beta
a lot of people are being too hard on eri. most people reading yuri are probably sapphic, and we all know how deeply ingrained compulsory heterosexuality is. at the very least, eri is honest enough to recognize her feelings, a lot of women spend their entire lives in denial. she’s such a nuanced, realistic character, and i think her portrayal is beautifully complex. it’s important to have characters like her because they show how difficult it can be to navigate these feelings in a world that pressures women to conform. it seems like both main characters are lesbians, not just sapphic, which makes their experience even more challenging. our world is so centered around men, and a sexuality that exists completely outside that structure is uncomfortable for many. having these characters allows us to see how messy and painful the journey toward self-acceptance can be, and i really hope eri can live authentically and find the freedom to be herself (๑•ㅂ•)و✧.
additionally, senpai mentioned that she likes both boys and girls, so there’s some bi or pan representation, which is great. but i think this might be part of why she’s a bit disconnected from what eri is going through and a little insensitive. from her dating history, it seems pretty clear to me that eri’s a lesbian, and that truth is harder to come to terms with than being bi or pan (i’m pan myself). being bi or pan means you still have options—you can exist within the societal framework that prioritizes men to some extent. for eri, though, accepting that she’s a lesbian means fully stepping outside of that framework, which is a lot scarier and more isolating. it’s not just about who she’s attracted to, it’s about rejecting the expectations placed on her by a world that centers around men. the stakes feel much higher for her because she has no “safety net” of fitting in with those norms. just my two cents, though.