goodbye lara has already showed some very fascinating thematic ideas in its 3 episodes, but I think mari's character in particular is interesting because she seems to fill a traditionally male associated shoujo tropes and creating a unique spin on them: the broody, aloof teenager, acting seemingly effortlessly cool and hiding emotional complexity, saying phrases such as "keep your eyes on me" etc. But through new gendered lens these get a completely new and much more interesting spin, especially since this series seems to center around the idea of filling a role (lara as the fates princess, etc.) and grasping what it means to embody it and live your life despite the eyes of others. I just find it a very fun way to pay homage to classical 90's shoujo as someone who's always argued that these character tropes should not be strictly gendered in the first place, because shifting these associations around creates very compelling characters.
