The project sekai fandom is wrong about Mizuki

Woah a video essay

Yes I’m pretending I wasn’t on a two month long hiatus

Also all clips shown in this video are from Hatsune Miku: colourful stage!

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

　
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Timestamps:
Disclaimer+Intro 00:00-02:06
Mizuki in the western fandom 02:06-10:26
Mizuki from a Japanese perspective 10:26-14:54
My personal interpretation + outro 14:54-19:45

Music by chillpeach
Song: my comfy space

Music by Ghostrifter
Song: sundown drive

[Cookies__]

Shoutout to Mizuki, gotta be one of my favourite genders

[dumbpablo]

Mizuki is my favorite character in the whole game and even though their identity is a big part of it im just so happy because of their personality, mizuki is not only a character about "otherness" but also how even despite society's rejection, they still keep being kind and never falter.

They're a really strong character, because even at their lowest they did their absolute best to keep helping others, like mafuyu on her breakdown, kanade on her search for a place of her childhood and ena on her art journey, its tiring, but they really like being themselves which is why we havent seen them falter about who they are at all

Also about the dysphoria, mizuki's mirror is shown to be covered from the head area, and the anniversary mv's show a scene of mizuki sadly looking to themselves in a mirror (but it could be something else as self-loathing because they hate being seen as "something" and not someone)

Their most recent event (avoiding spoilers) basically is what led mizuki to embrace their identity and propel themselves to pursue their dreams, personally mizuki is a character about moving past society's dumb restrictions, doing as you please, enjoying each day doing as you please, and the consequences that come with that, the hardships, the discrimination, the constant reminder of "not fitting in" that society loves enforcing onto people who aren't as expected

[kibijuice]

I feel it’s funny people get so heated about Mizuki’s gender, when the whole point of their story is that they’re afraid of what people expect of them, Mizuki feels that as soon as people realize who they really are they’re gonna leave them behind. I do headcanon Mizuki as a trans girl, as their experiences and their feelings really resonate with my life as an LGBT+ person, but if people are gonna get mad at them or the writers if it turned out they’re not trans they would be missing the whole point of their character, that friends should stay by your side just because they like you as a person, not because of how you may appear, present or express your identity. Would I be disappointed? Probably, but Mizuki would still be my favorite sekai character

[Elgato]

Nah to me a characters gender or identity doesn't matter

Mizuki continues to slay every day

[foursakenlight_]

based on the newest Mizuki focus in jpsekai, their family actually supports them to be who they are but it’s just the society. People at school often sees them as weird because of the way they act and they’re not happy with school, which lead to them starting to skip school. They had a ribbon that their elder sister gave them when they were young and they recently received a pack of cute clothes that their sister made for them. Because of her encouragement, they decided to join 25ji nightcord de. and become a more positive person.

I personally relate to mizuki so much. i’m a cis from an collectivist country (not japan) and i relate to the point that i had been considered weird during my primary/secondary school and suffered from severe bullying. However, my parents are not as supportive and they’re similar to mafuyu’s parents. i had no one to rely on except my only irl friend and some online friends.

sorry my explanation are messy because i’m not good at english bye

[topiaz]

mizuki is mizuki, not a gender. i don't get why that's so hard to accept for some people

[twwoplayer]

I absolutely hate how the pjsekai fandom treats Mizuki. They always argue over using "correct" pronouns for them when there really aren't any wrong ones, and it's kind of just generally a headache to watch

[mari]

I'm so glad that Mizuki's struggles and characterization isn't just based around their gender. I have the biggest pet peeve of people making their sexuality or their gender the only thing that matters about them. Hopefully that doesn't sound wrong, the way I typed it.

[aguilera]

Personally from playing the game I got the idea that Mizuki was born male but had interest in fashion that was stereotypical in females, so Mizuki’s overall message of identity would be that people can wear whatever they want regardless of gender and be who they want to be without some type of boundary. There is barely anything to go from since the canon is very vague but it’s this vagueness that in a way makes Mizuki more relatable since you can envision their secret to be similar to your own struggles, though if they do end up revealing what Mizuki identifies with I hope the fandom doesn’t go insane if their headcanons are proven wrong

[ZakuroTL]

I'm a trans girl who's been reading the story in Japanese (still catching up, no spoilers!) and I knew about the discourse around Mizuki beforehand but when I read Niigo's main story I felt like they made it """clear""" - Mizuki is Mizuki! And that's okay!

I feel like in the west, we're always excited to get representation in the media, and even more excited when it's good, accurate representation, because it really doesn't happen that much. We want to see ourselves in the characters we see in media, and that's super-valid. But if Mizuki were confirmed to be NB, or trans, or anything, really, it'd mean that some people would feel like they couldn't see themselves in Mizuki anymore. So to me, the devs are handling it in pretty much the best way they can, because as many people as possible can see themselves in Mizuki and nobody's wrong for it! If you want to believe that Mizuki is X or Y, that's awesome, but if you tell someone else that Mizuki ISN'T X or Y, you're kind of saying that only certain people can REALLY relate to Mizuki, when it doesn't have to be that way. Everyone can win!

[bizarreiolite]

ok but imagine if there’s an event where mizuki tells 25ji their secret, but the actual secret is cut out so its still left ambiguous 💀

[worrydodo]

honestly, i don't blame the fandom for trying to label mizuki with a gender, i feel like a lot of people relate to them and just hc mizuki as their own gender to feel more connected to them

despite this is does still annoy me when people act like this is their only personality trait. project sekai has some of the most well written characters ive ever seen and they all feel so 3d, but many people fixate on one trait of the characters and make that singular trait their only one, and ive seen this isn't exclusive to only mizuki

at the end of the day, mizuki is mizuki and i wouldn't want them any other way

[Mizuki-ulrn]

So… the event had some interesting stuff…

[arha]

Boku is fairly unusual for girls irl but not uncommon in manga and Mizuki is canonically into manga/anime so it’s possible that it’s because of that or just habit (my boyfriend used washi for a long time because of a manga he read as a kid and now uses jibun, since he sounded like a grandpa and really dislikes boku/ore).
The obsession with Mizuki’s gender is really strange because Mizuki’s character is all about being Mizuki before being a gender and not being judged about gender expression.
I think Mizuki is relatable to many different people because many of us can relate to ostracisation because of our self-expression, especially trans women and non-binary people (which Mizuki likely is one of). I don’t particularly care what gender Mizuki ends up being because it will still be an important story for any non-cis person. Also it’s refreshing to see a queer character that isn’t just queer but a fully fledged person.
On another note, pronouns barely exist in Japanese. They technically do but they/them is the localisation and a way of avoiding confirmation - not necessary Mizuki’s pronouns. This is because after you know someone’s name, it’s normal to call them by their name rather than he/her/their etc. I remember Mafuyu saying “kare” once about Akito before she knew him but I’d be willing to bet at least a quarter of the cast have never been called with a properly gendered pronoun in Japanese but idk.

[chompinator]

thank you for this video! I was very scared this would be "mizuki isnt trans just a crossdresser 😠" but like. it wasnt!! People in fandom really do boil them down to transgenderness which is of course awesome and all but come on... they are so so much more... Also i was inspired to research what style mizuki dresses in and im pretty sure they dress in girly kei! (Their outfit with the top hat and suspenders/shorts reminds me of ouji more though) (as another trans person (thogh transmasc) who loves cute jfashion mizuki is a huge inspiration to me)

[lumeii]

Wowowow! This video is amazing. Mizuki is my favorite character, and their gender identity means a lot to me as a very confused person when it comes to that. Them using they/them pronouns never meant they were non-binary to me personally, anyone can use they/them really, so them having an unconfirmed gender is great! The second part about the japanese interpretation is so interesting as well! I never thought about it that way, but it makes a lot of sense! Really, that just makes them even greater. Mizuki is just a great character, and this video just proves it even more. You did SO well on this, I was hooked the whole time and your voice (and the little mistakes hehe) are super endearing and I'll keep an eye out for more content from you. :)

[vsdtwtg]

2 years later after the mizu5 mishap, this still stands well.

[Azusashusband]

What I hear about Mizuki's character being identity is wrong (that's Mafuyu's thing) imo. Mizuki is pretty aware of who they are but they keep it to themself. Imo I believe Mizuki's character isn't really about identity but trust and loving yourself. As Mizuki was a victim of bullying (which is even worse in places like Japan or Korea than the stereotypes in North America) and gossip behind their back they have made themself disconnect. However due to this it has developed a sort of trauma. The reason why Mizuki doesn't go to school is that they hate those comments about them as 1. Well it’s probably really annoying 2. It probably triggers a sort of PTSD. As Mafuyu puts on a facade of being perfect Mizuki puts on a facade of being happy. While it is true their life is definitely better than before as those flashbacks made them look miserable always, they had some sort of development in between those flashbacks and the start of the main story. Mizuki's healing process already started before the story even did. While we see Mafuyu at her lowest, we see Mizuki trying their absolute best to make their and everyone around them's life better. However as much as they're trying to do that they're doing it "alone". They're making themself distant from the other members because they're scared of losing the friends they just made and built up. The words they've been told about being weird and a freak really got to them as that's what they think of themself. They believe that one day their friends will leave Mizuki behind and that's what they fear the most. Being alone again. And bringing back those words that hurt Mizuki the most. Freak. Mizuki themself hadn't realized how much the other Nightcord members mean to them and they only really realized it during Secret Distance. However even if they mean a lot to Mizuki, Mizuki isn't sure what Mizuki means to the other members. They believe that if they completely open up like Mafuyu does their friends will leave them as that's what happened when Mizuki's secret got leaked. They don't trust nor think the other members care about Mizuki more than the other members clearly actually do, unintentionally distancing themself as although it seems Mizuki is the most socially active and always seems to be laughing and having fun that's truthfully all the other members know about Mizuki. Ena only realized something was strange during the ending of Secret Distance and Kanade and Mafuyu only caught on much later. The other members only knew Mizuki's smile for the longest time not suspecting that the pain the shared to them from the past had still lingered to the present. That's why Meiko during Secret Distance acts so cold. Meiko is built on Mizuki's personality like how Miku is based on Mafuyu's and Rin is based on Ena's. Meiko believes that watching everyone from the sidelines is the best way to watch them grow which is exactly what Mizuki thinks is best. ID Smile Mizuki's song is about them not wanting to lose what's been built up and being able to keep it forever when they know that it doesn't work like that. So they don't completely open up about themself keeping a small piece of them locked away so they don't have to feel as hurt when that day finally comes. However this lock is starting to rust away, like when Ena called Mizuki her friend. It's these little moments that bring Mizuki the most joy yet it's also what fuels their misttrust and self doubt the most. As much as they're really happy about words like "let's do this again next year" and "because you're my friend" make Mizuki really happy the opposite is also true. "Freak" and "Monster". These little words have so much impact onto Mizuki which torments them to the point of almost seppaku. Fortunately progress is being made and maybe one day that lock will fall off and they can completely open up about themself. Also I would like to elaborate about Mizuki's story not being about identity. Imo again this isn't the main point of Mizuki's story. Mizuki is very clearly aware of who they are and what they want. They're not confused on this like Mafuyu is. I think way people think that is that 1. Mizuki has been explicitly called being similar to Mafuyu (which I believe is to be the putting of a mask) 2. The whole gender thing going on. If it isn't already clear that's Mizuki's secret they're desperately trying to keep hidden. (This is my guess since there's no proof since it hasn't been revealed) Not because they think they're trans or something but because that's the source of pain they don't want others to know. Anyway if I missed or am just wrong about something let me know please

[staryeez]

In the newest event, Mizuki has something their hiding from Ena. Something that I’m assuming is similar to their gender, but is never explicitly stated. Ena keeps trying and trying to get them to open up, until she meets with MEIKO. MEIKO tells Ena that the best way for her to help is to wait for them to open up. In the end Ena listens to this advice.

I honestly never related to a character so much before, and this story really sealed it. I’m transmasc and something that always frustrated me was how people always feel entitled to know your gender. They don’t understand that fear of losing someone you care about, or being treated differently.

When I told the people I care about they usually always reject me, so I understand Mizuki’s struggle so much. Hearing Ena say she’ll wait made we want to cry, because those were the words I always wanted to hear.

Someone waiting means that their not going to be upset when you tell them your trans. I say this because from my experience the first thing most people say is, “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner!” Ironically enough, this response usually leads to the rejection, and the usual transphobic comments.

Also, hearing Mizuki talk about how they know there friends won’t last a year also hurt, because I knew that if I ever were to transition it would almost impossible to keep most of the friends I have today. Choosing between your sanity and your friends and family is something that I have to ask myself on the daily.

That’s why seeing Mizuki not only choosing her sanity and mental well-being while still having her friends was really powerful for me.

Telling my family not only lead to the most traumatizing day of my life, but also give me the inability to open up to anyone that I’m trans. In truth, if my parents even know about the one person that knows about my pronouns and name I fear they’ll kick me out. 

But Mizuki’s story has given me hope that I’m not alone and I’ll find cis people that actually don’t care about my gender. I hope someday I can go by he/they pronouns without the fear of rejection or a fate even worse.

[Galazee]

I wanna say this, although I know that this video is 2 years old

I understand that the overall message of Mizuki's character extends beyond her gender, but right now, it's important to understand that she is clearly intended to be transgender. Whether you like it or not, her gender _is_ important to the story, and to disregard how she identifies is actually to disregard a huge part of her character. Because by Path of Thorns, it's obvious that being outed to Ena as "a guy" (by her bullies I know she's a girl!) affected her way more than it would've if she was cis or a crossdresser, right?

But like I said, I know that she's more than her gender, and even if you're not trans yourself, she holds a message about the importance of self love and expression that we should all hear! And I know this video came out long before the recent events.