Yes, Yuna doesn't get as much development as some of them, partly because she spends so much time maintaining that "summoner's smile" façade that I think she's deceived even herself: whatever parts of her aren't quite sanguine about her situation, whatever parts make her sad, she's brainwashed herself into smiling and being happy. It's a strength and profound flaw of the character, one of the few we can see working at the surface.
Yuna's flaws are also not very convincing. It makes sense that she has a crisis of faith when she does, but the scene isn't quite as well-written as some: you don't really believe she'll give up. There's a couple other places where she professes being at a loss (after Zanarkand, up top of the airship where Kimahri has a Bright Idea), but she's actually best when, say, giving a pep talk to Shelinda the Marshmallow by saying, "Yeah, honey, I'm not perfect either, but I can't let that stop me!" Except usually she totally is.
I loved Yuna because I love falling into the knight-in-shining-armor role and saving/protecting/serving Fair Lady, but that's not a role most players (particularly female?) enjoy.
Thingie. Oh yes. This quote of yours is the GRAND THEORY OF EVERYTHING and I must frame it and stick it on the Wall of Final Fantasy Fandom:
"Sexism in X isn't so much within Spira, as it is in the people who produced it."
Now I suddenly understand why all the teeth-gnashing and breast-beating happening in fanfiction fandom right now doesn't seem to apply at all. So many people are talking about how women characters aren't getting written in fanfic, and isn't a shame, and many people are blaming misogyny and various isms, while others are saying, "Well, yes, but our canon female characters suck/aren't THERE!"
But we have 'em. They are not perfect, because there is much fanservice, much cluelessness by game designers. Yet still. The Bechdel Test is passed with flying colors. There are not only women talking to each other, there are women with various different kinds of friendship. With each other. With the guys. And there are women in many different roles, and they're not all perfect, and there is the Marshmallow of Yevon to remind us that yes, some women, like some men (Clasko) are doormats. (Although even Shelinda has her moment of Being Strong, in a marshmallow way.)
Anyway, I have gone off, and don't know Nao, but I love your meta.
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Yuna's flaws are also not very convincing. It makes sense that she has a crisis of faith when she does, but the scene isn't quite as well-written as some: you don't really believe she'll give up. There's a couple other places where she professes being at a loss (after Zanarkand, up top of the airship where Kimahri has a Bright Idea), but she's actually best when, say, giving a pep talk to Shelinda the Marshmallow by saying, "Yeah, honey, I'm not perfect either, but I can't let that stop me!" Except usually she totally is.
I loved Yuna because I love falling into the knight-in-shining-armor role and saving/protecting/serving Fair Lady, but that's not a role most players (particularly female?) enjoy.
Thingie. Oh yes. This quote of yours is the GRAND THEORY OF EVERYTHING and I must frame it and stick it on the Wall of Final Fantasy Fandom:
"Sexism in X isn't so much within Spira, as it is in the people who produced it."
Now I suddenly understand why all the teeth-gnashing and breast-beating happening in fanfiction fandom right now doesn't seem to apply at all. So many people are talking about how women characters aren't getting written in fanfic, and isn't a shame, and many people are blaming misogyny and various isms, while others are saying, "Well, yes, but our canon female characters suck/aren't THERE!"
But we have 'em. They are not perfect, because there is much fanservice, much cluelessness by game designers. Yet still. The Bechdel Test is passed with flying colors. There are not only women talking to each other, there are women with various different kinds of friendship. With each other. With the guys. And there are women in many different roles, and they're not all perfect, and there is the Marshmallow of Yevon to remind us that yes, some women, like some men (Clasko) are doormats. (Although even Shelinda has her moment of Being Strong, in a marshmallow way.)
Anyway, I have gone off, and don't know Nao, but I love your meta.