I wish there was so much content for me to consume that there would be some real competition here but there's not.

So sad, but so true. The lack of original yuri series is agonizing.

whu? I mean I have my hang ups. I'm picky as hell. but I don't think I'd go as far as to call it agonizing. huh.

It's a hyperbole.

Is she Mari or Maki? Later on she's referred to as Maki.

I wish there was so much content for me to consume that there would be some real competition here but there's not.

So sad, but so true. The lack of original yuri series is agonizing.

whu? I mean I have my hang ups. I'm picky as hell. but I don't think I'd go as far as to call it agonizing. huh.

This might depend on how much time you have on your hands. I currently have too much free time and not enough money so there needs to be a LOT of content to begin ruling things like this out. I mean, if there was as much Harlequin Romance for lesbians as there are for straight women, I could suddenly be a lot choosier. ESPECIALLY, if the public library stocked oodles of them like they do Harlequin style books.

So the perception of how good the content flow is is altered by the amount of free time and the ability to fill that free time with other enjoyable things such as money for outings, close proximity to friends (okay I moved to a place with no one immediately in my age group and no money soooo this has been trashed), available dates, etc.

Writing this has made me think maybe I should go to the library and check out some straight Harlequins even though I have zero interest in dating men.

last edited at Mar 28, 2017 2:05PM

Just go and read reviews at Mrs. Giggles instead. The 2 and 3 oogie reviews are generally the most entertaining. No need to subject to yourself to the cookie-cutter awfulness of Harlequin (you only need to read one).

Just go and read reviews at Mrs. Giggles instead. The 2 and 3 oogie reviews are generally the most entertaining. No need to subject to yourself to the cookie-cutter awfulness of Harlequin (you only need to read one).

Recently, I have had the occasion to check out the, shall we say "adult", romance novels available on Kindle. Lots of $0.99 offerings from folks just happy to have the ability to self-publish.

And I noticed on many of them, they featured the following:

"ABSOLUTELY NO CHEATING! GUARANTEED HEA!"

I had to google what "hea" meant in this context. It means "Happily Ever After".

Apparently enough women are distraught by romance novels containing infidelity and/or not-necessarily-happy endings that (A) authors are rushing to fill the void with works containing neither; and (B) authors are proudly proclaiming these things to prospective customers.

I was fascinated.

Apparently enough women are distraught by romance novels containing infidelity and/or not-necessarily-happy endings that (A) authors are rushing to fill the void with works containing neither; and (B) authors are proudly proclaiming these things to prospective customers.

You've never read the comments here on stories with downer endings, I take it? Believe me, it ain't just women!

I understand though, romance is escapist/voyeuristic literature so it's nice to see what you're getting into before you buy. And that goes double, maybe triple, for queer stuff. It's actually kind of reassuring to see stuff where they promise not to kill off all the lesbian girlfriends.

Apparently enough women are distraught by romance novels containing infidelity and/or not-necessarily-happy endings that (A) authors are rushing to fill the void with works containing neither; and (B) authors are proudly proclaiming these things to prospective customers.

You've never read the comments here on stories with downer endings, I take it? Believe me, it ain't just women!

Oh, on the contrary, the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments which takes place here whenever a non-happy-ending story floats by was the first thing that popped to mind when I saw "GUARANTEED HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER!" I was like "Man, I know who the market is for this!"

Well, assuming any of you lot are into romantic heterosexual BDSM erotica, that is.

Ebooks are cheap, aye?

Where are you finding cheap lesbian romance? Maybe I missed the boat but the good ones I've found are always 5-10 bucks. Tell me more.

Just go and read reviews at Mrs. Giggles instead. The 2 and 3 oogie reviews are generally the most entertaining. No need to subject to yourself to the cookie-cutter awfulness of Harlequin (you only need to read one).

Geez, I dunno how much pain I can take. I'll check out their Hall of Fame.

Apparently enough women are distraught by romance novels containing infidelity and/or not-necessarily-happy endings that (A) authors are rushing to fill the void with works containing neither; and (B) authors are proudly proclaiming these things to prospective customers.

I was fascinated.

Romance novels are like Kase-san (with a few...differences). Don't give people Gunjou when they're looking for Kase-san.

I actually really like to examine this genre and the genres that stereotypical male fantasies show up in but I am going to cut this short and save the text wall. x_x

Back on topic I love the blurb the translators added on tumblr for Chapter 2's release:

Sakurazuki being a big butch baby!

I wish this line was used in the actual story rofl.

I actually really like to examine this genre and the genres that stereotypical male fantasies show up in but I am going to cut this short and save the text wall. x_x

I suspect I am not telling you anything you don't already know when I say that the largest publisher of formulaic "men's adventure fiction" is Harlequin, albeit under different imprints.

Huh, it seems this forum went a bit off-topic.

Anyways, the last chapter was nice - more self-awareness of the main character and the bickering of a tsundere couple is something I've always enjoyed. The first line of the credits page may take the cake though - "theyre ALL GAY"

Yesss! Side couple ~~~! Woooooo hoo!
I was so ready for this. (^ω^)b

The beautiful jealousy

I'll recognize that the art style is bad, but I think this series can go places. From a gamer standpoint, I'm liking this better than New Game! as it seems to at least talk about game development somewhat realistically. It certainly couldn't go into every aspect of game development, but what it does get into is treated more seriously than New Game!

I like that the MC isn't willing to jump into a relationship at the first sign of interest. I think the goal of aiming to be on equal footing with a potential partner is really important. I personally think it's really important to avoid an imbalance in the power dynamic of a serious relationship. I don't believe in dating someone with more or less power than myself as I feel that it open the door for a lot of problems down the road (like dependence or abuse).

I realize that this is fiction and that relationships with imbalanced power dynamics can be cute or interesting to read, but it feels good to see an MC trying to avoid that kind of imbalance. The romance will take longer to get to, but it'll be better for it.

I am not surprised at all that these two are together. Something about all their bickering seems really fishy from the get go.

I am not surprised at all that these two are together. Something about all their bickering seems really fishy from the get go.

Old married couples all look the same, regardless of whether they are actually old or married.

Wow, the old "friend of a friend", did that ever manage to fool anybody ?

Well. Mari/Maki seemed to actually buy it.
But then again she's dumb like that. :P

Sahara's sleeves keep bugging me though. Are they immune to gravity or just some kind of very stiff cloth...?

Chantelune posted:

Wow, the old "friend of a friend", did that ever manage to fool anybody ?

Well they kinda subverted it here. One of them saw right through it but the other not only fell for it but even says that she thought she was talking about herself at first but then didn't.

I'll recognize that the art style is bad, but I think this series can go places. From a gamer standpoint, I'm liking this better than New Game! as it seems to at least talk about game development somewhat realistically. It certainly couldn't go into every aspect of game development, but what it does get into is treated more seriously than New Game!

I honestly don't think the art style is bad, it's certainly nothing special but it is clean and clear, cute but not overly moe, and it is very easy to tell all of the characters apart (seriously it's depressing how hard this is in some manga), I'd take this over a huge amount of other stuff any day.

Also constantly bickering but really in love side couple is definitely cute and everything but I do kinda tire of the whole "everyone is gay" trope that is a part of so many yuri mangas. I am very much loving this so far though regardless!

I honestly don't think the art style is bad, it's certainly nothing special but it is clean and clear, cute but not overly moe, and it is very easy to tell all of the characters apart (seriously it's depressing how hard this is in some manga), I'd take this over a huge amount of other stuff any day.

Also constantly bickering but really in love side couple is definitely cute and everything but I do kinda tire of the whole "everyone is gay" trope that is a part of so many yuri mangas. I am very much loving this so far though regardless!

i just like the part that everyone is gay in most manga.
There are exceptions but most of the time (also in this manga) i like it
Of Couse everyone has his own taste

last edited at Mar 30, 2017 7:47AM

That may be the least surprised I've ever been for a "they're actually dating" reveal, but I'll take it anyway.

The friend of a friend is reading this manga and she likes it very much

That may be the least surprised I've ever been for a "they're actually dating" reveal, but I'll take it anyway.

Same! It was pretty obvious, but cute as heck!

The fact that Mari didn't actually figure out that Takagi was talking about herself is funny, since they have actually known each other the longest, but she is clearly supposed to be kind of a clueless wonder... (Nearly as clueless as Takagi herself...)

I wish there was so much content for me to consume that there would be some real competition here but there's not.

So sad, but so true. The lack of original yuri series is agonizing.

whu? I mean I have my hang ups. I'm picky as hell. but I don't think I'd go as far as to call it agonizing. huh.

This might depend on how much time you have on your hands. I currently have too much free time and not enough money so there needs to be a LOT of content to begin ruling things like this out. I mean, if there was as much Harlequin Romance for lesbians as there are for straight women, I could suddenly be a lot choosier. ESPECIALLY, if the public library stocked oodles of them like they do Harlequin style books.

So the perception of how good the content flow is is altered by the amount of free time and the ability to fill that free time with other enjoyable things such as money for outings, close proximity to friends (okay I moved to a place with no one immediately in my age group and no money soooo this has been trashed), available dates, etc.

Writing this has made me think maybe I should go to the library and check out some straight Harlequins even though I have zero interest in dating men.

Don't do it! Not because you shouldn't read straight romance, just that Harlequins (and actually, most mass-market Western romance) are crap. Read some straight Josei or shoujo manga or something instead.

Writing quality as such aside, Harlequins aren't really romance. What they are typically is a sort of wish-fulfillment, typically through a patriarchal lens. That is, they fulfill the "wish" of women to land the ultimate male--big, strong, rich, forceful, the undisputed boss of the chimp troop. "Fifty Shades of Grey" is actually a pretty typical Harlequin except the dominance themes are more explicit. And what the female leads feel for these males is typically not, or not mainly, love. Generally it is lust, passion, a magnetic attraction to the dominant qualities of this male, combined with gratification that they were the one chosen and often a certain triumph at putting a leash on the big wild game. Often in fact attention is drawn to their active dislike of the person's actual personality, which they get over because they cannot resist the animal magnetism schtick. In a way it's love as greed, very much the romance of unbridled capitalism.

There is a strand in romance manga that can be kind of this way, but it's not dominant. And even the bad ones--there have been some Harlequins that were translated into romance manga, and when you read one of those you really see the difference. Most shoujo and even josei romances actually focus on emotion and personal connection. There's something sweet and touching about many of them that just isn't part of the Harlequin-et-al formula at all.

last edited at Mar 30, 2017 3:15PM

I hope it focuses more on Gothic Lolita and Ms. Lab coat, they are like 20 times cuter than the main couple lol.
I like the MC, but for some reason her hoodie makes me angry.