy band” title,male costumes are not applicable to mizuki,mizuki costumes are applicable to all female characters,all female costumes are applicable to mizuki,there’s definitely more)

mizuki’s secret is VERY serious to them,most people who crossdress don’t make it that big of a deal,and if it that big of a deal- they would hide the fact that they crossdress by presenting as their assigned gender! not the other way around! this whole “mizuki’s a crossdresser” sh#t doesn’t make sense to begin with!!! they would’ve handled it a LOT more differently if that was the case!

SEGA has had queer characters before from what i’ve heard,a trans character is not so farfetched! this game is about hatsune miku and friend being therapists to a bunch of teenagers,but a trans character is apparently too far?? please for the love of god gain some media literacy

sorry for the yap sesh .. i became a huge mizuki defender since mizu5 dropped and had to get this off my chest ..

My right cheek hurts while reading :(

[mayonesamitch]

MIZUKI IS NOT CIS!!! (I made this for myself)

I just need to keep track of my brain

So, Mizuki is definitely not cis. We've all heard of it. I'm just gonna bring up some reasons why.

First of all, Mizuki's chest in their 3D model is much flatter compared to the other female in the game. Don't get me wrong, you can be a flat woman. However, with all the context we have about Mizuki, I think in their case, it has to do with their biological sex.

They also often use butterflies or flowers in Mizuki's event name thingies. Butterflies and flowers often represent change. Which can add to the change in gender

Mizuki's models when they were younger appear more androgynous or masculine. This was probably due to the peer pressure of to be a boy since it's probably their biological sex.

Also in the Kamiko festival event Mizuki doesn't change due to there being no privacy. A problem most trans people deal with is restrooms or changing rooms. Most of the time they have to go to their biological sex which is bad on their part since to them if makes them feel weird. So though Mizuki definitely passes as a girl they would still have to go to their biological sex, which makes them feel uncomfortable.

Also Mizuki's sex is stated as "?" In the official website. Which give us more of the feeling about their gender and how they're not cisgender.

Another point I'd like to add is that femininity is actually very important in Japan. Looking cute is important to woman in Japan since it's their standard. So being judged for wearing cute clothes would only apply of you're of the male sex. So being judged for this if they were female would be very odd.

Also Mizuki used the Boku pronoun which is often more masculine. However, it can be a more cutesy way too to refer to yourself. Also tomboys use to but Mizuki definitely isn't a tomboy. In recent events they started to use Atashi more which is more gender neutral but still more feminine. Japanese pronouns work differently from English ones so keep that in mind.

Also, about the crossdressing Mizuki theory. Crossdressing is more normalized in Japan so why would Mizuki take is so far just to hide their secret? If they were a crossdresser then they might feel happy about passing but in the end still identify as a boy. Wouldn't they correct Niigo when they use she/her pronouns of then? There's just weak evidence to show how they can be a crossdrssser.

Anyways, so what's Mizuki? Mizu5 is coming so we'll know soon but for now I think they're transfem. Transfem is when you identify with femininity. Not the same as transgender but that's not off the table either. Maybe non-binary or a non-binary gender identity but who knows? We'll find out soon!

[lisanees]

no fr this is still fucking me up

Mizuki has been able to live her life so far as just a Girl; for safety, for comfort, to actually be seen as a girl by others. She passes as a cis girl, but if people find out she isn't, she's terrified of being treated differently, being branded not as just a Girl but as a Trans Girl (at best) or something transmisogynistic (at worst).

And yeah, she is a trans girl, this doesn't make her any less a girl than a cis girl is. But that's just not how society operates, how people operate, majority of the time. Even with people who support her, there's a good chance they will not think of her as simply a Girl, but specifically as a Trans Girl, as someone Other.

So she lives stealth, but there's still that sense of alienation, that she can't talk about this important aspect of her identity for fear of rejection, of being othered. No matter whether she continues to live her live as an undefined Girl, or outs herself as a trans girl, she's going to have to deal with some form of othering and alienation.

She obviously wanted to tell Ena, to be loved and seen for who she is, while still being treated as any other girl would. But that was ripped away from her in the most painful way it ever could have been.

Whether you're a trans girl who chooses to live stealth for safety and comfort, or a trans girl who lives openly, you can't win, not really. Seeing that represented so perfectly has just torn me to pieces.

[jan-books-of-thoughts]

A short Mizuki analysis (SPOILERS FOR MIZU5)

Alright where do I begin with this event honestly I really like how Colorful palette decided to take with this story as a whole and the way that they present the struggles of being trans especially for Mizuki who is identified as one so let’s do a deep dive on this event as a whole

Mizu1, Mizu2, and Mizu3 connections

So I’ll not be mentioning Mizu4 since that event is mostly set up for Mafu4 and felt less focus on Mizuki’s struggles being trans.

So as established by Secret Distance and Kamiyama Festival events, Mizuki is an outcast in their school. In Mizu5, we see Rui’s concern about Mizuki trying to tell Ena their secret, during Kamiyama, we know that Rui is technically the only friend that knows their secret of them being trans. Since we know that Rui already embraced that side of him it was only a matter of time that Mizuki will reveal it. During what lies ahead, Ena mentions to Mizuki to take their time when they want to reveal their secret. Personally I like how Ena knows most about Mizuki that she really wants the best for them and is ready to wait for a while for Mizuki to admit about themselves. Family wise, we got to know Yuuki, which is the person Mizuki is the most honest to. In both Mizu3 and the 2024 New years event, we see how she deals with the fact about her own sibling’s gender identity. She wants the best for Mizuki, even tho we barely got to know Mr and Mrs. Amamiya, with the small talk with Mizuki and their mom, implies that the parents are also supportive of Mizuki’s decision to transition from male to female. Yuuki really wants the best for Mizuki and that she was the reason that Mizuki decided to join nightcord. 

Mizu5 and some similarities to Mafuyu when it comes to samsa (LAST SPOILER ALERT) 

So during Mizu5 everything comes full circle. Let us focus on the ending of the event. Just a quick summary: after coming late to the rooftop due to their classmate’s injuries, two of Mizuki’s classmates told Ena that the secret Mizuki is hiding is the fact they’re trans. Mizuki, who just came in hearing what they told Ena, caused them to run away. Ena tries to ask Mizuki if anything is fine but Mizuki just says sorry and locks themselves out even being absent from any nightcord activity. Once finishing this chapter, Mizuki will only remain in the empty sekai. So yea that’s a lot but don’t worry this analysis will be simpler going forward. Mizuki is an excellent representation of people in the LGBTQ+ community whose main fear about their own gender identity, for their case is just to come out that they are trans only to get outed by others. The way Mizuki decided to cope with the situation make sense, they are ashamed for who they are but at the same time Ena still sees Mizuki as well Mizuki. As seen by the event cards, each of the members of nightcord are feeling lonely since Mizuki decided to be absent due to the incident holding a part of Mizuki’s ribbon. This parallels Mafuyu’s 4th focus event where the other members are holding a part of Mafuyu’s heart (the apple broach) trying to help her. Another parallel is also shown via the gacha showcase, using the 3dmv of Samsa. Just like the main protagonist of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (the main basis of Kanade’s 3rd focus) Both Mizuki and Gregor’s decision to change to show their true self can have consequences similarly to Mafuyu trying to show her true self to Mrs Asahina. 

Conclusion 

This event is a great showcase on the fear of being outed and how Mizuki deals with it. Huge props to Colorful palette on how they present the story as a whole as well as the voice actors providing a great job in showcasing the characters.