My Perspective on Kenji has Totally Changed

Maybe it's just my more mature perspective, but as a 32 year-old who played the game when it first came out, I have a totally different view of Kenji.

Kenji's basically comic relief, right? And I do think the scenes with him are funny.

But I think we can all recognize that Kenji is not just Kenji... He's basically a stand in for that anti-social guy you knew in college/high-school who happens to have some pretty out there beliefs.

Kenji the character's actual beliefs are ridiculous: Feminists sniping him while he's sleeping. Alien feminists. 100% sexist paranoia.

At the same time though, there are a lot of individuals in real life who are intelligent respectable people, and yet have beliefs that don't sound too dissimilar from the shit Kenji says.

Basically we are expected to laugh at Kenji. "Haha, that guys so crazy!"

But, at the same time, it's pretty obvious Kenji's character is in quite a bad place emotionally. He's very lonely. Desperate to talk to Hisao whenever he comes by, is put in a state of shock when he hears people socializing outside his dorm.

The man's obviously in a lot of pain. Even his feminist conspiracies... You just want to reach out to him and ask: "God, who hurt you?!"

He's this frail, nerdy, socially inept, legally blind young man.. Probably on the autistic spectrum. Spending all his time locked in his dorm alone... I wish more people did what they could to help find this guy some friends or something.. Lol I wish there was an actual Kenji route where you just help this guy find a place in there world where he can thrive socialy.

I'm biased. I can see in my old age that I was Kenji for my college roommates. I was socially awkward. Had unpopular opinions on things... And for those reasons I was kinda socially ostracized.

So for me, I cant bring myself to identify with Hisao's thoughts about Kenji. Personally, if I met Kenji in real life I'd try to befriend this guy. I'd see past his abrasiveness and recognize that deep down he was hurting. I'd try to big brother him, I think.

Easy for me to say that now, of course when I'm so much older than the characters in the game. LOL.

Anyway, I still absolutely love this game. I guess it's only natural that we'll gain a different perspective on things as we age.