I've talked about how I feel about Sakura, Aoi, and their internalized misogyny, and now it is time to talk about how I feel about Sakura, Chihiro, and toxic masculinity.
Chihiro believes that to be a man, they have to be strong.
For Sakura, it's pretty much the same thing in reverse: she believes that to be strong she has to be masculine.
Both of them have also frequently been put down, often due to toxic masculinity; Chihiro for being perceived as not masculine enough for a man and therefore weak, and Sakura for being perceived as too masculine for a woman and therefore violent.
(Makoto recounting what he found out about Sakura during introductions)
My favorite thing about both of them, though, is that they took this stereotype that was actively making their lives worse, and used it as a motivator to become better. For Chihiro to find their inner strength, and for Sakura to keep going towards her goal.
Ough, I love them so much. Chisakura is such a great ship, to be honest. They're so similar, yet so different. The sweethearts.
