soph

i dont usually write reviews but it’s 6am and i just binge watched the whole thing… i have too many feelings to keep to myself.

one scene that really stayed with me was when kirino and mishima were in their usual spot and kirino kept unconsciously using the feminine pronoun for herself, mishima gently picked up on it and reassured her, that when they’re together, it’s okay to be whoever she wants to be, even to use “she” if that felt right. that moment of freedom, of affirmation, of just being seen and accepted….it was so beautiful. watching kirino begin to use “she” and seeing the happiness on both their faces… it was like watching someone breathe for the first time.

mishima’s confrontation with his mom was another standout. her unwavering support, her love, her simple desire to see her son happy… it’s something every queer kid deserves. in contrast, kirino’s moment with her own mother was just heartbreaking. the weight she carried, the choice she made to abandon her truth for what she believed was the best for everyone… it was devastating.

kirino in the bath, scrubbing her body like she’s trying to erase something invisible, something that lives just under the skin like if she tries hard enough she can scrub away whatever part of herself she’s struggling to accept or reconcile.

this drama doesn’t offer easy answers. it gives us two queer characters, two very different outcomes. mishima got to live his truth. kirino didn’t. and yet, both stories reflect real lives. real people. it’s not fair but it’s real. that’s what makes it so bittersweet.

mishima and kirino’s story is not about falling in love, it’s about seeing and being seen. about offering someone a space where they don’t have to flinch, where they can exist in the fullness of their gender, their fear, their hope.

for those who have lived even a fraction of what these characters go through, smells like green spirit will feel like a mirror. and maybe, just maybe, a hand reaching out to hold yours through it.