Rant: Mahiru's Story if it was GOOD💔
So what inspired me to redesign Mahiru's story is a recent discussion about her character. I noticed that Mahiru was moving like her ass was on the FBI's Most Wanted list despite the only pushback being that her family was influential and didn't like the relationship??? She's an ADULT with a whole ass DEGREE.
I think it would've made more sense if Mahiru's boyfriend had issues with mental instability. Think about it.
The conflict would arise in that Mahiru wouldn't have the knowledge or experience to realise that her enabling her boyfriend's constant love-bombing, threats to harm himself or others, and overall instability, was damaging them both. She'd see him as a "misunderstood bad boy" instead of somebody who genuinely needs psychiatric help and professional support. (The interrogation answers would be so misleading oml)
This already feels like the ideal plot setup for who Mahiru is, a naive and repressed young woman who'd go to great lengths for the love that's she's only seen in movies and read about.
That setup would eventually coalesce in Mahiru unintentionally giving her boyfriend a motive to kill his disapproving family during a particularly unstable episode of his. She'd be in such severe shock, but so unable to let go of her love, that she'd then let him go on the run with her help.
As Mahiru is obviously not equipped to deal with this man and what just happened, she makes all the wrong decisions when it comes to the issues that arise for him emotionally and mentally. For example, she could completely gloss the fact that he just killed his entire family with toxic positivity. This further enables his unhealthy tendencies.
As Mahiru visibly deteriorates, desperately trying to hold onto the one person she thought she could finally love through increasingly ineffective means like the escapism through literature tropes, like those seen in her MV.
It all comes crashing down when her boyfriend commits suicide as a misguided attempt to "free her of the burden."
Now, Mahiru's story doesn't sound one dimensional and stupid anymore. It becomes heart-wrenching and makes the morality of her actions far more complex.
Do we blame Mahiru for enabling her boyfriend and being complacent in the murder of his family?
Do we blame her boyfriend for pulling her into his issues and making himself Mahiru's responsibility?
Or do we blame the unfortunate circumstances that led to two people who were completely unfit for each other to fall into the deepest love?.
It'd make her character a lot more interesting and would put up a genuine thematical and moral dilemma for Milgram better than "Who cares what mom and dad think: Eating rats in a cave with hubby!!!😍🥰"
(Flanderisation, but let me slander the writing just this once)
It feels horrible to me that because of what she became as a character, Mahiru may remain the most neglected prisoner forever despite how she could've had one of the best and most tragic stories if you look at her themes and core character traits.