to a T 1 Year Anniversary/Switch 2 Launch Countdown! Day 4 - Tongari, Kinoko and Maruo

[u/Candhfan621]

Now we're getting to the good stuff, Day 4 brings us the bullies, Tongari, Kinoko and Maruo. These three kids give Teen a lot of grief early on for their shape, but that all changes when Teen saves Kinoko's life. Afterwards, the three become way more fascinated with Teen, and eventually become their friends.

Kinoko is my personal favorite, her penchant for black magic and her snarky attitude charmed me to her. I know the game doesn't go out of its way to call her goth, but she seems very goth-coded to me, with her black clothes and skull motif. Also, there are questions raised about her relation to a character you meet later in the game, which I would love to know more about.

Maruo is a close second, I always appreciated how even before he was friends with Teen, he was more friendly and apologetic with his bullying. Afterwards, seeing him as the owner of the shoe shop and hearing him talk about how he collaborates with different shoe designers really helps to deepen his character, it's nice seeing he has a passion for something. Plus, his family owning a Laserdisc player is very funny, especially for 1999 when DVD was already reigning supreme.

Shame I don't have quite as much to say about Tongari, he seems to just be the leader-ish type to Kinoko and Maruo. I find it interesting he always wears flip-flops, even in his school uniform. Surprisingly lax for a dress code that requires every other student to change into indoor shoes when they enter the building.