super sorry in advance but i really don't want to comb through this discussion to see what people are referring to by consent so can someone please summarize why people are criticizing this manga?

People are arguing about the extent to which Mitsuki had an obligation to tell Aya the truth about "onii-san." They're not really criticizing the manga, though perhaps some will in the future depending on how the current arc ends. "Consent" I think came up because the situation got compared to the question of whether a trans person has an obligation to tell the person they're dating that they're trans; I personally do not think it's a very helpful concept in this discussion.

Yes.

I’m saying there seems to be some kind of implied issue with romantic feelings instantly making deception totally different.

It’s not just that trans issues were brought up. I’m ignoring that nonsense.

It’s NOT any of that.

It’s teenagers making mistakes.
That’s what they do.

Can we all just say “what a great story! The art is good, I like the characters and the emotional reality is touching”

Also, sorry for my weirdly encyclopaedic manner of speech.

This is how I talk and I don’t know how to speak normally. It’s taking effort to be this terse.
It’s the result of reading too many books from the 18th through early 20th centuries and actual encyclopaedias etc growing up.

Even my apologies are long! I actually cut a paragraph.

last edited at Aug 24, 2022 8:38AM

I swear to god I'm gonna take away some user's privileges of using words like manipulation, consent, and toxicity until they learn what they actually mean. This is why I usually stay away from the comment's section.

People are accusing others of comparing her silence to violence.
That’s absurd to do or accuse others of.
I’m saying this IS NOT an issue of “she must disclose her gender because romance is at all involved!” It’s tedious and getting overblown.

Fundamentally this is an issue of “how much responsibility does one have to disclose in a given relationship of any kind”, and when people are saying romance makes it suddenly a bigger issue it’s implying something.

It’s implying that it’s some kind of violation to hide that.
Reductio ad absurdum, that’s an issue of consent.
They’re texting, not fucking or even dating. They’re just barely flirting!!!

I’m saying it’s silly to say that, silly to get up in arms about other people saying it.

It’s a simple issue of “there’s a misunderstanding and it needs to be cleared up.

Everyone CHILL.

What if yadda yadda yadda

These are not applicable in this situation. The similarities are superficial.

Mitsuki is a cis woman. It’s part of the ding dang title!!! She’s pretty butch, but she’s a woman. No reason to go further into that, because it’s moot.

Sexual orientation IS an issue, because they’re humans.
Saying someone is “attracted to [a certain] gender expression” implies that sexual orientation doesn’t relate to gender, but appearance.
Many people are attracted to people regardless of gender. This is not something to be assumed. We all know how to spell “assume”.

As a homosexual trans woman, I’m offended that you’ve acted like sexual orientation is irrelevant to discussion of romantic attraction in addition to bringing in trans issues when they have no place in the discussion. I have a gender and an orientation. I’m a woman who is attracted to women. These things matter.

Overall, this seems to have been an attempt to be über-progressive and looped back to regressive.
You seem intelligent and well-meaning, @Pyrrho
I’m confident you can get a handle on all this.

last edited at Aug 23, 2022 10:15PM

Alright, let’s break this down for people arguing about honesty and consent and such.

Is she making a good decision in not revealing her identity? No. She knows that, we know it if we’re intellectually honest with ourselves.

If you’re a teenager who doesn’t reveal who you are to anyone at school and just found out you’re queer you’re gonna have difficulty knowing what to do. None of that is conducive to good decision making. If you have a crush and the only way to keep knowing for sure they feel the same is to keep up a façade… pretty common story. Way too common.

How easy is it for a loner to come out in an extremely heteronormative society, especially with all the above? Not very.

Mitsuki is in the wrong. This isn’t up for question. She feels guilty because she knows she is. However, she hasn’t committed a crime. They text and talk sometimes. That’s not assault or anything to do with lines of consent. It’s just a big mistake.

I’m old.
I’ve felt the feels both these girls are dealing with, and I’ve made mistakes. This is a matter that requires a conversation and apology. It’s not a crime.

It’s a work of fiction, and conflict that arises from misunderstanding and a tangled web woven is pretty common.
We know it ends happily.

And to the person who assumed the author is straight and fetishises lesbians? Where did that come from?! Why invent a problem to lash out? Only answer that to yourself.