I hate how much Atlus wants you to like Kasumi, or Sumire.

She's the new important character they added, I get it. Of course they want her to be popular, but at the same time I can't stand how much they ignored some other characters whose development needed significant work (Haru the most prominent example) in favor of entirely building out just why she's so likeable and should be 'uwu best waifu' for Joker (exaggerating of course, she has more traits than that, but you get the point). She's beautiful, skilled, kind, and strong enough to overcome her insecurites AFTER Joker comes to her rescue and helps her learn to be her own independent person. She doesn't coherently fit the theme of rebellion anymore which p5 consistently establishes with each awakening and instead becomes reminiscent of p4's facing one's true self in order to gain their persona's power, even moreso than Futaba since Kasumi's self-identity crisis stems purely from her own denial rather than the manipulation of cruel adults using her as a scapegoat. Atlus sacrificed what I feel like is a pretty crucial concept which separates p5 from the other persona games just so that the player always wants to cheer Sumire on, wants her to strive to become her best self especially because it's at no one else's expense unlike the other Phantom Thieves, whose rebellion meant they were going to ruin the lives of some (very shitty) people in order to gain their own personal freedom, aside from Futaba. Even Futaba isn't free of this sort of offense though, initially manipulating the others and attempting to blackmail them so that they'd change her heart, not to mention doing some more... suspicious activity using her hacking skills in general mentioned in passing conversation.

I like Kasumi, I can't deny that, but in the context of the game itself, I hate why I like her.

I hate how much Atlus wants you to like Kasumi, or Sumire.

She's the new important character they added, I get it. Of course they want her to be popular, but at the same time I can't stand how much they ignored some other characters whose development needed significant work (Haru the most prominent example) in favor of entirely building out just why she's so likeable and should be 'uwu best waifu' for Joker (exaggerating of course, she has more traits than that, but you get the point). She's beautiful, skilled, kind, and strong enough to overcome her insecurites AFTER Joker comes to her rescue and helps her learn to be her own independent person. She doesn't coherently fit the theme of rebellion anymore which p5 consistently establishes with each awakening and instead becomes reminiscent of p4's facing one's true self in order to gain their persona's power, even moreso than Futaba since Kasumi's self-identity crisis stems purely from her own denial rather than the manipulation of cruel adults using her as a scapegoat. Atlus sacrificed what I feel like is a pretty crucial concept which separates p5 from the other persona games just so that the player always wants to cheer Sumire on, wants her to strive to become her best self especially because it's at no one else's expense unlike the other Phantom Thieves, whose rebellion meant they were going to ruin the lives of some (very shitty) people in order to gain their own personal freedom, aside from Futaba. Even Futaba isn't free of this sort of offense though, initially manipulating the others and attempting to blackmail them so that they'd change her heart, not to mention doing some more... suspicious activity using her hacking skills in general mentioned in passing conversation.

I like Kasumi, I can't deny that, but in the context of the game itself, I hate why I like her.

I just binged Lore Olympus and oh lawd, Persephone is best gorl