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givemeyourhonorToo Perfect Saint is an interesting series in that the title made me fear that it was going to contain one of my biggest pet peeves: we need the heroine to have a flaw, but don't want to give her a meaningful one, so we made her too "perfect/cold." There are ways to do this well, but like I said, it can be lazy, because it's often not an actual problem.
What I like about this series though is that Philia does have a genuine difficulty: she is unable to smile. She can't easily express any emotion to be honest (there's big neurodivergent vibes here.)
And because of this, very few people understand her. Her parents have rejected her (is her inability to express herself because of abuse, or do her parents abuse her because she is different?) Despite being considered the best saint that ever lived, her people are put off by her seeming coldness and think she's arrogant. She's stepped on some toes even though she works hard for the kingdom and makes life better for everyone.
She's also been engaged to the second prince, and he despises her. It's pretty much noted that he's never smiled in her presence until this episode, when he breaks off their engagement.
The only person who loves her seems to be her sister, Mia, another saint and Philia's polar opposite. Both girls are feminine, but Mia is excessively so. She's sweet and loving. The ideal female image of warmth and purity.
I like that Philia, for all her talents, seems to be disadvantaged in a genuine way. Like it verges a little on being a little over the top, but it also works within context, because it's easy to imagine her having difficulties like these in real life. Especially when you add her gender to it. And sexism and misogyny are an undercurrent here.
Women get punished for not expressing themselves properly. If women are too competent, that looks like arrogance. Even the way that Philia is sold off has an aspect of misogyny. Doubly so when it's revealed that the prince and parents intended on making Mia the prince's fiancée. She asks if they even asked Mia. Nope. It doesn't matter. Why wouldn't she be happy? Besides, what's most important is that everyone else benefits. Except Philia.
Like even outside the elements going on, there are some interesting things this series is doing with backgrounds and nice music. Definitely a promising series
What I like about this series though is that Philia does have a genuine difficulty: she is unable to smile. She can't easily express any emotion to be honest (there's big neurodivergent vibes here.)
And because of this, very few people understand her. Her parents have rejected her (is her inability to express herself because of abuse, or do her parents abuse her because she is different?) Despite being considered the best saint that ever lived, her people are put off by her seeming coldness and think she's arrogant. She's stepped on some toes even though she works hard for the kingdom and makes life better for everyone.
She's also been engaged to the second prince, and he despises her. It's pretty much noted that he's never smiled in her presence until this episode, when he breaks off their engagement.
The only person who loves her seems to be her sister, Mia, another saint and Philia's polar opposite. Both girls are feminine, but Mia is excessively so. She's sweet and loving. The ideal female image of warmth and purity.
I like that Philia, for all her talents, seems to be disadvantaged in a genuine way. Like it verges a little on being a little over the top, but it also works within context, because it's easy to imagine her having difficulties like these in real life. Especially when you add her gender to it. And sexism and misogyny are an undercurrent here.
Women get punished for not expressing themselves properly. If women are too competent, that looks like arrogance. Even the way that Philia is sold off has an aspect of misogyny. Doubly so when it's revealed that the prince and parents intended on making Mia the prince's fiancée. She asks if they even asked Mia. Nope. It doesn't matter. Why wouldn't she be happy? Besides, what's most important is that everyone else benefits. Except Philia.
Like even outside the elements going on, there are some interesting things this series is doing with backgrounds and nice music. Definitely a promising series