Unfortunately, the fandom has always generally preferred to focus on emotionally satisfying character moments over the political themes underlying the narrative of Ensemble Stars. When the politics do get acknowledged, there's also always a crowd of people looking to fold those politics into their emotional satisfaction or broader enjoyment of a fictional story that is often, by its very nature, voyeuristic. In the case of stories like Supervillain and Stella Maris, this amounts to treating them as morally complex and mature, all while the way they depict conflict and the conclusions at which they arrive are ultimately anti-activism, pro-imperialism, and frankly anti-Ryukyuan. Simultaneously, Indigenous or Indigenous-coded suffering becomes a catalyst for the growth of the Japanese characters without actually giving Indigenous characters agency in their own story. I find the Okinawa Arc especially creepy because it mirrors the way Okinawan resistance gets talked about in the real world. The story depicts it as unusually violent, manipulated by more powerful figures, contrary to the greater good, and an obstacle for the protagonists. In Stella Maris in particular, we see Hoshijima is told to bear and adapt to a burden from the mainland that is framed as necessary growth. Hoshijima has to accept Project-ATLANTIS for its own material security and economic development. This draws a parallel to the way the burden of military bases are placed on Okinawa and defended as necessary, practical, and tied to its security, development, and economy. In the past year, I've had the opportunity to talk to some RYUSEITAI fans who shared their discomfort with the Okinawa Arc. I hope more people are willing to come forward and talk about it openly, because it really is a disturbing series of stories.