>>49898908
I never really picked up on the impressionist influence myself, but yeah, Touhou has a lot of interesting east-west cultural mixing going on for sure. The Hifuu club metanarrative is also really spectacularly weird in the context of Touhou.
>>49899474
Well, I guess it makes it easier for me to imagine her as a real person. Now that I have been exposed to how Japanese people really look like, talk and act, it's much easier to think what Renko would be like as a real human being. This basicaly applies to all fictional characters who are natively Japanese though. It's easier to tell when a character is breaking norms. Social norms of course change over time, and people act different with their close friends, but I think Renko is probably kinda special even for her time.

Having been to Japan, I feel like the dystopian elements of Hifuu come out much stronger. Outside of the urban core, the country is incredibly lush, and it's crazy to think of a world where Japan has been basicaly completely deforested. Something really awful must have happened to the world. Combined with how Renko describes the state of science as having stagnated, I totaly understand the desire to escape somewhere, anywhere.

Also, I can totaly understand Renko becoming friends with Maribel. The Japanese I talked to bit more in depth always reacted super positively when someone showed actual interest towards their culture and history.

I also wouldn't be surprised if they would be 125 years into the future be as big drinkers as they are today.

Mostly I think going to Japan put a lot of context in Touhou in general.