I was also the same. Almost wanted to quit but I held strong and got to understand what had happened in the first…
If someone has to say I *think* they didn't mind, that's already sexual assault. The absence of a no is the foundation of what makes something sexual assault. And the fact that Kataoka's brother sexually assaulted him, too (and probably over a long period of time), only makes it worse. We're shown the villain doing this to Odajima as one of the worst moments in his life, and then he gets to replay that with the person who's supposed to be his love interest? Like what the actual f*ck. Said another way, one of the worst things that the worst character does to him, the main character also does to him. It makes us want to vomit when the villain does it, but we cheer when the main character does the same thing?
And if you take it from a mental health perspective, having been sexually assaulted in the past by the brother actually explains his lack of reaction and makes everything worse. Trauma like that f*cks with your brain, and it makes you more vulnerable to sexual assault later. If you're used to being treated like absolute shit, you begin to expect it or resign yourself to it. Just like in the immediate event of sexual assault, if the victim stops struggling, this isn't them saying yes. In a long-term abusive situation, if the victim stops fighting back, it isn't all of a sudden a "I'm ok with you sexually assaulting me now." It's a survival mechanism, it's a trauma response, and it's the mind and body shutting down to protect itself. So his not reacting to Kataoka is literally a survival response to a current traumatic experience solicited by a past, or in this case, a long history of similar traumatic events.
Is the first scene Kataoka sexually assaulting Odajima? It looks like he's either getting his rocks off on a sleeping Odajima while he straddles him, Or he's raping him, which seems highly improbable to sleep through unless roofied)
OK , towards the end it was really cute. Most of the time it felt like a series of missed opportunities, especially with regards to acting and storyline (sometime, I found myself stopping and fixing the storypoint, just to make it a little better in my head), but it was really really wholesome. Especially at the end. And that really just warms my heart, I'm glad I watched it.
I 100% agree! Thank you for this comment. You said it much better than I.
You know, I would have liked to know more about her mysterious brother and the father could have been such a good plot point, they're stories were rushed and could have helped more with her back story/given more context for her growth. Too quick a "redemption" arch for everyone in her family except the awesome little brother.
Ok, how does Li Shuang’s blood end up in Ao Dung’s mouth? He was in the middle of a forest and all of a sudden he’s a little kid in the middle of a battlefield that is also in the middle of a meadow? I’m so confused. Help
And if you take it from a mental health perspective, having been sexually assaulted in the past by the brother actually explains his lack of reaction and makes everything worse. Trauma like that f*cks with your brain, and it makes you more vulnerable to sexual assault later. If you're used to being treated like absolute shit, you begin to expect it or resign yourself to it. Just like in the immediate event of sexual assault, if the victim stops struggling, this isn't them saying yes. In a long-term abusive situation, if the victim stops fighting back, it isn't all of a sudden a "I'm ok with you sexually assaulting me now." It's a survival mechanism, it's a trauma response, and it's the mind and body shutting down to protect itself. So his not reacting to Kataoka is literally a survival response to a current traumatic experience solicited by a past, or in this case, a long history of similar traumatic events.