Note: it was actually on Maiko’s computer that she said the claws could fire Woodman lol!!! Thank you so much for watching guys, I hope you’ve been having a great week! If you enjoyed this video, you may enjoy my post-apocalyptic novel, “Caesaria: Book I”! I will link it below if you’re interested. Thank you everybody! 😊 Check out my book here: www.amazon.ca/CAESARIA-Book-I-Lydi-Scott/dp/173904200X
@@patronofdragons yeah Judy seems to have a thing for bad girls or just women with very powerful egos/personas. Maiko is extremely driven to improve her lot, and that can also be seen with Evelyn both of them also used her to get to the points that they did. With V it is a bit more obvious. V is not someone anyone with a reasonable outlook would want as a partner. She is a dangerous merc who even if she wasn't dying puts herself at odds with gangers, and corps and probably runs the risk of cyberpsychosis. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Judy after dealing with all that in the Tower ending just said enough, and married the first woman outside Night City she met that showed attraction to her.
@@patronofdragons There was a theory that Bianca is abusive to Judy, which is why Judy has a slash on one of her eyebrows and why she's quiet when talking to FemV. Which, like, I get why people want to think that, I'm someone who thinks V and Judy are soulmates and belong together, but as far as I know, Judy still has that scar when talking to Male V, and she's much happier there. So I think she just got it from something else and the reason why she's more apprehensive with FemV is because those feelings of love are still there. Like, I get why people want to villainise Bianca, and I think Judy is more 'good' with Bianca as opposed to 'happy' with V, but I don't think Bianca is like Maiko, it would be a regression of Judy’s character. It's why I prefer the fanfics where V/Judy reunite, but Bianca is still a human being, or all 3 parties are flawed yet understandable.
Eh, I think V is the right person for Judy. Maiko, and to a lesser extent Evelyn, 'conditionally' cared for Judy, whereas there's selfless and mutual love with V.
There is a data shard you can find on Maiko's desk, when you talk to her at Clouds. It shows her evaluations of the Doll's performances for the previous month. In it she gives praise, suggests awards, plastic surgery (company paid?), and raises. She seems honest & and even complimentary when deserving. Being that there is a transition of power that just happened, it's easy to see why, after only a couple days, "nothing has changed" at Clouds. But I for one am actually hopeful that Maiko will enact positive change now that she's fully in charge. And for those who are wondering, you won't see Tom or Roxy's real names on the shard. But I believe they are "Torrent" & "Sun" respectively. For both of their reviews they "lost focus after Parker's disappearance."
I like the comparison between Maiko and Evelyn. They're all on the same humanity vs. success spectrum in Night City. I think Evelyn crossed the threshold to success and realized what it would cost, and tried to back out when it was too late, attempting to save those on the "humanity " side. Maiko also crosses that threshold and kept going, but regretted doing so. All that aside, what she says about Evelyn is exactly why I fold her up like a T-shirt at the end of that quest line. I don't think she's survived a single one of my playthroughs. Or, if she did, she was at least incapacitated.
Miko is a lighter version of Faraday. She and Faraday seek success by seeking the approval and emulating the example of those set above them by the system. They lack the self-awareness to understand this will not gain the approval of those above them or the loyalty of those below them. The primary difference is their level of ambition. While Miko's goals of wealth and comfort are enough for her, Faraday's rampant narcissism provoked him to keep pushing up against a glass ceiling that wasn't going to break. Instead, he's the one who broke.
Yeah Maiko's background as a doll plays a pretty big role in this. Maiko was forced to take the path she took in order to escape her current way of life. Being a doll in NC, her options were pretty limited. Even if she possessed self-awareness and understood that she was nonetheless a pawn for the Tyger Claws, what other choice did she have other than to be a slave the rest of her life? (SPOILERS) Even the dolls that revolted with Judy ended up being on the run/killed if you help them. And look at how Evelyn ended up. Maiko is the only doll in the game that we see successfully able to escape her past life (depending on the player's actions). And before the player enters and the whole quest begin she's still doing pretty good given her background. By the time we see Faraday he's already done pretty well for himself and is driven by pure greed. But at the same time it's probably hard for them to shake the whole "opportunistic backstabber" thing just because they "made it". There's a real possibility Faraday came from a similar background but just fell into whatever routine/mindset that was required for him to escape his past and never lost it. Similarly, even if you allow Maiko to control Clouds we end up finding out later she's super abusive towards the dolls, even though theoretically she could lead them in whichever way she wants now. I've seen this a lot in the real world too and I've dealt with it myself. People from low income backgrounds adopting certain routines/behaviors to "make it out" and then never giving it up even once they're comfortable/wealthy. I guess that part of it is also the fear that if you soften up/stop working so hard you'll end up back where you started, especially since people like this rarely have the option to move back in with family or any safety net in general to fall back on.
@@MidasG-je6vo The term for this is called "pulling up the ladder behind you" when someone from a societal disadvantaged position immediately distances themselves from their roots by attacking people who are still disadvantaged. This is due to internalized shame. They tell themselves they are special in some manner from those still stuck in the position they escaped. Those people were too lazy, too stupid, too weak to escape but they, they are one of the special ones that deserved success by merit. As opposed to just being lucky as so many are. Of course, the people they are trying to ingratiate themselves with still look down upon them. Miko will always be a wh*** to the Tiger Claws no matter how hard she works the dolls at Clouds. Faraday was literally stepped over by Smasher and died alone and unmourned. It just takes a single misstep to be pushed right back down to where you came from or even lower. Or because it amuses someone to do so. As for how Miko handled the situation and an alternate way to do it, I made a reply on another comment about applying my RL experience on the situation, if you're interested.
“The devil you know” is a pretty accurate description of maiko, she burned everyone and she gets the power she wants unless you kill her. You know she’s bad but you need to work with her to push the story with Judy forward
Maiko reminds me of our former UK Home Secretary (Suella Braverman). She progressed to the one of the highest positions in society despite her background, then pulled the ladder from under her, and punched down on the people who looked the same as her.
I figured that would be the end result of Maiko, even though she did everything to get to the top the Tigerclaws hold the majority of the cards. Even if she would have made changes in the Clouds that would have been rocking the boat towards the Tigerclaws therefore would have put a threat to here career and her life. So even with all the power she gained she still couldn’t do anything about the mistreatment in the Clouds. Except gain more possessions but not so enough to be at the top. The Tigerclaws wouldn’t have never let her become part of the executives not even when following orders
As someone whose worked in the middle where higher ups are unempathetc and more concerned with the results than the details, I absolutely know that you can act as buffer between them and the work force. The mentality that abusing the workforce results in better productivity is not true. A rested, loyal and disciplined workforce will always produce better and sustainable long-term profits than burning out and disposing of workers in the short term. New employees have to be trained and equipped for their job and if you're doing that more often, you're increasing your overhead needlessly. In addition when you fail to gain the loyalty of your employees, they will absolutely betray you in small and large ways. You can't guard all of the company's assets all the time and disgruntled employees will absolutely pilfer from company property if they they think they aren't getting fairly treated and compensated. Especially if they are the ones who are supposed to be guarding it. Cultivating an esprit de corps among a group will ensure they band around their immediate leadership against both external challenges. They will self-motivate, self-police, and self-improve to increase productivity and reject bad apples with much less effort from the manager. Miko had a golden opportunity in her hands with Judy's plan. If Miko had been upfront with her version of the plan and pointed out the obvious flaws in Judy's and had already secured the dolls' loyalty with her previous actions Miko could have waltzed in with a loyal crew, gotten command effortlessly and used her new-found power to reward her people. Since Miko would then be the buffer between the abuse of the Tiger Claws and the dolls, the dolls would do everything to keep Miko in power. So long as Miko could keep finances in the black, the Tiger Claws would be happy. Yes it would be a delicate balancing act but that's what leadership always is. Balancing multiple needs and circumstances to get the optimal outcome. Now Miko has no allies in a field that is ruthlessly competitive. She now needs to keep an eye over her shoulder forever, anticipating when the next hungry young thing seeks to overthrow her just as she did Woodman.
There are more despicable characters in the Series (Jotaro, Gottfried and Frederick, Joanne, Fingers, Woodman, President Myers), yet Maiko may be the character I hate the most. Granted, a part of this is because I knew a person like Maiko who hurt my friend in their relationship so they could climb up in the corpo food chain, but regardless, I think Maiko is a huge part of the systemic issues behind the corpo lifestyle, and how she would only prefer to make half-measures instead of actually putting effort. Judy, for all her issues on her plan, actually wanted systemic change. Maiko just wants the status-quo to carry on, which is arguably a worse type of evil than wanting chaos. Also, the possibility that she knew what happened to Evelyn and didn't care enough to actually help (and by extension, what happened to other Dolls under Woodman, because Evelyn clearly was not the first) is enough to put her on the same status as Fingers and Woodman for me (i.e. does not qualify as a human being in my books). Whatever sob story she tells to Judy about protecting her is lies imo, just a long manipulation tactic, so she could climb up. But that's also why I love her, she’s so brilliant in how much I hate her. And I think it's even interesting with her being a dark side mirror to Corpo V, who is looking for redemption, and wants to commit to Judy, because Maiko is V without any love, without any growth. Maiko is V, if she stayed at Arasaka, and believing that she had no choice in working for a corporation (there is always a choice, if you believe that one choice takes undeniable precedence over another, then you have made yourself an object in the world, at the mercy of its circumstances. Like Maiko has done)
I guess i was was one of the few that didn't tolerate her backstabbing the group? When the plan is that Clouds is gonna be run by the dolls themselves and Maiko swoops in to then take the lead in it all, I sided with Judy. Last time i was connected with Clouds, Maiko was left rotting with bullets in her frame right next to the gangsters she wanted to replace- courtesy of me, ofcourse. On the one hand i can recognize the danger of a "Of the workers, for the workers" approach to running a business, especially one as big as Clouds. You cant have every voice screaming for attention, you NEED a representitive who can come up with the right plans. Then again, Maiko is a snake of a woman who- i'd imagine- could and would turn on the workers if things arent going her way. No way she's a good fit as leader of a group of vulnerable people.
boy am i glad theres more cyberpunk uploads you know it was a game i picked up on a whim but it rapidly became one of my favorites of all time so . . . . when’s the Jhonny video coming out
I just stumbled upon your channel a few days ago, and since then, I've binge-watched all of your videos. I love your character analyses, and keep on with these great videos.
Maiko is the very definition of greed in fact she has the exact mental embodiment of Night City. It was the very reason I had to put her down. She manipulated the world to fit her protocol. Everyone else be damned. I was not going to let Judy go through anymore termoil.
I always thought she was a necessary evil for Clouds, but after seeing your video it's pretty clear she's only in it for herself. I'll remember that next time I do another playthrough.
I like her. Most people hate her, and that's understandable. But she's very pragmatic, and sadly, that's the right attitude to have in order to survive in Night City. I still think that the best for Clouds is going with her plan because Roxanne does say that the Tygers come by less, something along those lines. Even though not much has changed in Clouds. I think that's a start at least.
Yeah. Her perspective might be more compelling if she didn't spring it on V at the worst possible time. Her unwarranted arrogance and attitude toward the *paid killer* doesn't help matters either.
I always saw her attack on V as more "suicide by merc" than anything. My first playthrough she was dead just from reflex before I had time to process it.
Maiko most prominet feature is FEAR V talks about with Judy after meeting her for the first time, she talked about how much she fears the Claws and even V, that's why she offers Woodman head, to calm the beast in front of her that can kill her in one second. When she makes the horrible joke about Judy's bathroom she says that she is not sutil but don't think is not hard for her... She has ambition, but the most high you get in Clouds NC is everytime more dangerous. Maybe they choosed the name in her "honor" or maybe irony.
I honestly would like to see her return in a future game maybe have her get fleshed out more. I like the idea of us getting a big bad similar to Jotaro running Night City and for him to have history with Maiko.
Maiko, probably would have gone further if she let everyone know her plan before her power play. Alienating herself from both her doll roots and support to grovel with gangsters shows how distrusting and dishonest she is. However, choosing to betray V, baddest new merc kinda makes her stupid as well. I think it's truly beautiful in storytelling to have character flaws so deep that everyone can see them make the mistakes they can't see themselves. It reminds me of the film, Uncut Gems. Adam sandler's character is nerodic, making deals that enrage gangsters all around him and put his family and gf through misery. Though he won in the end and got the high of gambling and manipulating other people's money, he failed to see he just locked up a killer. In this case, Maiko was making moves to climb Clouds but didn't calculate V. I always kill Maiko because ultimately i found her condescending to me. I don't even care about Judy's relationship and feelings about Maiko. She thinks it makes sense to get the support of the dolls and V as the most sensible move as a last minute decision but without letting V or Judy know, she put her self in a situation where she thinks her shroud power play would make sense to everyone else.
Maiko could've been more convincing, but carried out her pitch in the dumbest way possible. Maiko acts arrogant and superior, outright insulting in some responses. This might work on whores beaten down by the world, but not hardened mercenaries with a personal stake in the job.
I am very much enjoying this Night City series. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the fixers of the game. They are an often over-looked fascinating character study on the various methods someone can survive long-term in Night City. From Rogue's regrets to Mr. Hands' theaterics I think there's a lot of overlooked narrative meat on the bone.
I honestly love Maiko and Evelynn! Of course as people they are questionable at times (especially Maiko) but as characters they stood out to me and I kept wanting more of them. I wish we got to hear of an interaction between the two, or at least Maiko mentioning Evelynn like she knew her since they both worked at clouds and both were very close with Judy. I'm sure they had some choice words for each other 🙈
An interesting detail about Maiko can be found in an email between her and Hiromi Sato. Maiko: "Thank you for the generous offer to help organize the dolls' work, but that's something that requires the right experience and intuition, so I don't think Forrest would be very helpful in this case. The dolls are doing well, the team's enthusiastic about their work and we don't have any complaints from clients. Most importantly, profit is on a continuous rise. There's a saying on the streets - "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If any problems arise, I'll be the first to ask for assistance and know that Forrest will be gladly lend a hand." Hiromi: "According to Forrest, the dolls have too much freedom and do what they want. Clouds needs a man to steer the ship." It seems the claws were planning to double down on the more controlling aspects and take away what remained of the Dolls' freedom. If the outcomes of Judy's plan are the Tyger's raiding Clouds and brutally establishing order, Hiromi making working conditions worse or Maiko keeping things as they are.... it would seem maintaining the status quo is the best. Another interesting detail is that Maiko can be seen at the Black Sapphire party in Phantom Liberty, assuming you let her take over Clouds. Interesting that she was invited to such a high-end event. She's also grateful if V proceeded through Clouds non-lethally. Perhaps indicating some degree of care for the dolls. Lastly i like how Corpo V can basically predict Maiko's play with Judy. Makes me wish there was some unique dialogue where Corpo V could really get under Maiko's skin
I would always choose the option to kill Maiko. My Nomad V looks to Judy as a little sister; Would even go out of his way to kill anyone who hurt her. And that's exactly what she did. My V followed the plan to the letter. Maiko, on the other hand, had other plans and ambitions. It was her own hubris that saw her on the other end of V's blade. (Yes, I use swords on Cyberpunk)
14:42 Maiko even being at the Black Saphire party/concert is a big deal (regarding rank), do you think just any TC gets to come along? Anywhoo, Maiko is kind of a b!tch; I mean I got rid of her competition, chose to not stand in her way during the meeting where a certain someone got a Katana implanted in them (the major ouchy way), let her keep the money she was going to pay me,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and she doesn't even give me a member pass to Clouds,, to get back in, I got to sneak in the F'ing window. 😡
This may be a wildly unpopular opinion but I’m more in the camp of sympathy for the devil. On my first play through I never read the emails on Maiko’s computer, so I just thought Maiko was an opportunistic monster. But, after reading them on my second playthrough, I feel like Maiko truly did have Judy in mind when she started climbing the ladder at Clouds. She tolerated Judy’s jealousy and kept the picture of her in her files, which to me showed real love for Judy. I feel like Judy jumped the gun accusing Maiko of using her after she tweaked Maiko and Maiko started gaining influence and power. I believe that if Judy stayed with Maiko, and let their relationship grow, Judy’s altruistic attempts to help the dolls may have essentially rubbed off on Maiko, and real change could have happened. Instead, Judy feels used, dumps Maiko, and accuses her of being a terrible person, which Maiko ends up proving out. But, I think Judy broke what was left of Maiko’s heart, leaving her with money and power as her only “companions”.
Again loved the video and the insight into Maiko. Now I understand her as the abused continuing the cycle as opposed to breaking it. Doesnt change my opinion about her, she's still a B**** with a capital B, but at least I fully understand why. Again thank you for the deep dive into a character I really didnt understand and confiriming my dislike of her. To most Cyberpunk players Pan-Am is best girl. For me and most of my characters, we love Judy.
Hey, I just noticed how, relatively small of a creator you are. I love cyberpunk, and I've been enjoying listening to your videos while programming recently. Sending lot's of love, have a good one :D
FRANK E OMG LOLOL! I will get it next time! thank you so much for watching, I’m so happy you enjoyed! And thank you so much for supporting the channel. 😄
This is a character I never really took a closer look at so I am glad you did. I didn’t Judy and her used to be a thing before the games start. Is there anything worth looking into on Hanako Arasaka? I think she’s a little different than the typical Corpo
Thanks very much for watching! And ohhh yes yes yes she’s definitely a still-waters-run-deep kind of character. Will be super excited to cover her. I think next week’s big subject will be Dex, but I’ll try and get her in the upcoming lineup with Takemura.
dude your channel is awesome. I've been looking for breakdowns around this ip ever since my introduction to it (2 weeks ago lol). your breakdowns are perfect, been binging it ever since i found it. Can you do a breakdown of panam/the panam ending and what happens to each character after the cut scene?
Omg thank you so so much! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the videos, cyberpunk is truly a fascinating series 😄 OHHH YES! I would love to give all the endings a unique video!
Does anyone really not notice the parallels of DeShawn and Evelyn? You call one a baffoon and the other ambitious and/or desperate in some ragard. Don't think it's fair.
Dex is a fool because he managed to survive a fall from grace after living the high life. He could've enjoyed that quiet life he condemns, but he was desperate to get back in the game. Evelyn was a high-class hooker who learned things and seized an opportunity to escape her crappy life. Then again, Evelyn threw her lot in with the Voodoo Boys who are just the worst, so perhaps she was also a fool.
Yeah, I saw her alive in Black Sapphire after I knocked her out in Pisces. Forgot if she was with the tyger claws or not but she does appears to be some sort of escort now I guess🤷♂.
first of all, i didnt know maiko could attack you she never attacked me after i killed all three dudes and also i really dont like her because i think the original plan could have worked, if only maiko didnt invite two even higher up tyger claws thereefore the revenge raid on the clouds
In my latest play through, Maiko got a bullet in the head. She totally had it coming, and I felt no remorse or regret. Since this is a cyberpunk story, there are only horrible and awful options available, so I chose the one that made me happy and all the other survivors sad. Having seen nothing but sad endings everywhere, I kinda got tired of it, so I started maximizing the body count instead.
Evelyn did nothing to protect Judy nor anyone else but herself. Evenly even STUPIDLY ran back to the clouds. Evelyn was selfish and reckless through and through. A little girl that got twisted in every way playing a game she truly had no business being in. But I do understand Evelyn's drive though.
This isn't going to make me any friends, but if you aren't a fan of Judy, and see her as somewhat childish and short sighted, Maiko comes across as a much more sympathetic character.
Maiko's mistake is being utterly unable to drop the condescending mean girl act. Maiko can't even plead a rational case without acting superior and insulting. You can believe she's right and just not care out of spite.
Note: it was actually on Maiko’s computer that she said the claws could fire Woodman lol!!!
Thank you so much for watching guys, I hope you’ve been having a great week! If you enjoyed this video, you may enjoy my post-apocalyptic novel, “Caesaria: Book I”! I will link it below if you’re interested.
Thank you everybody! 😊
Check out my book here: www.amazon.ca/CAESARIA-Book-I-Lydi-Scott/dp/173904200X
Hey not sure if you talked about it but are you streaming anymore?
Man, between Maiko, Evelyn, and V, Judy has just the worst taste in girls.
That makes me wonder about the Tower ending. She got married quick. Did she get with the first stable woman she could find?
@@patronofdragons yeah Judy seems to have a thing for bad girls or just women with very powerful egos/personas.
Maiko is extremely driven to improve her lot, and that can also be seen with Evelyn both of them also used her to get to the points that they did.
With V it is a bit more obvious. V is not someone anyone with a reasonable outlook would want as a partner. She is a dangerous merc who even if she wasn't dying puts herself at odds with gangers, and corps and probably runs the risk of cyberpsychosis.
It wouldn't surprise me at all if Judy after dealing with all that in the Tower ending just said enough, and married the first woman outside Night City she met that showed attraction to her.
@@patronofdragons There was a theory that Bianca is abusive to Judy, which is why Judy has a slash on one of her eyebrows and why she's quiet when talking to FemV. Which, like, I get why people want to think that, I'm someone who thinks V and Judy are soulmates and belong together, but as far as I know, Judy still has that scar when talking to Male V, and she's much happier there. So I think she just got it from something else and the reason why she's more apprehensive with FemV is because those feelings of love are still there. Like, I get why people want to villainise Bianca, and I think Judy is more 'good' with Bianca as opposed to 'happy' with V, but I don't think Bianca is like Maiko, it would be a regression of Judy’s character. It's why I prefer the fanfics where V/Judy reunite, but Bianca is still a human being, or all 3 parties are flawed yet understandable.
Eh, I think V is the right person for Judy. Maiko, and to a lesser extent Evelyn, 'conditionally' cared for Judy, whereas there's selfless and mutual love with V.
Judy herself isn't exactly better than them
One word that describes Maiko? Opportunistic.
Two words: short sighted.
@@ravendelacour1917 them be facts too
I was going to say bitch but that too
There is a data shard you can find on Maiko's desk, when you talk to her at Clouds. It shows her evaluations of the Doll's performances for the previous month.
In it she gives praise, suggests awards, plastic surgery (company paid?), and raises. She seems honest & and even complimentary when deserving.
Being that there is a transition of power that just happened, it's easy to see why, after only a couple days, "nothing has changed" at Clouds. But I for one am actually hopeful that Maiko will enact positive change now that she's fully in charge.
And for those who are wondering, you won't see Tom or Roxy's real names on the shard. But I believe they are "Torrent" & "Sun" respectively. For both of their reviews they "lost focus after Parker's disappearance."
I like the comparison between Maiko and Evelyn. They're all on the same humanity vs. success spectrum in Night City. I think Evelyn crossed the threshold to success and realized what it would cost, and tried to back out when it was too late, attempting to save those on the "humanity " side. Maiko also crosses that threshold and kept going, but regretted doing so.
All that aside, what she says about Evelyn is exactly why I fold her up like a T-shirt at the end of that quest line. I don't think she's survived a single one of my playthroughs. Or, if she did, she was at least incapacitated.
Miko is a lighter version of Faraday. She and Faraday seek success by seeking the approval and emulating the example of those set above them by the system. They lack the self-awareness to understand this will not gain the approval of those above them or the loyalty of those below them. The primary difference is their level of ambition. While Miko's goals of wealth and comfort are enough for her, Faraday's rampant narcissism provoked him to keep pushing up against a glass ceiling that wasn't going to break. Instead, he's the one who broke.
Yeah Maiko's background as a doll plays a pretty big role in this. Maiko was forced to take the path she took in order to escape her current way of life. Being a doll in NC, her options were pretty limited. Even if she possessed self-awareness and understood that she was nonetheless a pawn for the Tyger Claws, what other choice did she have other than to be a slave the rest of her life? (SPOILERS) Even the dolls that revolted with Judy ended up being on the run/killed if you help them. And look at how Evelyn ended up. Maiko is the only doll in the game that we see successfully able to escape her past life (depending on the player's actions). And before the player enters and the whole quest begin she's still doing pretty good given her background.
By the time we see Faraday he's already done pretty well for himself and is driven by pure greed. But at the same time it's probably hard for them to shake the whole "opportunistic backstabber" thing just because they "made it". There's a real possibility Faraday came from a similar background but just fell into whatever routine/mindset that was required for him to escape his past and never lost it. Similarly, even if you allow Maiko to control Clouds we end up finding out later she's super abusive towards the dolls, even though theoretically she could lead them in whichever way she wants now. I've seen this a lot in the real world too and I've dealt with it myself. People from low income backgrounds adopting certain routines/behaviors to "make it out" and then never giving it up even once they're comfortable/wealthy. I guess that part of it is also the fear that if you soften up/stop working so hard you'll end up back where you started, especially since people like this rarely have the option to move back in with family or any safety net in general to fall back on.
@@MidasG-je6vo The term for this is called "pulling up the ladder behind you" when someone from a societal disadvantaged position immediately distances themselves from their roots by attacking people who are still disadvantaged. This is due to internalized shame. They tell themselves they are special in some manner from those still stuck in the position they escaped. Those people were too lazy, too stupid, too weak to escape but they, they are one of the special ones that deserved success by merit. As opposed to just being lucky as so many are.
Of course, the people they are trying to ingratiate themselves with still look down upon them. Miko will always be a wh*** to the Tiger Claws no matter how hard she works the dolls at Clouds. Faraday was literally stepped over by Smasher and died alone and unmourned. It just takes a single misstep to be pushed right back down to where you came from or even lower. Or because it amuses someone to do so.
As for how Miko handled the situation and an alternate way to do it, I made a reply on another comment about applying my RL experience on the situation, if you're interested.
And like Faraday underestimated David, Maiko underestimates V (should you reject her plan).
“The devil you know” is a pretty accurate description of maiko, she burned everyone and she gets the power she wants unless you kill her. You know she’s bad but you need to work with her to push the story with Judy forward
Compare to goddamn Yakuza and a sleazy rapist, Maiko is indeed a lesser evil.
Maiko reminds me of our former UK Home Secretary (Suella Braverman). She progressed to the one of the highest positions in society despite her background, then pulled the ladder from under her, and punched down on the people who looked the same as her.
I figured that would be the end result of Maiko, even though she did everything to get to the top the Tigerclaws hold the majority of the cards. Even if she would have made changes in the Clouds that would have been rocking the boat towards the Tigerclaws therefore would have put a threat to here career and her life. So even with all the power she gained she still couldn’t do anything about the mistreatment in the Clouds. Except gain more possessions but not so enough to be at the top. The Tigerclaws wouldn’t have never let her become part of the executives not even when following orders
As someone whose worked in the middle where higher ups are unempathetc and more concerned with the results than the details, I absolutely know that you can act as buffer between them and the work force. The mentality that abusing the workforce results in better productivity is not true. A rested, loyal and disciplined workforce will always produce better and sustainable long-term profits than burning out and disposing of workers in the short term. New employees have to be trained and equipped for their job and if you're doing that more often, you're increasing your overhead needlessly. In addition when you fail to gain the loyalty of your employees, they will absolutely betray you in small and large ways. You can't guard all of the company's assets all the time and disgruntled employees will absolutely pilfer from company property if they they think they aren't getting fairly treated and compensated. Especially if they are the ones who are supposed to be guarding it. Cultivating an esprit de corps among a group will ensure they band around their immediate leadership against both external challenges. They will self-motivate, self-police, and self-improve to increase productivity and reject bad apples with much less effort from the manager.
Miko had a golden opportunity in her hands with Judy's plan. If Miko had been upfront with her version of the plan and pointed out the obvious flaws in Judy's and had already secured the dolls' loyalty with her previous actions Miko could have waltzed in with a loyal crew, gotten command effortlessly and used her new-found power to reward her people. Since Miko would then be the buffer between the abuse of the Tiger Claws and the dolls, the dolls would do everything to keep Miko in power. So long as Miko could keep finances in the black, the Tiger Claws would be happy. Yes it would be a delicate balancing act but that's what leadership always is. Balancing multiple needs and circumstances to get the optimal outcome. Now Miko has no allies in a field that is ruthlessly competitive. She now needs to keep an eye over her shoulder forever, anticipating when the next hungry young thing seeks to overthrow her just as she did Woodman.
Now I kinda feel bad about throwing her off the top of the mega tower in my last playthrough… sorry Judy. great videos btw
"i also have a doll chip"
Mfw she goes down in a single punch: 🗿
There are more despicable characters in the Series (Jotaro, Gottfried and Frederick, Joanne, Fingers, Woodman, President Myers), yet Maiko may be the character I hate the most. Granted, a part of this is because I knew a person like Maiko who hurt my friend in their relationship so they could climb up in the corpo food chain, but regardless, I think Maiko is a huge part of the systemic issues behind the corpo lifestyle, and how she would only prefer to make half-measures instead of actually putting effort. Judy, for all her issues on her plan, actually wanted systemic change. Maiko just wants the status-quo to carry on, which is arguably a worse type of evil than wanting chaos. Also, the possibility that she knew what happened to Evelyn and didn't care enough to actually help (and by extension, what happened to other Dolls under Woodman, because Evelyn clearly was not the first) is enough to put her on the same status as Fingers and Woodman for me (i.e. does not qualify as a human being in my books). Whatever sob story she tells to Judy about protecting her is lies imo, just a long manipulation tactic, so she could climb up.
But that's also why I love her, she’s so brilliant in how much I hate her. And I think it's even interesting with her being a dark side mirror to Corpo V, who is looking for redemption, and wants to commit to Judy, because Maiko is V without any love, without any growth. Maiko is V, if she stayed at Arasaka, and believing that she had no choice in working for a corporation (there is always a choice, if you believe that one choice takes undeniable precedence over another, then you have made yourself an object in the world, at the mercy of its circumstances. Like Maiko has done)
Woodman and Joanne, jesus! Good thing doing Many pkaythrouthgs Is that you can Zero them over and over againg xP
I guess i was was one of the few that didn't tolerate her backstabbing the group? When the plan is that Clouds is gonna be run by the dolls themselves and Maiko swoops in to then take the lead in it all, I sided with Judy. Last time i was connected with Clouds, Maiko was left rotting with bullets in her frame right next to the gangsters she wanted to replace- courtesy of me, ofcourse.
On the one hand i can recognize the danger of a "Of the workers, for the workers" approach to running a business, especially one as big as Clouds. You cant have every voice screaming for attention, you NEED a representitive who can come up with the right plans. Then again, Maiko is a snake of a woman who- i'd imagine- could and would turn on the workers if things arent going her way. No way she's a good fit as leader of a group of vulnerable people.
boy am i glad theres more cyberpunk uploads you know it was a game i picked up on a whim but it rapidly became one of my favorites of all time so . . . . when’s the Jhonny video coming out
I just stumbled upon your channel a few days ago, and since then, I've binge-watched all of your videos. I love your character analyses, and keep on with these great videos.
Hey, thank you so much! Will do 😄 it’s super awesome to know you enjoy them so much!
Maiko just hammers home, what everyone in NC says:
In nightcity you either die a legend or a fool. But there is no happy end.
Maiko is the very definition of greed in fact she has the exact mental embodiment of Night City. It was the very reason I had to put her down. She manipulated the world to fit her protocol. Everyone else be damned. I was not going to let Judy go through anymore termoil.
I always thought she was a necessary evil for Clouds, but after seeing your video it's pretty clear she's only in it for herself. I'll remember that next time I do another playthrough.
Spoiler
If you kill her, Clouds ends up in far worse shape than if she takes over.
I like her. Most people hate her, and that's understandable. But she's very pragmatic, and sadly, that's the right attitude to have in order to survive in Night City. I still think that the best for Clouds is going with her plan because Roxanne does say that the Tygers come by less, something along those lines. Even though not much has changed in Clouds. I think that's a start at least.
I like her if I don't do Judy's plan, otherwise she dies...
Two words describe her
Blind opportunist
Yeah. Her perspective might be more compelling if she didn't spring it on V at the worst possible time. Her unwarranted arrogance and attitude toward the *paid killer* doesn't help matters either.
I always saw her attack on V as more "suicide by merc" than anything. My first playthrough she was dead just from reflex before I had time to process it.
She had it coming, she thought she could play you and Judy for fools and then kill you and live to tell the tale, that's three strikes..
If you kill the bosses but spare Maiko, she still shows up in Dogtown party.
Love the little judge judy joke
Honestly I haven't even looked at Maiko from that perspective. Good Video!
Maiko most prominet feature is FEAR
V talks about with Judy after meeting her for the first time, she talked about how much she fears the Claws and even V, that's why she offers Woodman head, to calm the beast in front of her that can kill her in one second.
When she makes the horrible joke about Judy's bathroom she says that she is not sutil but don't think is not hard for her...
She has ambition, but the most high you get in Clouds NC is everytime more dangerous. Maybe they choosed the name in her "honor" or maybe irony.
Very well said!!! 😄
Here’s my thing. If I dislike a character to the level I dislike Maiko then the writers have done a good job imo. Great video. Keep em coming. ❤️
Agreed! Good stuff from the writers. Thanks so much, will do!
Wonderful video! These are becoming a highlight of my week!
Awwww thank you so much for that ❤️ makes my day!
There were no two souls I took pleasure in flatlining like I did Woodman and Jotaro.
Number 3 is any all Scavs that were breathing in my presence.
Scavs, Maelstrom, Wraiths, and Tygers tend to die on sight.
Judy likes ‘em with big dreams, big egos and dead.
I honestly would like to see her return in a future game maybe have her get fleshed out more. I like the idea of us getting a big bad similar to Jotaro running Night City and for him to have history with Maiko.
Maiko, probably would have gone further if she let everyone know her plan before her power play. Alienating herself from both her doll roots and support to grovel with gangsters shows how distrusting and dishonest she is. However, choosing to betray V, baddest new merc kinda makes her stupid as well. I think it's truly beautiful in storytelling to have character flaws so deep that everyone can see them make the mistakes they can't see themselves. It reminds me of the film, Uncut Gems. Adam sandler's character is nerodic, making deals that enrage gangsters all around him and put his family and gf through misery. Though he won in the end and got the high of gambling and manipulating other people's money, he failed to see he just locked up a killer. In this case, Maiko was making moves to climb Clouds but didn't calculate V. I always kill Maiko because ultimately i found her condescending to me. I don't even care about Judy's relationship and feelings about Maiko. She thinks it makes sense to get the support of the dolls and V as the most sensible move as a last minute decision but without letting V or Judy know, she put her self in a situation where she thinks her shroud power play would make sense to everyone else.
Maiko could've been more convincing, but carried out her pitch in the dumbest way possible. Maiko acts arrogant and superior, outright insulting in some responses. This might work on whores beaten down by the world, but not hardened mercenaries with a personal stake in the job.
I am very much enjoying this Night City series. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the fixers of the game. They are an often over-looked fascinating character study on the various methods someone can survive long-term in Night City. From Rogue's regrets to Mr. Hands' theaterics I think there's a lot of overlooked narrative meat on the bone.
I honestly love Maiko and Evelynn! Of course as people they are questionable at times (especially Maiko) but as characters they stood out to me and I kept wanting more of them. I wish we got to hear of an interaction between the two, or at least Maiko mentioning Evelynn like she knew her since they both worked at clouds and both were very close with Judy. I'm sure they had some choice words for each other 🙈
Saw the notification for this 3 minutes after it released, let’s goooo! :D
Ahhhhh thank you for watching Goobertime!!! 😁😂
An interesting detail about Maiko can be found in an email between her and Hiromi Sato.
Maiko: "Thank you for the generous offer to help organize the dolls' work, but that's something that requires the right experience and intuition, so I don't think Forrest would be very helpful in this case.
The dolls are doing well, the team's enthusiastic about their work and we don't have any complaints from clients. Most importantly, profit is on a continuous rise.
There's a saying on the streets - "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If any problems arise, I'll be the first to ask for assistance and know that Forrest will be gladly lend a hand."
Hiromi: "According to Forrest, the dolls have too much freedom and do what they want. Clouds needs a man to steer the ship."
It seems the claws were planning to double down on the more controlling aspects and take away what remained of the Dolls' freedom. If the outcomes of Judy's plan are the Tyger's raiding Clouds and brutally establishing order, Hiromi making working conditions worse or Maiko keeping things as they are.... it would seem maintaining the status quo is the best.
Another interesting detail is that Maiko can be seen at the Black Sapphire party in Phantom Liberty, assuming you let her take over Clouds. Interesting that she was invited to such a high-end event.
She's also grateful if V proceeded through Clouds non-lethally. Perhaps indicating some degree of care for the dolls.
Lastly i like how Corpo V can basically predict Maiko's play with Judy. Makes me wish there was some unique dialogue where Corpo V could really get under Maiko's skin
I would always choose the option to kill Maiko. My Nomad V looks to Judy as a little sister; Would even go out of his way to kill anyone who hurt her. And that's exactly what she did. My V followed the plan to the letter. Maiko, on the other hand, had other plans and ambitions. It was her own hubris that saw her on the other end of V's blade. (Yes, I use swords on Cyberpunk)
As long as my version of V haunts these streets, the only thing Maiko will ever aspire to be is an impromptu doormat. Courtesy of a baseball bat.
14:42 Maiko even being at the Black Saphire party/concert is a big deal (regarding rank), do you think just any TC gets to come along?
Anywhoo, Maiko is kind of a b!tch; I mean I got rid of her competition, chose to not stand in her way during the meeting where a certain someone got a Katana implanted in them (the major ouchy way), let her keep the money she was going to pay me,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and she doesn't even give me a member pass to Clouds,, to get back in, I got to sneak in the F'ing window. 😡
This may be a wildly unpopular opinion but I’m more in the camp of sympathy for the devil. On my first play through I never read the emails on Maiko’s computer, so I just thought Maiko was an opportunistic monster. But, after reading them on my second playthrough, I feel like Maiko truly did have Judy in mind when she started climbing the ladder at Clouds. She tolerated Judy’s jealousy and kept the picture of her in her files, which to me showed real love for Judy. I feel like Judy jumped the gun accusing Maiko of using her after she tweaked Maiko and Maiko started gaining influence and power. I believe that if Judy stayed with Maiko, and let their relationship grow, Judy’s altruistic attempts to help the dolls may have essentially rubbed off on Maiko, and real change could have happened. Instead, Judy feels used, dumps Maiko, and accuses her of being a terrible person, which Maiko ends up proving out. But, I think Judy broke what was left of Maiko’s heart, leaving her with money and power as her only “companions”.
Again loved the video and the insight into Maiko. Now I understand her as the abused continuing the cycle as opposed to breaking it. Doesnt change my opinion about her, she's still a B**** with a capital B, but at least I fully understand why. Again thank you for the deep dive into a character I really didnt understand and confiriming my dislike of her. To most Cyberpunk players Pan-Am is best girl. For me and most of my characters, we love Judy.
Great vid, thanks a lot!
Hey, I just noticed how, relatively small of a creator you are. I love cyberpunk, and I've been enjoying listening to your videos while programming recently. Sending lot's of love, have a good one :D
Thank you so much for watching!! 😄
My name is Frank-e but no worries 😂 I liked the video! never payed much attention to her so it's cool to see
FRANK E OMG LOLOL! I will get it next time! thank you so much for watching, I’m so happy you enjoyed! And thank you so much for supporting the channel. 😄
This is a character I never really took a closer look at so I am glad you did. I didn’t Judy and her used to be a thing before the games start.
Is there anything worth looking into on Hanako Arasaka? I think she’s a little different than the typical Corpo
Thanks very much for watching! And ohhh yes yes yes she’s definitely a still-waters-run-deep kind of character. Will be super excited to cover her. I think next week’s big subject will be Dex, but I’ll try and get her in the upcoming lineup with Takemura.
I respect her drive but I don’t choose to help her in the quest
This whole story is what Vanguard wants for America, its Manufactured consent.
dude your channel is awesome. I've been looking for breakdowns around this ip ever since my introduction to it (2 weeks ago lol). your breakdowns are perfect, been binging it ever since i found it. Can you do a breakdown of panam/the panam ending and what happens to each character after the cut scene?
Omg thank you so so much! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the videos, cyberpunk is truly a fascinating series 😄 OHHH YES! I would love to give all the endings a unique video!
This is a good take
Will you do offer franchises, like Jak and Daxter
Does anyone really not notice the parallels of DeShawn and Evelyn? You call one a baffoon and the other ambitious and/or desperate in some ragard. Don't think it's fair.
Dex is a fool because he managed to survive a fall from grace after living the high life. He could've enjoyed that quiet life he condemns, but he was desperate to get back in the game.
Evelyn was a high-class hooker who learned things and seized an opportunity to escape her crappy life.
Then again, Evelyn threw her lot in with the Voodoo Boys who are just the worst, so perhaps she was also a fool.
Do Corpo V
Lonelyness? :3
I CANT SPELL 🤣🤣🤣
@ForestRaptor it's 100% Loneliness :3
Don't worry about it, she knows ;)
Maiko is alive with the tyger claws i think in phantom liberty 🤔
Yeah, I saw her alive in Black Sapphire after I knocked her out in Pisces. Forgot if she was with the tyger claws or not but she does appears to be some sort of escort now I guess🤷♂.
first of all, i didnt know maiko could attack you she never attacked me after i killed all three dudes and also i really dont like her because i think the original plan could have worked, if only maiko didnt invite two even higher up tyger claws thereefore the revenge raid on the clouds
You should do Panam sometime
In my latest play through, Maiko got a bullet in the head. She totally had it coming, and I felt no remorse or regret. Since this is a cyberpunk story, there are only horrible and awful options available, so I chose the one that made me happy and all the other survivors sad. Having seen nothing but sad endings everywhere, I kinda got tired of it, so I started maximizing the body count instead.
Evelyn did nothing to protect Judy nor anyone else but herself. Evenly even STUPIDLY ran back to the clouds. Evelyn was selfish and reckless through and through. A little girl that got twisted in every way playing a game she truly had no business being in. But I do understand Evelyn's drive though.
This isn't going to make me any friends, but if you aren't a fan of Judy, and see her as somewhat childish and short sighted, Maiko comes across as a much more sympathetic character.
Maiko's mistake is being utterly unable to drop the condescending mean girl act. Maiko can't even plead a rational case without acting superior and insulting. You can believe she's right and just not care out of spite.
A kin to the top you tubers vs average you tubers?
Ask some, "If old tea is used tea, what is old ink?" When they say " used ink," it sounds like "You stink." You got yourself!
She reminds me allot of my ex wife. Looks and too much attitude (not worth it)