The film lacks LGBTQ+ characters or non-heteronormative identities. The interpersonal dynamics focus on traditional geisha professional expectations and patriarchal client relationships.

The narrative prioritizes female experience, centering on the struggle for professional autonomy. Eiko and Miyoharu drive the plot, showcasing resilience against exploitation rather than passive submissiveness.

Set in Meiji-era Japan, the cast is homogeneous. However, the film avoids a Western gaze, offering an authentic, localized exploration of Japanese social hierarchies.

The film critiques the commodification of individuals within rigid class structures. It portrays the geisha house as an oppressive system that forces sacrifice and loss of innocence.

There is no significant or central depiction of physical or neurodivergent disabilities. The narrative focus remains on socioeconomic and gendered constraints.