Well, that was stupid.

Is it just me, or is has there been an an increase in yuri-baiting manga like this one over the last few years? I really wonder what causes this. Is it authors getting cold feet? Editorial meddling? Or maybe just plain-old cynicism, reeling readers in with some romantic premise, only to bail out in the end? There could even be some deeper sociological factors at play here. Heck, I would like someone more knowledgeable than me about Japanese culture to figure out this odd phenomenon.

What the hell, Kanade. Do you think it's necessary to rip out Nanaki's heart and trample all over it like that? Nanaki really didn't deserve any of that crap.

So my advise to Nanaki would be: RUN! Get away as far as you can from that headcase. No amount of love of devotion you give her will help her. What Kanade needs is some serious therapy, and it's not up to you to provide it.

I still hope that something positive will come out of this. Actually, I'd like Nanaki to give Izumi a chance. Failing that I will label this work as simply another example of egregious yuri-baiting and call it a day.

a lot of the hate is simply because it depicts a relationship that isn’t what that reader wanted

Ah, the good ol' "you're only mad because you didn't get what you wanted" shtick, used to defend every example of gay-baiting since... well, ever.

The fact is that this story follows all the beats of a romance, then makes a sharp turn and starts being about something completely different, leading to a confusing mess. The author spends chapter after chapter clearly depicting the two female characters as being in love, only to go "Whoops. Sorry about leading you on. This story is about unspecified existential dread instead. Enjoy!"

And if this were only this one work in which this happens then I would shrug it off and contribute it to either executive meddling or the author's own repressed homosexual desires. As it stands though, this kind of attitude is pervasive in Japanese popular media, and it frankly sucks.

last edited at Mar 2, 2021 10:06AM

This manga was never meant to be yuri. Author and editor said that from the start. I don't know why anyone expected anything.

That's what we're told, but it just doesn't jive with what we're presented with. The manga, when taken at face value, starts out as a fragile love story between two awkward teenagers, and either the author did not consciously do this and tried to weasel her way of out this by changing direction, or she got told off by her editor to cut it out in order not to hurt sales. Of course this could also have been a deliberate decision from the start, which would make it even worse.

It's a shame how this charming tale of teenage love gets dropped half-way and veers off into a vague narrative about depression because one girl feels lonely because she doesn't see the other as much anymore, or whatever that nonsense was supposed to be. Unfortunately this type of development is not uncommon in Japanese media, which seems to be fascinated by same-sex romance but can't seem to get over the hurdle of institutionalized homophobia.

last edited at Mar 2, 2021 5:35AM

It's so sad how this ship got blown to smithereens in the movie.

I can actually see Akari as part of Kyouko's harem.

Somebody needs to tell Akari that she needs to stretch her legs when she has a cramp.

So that picture was taken at the Angel Road at Shōdoshima. I suspected as much. I might be going there next time i get a chance to visit Japan. And while I'm there, I may as well check out some locations from Karakai Jōzu no Takagi-san too

This has to be the slowest moving manga series ever.

KyoAni allows just enough yuri to bait those who like that, only to bail before it becomes canon. They even pulled the same crap in the Violet Evergarden movie with the whole development between Violet and Amy. Annoying, but I don't think they will change this habit anytime soon.

last edited at Jul 21, 2020 5:18AM

Looks like they'll be visiting all my favorite Fukuoka locations. Fun! I do feel kind of go back there again, but i am afraid that a lot of those places will have closed now with COVID-19 and all.

Another day, another fake-out yuri manga.

I can't even get worked up about it anymore.

last edited at Jun 12, 2020 3:29AM

Well, Sae. At least you tried.

Wow, I love it how they go to the Sunrise Marine Town in Ito. I've been there several times, and they indeed have great spas there.

The place also features extensively in Amanchu. Hopefully this manga will turn out to be a more yuri-friendly than that one.

last edited at Jun 2, 2020 3:04PM

Truthfully, I thought this one was kind of meh. None of the characters struck me as very compelling, and I honestly even forgot what most plot lines were about. I only kept plowing through it because I kept hoping Shimura would introduce a yuri pairing, but despite many opportunities she never goes there.

Then again, Shimura hasn't really shown any interest in making a yuri manga since Aoi Hana (which I still regard as her best work by far), so I guess I'd better drop the hope that she will ever go that route again.

last edited at May 29, 2020 9:11AM

That restaurant is at walking distance from the station, so she really didn't need a ride.

@HellAQA: Yeah, I know what you mean. When Nana said was searching for her ex-boyfriend I thought she did so to punch him in the face for dumping her and running off. But no, she actually starts dating him again. Hello? Why would you still want to date someone like that? It seemed very out-of-place for a somebody who is supposedly strong-willed and independent.

And then there's the whole debacle of Hachi getting knocked up by a total scumbag, just when she and Nana began to realize their feelings for each other.

Heteronormativity, indeed.

last edited at May 20, 2020 11:12AM

The what of her heart is abominable? I can't read that for the life of me.

Striped eel catfish only swim in large groups like that when they're still young, and their venom isn't nearly as nasty as that of adults. Ah well, it's still pretty cute manga nevertheless.

I wish they would stop torturing sea cucumbers though. Really, what's with that?

last edited at Apr 7, 2020 1:25PM

Duckie!

Uh... didn't Liz just get her hair cut? How could it have grown back the same evening?

So, it's finally finished! I already read the last chapter years ago, and I kept hoping that the missing chapters would explain the sudden development between Yuu and Kanna. That doesn't happen, really. The author wastes a lot of time on that student council in what doesn't seem to serve any other purpose than to pad out the story, but hey, at least it led to a very sweet ending.

last edited at Nov 22, 2019 2:09PM

Wow, what a confusing mess. I really have no clue what's going on anymore. It would help if the characters wouldn't all share the same face.

Yeah, the Yurikamome line is a lot of fun. I have been on it several times, and the view is simply magnificent.

Trousers? I don't see Shizuku wear any trousers. What are you talking about, Saki?