The Evolution of Vivian in Paper Mario, and Trans Rights in Japan

[@shisketbread]

another example is that in the original version of ttyd in english, a bob-omb will talk about how hes sticking close to luigi so nobody else has to suffer the horrible fate of seeing him in a dress, but in the remake the dialogue was changed to him saying that hes sticking with him because luigi cant walk in high heels lmao

[@Oceane1803]

Okay yeah it's good that they changed that. We stan crossdressing Luigi here.

[@ajbXYZcool]

This makes me recall a particular moment in Superstar Saga...

[@wavesofbabies]

It just also fits Luigi's character better? Like of course Luigi shouldn't wear high heels. He would take out at least 6 people around him.

[@drewbabe]

that makes sense, he's famous for having poor traction, can't imagine he'd do well in heels

[@CatgirlKazu]

I can get behind a change like this when the new version is way funnier.

[@Lyoishi]

"In the west we tend to see the LG as more mainstream but the T as more transgressive." The B, forgotten as is the tradition.

[@aturchomicz821]

The Boys season 3 moment😢😔

[@gonderage]

bisexuals rolling for stealth for the 120th day in arow

[@chocolate_kitty]

As well as the Q, I , and A.

[@Eddyoshi]

I honestly think its just because he had the LG logo joke thought up and wrote the sentence that way, instead of being intentionally malicious.

[@aturchomicz821]

@@chocolate_kitty Just say Queer man, dont make a clown of yourself by saying QIA irl..

[@MatheusNiisama]

Considering how corporate and brand friendly Pride Month has always felt, the fact that this video couldn't secure a sponsor feels way more genuine when it comes to it's advocacy of LGBT rights.( and it also says a lot about these brands that sponsor youtube videos, taking a mental note of that.) All that aside, the positive outlook in this video is a breath of fresh air when compared to all the other shit that's been going on.

[@Rot8erConeX]

I mean, I don't know if you noticed, but this year, a lot of companies who usually put on a Rainbow mask, just *didn't* this year, at least in the US where I live. They know they need to hedge their bets in regards to support, considering the possibility of Project 2025 coming into effect, and they don't want to become banned in the US.

[@SeralyneYT]

@@Rot8erConeX Project 2025 is, by and large, already in effect, unfortunately.

[@Nek-my8jq]

people are speaking up and fighting back against degeneracy. Sanity will prevail and the sick cult will end

[@Alice-May]

@@Nek-my8jq You are a deranged cultist.

[@shedidntthinkthisthrough]

Yep! I know the common sponsors of this channel, so it’s safe to assume none of them would take this on. So I know who to never, ever support.

[@KittyNaptune]

The lack of sponsors shows how disingenous rainbow capitalism really is. They really only do it to appeal to another niche, without acutally offering any meaningful support.

[@SerpentineDeity]

And so many people falling for that shallowness...

[@ibigfire]

@@SerpentineDeity There's a degree of knowing it's shallow, but taking what we can get until we can get better too.

[@oddnightsky1367]

personally I will absolutely take rainbow capitalism over having zero mainstream representation.

[@mahou-blaer]

@@oddnightsky1367 I, too, would rather have shallow pretending to be nice, rather than blatant hostility. Hostility is so jarring & intimidating, (until it gets boring & predictable).

[@ZILtoid1991]

A lot of them even dropped pride month altogether, because they wanted the bigot money so much...

[@jaybeans981]

As a wise person once said, an anime girl could look at the viewer and say “I am trans” and a bunch of nerds would immediately argue that that’s not what she meant

[@Kaleki935]

Turns out, you can't change the shape or size of your skull. Or the bone sizes in your face. Or the physical thickness of your skin. Nor can you change the locations of your fat stores. Nor your shoulder width. Nor your ability to naturally lactate.. should I go on? I probably should to break the utter DELUSION. It's not about what's normal or right. It's about infecting children, which is why so many replies are to ghosts. MUST CENSOR ALL OPPOSITION TO IMPOSE OUR EVIL

[@gustavoishak]

"These people are reading too much into it" or when there's lesbians or atleast some that hint at it "They're just close friends!"

[@Dakress23]

You know people are into full cope mode when even the JP script was tweaked in the remake to remove any room for ambiguity surrounding Vivian's identity.

[@Dakress23]

@lif6737 That ain't a healthy mindset. Imagine being so embittered that it drives you nuts watching people who live and be whoever they want, regardless if they mean something to you or not.

[@LilPale]

@@gustavoishak Sometimes something like that can actually be annoying, you know? Assuming lesbian this, trans that..? It's whenever those people go around calling others names for drawing art of the character with someone those people don't allow that's gonna be annoying.

[@Fanrondam]

"Wrath month, I presume" I'mma go ahead and add that one to my list of favorite jokes

[@TheBlueSpikes]

Disgusting video. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@lancesmith8298]

I’ve said more than once this June “Happy Queer Pride Month, and also happy Straight Wrath Month”. Also can we pour one out for the aces during whatever counts as Lust Month

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

@@lancesmith8298| Statistically (and historically) Lust Month would probably be December. Lot of folks stuck inside trying to keep warm. Sloth would probably be July when it's too hot to do anything, Gluttony would be October or November, as that's when a lot of harvest festivals overlap, and Envy would probably be January, after the mid-winter celebrations have faded and you're back to dull routine.

[@plebisMaximus]

I personally can't wait for greed month.

[@SpriteGuard]

I feel like February is Lust month considering there's a whole dang holiday for it.

[@blarblablarblar]

That "Happy Pride Month" on June 30th energy xd

[@Krystalmyth]

Portland celebrates Pride in July, because they don't treat it like a commercial holiday, it's more like a festival or celebration, and that can change dates during the summer. So I see this late video as being something like that hehe.

[@arcturusfpv9652]

no way this is how i learn dr disrespect was doing questionable things with minors

[@hazzardalsohazzard2624]

I was reporting on it for about a week before mainstream news picked it up and now I'm sick of it.

[@ninja34744]

Personally I wish it wasn't in the video. Feels like it'll be dated very quickly and distracts from the focus of the video for a joke. Similar feelings about using Harry Potter as the image for Irreversible Damage rather than the actual book.

[@ultimateidiot2344]

@@ninja34744 i dont think the harry potter thing will date the video honestly, jk rowling has been anti trans for years and i dont think she will stop, also i dont necessarily think it would matter since the video itself has a topic that might be dated (both because its about a current topic and its about progress, that might well, progress)

[@ninja34744]

@@ultimateidiot2344 I didn't mean the Harry Potter one would be dated, I meant it would distract from the focus of the video for a joke. The translation of the book is presented as hard fact, but the visuals don't align. The dated comment was just meant to be about the Dr. Disrespect joke. Comparatively while the video might become dated in the sense that the current position of trans rights changes and becomes normalized in the future, the video can still serve as being informative for the time it came out. In the vid Moonie specifically mentions "as of now" multiple times which points to it being put in a specific period of time rather than eternally relevant. No one is coming to this video for information on Dr. Disrespect and if this video is found in the future after he or his transgressions are forgotten, it just becomes a reason for people to pause and google. A distraction.

[@Edyeso]

The supernatural meme

[@smol5601]

I remember hearing / know some people saying that video games are pointless and a waste of time. They don't understand the cultural impact of video games, especially in countries where they are big.

[@gonderage]

yeah, games are just as much a medium for storytelling as any other

[@Iffondrel]

Especially when considering how massive Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are. Iirc, Nintendo is like the richest company in Japan, and they've been touted as one of the best places to work in the country. So yeah, little things like this really do matter. I'm still reeling from some of the things they do - in a good way. They make a BIG difference.

[@JacksonVoet]

@@Iffondrel Yep, a worthy sacrifice I suppose. Somewhat anti-consumer, but has great workplace culture, which in the modern gaming industry, is like red beryl, incredibly rare.

[@vickypedia1308]

​@@JacksonVoeta great workplace culture in *Japan* of all places is already a thing to behold

[@jackster10101]

I personally find making characters like vivian trans because that was it was their interpretation of it, but I guess who cares? I just think it's dumb

[@GDRhythmic]

About the transgenderism thing, youre awesone man. We can tell youre trying your hardest. As one of the people who innitially pointed out that mistake, dont worry about it. Its just a mistake. But thanks for adressing it ❤ Idk if that made sense lol

[@princeapoopoo5787]

honestly I'm lgbt and I didn't even know that particular phrasing was bad until now!

[@rhinosaur9636]

I completely agree! I’d rather someone use the “wrong” terminology to refer to people like me in a respectful/well intentioned way as opposed to using the “right” terminology to say incredibly hurtful things. I don’t think terms are offensive until the intention behind using them is to cause harm. Honestly, I can appreciate the “wrong” terms used in the last video. Some people are so afraid of saying the wrong thing that they never end up saying anything at all. If people get the impression that if they say the wrong thing about trans people then they’re an awful person, people will abandon the trans community out of self preservation. This really was a great video Moon :)

[@GDRhythmic]

@@princeapoopoo5787 yeah it's not like terrible or anything on its own but because it's often used by antitrans sources As a way to push being trans as a belief or religion it's sort of taken on a problematic connotation It's generally best not to use it.

[@GDRhythmic]

@@rhinosaur9636 completely agreed!

[@hypercube8735]

@@princeapoopoo5787 Basically the "ism" on the end is something that also (coincidentally, as far as I know) gets used for ideologies, and the phrase "transgender ideology" gets used by awful people enough already that it's kind of gotten conflated, which means people tend to avoid using it to avoid that connotation.

[@nekakagiggle]

The siivagunner rips really add to the video.

[@maarcvaalmaarcvaal8325]

X2!!

[@grillm4ster]

Using a Wii shop rendition of Hotline Bling and following it up with an Animal Crossing rendition of BBL drizzy is amazing

[@kennnnny]

i thought i was going crazy, they sounded familiar!

[@heckYEAHman.]

The Tomodachi Collection + Kesha song at the beginning completely passed me by for like 2 minutes, but when it clicked? LMAO

[@tomasmercadoeckhardt2710]

This video is also on siiva's Liked Videos

[@Vinechicken]

Rio Grande do Sul citizen here, thank you SO much for bringing attention to our situation regarding the flood! i personally wasn't heavily impacted by it but many close and far neighbors lost quite literally everything and any kind of help means the world to them!

[@cormacbyrne2210]

Nintendo once again, for all its flaws, being incredibly based, especially in light of current events. I had no idea Nintendo had introduced such a benefits program for non-hetero couples before, and I am happy to learn now. Once again, thank you Moony for blessing my day with wonderful knowledge. I am glad to have taken part. :)

[@wavesofbabies]

I don't know the particulars of every company, but I remember reading that Nintendo was following the example set by other companies with this policy. Notably a big one in game development is SEGA, which has been praised as being one of the best places in Japan to work as an LGBTQ+ person and has sponsored the Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade for years. Not diminishing what Nintendo is doing, but rather highlighting it as part of a larger wave of this sort of acceptance from Japanese companies.

[@johanedfors3899]

The good thing Nintendo does is not get involved too much with developers. Otherwise Nintendo executives are all terrible people who does the standard lying, cheating and bullying like all industry executives tend to do.

[@corruptedteka]

​@@wavesofbabiesGasp :0 I somehow didn't know that even though there's official artwork of Sonic with a rainbow flag made by Sega Hardlight. Man I'd love a whole video on stuff like this actually.

[@ghoulbuster1]

"based" lol

[@Virumyu]

If only they treated their contract workers well too.

[@PuppyLuver256]

"whatever comes after pride month" I think I heard once that it's disability pride month? I know for a fact that for me it's Art Fight at least, hehe.

[@AroundTheBlockAgain]

Yep, July is Disability Pride Month!

[@lancesmith8298]

By sheer coincidence, July 4th was the day I realized I was on the ace spectrum, immortalized in a comment somewhere. In any case I got a different flag to wave that day

[@wavesofbabies]

In the United States, July is Disability Pride Month, but also National Hot Dog month and National Ice Cream month.

[@AroundTheBlockAgain]

@@wavesofbabies "This month we acknowledge how far we still have to go for the full realization of disability rights and full inclusion. In the meantime, we're giving every disabled person free ice cream and hot dogs. Happy July!"

[@David-uy5nr]

Whatever comes after pride month. It's July and I'll spend it 90% in my room.

[@mrhalfsaid1389]

The fact that this video wasn't sponsored by any brands speaks a thousand more words than any video on the subject could... ...disquieting really

[@MrNeosantana]

Now you know that corporations only dress in rainbow garb when it's trendy. They aren't fighting for anyone, they only pretend to be allies when the fight is over

[@aaronko3480]

Couldn’t have said it better myself. One step forward ten steps back. Sigh…

[@toumabyakuya]

I mean, we don't know why they rejected him. You might be right, might be wrong.

[@politiqueen420]

we don't need them. never did. we know what they are.

[@toumabyakuya]

@@politiqueen420 Eh, he actually does. Sponsors are required for a channel to have a long future.

[@LadyOfTheBog]

Wow, didnt even know you made a donation rally to Rio Grande do Sul. I live in one of the affected areas, so thank you very much!

[@melonysnicket]

Part of why the Japanese publication of "Irreversible Damage" was cancelled was also because the original publisher platformed authors with ties to the Unification Church, which has spouted many a joke about Tetsuya Yamagami (the guy who killed Shinzo Abe over his facilitating of the arrival of that group into Japan) being an incidental trans ally 😅

[@Arrakiz666]

God, Yamagami is such a hilariously aberrant case. Man assassinated a politician in broad daylight and it only led to good things. It really should make us all think.

[@tiffany-chan1235]

I believe Irreversible Damage was still released in Japan however due to a controversial far right newspaper and amazon but still the fact Kadokawa didn't carry it was good

[@pedroscoponi4905]

@@Arrakiz666 I know individual actors are always just symptoms of the larger disease, but man, sometimes I need an Aspirin.

[@android19willpwn]

victories of representation are always nice, but I'm glad to see one coincide with victories of actual policy for a change. In a world where there's never enough good news, thanks for this.

[@mavisgray7347]

I'm trans and from the uk, the health system has basically ceased to function for us here. but im happy to see that there are still people that care about us as human beings.

[@DankTaco707]

My heart goes out to all of you across the pond. As a trans person in the US I'll say despite all our issues informed consent is a blessing

[@geniei91]

way i understand the NHS has ceased functioning for almost everybody

[@-alyissa-3632]

From what I've heard, its ceasing to function for just about anyone who isn't able to pay for private Healthcare. Sending love to all you crazy brits

[@lancesmith8298]

I think it’s at this senselessly cruel juncture that underground gender affirmation is the least bad option (aside from doing as PhilosophyTube did and sending 5 quadrillion emails to clinics). Straight up forgoing legal procedure is absolutely a measure of last resort, mostly because a level of secrecy also means a much harder time gauging side effects. You can do this (reassurance for transitioning and life in general), and you can do this (underground HRT is doable), but please do not run off to do this without some research.

[@lancesmith8298]

@@-alyissa-3632Little bit worse than that, actually. Have you ever heard somebody talk about how their cable provider treated them, and how they had to move heaven and earth to get what they wanted? Now, I want you to imagine that kind of customer service, for procedures that are already done all the time (HRT is already in use for other hormonal imbalances, plastic surgery exists, etc.) At least that’s how I’ve heard it told. I live in Cheeseburger

[@Dakress23]

I love how you wrapped up the video with in-game footage. On a more general note, I find fascinating how time and change on the perception of certain topics can cause changes on videogame scripts. Reminds me how the Great Ace Attorney's re-release toned down in the JP script the xenophobia of british characters considerably (which AFAIK was notoriously a thing in the era the game's story chronologically takes place).

[@ac3theartist225]

It's toned down??? That's really wild; it's pretty strong from what I've played so far.

[@polocatfan]

I kinda wish they didn't honestly. I don't think they toned it down that much, but toning down uncomfortable things (in a T or higher rated game that is) that the game shouldn't need to actively call "bad" to consider it "bad" kinda removes the whole point...

[@wavesofbabies]

Wild that they toned it down, because I always read the message of those games to be "You know what? Britain actually fucking sucked in this era." Which is incredibly fair.

[@vb8133]

@@ac3theartist225 From my understanding, they didn't tone it down per se, but they reduced the amount of characters who partake in it a bit, like literally everyone in Britain but Herlock and iris is agressively racist in the original version

[@pixeltaku]

Nintendo Japan having CORPORATE POLICIES support Gay Marriage is one of the most based things I’ve ever seen from a giant company

[@abbyelectric]

possibly one of the largest Nintendo Ws in history.

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

Nintendo may have some draconian legal strategies, but the inner-workings of the company seem to remain impressively wholesome for an organization so huge. Perhaps it's tied to their development strategies based around fostering creativity and experimentation, which ensures a lot of the higher-ups are open-minded and intelligent? Or perhaps this is just what happens when you build a Disney equivalent in a collectivist society: Nintendo's workers are expected to internally uphold the company's wholesome and friendly image, instead of just maintaining an external facade.

[@pedroscoponi4905]

It's so rare, too. Usually companies won't do that kind of thing until the law twists their arm, but Nintendo went and got ahead of it to keep their employees happy (and therefore productive :p). Quite an outliar!

[@giulytsme]

Moon Channel is such a blessing for KZbin, and the world as a whole

[@TheBlueSpikes]

Disgusting video. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@tysondennis1016]

Honestly, I like how they make Vivian's identity as a trans woman just a part of her character, not the whole of her character. And I'm also happy that after 20 years, the American release acknowledges Viv's identity.

[@AroundTheBlockAgain]

Nintendo showing us what a Slightly Less Evil Corporation can do (things like modeling a slightly healthier CEO/employee salary balance, arguing that LGBTQ rights are good and not scary/disruptive) is always a trip. I'm happy to see the support, regardless.

[@madnessarcade7447]

They also ethically source minerals They aren’t really evil at all

[@nudnud9]

nintendo are evil in their own way. I mean, come on, you haven't heard of what they do to fanart/fangames/old ROMs?

[@gregvs.theworld451]

@@madnessarcade7447 Eh, they still have some business practices I'm not fond of, and under capitalism I'm skeptical to consider any corporation "good", but I can recognize when they're doing good things within their company and for people. And OP is right that it stands out since it's so rare to see.

[@NicoleColenico]

Nintendo cares a lot about their employees compared to the average AAA studio. Probably because of Japanese culture and laws.

[@AroundTheBlockAgain]

@@NicoleColenico oh it definitely has to do with federal regulation and strong public opinion against being more evil than Nintendo is currently. For sure.

[@i8dacookies890]

You really should have used Vivian's new theme from the remake, it's such a banger, and so are all of the new partner themese.

[@tranquility6789]

Honestly with all the L's in the world having vivian being confirmed trans is something nice to have

[@Terranallias18]

I didn't know she was a lesbian

[@lemmykoopa1379]

For the longest time I wanted to play TTYD but the OG game was so expensive, so I was overjoyed when the remake was announced. I got the game and, of course, was excited to play it, and I was already loving it, however, when I found out that Vivian was very explicitly transgender in the game, I went from loving the game to ADORING the game, especially since Vivian is such an integral part of the plot. I experienced a huge wave of gender euphoria because of this the entirety of the game which made the game (among many other reasons of course) one of my favorites of all time. It was so and enlightening and exciting to hear about the progress of LGBTQ+ people in Japan and it makes me so happy that same-sex marriage might be on the horizon. Thank you so much for making this video you couldn’t have timed it any better.

[@laytonjr6601]

No sponsors despite being Pride Month really shows how the corporate world really cares about LGBTQIA+ people. Keep up the good work!

[@Distortion0]

Tfw your new favorite youtuber affirms your human rights. 🥺

[@fbauefigad]

You know, Mr. Moon. Between how much of an ally you are, and how great you are and have been to Brazil as a whole, there is no way for me not to love ya. You are a great guy, Sir.

[@ggwp638BC]

He summoned brazilians enough times that we made permanent residency here

[@StrakBlue]

What's interesting is, Japanese doesn't really have gendered nouns the same way indo-European languages do. While there are terms for male and female, they aren't as common, and most dialogue is fairly gender neutral. With that in mind, I'm interested to learn more about this, and how Japan may actually differ from North America in this regard.

[@LilPale]

I wonder if the video is gonna bring up problems in America in a Japanese game though. Since they likely have different view and also, this is about games and how they portray things differs in where they are from and the person who makes it. Like, "Sure, Vivian would be trans in this regard but if people who's involved in the game didn't pay much attention to it but rather the impact it would make. Can't it just be left as an idea? An impression of the story?"

[@TheBlueSpikes]

Disgusting video. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@cyncynshop]

​@@LilPale .... Hey I'm East Asian and to say that we don't care about trans issues is just...why do you assumes so lowly of other cultures that we will "just not care as much about these issues?? We might view this differently, but that doesn't mean we don't care about or have cultures and customs that focus on trans genderness and in many cases, gender fluidity. The Creator's definitely is influenced by cultures and demeanors of queer gender non-conforming people to put Vivian in the game.

[@cyncynshop]

Even though Japanese language is gender neutral, our language is very hierarchy and position dependent, that means despite the pronouns of you is neutral. You usually can infer societal assigned gender in tone and presumed authority in the way they speak.

[@Alice-May]

​@@LilPale so you're a racist too, GREAT JOB

[@EliasKoiner-xj5eb]

What's even better is that Vivian is one of the more powerful partners in the game. Vivian best trans icon.

[@EliasKoiner-xj5eb]

I use fiery jinx so much its not even funny anymore.

[@EliasKoiner-xj5eb]

She's just so powerful I love it!

[@horus_137]

Thank You so much for the donations for Rio Grande do Sul, the situation there was terrible and any help is of enormous appreciation for our Brothers here, Thank you so much, from a Trans Brazilian Southern

[@zakrilege3428]

I struggle in these videos to follow along sometimes due to music choice. There's some song in the background that's a remix or rearrangement of something I recognize, and it pulls my ears away and I become distracted trying to place it or enjoy it. And then you put BBL drizzy in the background behind talking about the age of consent in Japan. And I think my soul left my body. Thank you so much for all your edutainment all this time. I am dying, my body lacks the spirit to continue. You have murdered me. Goodbye.

[@etasjo]

siiva cant keep getting away with it

[@eggsnham.]

Honestly, your pride videos generally make feel a lot less anxious about the future of lgbt rights and I appreciate it

[@ArakishiTokugawa]

bruh, i'm italian and it feels strange the localization that respected her most is ours given the church presence is way too heavy here.

[@tiffany-chan1235]

Yeah I ain't even Italian but I do know of the big Anti LGBT bias from some parts of the country

[@Godfrey544]

its the only thing that makes us relevant and will out last this current iteration of ours.

[@QuantumGravy]

so crazy that some insane folks already disliked this?? liking from now to right that wrong edit: this comment was written before the video even released, I was just surprised to see it had accumulated more dislikes than likes prior to anyone even getting a chance to watch the video

[@Okcool12569]

because he's a otokonoko,not trans,the localization is wrong

[@MiguelMendoza-gm5wj]

​@@kenzor4953"soul"... so much for the biology argument I guess

[@1sdani]

@@kenzor4953 Do you have a soul? Can you prove it? Does it weigh 21 grams? EDIT: (The transphobic comment I was replying to has since been deleted)

[@1sdani]

@@kenzor4953 Nah, I'm just having fun. No point debating mysticism. Also couldn't pass up a chance for a 21 grams joke.

[@1sdani]

@@kenzor4953 Yes

[@taiwanisacountry]

(edit) this information is wrong. It is legal to be married to foreign born citizens in Taiwan under the law of legal same-sex marriage, with the expectation of mainland Chinese people. My information were not up to date. That is a common misunderstanding. Taiwan has not legalized gay marriage. They have made not illegal. 😅 Yeah there is a big difference. 2 Taiwanese people no matter gender can get married in Taiwan. A Taiwanese and a non-taiwanese can get married in Taiwan if they are heterosexuals. 2 non-taiwanese can get married in Taiwan if they are heterosexuals. 😅 No non-taiwanese homosexuals can get married in Taiwan. So if a Taiwanese man finds a boyfriend in Vietnam then they can't get married legally in Taiwan. They can get married here in Denmark. But not in Taiwan. It is a common misunderstanding that Taiwan did legalize gay marraige. 😅 It was a compromise between the DPP and the KMT.

[@polocatfan]

It's still better than criminalizing it.

[@taiwanisacountry]

@@polocatfan absolutely. Now I am married to a Chinese woman, and I know of many other people who also find their partners beyond the borders of their home country. It would feel terrible not being able to marry them if that was what you wanted to do.

[@aturchomicz821]

​@taiwanisacountry Then again the institution of marriage is a bullshit tradition and we should probably get rid of it

[@mausklick1635]

I think the point of legality as we understand it means that you won't be persecuted for homosexual sex.

[@moon-channel]

This is no longer the case since 2023, for any state except Mainland China, if my understanding is correct. As such, this comment here might be old information. I will double check in the morning, if I can remember to do so.

[@Junosensei]

Sadly, Shrier's book was rejected by Kadokawa, but then got published under Sankei Shinbun (a pretty controversial, but popular nationalist right-wing newspaper company). It released in April and apparently the controversy around it ended up elevated book sales to numbers said by the publisher to be "a big success", despite several mainstay bookstores refusing to carry copies. One analysis I read said the vast majority of purchases were filled through Amazon.

[@goranisacson2502]

Sad to hear it, even if I should have suspected it being piecked up by someone else after the mainstream rejected it. I suppose the best one can hope is that by now nobody who wants to stay mainstream talks about it, and that while it being publisehd will lead to sales and money, at least the cultural impact will just be "that one book that got published bya transphobic rag so it's probably just similar bullshit".

[@harley-owo]

Genuine question: did it being published by a controversial and known right-wing outlet give Japanese locals any advantage in recognizing what it is on face value? Part of why early TERF rhetoric and "literature" was so successful in places like the US, UK (especially the UK omg), Australia and New Zealand was that it was masquerading as feminism. A lot of otherwise progressive people caught brainrot around trans issues purely because celebrities and, um, "scholars" that they identified as progressive feminsts started co-signing a lot of it in the early days. The framing of that first introduction to the subject for a lot of cishet people was absolutely key.

[@Junosensei]

@@harley-owo - You're probably not going to be happy with or surprised by my response. I'm oversimplifying a bit, but from my understanding of the social media landscape, there's not really a whole lot of difference between much of the US and UK and Japan on that front. Gender critical rhetoric has made its way to Japan since the early gender critical days, and there has been plenty of backlash to these recent developments upholding and improving trans rights in Japan from feminist groups "concerned" about the "eroding of women's rights". Just like in the US and the UK, these groups tend to be fine aligning themselves with the nationalists on battering trans people in public. In response to the court decision, Sankei Shinbun even wrote an op-ed talking about women's rights being taken, despite just a week earlier releasing an op-ed _from the same person_ about why abortion rights in Japan need to go the way of the US after Roe v Wade was overturned. Gender critical feminists were sharing the anti-trans article around social media while lambasting the same author's anti-abortion article. The irony speaks loudly.

[@internetdeer]

moony, you cooked with this thumbnail

[@CAT-2323]

He cooked so much he needs to be a chef

[@ty_sylicus]

Gotta be honest, I played this game nearly 20 years ago on GameCube and I do not recall ever thinking Vivian was anything other than a female character. This was around 2006 so, I also wasn't aware of gender spectrums or Trans people outside a vary narrow band I picked up from media or friends I can only imagine.

[@lued123]

If you played the English version, her being trans was censored, so it makes sense that you wouldn't have picked up on it. It's the only significant thing they really changed in the remaster.

[@yserareborn]

Kinda sucks this couldn't get a sponsorship. Wonder what their problem with the video was? Hmmm... Two faced corporate hacks. Thanks for the video and happy pride month!

[@Amknownas_743great_explainer]

Moon, thank you for being brave enough to be the ally that makes errors. I really wish there were more guys, and all people but specifically the ones most usually opposed to everything type of guys. My exposer to the subject is very minimal but I have always been and still am of the mind that if there's something you can do to love yourself for yourself more, then you should do it. Keep making these amazing videos, please. They really are wonderful to listen to, full of information, well researched, honest and I appreciate them so much. It was a channel I didn't even know I needed it until I found it and you're one of VERY VERY few KZbinrs I try stay caught up on.

[@tizioincognito161]

Hi, italian here, wanted to give my contribute to the discussion, even if the localizers of paper mario did infact mention the fact of vivian being trans and them getting a fat W, lgbt rigjts in italy remain overall lower than in japan, the only progress italy has ever made towards lgbt rights has been approving civil unions, and transitioning in italy meanwhile legal it does require forced sterilization like with the original text of japans's law 101. Even if theres a majority in favour of gay marriage among the population even the most progressive in our politics generally shy away from proposing any progress. The last pro-lgbt bill proposed was just a anti-hate crime bill proposed to criminalize instigation to violence towards lgbt people. It ended up dead in the water, opposed by the right for mentioning gender identity and opposed by the pope cause of the mention of including lgbt sexual education in schools (yeah thats a thing that happens, threaties we have with the vatican give the pope the right to object to any legislation he doesnt like, last time did this before the above mentioned bill was when we legalized abortion and divorce). Atthe moment the current right wing government retroactively made surrogate motherhood a universal crime, ending up in many children in straight and gay families born abroad with the practice losing their citizenship and their parents being deemed criminals and effectively banned from the country. In the case if lesbian couples even denying the non-carrying mother her parenthood. This to say that italy isnt really that progressive when it comes to legislation, and that we are slacking behind many western and eastern countries, and we have alot to recuperate.

[@aturchomicz821]

If only people still believed in the 5 star movement...

[@joefarrow1599]

Thank you for supporting trans rights when it means dropping sponsorship that's really amazing

[@reysinx3345]

it will never not shock me how much unrepairable damage the modern definition of the term woke has done to certain people who just want to live their lives like everyone else

[@Nukatha]

Demanding others lie in your behalf is not "live and let live".

[@hi-i-am-atan]

@@Nukatha alright susan

[@FelisImpurrator]

​@@NukathaExcept it's not a lie. All the science validates that transness exists and isn't a mental disorder or whatever. If you disagree, and have to make up a conspiracy theory about "ideological bias", that's a clear sign of delusion.

[@aturchomicz821]

Do you really want Conservatives to call us degenerates instead? What

[@Alice-May]

@@Nukatha Congrats, YOU are the one demanding everyone else pretend psychology is fake so you can hate trans people. YOU are the one harassing people and being intentionally rude and then screaming others are the problem for objecting. The world is worse for you people existing.

[@aaronball4700]

Can’t wait this game was my favorite game ever growing up, my mom played the original paper Mario with me when I was very young and I fell in love with it, some really good memories. I was going through a lot of hard transitions and losses when this game came out and it helped me through a really dark time, I always liked Vivian the most and felt bad when her sisters would bully her. So many in the comments acting unreasonable about treating another person like a human being is sad to see.

[@TheBlueSpikes]

Disgusting video. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@ShadowTheLight]

another thing that happened between these videos is that i came out as a trans woman. thank you for being a great ally moonie! your channel is pretty great!

[@appreciatereciprocate5748]

🎉❤congrats

[@SonoraWolf]

I had a massive neuron activation upon hearing SiIvagunner rips in the background lol, I thought I left a tab open from a SiIvagunner playlist or something lol. As a western trans person myself though I find this very fascinating.

[@cassandratastrophe9000]

I had never heard your ending anecdote about the publishing (Or lackthereof) of those particular books in Japan before. That made me smile, at least a little.

[@Mari_Izu]

The 13 was the lowest a prefecture could lower, but I don't think any prefecture were lower than 16, and it was still illegal to fornicate with a minor and the lowest age to marry was 18 for boys and 16 for girls. To the point we joked the age of consent was actually 20 lol

[@kvltovpersonality6290]

Unfortunately homie decided to forsake any actual detail when talking about that (other than the obligatory "well most prefectures actually upped to 16, it was just federally 13, but I'm gonna tell you the latter before the former"), because it was primarily brought up to "own le weebs" (well, that and comparing the age of adulthood & the age of consent at the time, but low hanging fruit I guess)

[@annaairahala9462]

Yeah he wasn't necessarily wrong in what he was saying but I was waiting for more clarification that never came

[@Taruby]

Japan has had the '淫行条例' since the 1950s, so anything below 18 was always punished. The age of consent is in regards to a different law that punishes anyone doing anything with someone below 13 regardless if there was consent (if it's above 13, then they would be punished by the aforementioned ordinance from the 1950s, and would have to prove there's no consent for the harsher punishment that would've been automatically applied to those under 13 or if it involved a guardian). =\

[@かようび-f2u]

By the same line of logic that the video presented, the US has no age of consent since there is no federal law on it.

[@IAARPOTI]

We are ending pride month with a banger.

[@TheBlueSpikes]

Disgusting video. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@MrMetal-xe8lg]

​@@TheBlueSpikes Counterpoint: you are the scum of the earth.

[@airplanes_aren.t_real]

And getting for wrath with a boom

[@Lyoishi]

Comments: people with strong opinions Me: the video isn't movie length?!?!

[@gonderage]

have you actually read the comments

[@AziDoesQuestionableThings]

moony appetiser

[@Lyoishi]

@@gonderage Stopped after a dozen. Wanted to comment to improve video engagement with a joke but didn't want to encourage any more drama.

[@PurplesttCoffee]

Where's my hour long history lesson, Moony!?

[@to1ex]

Where's *our* hour long history lesson *USSR anthem starts playing*

[@kyspy7975]

Thanks for covering this 🏳️‍⚧️

[@TheBlueSpikes]

Disgusting video. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@rex_melynas]

​@@TheBlueSpikesdisgusting comment, you should be ashamed of yourself

[@ParakeetDSi]

​@@TheBlueSpikeshateful bigot.

[@slaymen587]

The real reason the italian dub is the only W in the original release is because mario himself forced them to make the change

[@RrikooYT]

A nice video to end on the last day of pride🎉🎉

[@TheBlueSpikes]

Disgusting video. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@davidpacifico1019]

@@TheBlueSpikescould you not spam this entire comment section with your hate and do something else with your life?

[@ggwp638BC]

It's mind-boggling how Nintendo feels like entirely different companies depending where you are. Nintendo in Japan feels like a genuinely ok company that sometimes will put the good of the people over their profit margins. The Nintendo you see in North America and Europe feels like a bloodsucking vampire who is out to drain your last penny and then charge you a fee for having no money left. And finally, the Nintendo we see in South America,m specifically Brazil, feels like a company that GENUINELY hates us, or at least has some deep grievances they haven't got past.

[@JorgeLopez-qj8pu]

Nintendo, not going mess around in their own country. Rich people are insulated, if the company gets thrown out, in this or that market, they care a lot less than you think, but those same people know, mess up in your own country, jail. Especially in Japan, remember public “peace” comes first. Like all Megacorp that’s why their being “progressive”, their hedging all their bets where things are and could be headed.

[@goranisacson2502]

I don't know what Nintendo of South America is like right now, but from what I have heard the historical reasons that Nintendo has never liked playingin South America, Brazil in particular, is due to Brazils strong protectionism laws meaning you gotta play ball with their rules like SEGA did, partnering with a local manufacturer to make the hardware that gets sold in the country and shares the profits, or get hit with the motherload of tarriffs. And if I recall the way Nintendo did business back then in the 80's / 90's they were MEAN players when it came to business- wrote up contracts barring devs from releasing the same game-version on Genesis as on SNES, ran cartel-like business to keep the prices of their games high in Europe... Hiroshi Yamauchi knew how to turn video games into big business, even if he didn't have a kind bone in his body and barely a far one either. If the same rules still applies, I guess that even after all these years Big N still doens't like playing by Brazil's rules.

[@Arrakiz666]

This is really not that different for any other company. Except maybe the American ones, capitalism is so completely deregulated in American they can freely be dicks at home too.

[@aobasuzukaze1032]

Miiko-chan is probably one of the most popular children manga series ever and on I believe chapter 36? (Cmiiw), they have a trans character and a positive one at that. Teaching kids that yes trans people are normal and they're with us.

[@Nipah.Auauau]

How is wanting to surgically remove healthy and functioning parts normal?

[@aobasuzukaze1032]

@@Nipah.Auauau why are you here? 😭

[@tiffany-chan1235]

That was actually Kocchi Muite Miiko chan with the character of Natsuki Mizuhara (A Trans Boy) But there was also another trans character in the long running Kochikame Manga, Maria or Ai Asato who is a trans woman

[@Nipah.Auauau]

@@aobasuzukaze1032 Can you answer the question?

[@aobasuzukaze1032]

@@Nipah.Auauau how about no 😂

[@Ursi_]

here before the comments get- oh too late

[@TheBlueSpikes]

Disgusting video. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@MrWilliGaming]

here before the comments on a highly divisive topics get divisive?

[@elsesome2707]

​@MrWilliGaming Big fans of hate spewing spambots, are we?

[@polocatfan]

don't worry it's just Beldam.

[@lancesmith8298]

@@elsesome2707Chill, they seem okay. For now. With what precious little that the comment history check does for me

[@gobogoo2329]

im watching this in july because every month is pride month

[@Eelanos]

I'm a bit disappointed with the remake's spanish translation. Vivian remains trans, but in an attempt to "normalize" trans people, they wiped out all the trans-related bullying and changed it to bullying about how clumsy Vivian is. I understand what the point of the change was, but I think the message was way stronger when we gave Vivian a newfound family that accepts her as she is as a person, and not "Aw, poor thing, you so clumsy. Come, we'll help you." "Oh, great. Let's beat up my sisters, haha

[@firetube8288]

How i wish we could write out transphobia from real life like that

[@marshallc6215]

"If japan recognizes same-sex marriage, some people might leave the country." -japan PM Y'know, I'm pretty sure if you raise the age of consent from 13 years old, "some" people will leave the country, too. And your point is...?

[@eightcoins4401]

Japan's age of consent actually hasn't officially been 13 since WWII ended

[@marshallc6215]

@@eightcoins4401 I can't find any information about that being true, unless you mean it by some technicality. From 1907 until 2023, the Japanese penal code said 13. In 2023 parliament adopted legislation officially raising it to 16.

[@TrinityCore60]

@@marshallc6215 It took that long? Yeesh.

[@あい-s8z6r]

@@marshallc6215 I believe age of consent-wise, this just brought the national age of consent in line with what already was in most regional laws. In practice, age of consent has not been 13 in most places for a long time. If this is completely overruling local ordinances, this should actually decrease age of consent in Tokio from 18 to 16.

[@sciencey2858]

Happy Pride Month

[@TheBlueSpikes]

Disgusting video. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@rhymerlegend2717]

Thank God it’s over tomorrow

[@Alice-May]

@@rhymerlegend2717 Go away freak, you are a mistake.

[@fawfulthegreat64]

@@rhymerlegend2717 aren't you just a positive bundle of joy.

[@enistoja]

Added fun is that luigi’s crossdressing anecdote is not treated as gross by his partner. Rather than saying it was an ugly spectacle that terrified him, he says that luigi was clumsy in heels. Much less hatefuk, and concludes with “i will clear the way so luigi doesn’t break anything” rather than “luigi cannot wear a dress”. Victories abound!

[@abbyelectric]

he just can't walk in heels! that makes so much sense with his existing character too, since he's quite often portrayed as somewhat clumsy.

[@ValkyrieTiara]

Thanks for supporting us, Moony. Your voice is appreciated.

[@solsisthewhatever]

I would also like to add that it would be absolutely funny if kadokawa actually localized “irreversible damage” because the book literally list anime as one of the many things that’s causing people to “turn” trans

[@JuanjoPP]

One thing to mention is that the book mentioned in 18:00 did eventually get published under the umbrella of another publisher after Kadokawa dropped it which I believe is the same as the Sankei Shimbun, there was a whole shitstorm regarding that トランスジェンダーになりたい少女たち　SNS・学校・医療が煽る流行の悲劇 in Amazon

[@annaairahala9462]

Ah that sucks, hopefully not many bought it

[@thebravegallade731]

@@annaairahala9462 unfortunetly it did, cause said publisher is right wing

[@CatfishYellow]

Vivian was my most favorite character in the original all thoe years ago!! I have a sister who is trans and I always had Vivian with me.

[@pip6142]

The revolution will not be televised is such a good line to reference Thank you Mooney, great video 👍

[@FFFlay]

I wasn't expecting another video so soon, nice! Thanks for covering this topic, and happy pride month all!

[@Rubberman202]

Looks as though in Japan, progress is just like anywhere else, slow and requiring a massive effort form a lot of people (and also convincing the right people higher up). It just feels so good to have Vivian's story properly preserved, and now tastefully presented, in the TTYD remake (which by the way, I 100% agree with you on the game's quality, the fact that it gives depth to the world of Mario, something so rarely seen in Mario games, especially nowadays, makes it incredibly special to me).

[@james_b0nk]

playing BBL Drizzy while talking about how the age of consent in Japan used to be 13 was fucking hilarious 💀💀💀

[@alface935]

🇧🇷Thank You for the continuing help of Our Brothers here in Rio Grande Do Sul🇧🇷

[@kingturboturtlednoc5722]

This actually made me cry. Watching my country go to shit about my rights has really had me down and hearing this much good news, even news that can't help me, means so much

[@Mandydeth]

A Mooney video throwing shade at Dr. Disrespect was not on my 2024 bingo card.

[@Sootielove]

It is fascinating to see how queer identity can change so much based on culture and then what that culture considers "queer." I hadn't actually known that Japan had that almost reversed acceptance of trans and gay people, but it makes sense, and it's incredible to see the work and progression taken in the country and I only hope it can continue!

[@SuperSmashDolls]

Well, at least we can cross "Magypsies" off the list of "Reasons MOTHER 3 will never get an official English localization or remake". Now we just need to overturn several Ninth Circuit precedents regarding music vibes, convince Itoi to go back to what was probably one of the most hellish development cycles of his life, and hope and pray it doesn't spark Culture War Bullshit in the states.

[@daspotato]

And you know, not hand the presidency to the GOP in November who seem to want an anti-queer near dictatorial president with a personal itch towards martial law.

[@endofcentury7077]

I just think Mother 3 is too much of a risk for nintendo. It's a long, text heavy RPG, and it doesn't exactly have a ton of mass market appeal in the west (at least not as much as Mario.) Plus they gotta share the IP with Itoi. I'm not holding my breath for it.

[@J-manli]

Bad Faith is the very foundation of the Culture Wars. It doesn’t matter how innocuous or inconsequential the media may be, grifters will make mountains out of any hills to stir up their angry audiences for views and cash.

[@eightcoins4401]

​@@endofcentury7077 Mother 2/Earthbound also already only really is popular in Japan and the US. Most of Europe doesnt care about it.

[@marilaynxoxo66]

I think the bigger reason was that Mother 3 used alot of copyrighted music tracks that would either have to be removed or replaced entirely for it to be localised. Japanese copyright law is alot more different to US copyright law. Think of the JOJO localisation and how much they had to change all the stands names because of copyright. It'd be like that only alot more complex because of it being music and soundtracks.

[@androsh9039]

Great vid! I was ALMOST disappointed it wasn't your usual length, thoroughly analyzing the history of the region and somehow someway connecting to the main topic ;P Edit: That ending KILLED me.

[@BlackTestament]

Moon channel being absolutely based as always Ending pride month with a banger

[@Radien]

It's really nice to have people like you in our corner, Moony. These sorts of breakthroughs would not be possible without allies like you, whether in the west or the east.

[@gammaseer]

it'sonly 6am but you've already made my day

[@keanodos]

Another video, easily going to be the highlight of my day.

[@TheBlueSpikes]

Disgusting video. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@cipherfresh]

Wow, fantastic video! This was a great summary and discussion. I also watched your video about killing gods in JRPGs and was astonished by your research, passion, editing and presentation.

[@PullStar05]

I also feel that, Vivian’s improved interpretation in the 2024 remake of Thousand-Year Door really shows the true nature of Mario’s character just as well. In the Paper Mario games, he is often mute, or only speaks when the player uses his various moves. However, in many sources and materials, Mario has ALWAYS been depicted as TOLERANT. Someone who is always willing to see the good in others, in spite of what the world or others around him may say. This is doubly true for Vivian, someone constantly abused not only for her identity but simply for existing at all. Mario, as he always has and always will, shows kindness and understanding towards someone who has gotten so little of that from anyone else. Mario accepts Vivian for who she is, a grows a very close bond with her by the end of the game. Be like Mario.

[@LadyLunarSatine]

This is the first of your videos I've seen but I had to check it with a headline like this. I had no idea about Japan's legislative evolution but, as a trans woman, the current situation has left me a little teary.

[@londondeer]

I absolutely love what I've gotten to learn from this video!! Even as a huge Nintendo fan and transgender woman myself, I had no idea Japan was making such steady social progress on LGBTQ acceptance. Thank you so so much for putting in the work tor this video, I cant even tell you how much I appreciate it :')

[@crowbow896]

The whole children being confused thing is weird because it doesn’t seem to be a problem at all? There is no science that says it is. And for an anecdote, my ex-girlfriend’s nephews were never confused about their queer aunt or me. They just liked their tricycles 😂

[@Zhuk-zc8es]

The Dr Disrespect gag caught me waaay off guard

[@tsob5111]

"you didn't think you were gonna get away from me without a little education, did you?" i was eating and searched for your content specifically because i felt like getting a history education today lol. i appreciate it

[@jonathangould189]

Ha, I like the addition of the various SiIvaGunner mashups for the background music.

[@M64bros]

Another interesting video from Moon himself! I've also shared the video as well 👍🏻

[@TheBlueSpikes]

Disgusting video. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@ParakeetDSi]

​@@TheBlueSpikesimagine being so livid that you are spamming the same thing.

[@The_Vinil]

Honestly, as a member of the Queer comunity, I really respect how you care to address your flaws andando continue to talk about our community in a respectful way, I’m really glad for your content. You have a sub in me.

[@artific3r_]

big win for italy its the first time since we invented meatballs

[@Poyostar]

While uploaded during the tail-end of Pride Month, this is still a video worth watching. It makes me super happy to see all the progress being made around the same time as this remake's release!

[@olifloof]

brisket guilty gear

[@lottabee]

so tru

[@Arrakiz666]

Weal

[@livamyyo]

It's a dude, don't cope

[@Hulderkall]

We love our best girl Budget

[@i-am-a-pear]

@livamyyo beldam moment

[@thisisjuleka6027]

Im getting this game tomorrow and i cant wait to play it!!!!

[@custardgannet4836]

Its a great time. Im looking forward to going through it again myself.

[@thisisjuleka6027]

Tysm lads! I played the first and super a long time ago but never had the opportunity to get this one until now and im so excited

[@custardgannet4836]

@@thisisjuleka6027 same, played it at launch on GameCube. Great game with some filler that has thankfully been streamlined in the Switch version.

[@KiboSuperStar]

I am not a LGTBIQ+ person myself, but i do profoundly respect the collective because it shows the power of individualism over a collective society. And stands for taking the right and human path. I simply don't understand the sweat that goes to the people that even see this superficially. I could only imagine that they are scared of loosing collective value if individuals stand for themselves. Happy pride month and thanks for the video. 👍

[@polkadi]

This is a nice comment, but reading "LGTB" made my brain do a pop shove-it.

[@KiboSuperStar]

@@polkadi LGTBIQ+, better?

[@polkadi]

@@KiboSuperStar It's not that, it's in how the acronym is almost always "LGBT", so reading it spelt differently left me confused :p

[@KiboSuperStar]

@@polkadi maybe i spelled it wrong idk

[@mystic5185]

Great video! Gives me alot of hope, a genuine thankyou for making it!

[@koanDOGA]

This is the right way to do an apology! Thank you for that, new fan here :)

[@rib-cage]

i wasn't able to play the original thousand year door as a kid because i didn't have a gamecube at the time. i have a switch now, and this video has made me decide to put the remake on my wishlist!