And the part of this that stands out the most for me is....

"Japanese Anime: Deconstructing The 'Strong' Female Character Tropes" | Feminism In India

https://feminisminindia.com/2021/01/25/japanese-anime-strong-female-characters/

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neeeeeed to reeeeead first....

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"The epitome of toxic femininity 

On the other end of this strength in masculinity spectrum lies the epitome of toxic femininity. Introduced to the audience with gracious music and roses all around (literally), this Japanese anime character is ‘pure’ and ‘innocent’, which coincidentally are her only charms, with a dash of kindness. The flowers that surround her might even be white, as if to emphasise the virginal chastity; her ears are to be covered when someone curses, her eyes to be closed when something inappropriate happens. She is a damsel, sometimes in distress, but she is mostly the male lead’s trauma healer. Her stereotypical ‘motherly’ nature is worrying. Not only does this end up mocking the process of healing trauma and reduces it to simply ‘listening’; more often than not, her own trauma is ignored or gets covered by the motto of “love overcomes all”. She begins as a beck and call pseudo-therapist and a resident cook, and not much changes at the end. Again, this Japanese anime character ends up being a stepping stone in order to put the spotlight on the main male lead. Her strength comes, not from an extensive good nature, but from her acceptance of social expectations of a woman."

~ Anvi