twinkle dust

It's definitely not just you. If this Lisa's conclusion is meant to be taken as beautiful and final it says something really unsettling about the work's view on women. It's not that there aren't problems here and there, mainly with how Imuri's character is handled, but it's salvageable depending on this specific arc. And it just goes destroying every other female character, and then has Imuri grow a little bit as a compensation. Lisa died as a stepping stone in every meaning of the word. The negotiation with her paints the pope as a virtuous martyr. Her revolution unites the Vergilius witch faction and the church against Satan. The battle with her elevates Marco Belphegor and Mikhail, two misogynists and an ignorant priest, completing the first two's character journey and fleshing out the latter's philosophy. Her uterus and plan for Satan are Chekhov's guns. Her status is a literal stepping stone for Satan's final boss. And in her dying moment, she doesn't even get to think about her revolution or the result of her hundreds of years of effort. We're supposed to accept that Lisa, who criticizes Joshua for choosing Imuri over the world and ultimately chooses to kill Imuri to take out Belphegor, accepts her end with the only accomplishment for women being Imuri accepting herself so she doesn't ruin her newest boyfriend. Imuri during the entire fight is rendered to the background, one panel to seem worry for Lisa, and her first thought in this chapter that compels her to act is still about Joshua. No self reflection on her treatment of Lisa in the past after literally walking through it, most of the reactions and effects of seeing Lisa's backstory are again from Joshua. Imuri comes out still insensitive to Lisa's suffering and barely understands or cares about Lisa at all, if she does then it's barely shown. Lisa is never her priority, she even lamented about it twice, and she remains never a priority till the end.

It's playing in my face they're just saying the doom posting memes word for word I can't do this anymore I WAS HOPING THEY WERE JUST A JOKE. THERE'S NO SUBVERSION ok fine I give up. This manga has always been very straightforward with its messages, Imuri's “I'm a woman but women are not me” is the first and Barbara's “mind your business” is the last nail in its stance on Lisa. She's meant to be the feminism gone too far criticism and I'm tired of trying to justify it.

THANK YOU LISA she's still the best written character this arc please if she's going to die who will carry this bum ass arc. With the way it treats female characters that aren't Lisa Satan's wife is going to be irrelevant unless it's for Satan's characterization isn't she. Also Mikhail just straight up doesn't have any connection to Baba Yaga and is just a weird exorcist who is extra brutal to witches for some reason. Period. Mikhail you have two chances and ruined them all wtf. Honestly I don't know how to take the part where he said Lisa has a cute face after saying she's the most uncute like, twice. On one hand maybe it's a kind of mockery because she hates it, but what he said later also supports the reading that he thinks she should cherish herself more and hopes she can move forward in life? As in a way to show sympathy and acknowledgement?

And Lisa is still right what now? It says shits like this and continues villainizing her.

What I expect from a so-called feminine rage arc: Barbara's backstory, LeahBarb's meeting, Imuri's focus and character development, whatever Mikhail's deal is, diving deeper into Tachibana Becu Manon and the witches' faction,...

What I get: several chapters glazing the Pope and church, Belphegor saving the world from ending at the hand of hysterical women, Marco referencing Malleus Maleficarum as his ultimate cool attack, Barbara being a "good feminist", Leah and Imuri getting this close to having as much presence as your average adult exorcist, and just the general direction of this arc.