7 Things Nobody Wants To Admit About Persona 5
2. Portrayals Of Ann's Femininity And Sexuality Border On Offensive
Speaking of messages being delivered poorly, Japan and various other eastern territories have more than an association with romanticising or sexualising the form of young girls (see PlayStation VR's 'Summer Lesson', Nintendo's latest Direct using the Switch's HD Rumble to 'simulate' groping boobs, or the vast majority of Japanese anime).
Persona 5 attempts to bring this to light by having various main villains discuss just how "disposable", "weak" and "pathetic" women are through their eyes, leading to the likes of Ann and Motoko fighting back against such assumptions, proving them wrong through actions alone.
However, the script itself is just as presumptive as to the appropriate 'uses' of women, shown through the treatment of Ann.
Two key scenes really made me sit back and question whether Atlus are truly aware of their country's cultural issues or not, as in one instance it's fully assumed that Ann will strip nude to seduce/distract Yusuke - a moment you can't intervene with, stop or otherwise voice your disapproval of. Ann herself in this scene does protest, but the suggestion is clearly played off as a "Oh you, you know what needs to be done!", rather than the idea being respectful of her privacy, and allowing for a way to flat-out stop it from happening.
Second is far more subtle, but again highlights this way of viewing women as less than human, and more as sexual objects. Upon completing Madarame's palace, the Phantom Thieves all gather round your protagonist's place for food, to which Ann then falls asleep. As she lies down - with no comment, dialogue or anything to suggest this is a little bit creepy - both Morgana and Ryuji attempt to look up her skirt, before she hand-waves them away and falls asleep.
Much is made of Ann's stunning looks belying the substance and personality - the human - beneath, but it's clear from interactions like these (and Yusuke's assumption he can stay at her place for no reason, not to mention continuing to want to draw her nude) that addressing the issue head-on in dialogue hasn't translated into the mentalities of the writers themselves.