To anyone who watches or reads Skip and Loafer, Nao-chan is a presence you simply can’t overlook. As the protagonist’s aunt, she becomes the primary adult figure we interact with throughout the series and one of the most memorable members of the supporting cast. i absolutely love how we as the audience are introduced to her. it doesn’t begin with labels or exposition, it begins with her humanity. we are instead introduced to her as a kind, nurturing, caring and protective adult in Mitsumi’s life. The story establishes her value long before it ever addresses her identity. And that’s something that has always meant so much to me. Nao-chan’s portrayal feels like genuinely good writing. it feel thoughtful and intentional. Her transness is never treated as her entire identity or personality it’s simply a part of her life. She gets to be funny, stylish, nurturing, tired after work, a little dramatic, crazily caring. She gets to be whole. And that wholeness is what so many stories are still missing. i feel like WAY too often media throws queerness at us like “Here, damn,” as if a label alone should be enough to earn our gratitude. Instead of building layered queer characters with desires, contradictions, wounds, and joys, stories literally always reduce us to representation tokens and props meant to give us inclusivity without ever actually committing to it. It feels like a marketing angle and a way to attract queer audiences without offering anything meaningful in return. and i’m SO TIRED of that. i guess i was really burnt out with other representation because when i read skip and loafer i genuinely cried because of how nice it felt to have queer characters written like this.
i also love that when we do learn that Nao-chan is transgender, it doesn’t come through a dramatic reveal or clumsy info dump. the information surfaces through the murmured judgment of strangers on a train which is an intentionally uncomfortable moment, but the author immediately reframes it. Rather than letting those whispers define her, the focus shifts to Mitsumi making a quiet and instinctive gesture to hold her hand. It’s small, but it’s deliberate and a reassurance that Nao-chan is seen and supported and cherished. In that single beat, the tone is set and Skip and Loafer promises that Nao-chan is as deserving of happiness as anyone else in the cast. i could rant forever about how Naos character develops and her background but i’ll leave that for another day.
To anyone who watches or reads Skip and Loafer, Nao-chan is a presence you simply can’t overlook. As the protagonist’s aunt, she becomes the primary adult figure we interact with throughout the series and one of the most memorable members of the supporting cast. i absolutely love how we as the audience are introduced to her. it doesn’t begin with labels or exposition, it begins with her humanity. we are instead introduced to her as a kind, nurturing, caring and protective adult in Mitsumi’s life. The story establishes her value long before it ever addresses her identity. And that’s something that has always meant so much to me. Nao-chan’s portrayal feels like genuinely good writing. it feel thoughtful and intentional. Her transness is never treated as her entire identity or personality it’s simply a part of her life. She gets to be funny, stylish, nurturing, tired after work, a little dramatic, crazily caring. She gets to be whole. And that wholeness is what so many stories are still missing. i feel like WAY too often media throws queerness at us like “Here, damn,” as if a label alone should be enough to earn our gratitude. Instead of building layered queer characters with desires, contradictions, wounds, and joys, stories literally always reduce us to representation tokens and props meant to give us inclusivity without ever actually committing to it. It feels like a marketing angle and a way to attract queer audiences without offering anything meaningful in return. and i’m SO TIRED of that. i guess i was really burnt out with other representation because when i read skip and loafer i genuinely cried because of how nice it felt to have queer characters written like this.
i also love that when we do learn that Nao-chan is transgender, it doesn’t come through a dramatic reveal or clumsy info dump. the information surfaces through the murmured judgment of strangers on a train which is an intentionally uncomfortable moment, but the author immediately reframes it. Rather than letting those whispers define her, the focus shifts to Mitsumi making a quiet and instinctive gesture to hold her hand. It’s small, but it’s deliberate and a reassurance that Nao-chan is seen and supported and cherished. In that single beat, the tone is set and Skip and Loafer promises that Nao-chan is as deserving of happiness as anyone else in the cast. i could rant forever about how Naos character develops and her background but i’ll leave that for another day.