Everyone always has something to discuss about it, but I mostly like it because it helped me make the april fools chapter >_>

I actually read the first volume today and really enjoyed it, the art is on the same good level as the late SK chapters and the MC is really likeable, maybe because there isn't much missing for me to believe that Ikeda has been staking me out. It's a real slice-of-life deal though without any romance yuri or het whatsoever and with a protagonist who isn't a 10 year old moe blob, so I'd be surprised (pleasantly) if this will ever be scanlated.

That sounds like a story right up my alley. And this may be a bad argument or whatever but, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, Aria, and A Bride's Story all got scanlated and they're all slice of life so one can hope right ;)

And it could've been a story about monkeys but it isn't. The nice thing about SK in my opinion is that it's not a laser focused romance story between the different pairs, it's generally a slice-of-life comedy about a group of friends who got together, at least at the start, through their common sexual orientation. But that doesn't define them or the story. There is a romance going on, there is drama and angst but it doesn't drive their entire lives. It's not bogged down because some chapters don't push the romance forward and characters are not useless because their relationship status isn't clearly defined at the end.

That's a main reason why I liked it. It made all the characters seem more realistic and likeable instead of love crazy monsters who apparently don't take the other aspects of their lives seriously (as other romances series make their characters out to be).

last edited at Apr 27, 2013 12:18AM

And it could've been a story about monkeys but it isn't. The nice thing about SK in my opinion is that it's not a laser focused romance story between the different pairs, it's generally a slice-of-life comedy about a group of friends who got together, at least at the start, through their common sexual orientation. But that doesn't define them or the story. There is a romance going on, there is drama and angst but it doesn't drive their entire lives. It's not bogged down because some chapters don't push the romance forward and characters are not useless because their relationship status isn't clearly defined at the end.

I have no problem with a series like that, except I think the issue with SK was that the first few chapters set much different expectations then what the series became. The romance between Ushio and Sumika was the driving force for most of the first volume, and is what drove people to start reading the series. So I think it is very understandable to expect that to continue, and by annoyed or disappointed when it doesn't.

That was a every satisfying final chapter.
Time to re-read the whole thing and experience all the feels again.
Thanks for the scans :D

And it could've been a story about monkeys but it isn't. The nice thing about SK in my opinion is that it's not a laser focused romance story between the different pairs, it's generally a slice-of-life comedy about a group of friends who got together, at least at the start, through their common sexual orientation. But that doesn't define them or the story. There is a romance going on, there is drama and angst but it doesn't drive their entire lives. It's not bogged down because some chapters don't push the romance forward and characters are not useless because their relationship status isn't clearly defined at the end.

Well said. Obviously neither of the younger two were useless - poor choice of words/fandumb on my part. I felt like the pacing in general was a bit off after the first volume, and omnscient is quite correct about the tone/direction change impacting people's reactions. Much like Girl Friends, the joke of the two MCs never getting together gets old after a little while, which in SK's case leads to a bit too much angst.

Aside from that, it definitely fills a completely different part of the genre than any other long-running series I can think of, and it's probably right among my top few favorite yuri series. Minor complaints aside, I do think it's pretty great.

Everyone always has something to discuss about it, but I mostly like it because it helped me make the april fools chapter >_>

It's fairly lovable in its own right.

They can get officially marry in France now! And some other awesome! states...hopefully they have a weeding and a honeymoon and they make it into a chapter. Its so sad to see his brother get married like nothing. Lesbians have a harder time getting married. I myself am one x///D

last edited at Apr 27, 2013 3:18AM

It's not bogged down because some chapters don't push the romance forward and characters are not useless because their relationship status isn't clearly defined at the end.

It's bogged down by the fact that the story frequently comes to a full stop, in jarring fashion, to spend time either reminding the reader of characters that disappeared volumes ago (e.g. Masaki, Azusa, Kiyori to some extent) or to introduce more characters whose seeming purpose from a literary standpoint is to fulfill roles that could have went to the already established cast (e.g. Mayu, Koino) while said established cast' motivations become less clear or less interesting (e.g. Tomoe, Miyako).

And sometimes its just about Ushio's brother finding a wife, which it just really sunk in that his wedding is the setting of the final scene. Even as sweet as the imagery turned out, his bride barely outranks the girl with the one vampire tooth in terms of characters I needed any closure for.

If you don't like the series, fine.

I think most people here have a favorable view of the story. I just think a lot of people don't think it succeeds as a story about a group of friends and the part that does succeed would have flourished even more with tighter focus. It is, at least for me, easier to imagine how to make a better 25 to 35 chapter story by cutting out of and rearranging what the 53 chapters has now than it is to imagine improving on everything I would have cut out.

They can get officially marry in France now! And some other awesome! states...

I don't think Japan would recognize it though or maybe that changed recently or was going to change, I forget.

last edited at Apr 27, 2013 6:18AM

since the tankoubon and the magazine was slightly different, which one does people prefer?

I didn't actually think I'd ever get to finish this series, but here I am. Gaaahhhhh. I'm happy. Sad happy. It's always an awkward emotion.

So it ended... I feel so satisfied xD

since the tankoubon and the magazine was slightly different, which one does people prefer?

The tank version is alot better- the 3 addition pages arnt in the magazine version, and 1 other page if i remember.. where the magazine one has just one page that isnt in the tank.

And is should of been removed- while its humourous and not bad in itself, - i can see why it was cut- it was totaly at odds with all the surrounding pages in tone and style- it realy disrupted the emotional atmosphere of the final scene.

But if you want to see that one page so you never missed anything - maki maki had a link to the magazine version.

P.s makimaki will be doing a few remaining bits- 4koma from the dvd releases or something.

GOSH! It took so long, but still made me cry. Thank god it's finished! T ____T I probably will miss it.
About those great useless addition:
1 - For god sake! Lotte got really hot. D:
2 -http://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/sasameki_koto_ch53#30 <---- /DIE OOOOO

Loved the Tomoe bit too. Financial crisis in Europe? Have HER fix it. lol

If Germany and France don't agree with each other, nothing's going to fix that mess.

If Germany and France don't agree with each other, nothing's going to fix that mess.

no problem, in italy we are waiting tomoe to fix the mafia's problem, and then she can think of the rest of europe economic....

If Germany and France don't agree with each other, nothing's going to fix that mess.

France doesn't even agree with itself

I gotta say, I had the opposite problem that a lot of people seem to have had. The main romance was interesting and well-drawn and I was really rooting for them, but the manga kept bringing in these cool side characters and then not doing anything with them!!

Like, Tomoe. She's in this sad situation where high school is her break from a future she dreads, especially because, it's implied, she'll have to start pretending to not be gay. But then.... nope, in the last chapter, she's graduated and still openly with Miyako so...
And the younger karate girls' little love tangle was interesting, but then apparently it's solved by the blonde one just finally making a move. And Aoi... there's potential hilarity in having a yuri-lover surrounded by lesbians and disturbed by the fact that actual sex happens, but it never came through.

Bleh. I dunno. Maybe I'm just mostly annoyed that the gayest romance manga ever, filled to the brim with gay, still has to end with "Hey, we're going far away from each other, but maybe this flash-forward gently implies that we're together in college, but that's not as important as the fact that our wonderful youth was brief but wonderful!"

I've recently had lots of time (due to procrastinating on my lame-ass homework) so I reread the entire series. These are my thoughts.

Noe-san really kicks ass doesn't she? I love how she knows everything without being told. She has great woman's intuition.

Have you noticed that Miyako's face is practically always in her "chibi sneer" form? (That's what I call it) It always surprises me when Ikeda adds details to her face.

Tomoe is fucking awesome. She's very good at gathering information from watching stuff. I love how she can't drive too, and how she's kinda got a one-track mind, and fights hard for stuff.

It makes a lot of sense for Miyako to be so... rude? Aggressive? I don't know, but if her personality were as cute as her exterior wouldn't Kazama have fallen hard for her? I know Kazama said she didn't want to mess with their relationship, but it seemed like a plot possibility to me (If Miyako was actually cute) Her personality works though...

That chapter with Aoi crying made me really embarrassed. I read things as if I'm the main character (as I'm sure many do) and I could not see myself doing ANY of what happened in the chapter, in terms of misunderstanding. It's an issue for me when I read manga, sometimes I have to come back to a chapter cuz I just cannot finish it. I get embarrassed easily.

Those flashback chapters were great. I dunno, I just love flashbacks that explain the WHOLE PREMISE OF THE FUCKING STORY. Really. They're just flashbacks, I don't know why people were so unhappy with them (a couple years ago)

I. Hate. Angst. Because of my aforementioned issues of embarrassment. (Of course, that only happens with stories I get into. I can read some things in a very detached manner if they're ridiculous or stupid) And by breaking the angst off with the flashback chapters HE MADE ME SO FUCKING MAD. CUZ I WAS INTO IT. But I got over it-- it's not Ikeda's fault I can't read japanese, and it's not Dynasty's fault they weren't cranking it out as fast as I wished.

Rereading makes me see the whole flow of the story a lot better, rather than just reading the new chapter every few months. It had good turning points I noticed. Sumika and Kazama really grow well.

... Although I hated that the middle was mostly misunderstanding fueled...

Do parents really die this often in Japan? Are accidents really common or something? Seems like it.

I really love Akemiya. He's a sweety.

I always find myself drawn to characters like Mayu for some reason. I guess I like airheads... She and Koi are a great combo too. They compliment each other well, and I'm happy Koi (apparently) confessed.

What the fuck is up with that model in disguise? With the tied back curly hair? And her companion with pointy teeth? I understand they're comedy relief BUT WHY ARE THEY SO WEIRD???? They remind me of Tomoe and Miyako for some reason...

Kyori is great. Toasts chalkboard drawing and smiles If Sasameki Koto were a drinking game I think one of the rules should be, "Drink once when you see curry bread, Kiyori is eating curry bread, and when anyone mentions it."

I'm sure I had more but this is it for now.

Edit: Oh, yes. Fujito better have ended up with a girl.

last edited at May 1, 2013 8:47PM

^Good impressions for the most part. The flashback issues? I think you answered that question in the next paragraph!

I gotta say, I had the opposite problem that a lot of people seem to have had. The main romance was interesting and well-drawn and I was really rooting for them, but the manga kept bringing in these cool side characters and then not doing anything with them!!

Thanks for saying this. All of it, really. In reality, I think I was mostly upset that the relationship between the younger two never went any further, because (for me) they totally stole the show near the end. I mean, they were the only ones really having problems, I wanted to see what went down with that. Oh well.

Also, Tomoe is awesome; this whole chapter was wonderful, but my favorite page in the entire manga just might just be this one.

I have to say that this series had the most awesome ending ever. Some people were asking which is better, this one or Girl Friends. I actually read Girl Friends first because I got it in the two volume omnibus edition... And it was absolutely awesome... but I still say it is kind of hard to say which was better. Both are on my list of stuff to re-read. :-)

A long time ago somebody started a discussion who likes Girlfriends or Sasameki Koto better.. Personally, i love Girlfriends, i think it was my first Yuri manga so i adore it. Sasameki Koto is srsly way too long, when it was near end i was already bored with it, sure it has some nice moments and it's funny somewhere but it was just too long, no progression - Everytime new chapter was added i just quickly read it without really being interested in the story. But the ending was srsly one of the best ever :) .. Maybe even the best of bests? I dunno :D
Anyway. For me Girlfriends is one of the best for me.

last edited at Oct 29, 2013 5:44PM

Hi! I'm sakura21, the founder and translator of an Italian Scan Team (Micette Scanlations). I'm here to ask you if we can translate all your works (Sasameki, first of all) into Italian language. We will keep your credit page. I really hope you'll agree to this. Thank you, a lot! ^-^

I'd like to see a Koi x Mayu doujin. Jussayin.

Spazzing out so hard you break your hand is still just comedic to me years later
And then nothing even comes of it
So much "just spit it out already" in this series.

I'd like to see a Koi x Mayu doujin. Jussayin.

There really needs to be at least 2 spin-offs. Those two, and the brother and his now wife.