Forum › Stretch discussion

20220118_232511_50
joined Jun 3, 2015

I'm okay with this ending, it feels like Shou brought it as close to the yuri side of it as he could and left it there.

In a standard issue romance novel this is the part where Keiko goes offscreen for some reflection only to return after a timeskip to sweep Ran off her feet. She's even going back home to deal with that situation, it's just offscreen character progression all day every day. So, assuming whatever contract they were under with the magazine didn't let them go full yuri with it(it's still mostly a stretch/gag manga after all), it's a great setup for either a proper continuation or a a nice doujin to finish it all up.

That said if it is a time skip thing I hope it's a long one where we come back to a wife n wife type situation, the offscreen reflection thing is so overused I don't want one here. Skipping ahead further and tell the story through flashbacks just like it was done here would be nice.

Also, since I never got to say this earlier on in the thread: Ran was basically gay for Keiko from day one, trying to compete with Keiko's boyfriend is what got her into health/medicine, and trying to beat your love interests partner to win their affections by being better is crush 101.

Afueee
joined Apr 5, 2013

Btw, I didn't read this I just wanted to drop in and remind people of something. Higashiyama Shou is not a yuri mangaka. 90% of what he writes is het lolicon hentai. Prism is not representative of what he normally does. I don't know if you can expect more yuri from him in the future, but, in any case, its not good to assume that whatever he writes is going to be yuri or even yuri-ish... because its usually not going to be. Cheers.

Well, you said that because you didn't read it.

Being from the author of Prism and with the HUGE amount of subtext and shiptease, and the HUGE hints that Ran is gay the natural thing is having hopes for a yuri end.

Honmei Choco, for God's sake! Honmei Choco!!!

Dammit Shou!!! Dammit Keiko!!! Dammit the publisher!!!
If for a miracle someday I meet with Shou in person, I will greet he with a kick in the nuts.

joined Oct 12, 2013

Dammit Shou!!! Dammit Keiko!!! Dammit the publisher!!!

'Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign of a diseased mind.'

Untitled
joined Oct 4, 2014

THAT'S IT???
THAT'S IT???
SLAM FIST ON THE TABLE
REALLY?????

Nezchan Moderator
Meiling%20bun%20150px
joined Jun 28, 2012

Dammit Shou!!! Dammit Keiko!!! Dammit the publisher!!!

'Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign of a diseased mind.'

As I recall, five or more exclamation points together is a sign of madness.

Afueee
joined Apr 5, 2013

Dammit Shou!!! Dammit Keiko!!! Dammit the publisher!!!

'Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign of a diseased mind.'

In more ways than one!!!!!

SHOOOOOOUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!! (Please, hear it in your head using William Shatner's voice.)

PS: And of course, I use underpants in my head, if anyone was wondering. Like any civilizated person does.

last edited at Oct 15, 2015 1:28PM

Utena-240x146
joined Sep 13, 2015

im just going to say this, WHO HUGGS THERE FRIEND NAKED. If Shou wanted to portray a platonic relationship he didn't need to add these types of details to his manga. If he left those subtle touches out, I wouldn't care as much if there relationship was just friendship. I understand people have different relationships. But, from my own experience with my friends, I don't play footsies with them underneath a table when having dinner. I also, don't play house with them or HUG THEM NAKED IN THE SHOWER. When it comes to friendship there are certain boundaries you don't cross. That's why its a friendship. The undertones are way too much for it just to be a friendship.

My poor heart is disappointed that it didn't turn full yuri but we were never promised that I guess. Im just gutted this could have been a really good yuri manga instead its just an okay adult life/ stretching manga thing.

joined Oct 12, 2013

im just going to say this, WHO HUGGS THERE FRIEND NAKED. If Shou wanted to portray a platonic relationship he didn't need to add these types of details to his manga. If he left those subtle touches out, I wouldn't care as much if there relationship was just friendship. I understand people have different relationships. But, from my own experience with my friends, I don't play footsies with them underneath a table when having dinner. I also, don't play house with them or HUG THEM NAKED IN THE SHOWER. When it comes to friendship there are certain boundaries you don't cross. That's why its a friendship. The undertones are way too much for it just to be a friendship.

My poor heart is disappointed that it didn't turn full yuri but we were never promised that I guess. Im just gutted this could have been a really good yuri manga instead its just an okay adult life/ stretching manga thing.

Shou a shit.

Femshep%20x%20liara%20avatar
joined Dec 8, 2013

Nya-chan

how they reunited during a chaotic event just when Keiko needed a roommate,

AH! You know, I totally forgot they reunited to become roommates at the beginning... perhaps Shou is gonna continue that theme with volume 4/the sequel? They reunite again after 2-3 years (so lonely ;-;) and become even closer, perhaps with a yuri end!!

My flame burns bright for their future. (oh god i actually said that)

joined Mar 25, 2013

This was volume 4. Or did you mean the volume 4 extra?

Jackavi
joined Feb 23, 2014

FUCK YOU SHOU YURI IS DEAD AND ITS YOUR FAULT

Untitled102_20231004232707
joined Mar 26, 2014

Look at the bright side: this isn't Philosophia.

Or Happy End. And at least it's finished unlike Flower Flower and Prism.

Except at least Prism ended on a good note. This didn't.

Yeah

Untitled102_20231004232707
joined Mar 26, 2014

Sudden time skip .. and now this ending. I'm actually a little upset about this :/ I really liked this one, and ... THIS IS JUST CRUEL.
Well.. At least its not a sad ending but rather happy.. (not the kind of happy we were all hoping for) But still, happy.

Yeah I know what you mean I wish the characters a little more growth.

Roomfortwo
joined Feb 11, 2014

In the end, the comments were entertaining in their own. :p

Femshep%20x%20liara%20avatar
joined Dec 8, 2013

This was volume 4. Or did you mean the volume 4 extra?

Uhh... I completely missed that. I totally thought we had another volume coming!! But then, why this:

From the yawaspi page, afterword from Shou translated by the guy from Boon.

This is the end of Ran and Keiko's living together.

It's gotten a lot longer than planned, but it's thanks to the readers' comments that I was able to draw 45 chapters. Thank you very much.

I'm planning on drawing more for the 4th volume than for the other volumes. There might even be a sequel. Please look forward to it.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND. Is volume 4 continuing? What is Shou talking about here?? Less hopeful now because I just don't know what is going on. :(

EDIT: Look forward to what? YOU WROTE "END"! This is actually affecting my life, Shou. pls be kind

last edited at Oct 15, 2015 2:11PM

Avatar_200px_moyashimon_aspergillus-oryzae
joined Mar 14, 2014

Bitter and sweet. A little more bitter. Not that they necessarily needed to be a couple in the end, but the years they spent together just evaporated in such a casual goodbye. Then again, maybe that's how life is.

Ran's beet-red face was my highlight of this chapter.

joined Mar 25, 2013

I DON'T UNDERSTAND. Is volume 4 continuing? What is Shou talking about here?? Less hopeful now because I just don't know what is going on. :(

It's pretty straightforward, The manga is over, the 'drawing more for the 4th volume' is about the extra that comes with the book version of the release. So there is one more extra and then maybe a sequel. Though I wouldn't hold my breath.

last edited at Oct 15, 2015 2:12PM

Femshep%20x%20liara%20avatar
joined Dec 8, 2013

"More for the 4th volume than for the others" The others all had one special, and volume one had a prologue as well. That would seem to imply at least three more chapters?

joined Mar 25, 2013

"More for the 4th volume than for the others" The others all had one special, and volume one had a prologue as well. That would seem to imply at least three more chapters?

If anything, volume 4 had the most chapters, without counting the .5 ones and it didn't have it's extra because it isn't published yet in paper form. It doesn't imply anything. Every volume had an extra that is at the end of that volume and this one didn't. Look at the release page and you'll see.

Dynasty%20necromancer
joined Mar 6, 2014

No Goodbye-Stretching? Into the trash it goes

Phpol1pm9_c1pm
joined Feb 3, 2015

Though my yuri-inclined heart is not really satisfied with the open ending, I do enjoyed the series and the stretches. I wish they could continue the story with, I don't know, maybe some more complicated yoga exercises.

Untitled-1
joined Aug 29, 2013

im just going to say this, WHO HUGGS THERE FRIEND NAKED. If Shou wanted to portray a platonic relationship he didn't need to add these types of details to his manga. If he left those subtle touches out, I wouldn't care as much if there relationship was just friendship. I understand people have different relationships. But, from my own experience with my friends, I don't play footsies with them underneath a table when having dinner. I also, don't play house with them or HUG THEM NAKED IN THE SHOWER. When it comes to friendship there are certain boundaries you don't cross. That's why its a friendship. The undertones are way too much for it just to be a friendship.

My poor heart is disappointed that it didn't turn full yuri but we were never promised that I guess. Im just gutted this could have been a really good yuri manga instead its just an okay adult life/ stretching manga thing.

I agreed completely. He put out there too many hints to bait us. But I knew better not to expect much with that missing yuri tag since the beginning.

It was so rushed at the end i still feel a lil betrayed though.

last edited at Oct 15, 2015 3:00PM

Billportrait
joined Jan 17, 2014

No Goodbye-Stretching? Into the trash it goes

Holy shit you are alive

last edited at Oct 15, 2015 3:01PM

Smollmboye
joined Sep 25, 2013

I think, if there's a planned continuation, this "ending" is fine, in the sense that it feels like a cliffhanger for a second season. Like, the ending for 2013's Dracula is fine if they would've gotten a second season, but it being cancelled means that there were too many new plot elements that were never tied up.

If this isn't an ending made with the idea that there's a definite sequel, then yeah, it's bad. Imagine if Assassin's Creed ended after the first game? There's a major plot event introduced and not done anything with, and we have no idea why Keiko is even moving out, or what happened with her ex. There's too much beginning and not enough actually resolved.

Invoking "real life" to justify it is also pretty stupid. It's not real life. It's a work of fiction. Writers should always bear in mind that, if they adhered to true realism at the complete expense of writing a story, what they wrote is going to be terrible. Nobody is looking to read a Facebook wall of irrelevant crap; they want to read relevant events that tie together into a cohesive narrative that's entertaining to read.

There's a reason Shou didn't detail every single thing that happened in their day-to-day lives, such as going to work or going to shop for the groceries each week, and that reason is because it wouldn't make a good story. Why make allowances for a terrible ending that goes nowhere and does nothing?

tl;dr It's a good move if there's a sequel. Terrible one if not.

Ava2
joined Jun 11, 2014

I thought the ending was fitting, especially since it matched the realistic feeling that this manga was so good at creating. It really felt you were taking peaks into their lives, ranging from the mundane stretching to comedy and to the more emotional moments. Not to say it would be unrealistic to have them end up together, especially since Ran clearly favors Keiko, but I think this manga was going for the relatable transient feeling that goes in in ordinary living where possibilities just pass you by. Who knows maybe in the future in a sequel Keiko will have settled things with her mother and be changed enough to accept Ran. At the very least we got that great panel of Ran blushing. That said, still one of my favorite slices of life, was fun reading.

Also if anyone wants to go back and read the chapters like I did here's a fitting song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PdoM5XJxWM.

last edited at Oct 15, 2015 3:57PM

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