My status as an older brother is something that has defined most of my life. From as far back as I can remember me and my little sister got along perfectly, I can barely think of any arguments we’ve had between us major, minor, or otherwise. We bonded over stuff like Marvel movies and Euphoria, I would always buy her baked goods from the school bake sale every Friday and despite now attending different colleges, we still get along just as well as before. I was bummed out when I couldn’t come home from break to visit her because of COVID.
My personal experiences left me with a massive bias toward the way media portrays sibling relationships. I know not all siblings get along perfectly, but so many movies, shows, and games present them as being inherently antagonistic, even on a minor level. Individually it doesn’t bother me too much, but at a certain point it really started to come across as “boys will be boys” mentality which makes me sad. I’m Asian American so finding good representation is hard to come across as is.
I was a fan of the franchise already so I was excited for this game regardless, but the thing that REALLY won me over, in the end, was the flawless way Gabe and Alex interacted with each other. Not only because they were Asian American like me, but just the way they sort of understand each other and get along even if their lifestyles aren’t fully known to one another. It’s the first time I ever felt like my personal dynamic was accurately portrayed in media.
I know a lot of people praise Life is Strange 2 for the interactions between Sean and Daniel, but it honestly sort of turned me off to the game. If their relationship meant something to you and you felt represented, then I’m happy for you and I’m glad you were able to connect to them. But in my case, I was unable to find myself truly invested in it. It just came across as too antagonistic, even if deep down they did care about one another. It’s all my personal opinion though.
In the end, I really want to thank Han Soto and the team at DeckNine for creating this authentic and warm sibling relationship between two Asian American characters. Some people may have found their dynamic to be “too perfect” and inauthentic, but to those people I assure you, it’s very much genuine and real.