Artists should stop feeling insecure when someone younger than you makes good work
not only does it not matter at all its also annoying to constantly see the defeatist attitude around it
i just think marginalized creators should also be given the grace to make stuff they like without the pressure of it having to be a masterpiece or the pressures of being a voice for their entire community
if anyone is interested, i managed to find the animated adaptation of chibikuro party (the story that was supposedly an inspiration for FRIEND) and spent my night translating it myself. its incredibly rudimentary as i know very little japanese, but i hope its interesting at least