It can be difficult to have a voice in Japan, not least of all because social conformity is hammered home pretty hard right from the beginning of one’s schooling, if not at home before then. Students serve each other lunch and, allergies aside, everyone eats the same thing. Show up to class with a haircut that may be considered fairly mild on the ‘wild’ scale, and someone in the staffroom may straight-up take you to get it changed. As with many things, there are pros and cons to this: on one hand, individuality being somewhat suppressed can be restrictive of expression; on the other, it potentially gives rise to greater awareness and consideration for those around you.

Go to school. If you’re a square peg, just grit it out while you get beaten into a round hole. Graduate. Go and work for a large company. They’ll take care of you, pay your salary, contribute to your pension and insurance, likely ignore your feedback. Sometimes it can take something like a giant wrecking ball, rolling through and tearing up everything in a city to inspire people to see things differently.

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Source: IGN.com Valuing Each Individual: Haruyoshi Sawatari on Working in Games After Final Fantasy 15