How y’all write entire essays about 4 pages I have no idea lol

It was a summary of every arc of the manga, not just four pages. A fact that would've been obvious if you read the post instead of skipping straight to flippant remarks.

The first person was clearly being tongue in cheek, and you didn't deserve such a rude response. Just letting you know that, first poster.

I don't really get why people take the (valid) criticism to the manga as a personal offense, or a "why are you still reading" - have you ever read a manga that is ongoing? Or seen an ongoing tv show? Sometimes it has his ups, sometimes it has downs, and especially when it has be going for so long, we don't really want to drop it because we really want the series to succeed, get better, or go back to how good it was before. Not all criticism is "hate", at least for me, I am critical even to my favourite shows and books because I want them to be the best possible, because I like it so much.

I also think the argument "they are young lesbians and people are expecting too much maturity"; not really, no. It's not because they are having issues, more so the way they are dealing with them is the same as the beginning of the manga. They don't need to be perfect or handle it without any obstacle, but as the characters grow, we expect them to remember their past experiences and apply that to the situation. After the first 3 times they had fights relating to lack of open communication, I don't see it as a lack of maturity anymore, rather, "are they actually compatible?" lmao they've been close friends for how long, then dating how long, to still be incapable to talk to one another without external intervention???

I'll argue that HDWR is a GREAT example to a couple that had many, many issues to their relationship, stemming from past traumas, immaturity, and all the rest, but we saw thek grow, change, embark in other relationships and bring all that to the table as they moved on, and back, to each other. To give the benefit of the doubt to Arai Sumiko though, I think pacing might be the roote cause to all these problems, and at the same time, it should be responsibility of the author to plan the manga, so if she wants to do 4 pages, she should have some awareness of how it would best be paced in the format she chose to draw.

tl;dr I just hope the narrative gets better.

Agreed. I've read better drama in other romance series, drama that I'd also say was more "realistic" and interesting. Though of course what people think is realistic and what not tends to be highly subjective. For me it feels like the author is trapped in a repeating melodrama cycle and as previously said by Venter69, is constantly resetting the characters every arc, and it isn't interesting or realistic for me. I want to love this series, I really do, so I'm hoping things will change in the future and this arc is the primary low point.

last edited at Jun 7, 2026 12:48PM

Among all the negativity, I must say that I like the line "I must admit I'm an idiot, even I didn't think this would happen"

I think many highschool sweethearts couples, even moreso ones with stories like these, end up letting go on doing the constant effort that relationships require because "we're meant to be"(which is really just the reverse of "who else would you be with?", if you look at it cynically)

It's... awful to see that Mitsuki only gains conciousness of the problems in the relationships once a potential rival comes along, but it's also natural, it happens.

Personally, it really speaks to me, I've been on both ends. And nowadays I quite hate the assumption that you'll be with someone forever because it causes these issues, so I quite liked this episode.

last edited at Jun 7, 2026 3:42PM

This story is dragging this melodrama out way too long, and I mean that in a critical way, not on a "oh it hurts so good" way. It's not just the relationship that's suffering from all this melodrama (which was the writer's intention), but the story itself is suffering too.

The context for this arc isn't helping either. We got new side characters for this arc and wrote off literally everyone the main couple knew before the time skip (ballsy because it also means we only have the two main cast to be familiar with for this arc and our protagonists now have zero support network). The pacing has also been far more focused on the drama and not much else tbh (even most of the cutesy/fun moments, what few there were, were connected to the underlying drama). We also had a massive break on a melodramatic cliffhanger which further set the tone for the arc as mainly unease one compared to previous arcs. Also it feels like even the musical motifs have taken a backseat to the drama (might've been intentional on the author's part to show Mitsuki's disconnect to music atm, but it's done in such a way that it makes the arc feel more flat since now it's literally no different from any other melodramatic young love story).

But the worst part is: it's the same fucking bullshit we got last time and every fucking time with this manga: No heart to heart communication until things blow up and then they one of them has to do some over the top gesture to resolve things and I'm calling the author out on it.

It's literally happened every plot arc.

Original Plot: Mitsuki and Aya refused to talk about Aya mistaking Mitsuki for a hot guy until things blew up and Mitsuki did a performance for her.

Next plot: Mitsuki and Aya refused to talk about wanting to be closer friends until things blew up and Aya climbed through Mitsuki's window to confront her it.

Next plot: Mitsuki and Aya refused to talk about their personal problems (Aya with study anxiety and Mitsuki with her musical career) AND Mitsuki and Aya didn't talk about their relationship changing from close friendship to something deeper (especially on the wake of Mitsuki's sudden popularity) until things blew up and they had a very cheesy but sweet prom night.

Now: Mitsuki and Aya can't talk openly about Mitsuki's anxiety with music after multiple failed bands (don't pretend Aya snapping at and confronting Mitsuki after midnight was genuine communication, that was just more melodramatic bullshit from the author) and now Mitsuki just assuming Aya is getting ready to leave her instead of AGAIN just talking things out with her lover. So again, things are blowing up and may blow up even further given how the plot has been getting more melodramatic with every new chapter.

I'm also expecting some more drama like another even bigger fight or them sulking until some outside party forces some sense into one or both of them because I fully don't expect the author to have either of them do it of their own accord with how their writing has been going. As for the over the top gesture, Mitsuki finally faces her fears and picks up the guitar again (maybe with the event her coworker was telling her about) to show Aya the music she wants to do and not just the music she was forced to do with her old bands and show Aya she wants her to hear that music too. Incidentally, I'm expecting the author to also say Mitsuki was sooo hung up on not showing/doing anything musical with Aya because she both was ashamed of what she did show her and wasn't confident in finding her music after so many bad band fits.

It's dramatic, it's cliche and I'm sure some people will eat it up... but honestly it all could've and should've been summed up in a midway chapter having a heart to heart and then the rest of the volume focusing on Mitsuki establishing her own band. But instead the entire arc seems focused solely around their inability to communicate and dragging it out for months on end.

As it stands, the manga is experiencing sitcom levels of character development: reset all character growth and communication skills at the end of every episode (or plot arc in this manga's case) to milk the same drama later on, again and again until it's no longer profitable. That style of writing is fucking over this story's potential and the writer needs to stop relying on it.

The author fucked up with thinking relationship drama was all that important to the story when the couple's journey through life was what truly made this story shine.

I'm hoping the author learns how to do proper character development for the main couple and have them deal with new plot arcs with their developed characterizations instead of resetting Mitsuki's and Aya's communication and critical thinking skills to Chapter 1 levels of development every fucking new plot arc.

That way, we don't get them STILL having over melodramatic relationship issues due to them not being able to healthily communicate for the entire fucking series and developing an honestly dysfunctional relationship. Instead I want to get more interesting stories about them tackling life's challenges together as a couple and still arguing at times and facing hardships that make them cling tightly together as they navigate through the storms and eventually find they've lived a full life well-lived and well-loved together.

God forbid an author tell their story with their characters the way they want to. Humanity and complexity and flaws? Those things we all are made up of? We should just get rid of them in favor of everyone just magically resolving all of their issues like we all do in real life, right?

The story you want may be interesting to you but it is not the story the author is trying to tell. Stories are not told simply for you to enjoy them—they are told because there is an overarching theme to the work. Characters hurt each other because they are representations of real people with messy and complex subjectivities. It is obvious that the author is not interested in telling the story that you want them to but maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe the overarching theme and message will be much better than two queer girls who resolve all of their issues in record time.

You're telling me the characters in this story made mistakes, supposedly learned from them, then made the same mistakes again? Teenagers being melodramatic? Insecurity manifesting as suspicion? That's not realistic at all. Who could possibly relate to that nonsense? Bad writing and dropped.

You're telling me the characters in this story made mistakes, supposedly learned from them, then made the same mistakes again? Teenagers being melodramatic? Insecurity manifesting as suspicion? That's not realistic at all. Who could possibly relate to that nonsense? Bad writing and dropped.

Lol
For real though, even if they weren't teenagers, my parents have been having the same fights for 20+ years, and some of those fights were really nasty (they should have divorced at least 15 years ago). It's very easy to fall into patterns of behavior with someone.

You're telling me the characters in this story made mistakes, supposedly learned from them, then made the same mistakes again? Teenagers being melodramatic? Insecurity manifesting as suspicion? That's not realistic at all. Who could possibly relate to that nonsense? Bad writing and dropped.

Lol
For real though, even if they weren't teenagers, my parents have been having the same fights for 20+ years, and some of those fights were really nasty (they should have divorced at least 15 years ago). It's very easy to fall into patterns of behavior with someone.

Yeah there's repetitive things to all of us as humans and our relationships, but I also don't think a total refusal to communicate in basically any regard and then jumping to an absurd assumption about cheating is being handled in a very realistic or interesting way in this arc. Also I wouldn't want this story to be going for 20 more years with 0 character growth and repeating the same character resets where nobody learns lessons just because some people think that's a realistic relationship lol

Pedantically, I think they're at least 20: they're drinking alcohol, after all. Plus I dimly recall some timeskip chapters. So they've had at least a couple years since prom to figure things out.

You're telling me the characters in this story made mistakes, supposedly learned from them, then made the same mistakes again? Teenagers being melodramatic? Insecurity manifesting as suspicion? That's not realistic at all. Who could possibly relate to that nonsense? Bad writing and dropped.

Lol
For real though, even if they weren't teenagers, my parents have been having the same fights for 20+ years, and some of those fights were really nasty (they should have divorced at least 15 years ago). It's very easy to fall into patterns of behavior with someone.

Yeah there's repetitive things to all of us as humans and our relationships, but I also don't think a total refusal to communicate in basically any regard and then jumping to an absurd assumption about cheating is being handled in a very realistic or interesting way in this arc. Also I wouldn't want this story to be going for 20 more years with 0 character growth and repeating the same character resets where nobody learns lessons just because some people think that's a realistic relationship lol

They haven't had zero character growth and this hasn't been going on that long. The cheating issue is entirely about her own lacking self worth, to put it simply, and not a reflection of anything else. I don't understand how that could be absurd unless you're disregarding what her mental state has been. She's been aware of her distance, feels she's not providing much without her music and is massively insecure recently as a result of these traumas. Why wouldn't she be in the state to jump to conclusions, when those conclusions satisfy the biases she has against herself?

last edited at Jun 7, 2026 5:05PM

Among all the negativity, I must say that I like the line "I must admit I'm an idiot, even I didn't think this would happen"

I think many highschool sweethearts couples, even moreso ones with stories like these, end up letting go on doing the constant effort that relationships require because "we're meant to be"(which is really just the reverse of "who else would you be with?", if you look at it cynically)

It's... awful to see that Mitsuk4i only gains conciousness of the problems in the relationships once a potential rival comes along, but it's also natural, it happens.

Personally, it really speaks to me, I've been on both ends. And nowadays I quite hate the assumption that you'll be with someone forever because it causes these issues, so I quite liked this episode.

I agree, I really loved this line and it unfortunately resonates with me a lot. Although, in some part of my mind deep down, I thought it could happen, until I was faced with it straight on, I didn't actually think a break up would happen between me and my ex (first love).

It's a very common thing that happens in first/young relationships. We grow up in a very romanticized culture with our media often depicting "destined' and "forever" relationships, that we fail to realize in our innocence or rather naivety of first relationships, just how damaging that mindset could be.

Both in either, believing the person will always be there no matter what, even when you're not putting in as much effort as you once used to and thus taking them for granted or someone staying for much longer than they should, even though they aren't being treated well, but believe this is supposed to be "destined and forever" so they shouldn't let go of the other person, because as you said perfectly, "who else would you be with?"

You're telling me the characters in this story made mistakes, supposedly learned from them, then made the same mistakes again? Teenagers being melodramatic? Insecurity manifesting as suspicion? That's not realistic at all. Who could possibly relate to that nonsense? Bad writing and dropped.

Lol
For real though, even if they weren't teenagers, my parents have been having the same fights for 20+ years, and some of those fights were really nasty (they should have divorced at least 15 years ago). It's very easy to fall into patterns of behavior with someone.

Yeah there's repetitive things to all of us as humans and our relationships, but I also don't think a total refusal to communicate in basically any regard and then jumping to an absurd assumption about cheating is being handled in a very realistic or interesting way in this arc. Also I wouldn't want this story to be going for 20 more years with 0 character growth and repeating the same character resets where nobody learns lessons just because some people think that's a realistic relationship lol

They haven't had zero character growth and this hasn't been going on that long. The cheating issue is entirely about her own lacking self worth, to put it simply, and not a reflection of anything else. I don't understand how that could be absurd unless you're disregarding what her mental state has been. She's been aware of her distance, feels she's not providing much without her music and is massively insecure recently as a result of these traumas. Why wouldn't she be in the state to jump to conclusions, when those conclusions satisfy the biases she has against herself?

I was saying if we're going to have a situation where this series keeps going by having the couple repeatedly get into the same fight for years to come it would be something where there's no character growth. Sure there are some couples in real life that are like that but it would make for a miserable story experience in my opinion, others may disagree as they think that's the most realistic situation a couple could be in. I don't think most couples are like that though so I don't think it's a very realistic personally.

Also yes Mitsuki has biases against herself but it's absurd to me that she ignores Aya, gives her the cold shoulder, and the moment Aya LEANS on a friend Mitsuki instantly thinks Aya is having an affair with her friend. Not only does Mitsuki have biases against herself but she has no faith in her partner, despite Aya trying her best and giving Mitsuki no reason to doubt her.

Anyway I think it's better to agree to disagree and move on at this point, there's people that think this arc is a well realized and very well written realistic drama, where as I think this arc has become an exhausting situation boarding on Soap Opera drama. I don't think we're going to agree and that's fine.

Technically it's not the same fight they're having it just stems from the same place. The first two times they fought was because Mitsuki was lying, the one after that was Mitsuki sending Aya mixed signals, the one after that wasn't a fight but Aya wasn't talking. This situation is different because Mitsuki isn't lying nor is she sending mixed signals. It just all stems from the same place which is being avoidant and not being able to communicate her feelings.

Technically it's not the same fight they're having it just stems from the same place. The first two times they fought was because Mitsuki was lying, the one after that was Mitsuki sending Aya mixed signals, the one after that wasn't a fight but Aya wasn't talking. This situation is different because Mitsuki isn't lying nor is she sending mixed signals. It just all stems from the same place which is being avoidant and not being able to communicate her feelings.

My question is are they going to keep having fights that stem from being avoidant and not being able to communicate for years to come? Where this series goes for years by going back to the same place over and over. I hope not at least.

Technically it's not the same fight they're having it just stems from the same place. The first two times they fought was because Mitsuki was lying, the one after that was Mitsuki sending Aya mixed signals, the one after that wasn't a fight but Aya wasn't talking. This situation is different because Mitsuki isn't lying nor is she sending mixed signals. It just all stems from the same place which is being avoidant and not being able to communicate her feelings.

My question is are they going to keep having fights that stem from being avoidant and not being able to communicate for years to come? Where this series goes for years by going back to the same place over and over. I hope not at least.

No, I don't think the series would cover that. If they were a real couple, then yeah they most likely would. But for this series, I'd say this fight is significant because really it's their first big fight after they've started dating. It's a different dynamic now.

Sorry, I don't mean to be harping on you, or others who disagree. I hope it's ok that I'm still replying to you, and none of this comes off as mean or something.

I can think of a few prestige TV shows where a character had consistent flaws like this and some of the audience would reply like you saying that it felt like they were just doing the same thing over and over again, and some would say it's not the same thing, the context is different, and the characters have changed even if it comes from the same place. I think ultimately for me, if drama is going to come from somewhere, then it should be from consistent character traits.

ts buns lol zzzz

No, I don't think the series would cover that. If they were a real couple, then yeah they most likely would. But for this series, I'd say this fight is significant because really it's their first big fight after they've started dating. It's a different dynamic now.

Sorry, I don't mean to be harping on you, or others who disagree. I hope it's ok that I'm still replying to you, and none of this comes off as mean or something.

I mean, there are a lot of people who express their disagreement and dislike of the series pretty consistently, comfortably, and sometimes pretty aggressively, so I don't see any issue with the few who disagree with that. If we aren't sharing our perspectives, I am not sure that this won't be even more of a very one-sided forum about this series. As long as it's respectful. I get your idea, though.

I also agree with your other point. I don't see why we would expect the series to focus on one topic for years, unless that was meant as an exaggeration. This is just the current issue they're dealing with. It's a music manga, so she will not be without music for years. This is also their first real fight about what's happened since the band breakup. They have fought before, but fighting isn't something that you do once and never again. This fight is not about anything they've fought about previously.

last edited at Jun 7, 2026 8:19PM

Technically it's not the same fight they're having it just stems from the same place. The first two times they fought was because Mitsuki was lying, the one after that was Mitsuki sending Aya mixed signals, the one after that wasn't a fight but Aya wasn't talking. This situation is different because Mitsuki isn't lying nor is she sending mixed signals. It just all stems from the same place which is being avoidant and not being able to communicate her feelings.

My question is are they going to keep having fights that stem from being avoidant and not being able to communicate for years to come? Where this series goes for years by going back to the same place over and over. I hope not at least.

No, I don't think the series would cover that. If they were a real couple, then yeah they most likely would. But for this series, I'd say this fight is significant because really it's their first big fight after they've started dating. It's a different dynamic now.

Sorry, I don't mean to be harping on you, or others who disagree. I hope it's ok that I'm still replying to you, and none of this comes off as mean or something.

I can think of a few prestige TV shows where a character had consistent flaws like this and some of the audience would reply like you saying that it felt like they were just doing the same thing over and over again, and some would say it's not the same thing, the context is different, and the characters have changed even if it comes from the same place. I think ultimately for me, if drama is going to come from somewhere, then it should be from consistent character traits.

I think consistent character traits can be done well, though evolving those traits over the course of a story is something I want to often see. It really depends on the story and the character. Also it's something where maybe our views are closer in some aspects than we realize, but at the end of the day things about this arc aren't working for me like they are for you and others. Which is fine, and I'm still wanting to see where things go and I'm hoping that there will eventually be significant character progression that makes all of this worthwhile.

I also agree with your other point. I don't see why we would expect the series to focus on one topic for years, unless that was meant as an exaggeration. This is just the current issue they're dealing with. It's a music manga, so she will not be without music for years. This is also their first real fight about what's happened since the band breakup. They have fought before, but fighting isn't something that you do once and never again. This fight is not about anything they've fought about previously.

I didn't mean one topic but rather keeping the couple constantly fighting for years due to being avoidant combined with the poor communication, and never evolving past those points and issues. I'm also well aware that people have more than one fight in basically every kind of relationship, not saying that they don't. What I want is the next time they fight for them to go about the fight differently, for them to learn from their previous fights, and so on. I want to feel like there's significant character growth and progression after this arc.

last edited at Jun 7, 2026 8:43PM

"Good stories are bad lives
Good stories are bad liiiiives" - will toledo

Which way green Yuri reader:
"This drama is so bad I could die!"
Or
"This drama is so good I could die"

The worst part is I'm not even sure!

ouughfhh... yuri..... but im sad....... but yuri....... BUT IM SAD....... ooouuuugggghghg.........

Among all the negativity, I must say that I like the line "I must admit I'm an idiot, even I think this wouldn't happen"

I think many highschool sweethearts couples, even moreso ones with stories like these, end up letting go on doing the constant effort that relationships require because "we're meant to be"(which is really just the reverse of "who else would you be with?", if you look at it cynically)

It's... awful to see that Mitsuki only gains conciousness of the problems in the relationships once a potential rival comes along, but it's also natural, it happens.

Personally, it really speaks to me, I've been on both ends. And nowadays I quite hate the assumption that you'll be with someone forever because it causes these issues, so I quite liked this episode.

Yeah, at this point, it's not even that the "rival" means anything. Mitsuki is jealous, but Aya hasn't shown any romantic interest in Shu, Shu just has a one-sided crush thus far.

Aya is lonely because Mitsuki isn't talking to her, but Mitsuki isn't talking to her because she's afraid that because their relationship is based on music, that if she can't play then Aya will lose interest. Ironically, that emotional instability is also probably part of why she's lost her mojo in the first place.

But Aya's interest was never because of the music, it was because Mitsuki is sweet and attentive and considerate. The accidental rizz moments scattered through the series all come from Mitsuki being concerned about Aya, but Mitsuki just remembers using music, so she think it's about the music itself.

It's worth remembering that Joe also nearly lost the love of his life because he didn't realize that all she wanted was to know she was cherished.

to be fair this is 100% an accurate representation of people in their early twenties in a relationship

which is exactly why we need more yuri of women in their 30s

I don't really mind this arc much in the grand scheme of things if only we would get those 4< page chapters more. That 12 pager with Shu and Rinko was really good, I liked what I learnt about these side characters! You would think something like that would be used for establishing these recent story beats, too. It's clear that these are crucial moments in their relationship. Or maybe there just wasn't much to say. This story is so popular I don't know if "4< pages would break the social media traction" applies much as an excuse anymore.

to be fair this is 100% an accurate representation of people in their early twenties in a relationship

which is exactly why we need more yuri of women in their 30s

I love Arai Sumiko's older woman yuri writing and I REALL REALLY hope she continues those someday pleaseeeeee

I really commend Sumiko for what she is doing with this series. I know many feel like this conflict is drawn out and frustrating but this really is such a great depiction of a pivotal stage in every relationship.

When the girls finally started dating, there was a sense of relief, as if the hard part was over and it would just be smooth sailing from there. But in reality, becoming a couple is just the beginning because after you confess your feelings and they are returned, you enter a honeymoon phase where the relationship feels effortless. Affection and intimacy feel easy because the relationship is fun and novel. You love someone and they love you back—they want to hold your hand and kiss you and be intimate with you. This honeymoon phase feels lovely and easy and meant-to-be…. until it doesn’t. Because no one stays the same forever—not you and not your lover. And no matter how much you love them and how much you love what you have together… Your relationship will have to grow and change because the both of you are (hopefully) growing and changing, too.

Work, university, clubs, friends, music gigs, parties, movie nights, having fun and drinking too much… Mitsuki and Aya are not the same high school girls from before. They spend more time apart during the day then they do together and that is good! That’s life! But life will naturally change them and it will, in turn, change their relationship. It’s inevitable and beautiful and necessary. And that is where they are right now. Their honeymoon is over. It has been interrupted by the inevitability of change and they are struggling with what that change means for their relationship.

Mitsuki is afraid of what it will mean if she admits that music is just not something she particularly enjoys anymore (at this moment, at least)—especially since she feels like it was the foundation of her relationship with Aya. And on some level it kind of was. It wasn’t the only thing that drew them together but it was an important part of them getting to know each other and falling in love. So, she avoids the issue entirely because she is isn’t prepared for what this change will mean for their relationship.

And of course, Aya is frustrated that Mitsuki is unwilling to open up about her struggle but at the same time she is also actively grieving the loss of something that she feels is foundational to their relationship. But at the same time she’s also not just grieving the loss of their shared love for music—she is also grieving the loss of the closeness and honesty that they were able to share through their mutual love for music, they way they were able to attune to each other. She wants that sense of closeness and emotional intimacy back but how can she have that without leaning on their mutual love for music?

I think Sumiko is pushing the girls to answer questions that every couple has had to at some point in their relationship; what defines our relationship? How do we adapt to individual growth and change? Is this a relationship in which we can grow and change or is it one in which we are expected to stay the same forever? These are very scary questions for anyone but especially so for a pair of 20 year old girls who have only been dating for a few years.

I think it’s really wonderful that Sumiko is taking the girls— and us—there. So often authors are limited by a narrow idea of what love and relationships look like which can lead young readers to have unrealistic expectations of what their own love lives might look like. But Sumiko seems to understand what a real adult relationship entails and I love that. We need more adult yuri. We need more honest representations of what relationships look like, beyond high school and beyond fluff. Sumiko is really doing something here and I am so excited to see how our girls grow and change—individually and as a pair.