a chiaki nanami analysis for 3.14!
First things first, disclaimer that this is ALL MY OPINION. if you disagree, that's fine, but don't hate in the comments just for fun! please have constructive debate in comments. Second, this is just for fun! Chiaki is a character I really care for, and so I wanna discuss her! ALso, there will be spoilers for all of DR:3, SDR2, and probably THH and UDG in passing!! Some info may be incorrect (i havent watched dr3 in a while LOL)
Profile:
- She wholeheartedly embodies the tired gamer, yawning and zoning out often with weary eyes.
- While quiet and sleepy, when her interests are brought up, she lights up, becoming much livelier and more talkative. This resonates with a lot of people (myself included) because I can actually be pretty quiet, until my interests are brought up- at that point I just don't shut up.
A major plot point is that the Chiaki Nanami we are introduced to in SDR2 is actually an AI replica of the real Chiaki Nanami. While they both have their similarities, and at their core they're the same, they also have a few stark differences I would like to note before moving on
AI Chiaki has:
- a higher emphasis on sleepiness
- her way of speaking, as well as inflection, is much more "robotic" sounding (well, naturally)
- and she stays much more calm.
"Real" Chiaki, on the other hand, has much more human reactions, and is a bit more energetic.
I adore both of them for their own reasons!
This is a Chiaki appreciation thread, with analysis tacked on, because:
1. I was bored
2. I love Chiaki
3. It's her birthday!!!
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So next, I'll be diving into some misconceptions about Chiaki herself, as well as her role in the story.
Misconception Number 1:
Chiaki has no personality, and is simply used to cater to (mostly guys) who are into "gamer girl" stereotypes.
First of all, no. Just bc a fem character fits into some stereotypes doesn't mean that's all that she is, or all that her character is conveying
Second of all, Chiaki is not a pick me girl. She doesn't cater to guys for attention, and EVEN IF SHE DID, that doesn't make her a "pick me girl." the trend of calling fem characters- let alone real people- "pick me girls" is heavily rooted in misogyny.
Third of all, yes, she may be more quiet and "get up in Hajime's space" in DR3, but I interpret this to be a representation of her social awkwardness, WHICH IS NOT A "pick me girl" thing. Social awkwardness is just social awkwardness, it's not that deep.
Misconception 2:
"Chiaki didn't contribute to the class trials at all!"
1: Yes, she did. see?
2: There are plenty of characters that have contributed less, people just see a character they find boring and nitpick. Yeah I love soda but he contributed jack shit
Just because you find her redundant doesn't make her a bad character. Yeah, the characters are stupid as hell (example: taking like 20 minutes to determine that twogami was killed under the table), but what do you expect, they're trapped somewhere forced to kill!
During SDR2, chiaki was a guiding force, as she was programmed to be. she was made with the purpose of HELPING everyone on the island, and she did her very best. sure, she messed up, but literally everybody messes up! its unfair to expect her, even if she was an AI, to be perfect
Misconception 3:
DR3 revealing that Chiaki was a real person completely retconned the series and ruined the development Hajime went through with AI Chiaki in SDR2.
Not in the least. The biggest plot twist of the series, IMO, was that SDR2 wasn't real.
HOWEVER- if I may be a nerd and quote Shuichi- to that, I say, "even if something is a lie, even if it's fiction... If it has the power to change the world, then it must contain some kind of truth." That is to say, the NEO world being fiction didn't change the impact it had on class 77-b, so why should Chiaki Nanami being an AI?
"Oh, but a whole world isnt the same as one girl"
Obviously, but that one girl was Hajime's LAST THOUGHT before he was lobotomized
This girl, who he had met no more than 6 months ago, had completely changed his way of thinking, for better or worse. His last conscious thought was, "So i can hold my head high next to her..."
Chihiro, before they died, knew how much Chiaki meant to everyone in 77-b.
Misconception 4:
Why did all of 77-b fall into despair after seeing chiaki die? she was just one of their classmates.
Bro. imagine seeing your classmate being sent through a senseless, slow execution in front of your eyes with no ability to stop it. That's incredibly tragic!
To top it all off, their homeroom teacher who they had grown a close bond with, and who cared for every single one of them individually, was the one who betrayed Chiaki. That's even more... despair inducing, for lack of a better term. They were just kids.
Misconception 5:
Chiaki and Hajime's relationship in despair arc was forced, and there wasn't a real connection.
Yes, when they first met Chiaki may have been "too enthusiastic", but she found someone who liked a video game she liked! I'd be super excited too!
As well as that, it's already been established that Chiaki has "bad"/unconventional ways of social interaction. When you discover someone who shares your (intense) passion, she's rightfully excitable.
Next, I've also seen people critique that them meeting up at the fountain every time is cliche. Sure, it may be a bit, however, it's not entirely unrealistic.
(I have a friend group IRL that i've known for about 4 months and pretty much every day we meet up at the same spot)
I've also seen people critique why she waited for him after he stopped showing up: well they met up often for around 6 months, and she enjoyed spending time with him. as well as that, she's a naturally caring person, so of course she'd wait for him.
Yet another thing I've seen is people being bothered by Chiaki's words of comfort about talent, particularly in this scene here
They gripe that it simply furthered his desire to become "talented" and that its partially her fault. the thing is, however, that chiaki is in no way responsible for hajime's mental state. she tried to comfort him in the best way she could, and she perceived it as a passing comment. of course it seems like its brushing off his concerns to US, as we know hajimes true mental state and anguish over being talentless.
so to US, it seems rude, but as she didnt know how deep it was to him, she was in no way in the wrong for her comment!
also, a lot of people find it unrealistic that Chiaki were Hajime's last thoughts before he went unconscious to get lobotomized.
They had known each other for six months sure, but they had become good friends, and at that point in time, hajime had NOBODY to turn to.
Yes, chisa was wonderful to him, and i love chisa, but she didn't know the extent of which he was truly suffering! yes, he interacted with natsumi a couple of times and i love natsumi, but lets be honest. i doubt that anything natsumi could say to him would be effective.
so chiaki was the girl that he idolized, even if people find it "unrealistic" (which i clearly disagree).
you obviously dont have to ship them, but i absolutely am of the belief that they are realistic, and super bittersweet. I can go so far as to say that if hajime hadn't gotten lobotomized, and chiaki hadn't been executed, they would've gotten married. (that's another ramble though)
with the main misconceptions out of the way, lets talk about reasons to LIKE chiaki (not just reasons to not dislike her)
silly reasons first!!:
- ohh the eeper...
- i am also constantly sleepytired
- i also am a massive nerd about my interests
- i love her look and her hoodie and bag!!
- she is very cute and huggable
- I LOVE VIDEOGAMES!!!! i appreciate her passion and love for bad games too!!
chiaki's encouragement throughout the game really raised my spirits. her speech to hajime genuinely made me cry, and i think of that as motivation for real world things.
"Hajime...you've had it wrong this whole time. Having talent isn't the goal. There's something much more important than whether or not you have talent, right? ...What's important is that you believe in yourself. If you can't do that…
"No matter how much talent you possess, you will never be confident in yourself. Just like...how you were in the past. But past Hajime is in the past. He's not the same Hajime who spent time with me and the others in this world."
silly chiaki clips
Her putting nagito in his place was super funny the acknowledgement, so they could return to their new normal.. the best way to move on for them, i think. more may be added on later!! cool things to check out if u liked this >:3chiaki analysis on reddit
other chiaki analysis on reddit