Quote Originally Posted by Herpestidae View Post
There is a bit of a misunderstanding here, just like before. I'll spell it out.

Certain conventions and plotlines in media are from ages past when various "isms" were the norm and nobody saw anything wrong with it (see: things like Blackface). That doesn't mean that they weren't Xist, just that everyone thought it was okay.

A female character who depends on a man for her entire being happens to be one such sexist convention.

Now, does Mikasa have a good reason for her dependence on Eren? Yes. Completely. Totally. I accept her reasoning. However, the justification for her dependence doesn't mean that the "Woman Depends on Man in Order to Be Strong" trope is not sexist. However, the series seems to be aware of the problems with the trope, and doesn't shy away from showing how unhealthy an attitude it is. That's what makes this particular instance of the trope acceptable from a feminist perspective, because it is calling out that inherent sexism.

I would argue the point on that being inherently sexist. I would sat that no tropes CAN be inherently good or bad in any way, its only when they are used that the context of that use gives them a value. More to the point of Mikasa and her obsession, the Woman Depends on Man in Order to Be Strong, or a female character who depends on a man for her entire being i don't see as all that bad. I see that as no different than the idea that The Man Depends on Woman in Order to Be Strong, or the idea of a Male Character who depends on a woman for his entire being, which one could argue is the base state of all society. I would say that the trope when done properly like it is here is an example of human empathy and the value of a relationship that lets you have an anchor during times of extreme emotional turmoil, also i could say it is an example of Mikasa acting with the same internal sense of disposability that most male characters have towards women. That said the intense severity of everything there shows Mikasa is also an example of someone who needed a grief counselor, and is rightly called out several times.