Shiranime's hair used to be much fluffier, I miss it.

^^ Nobody's shitting on it though.

By the way, I got a feeling the two girls at the end aren't gonna stay "single" for long. Call it a hunch. =3

I think I finally realized what I like about this chapter and this couple.

It's about how far our two leads have gone, in regards to their individual personality and in terms of their relationship with each other, which is very subtle due to the way the story works.

Looks like Yurine's kokoro has gone doki-doki. We knew she had fallen in love but she's got it really bad oh my.

Huh, what's with the art?

Ayaka and Yurine have switched places, haven't they? Ayaka is parroting back Yurine's own words at her, and the latter is being utterly clueless (about how much she hurt Ayaka when she agreed that just any girl who could make her feel more normal would do).

what's with the art?

The different feel to the art was the first thing I noticed about this chapter, and while I don't exactly hate the art in itself, when I try to specify exactly what's different about it by looking at older chapters, I'm unsure what to say.

Shiramine's hair, for sure--less billowing than previously, which makes her seem physically smaller, and maybe her chin isn't as pointed as before. But beyond that, for every element of the style that I think seems different, I can find similar examples in earlier chapters.

I'd be interested in hearing what others see as specifically changing in the drawing style.

It's about how far our two leads have gone, in regards to their individual personality and in terms of their relationship with each other, which is very subtle due to the way the story works.

And you know, it's always hilarious (and a little irritating) to see people comment "Wow, there's finally some progress between these two!"… after pretty much every chapter that features them. >.> The progress only seems slow because we only get to see them every two volumes, but between chapter 1, chapter 15, chapter 23 and chapter 35, the evolution is very noticeable.

Ayaka and Yurine have switched places, haven't they? Ayaka is parroting back Yurine's own words at her, and the latter is being utterly clueless (about how much she hurt Ayaka when she agreed that just any girl who could make her feel more normal would do).

I think she's sort of aware of it. In this chapter she goes out of her way to show Ayaka that she cares about her, not about winning or losing. Also, there was chapter 15. But maybe Ayaka still thinks she's being insincere and is afraid of what would happen if their competition stopped… Really, side couples are nice and all, but I really hope the the next volume continues this arc. =[ I don't want to hang on this cliff until volume 9.

About the art… I'm not sure myself. It seems somewhat "cleaner", but I'm not sure in what way. The eye reflections are more detailed I think. And the angles somewhat more cinematic. The lining might be a little thicker too. I started to notice the change as early as volume 3, but I still can't quite pinpoint it…

last edited at Sep 25, 2017 2:18PM

I think this is my favourite chapter of this serie so far ♥

Really, side couples are nice and all, but I really hope the the next volume continues this arc. =[ I don't want to hang on this cliff until volume 9.

I think this is a good time for a side couple though. Time for Yurine to take a step back, socialize a bit and figure out what happened with that kiss.

Looks like Yurine's kokoro has gone doki-doki. We knew she had fallen in love but she's got it really bad oh my.

That's what I was figuring that was indicating. She used to get butterflies and now she's getting all hot and bothered...

BOIIII

Uguuuuuh.

SON YOU BOUTA KILL ME HERE

OH FUCK OH SHIT OH DAMN OH CRAP

IT'S HAPPENING SO MUCH ALL THE TIME

I think this is a good time for a side couple though. Time for Yurine to take a step back, socialize a bit and figure out what happened with that kiss.

Yeah, I don't mind another side-couple related to the mains (like Haine was to Yurine in this one), that's even a plus. I'm just afraid volume 8 will be completely AyaYuri-less, like volume 2, 4 and 6 were. Those tend to be… fine, but not as interesting as the odd-numbered volumes (save for the end of the track team arc <3).

I'm probably late to the party, and I don't feel like going through 60+ pages of posts, but Chapter 16, page 006, first panel... are they talking about Kase-san? West-High, leaving Mizuki in the dust... that sounds like Kase-san :)

last edited at Sep 26, 2017 8:11AM

^
Nice catch--I do believe you're right. That cheery email to an opponent sounds just like Kase-san.

(I don't know if anyone caught this before either.)

last edited at Sep 26, 2017 12:06PM

looks like #########-chan fell off the face of the earth. Shame, kinda wanted to see her to do something.

last edited at Sep 26, 2017 8:43AM

I'm probably late to the party, and I don't feel like going through 60+ pages of posts, but Chapter 16, page 006, first panel... are they talking about Kase-san? West-High, leaving Mizuki in the dust... that sounds like Kase-san :)

Nice catch!

Although it's a little bit of my headcanon that Kase, Mizuki and Hina/Matsuri had all competed with each other at some point.

I'm probably late to the party, and I don't feel like going through 60+ pages of posts, but Chapter 16, page 006, first panel... are they talking about Kase-san? West-High, leaving Mizuki in the dust... that sounds like Kase-san :)

Nice catch!

Although it's a little bit of my headcanon that Kase, Mizuki and Hina/Matsuri had all competed with each other at some point.

That wouldn't be a very fair competition, given that Kase can break the sound barrier...

That wouldn't be a very fair competition, given that Kase can break the sound barrier...

Only when Yamada is shouting at her from the Infirmary window, I think

Moe tried the same thing, but it didn't quite work…

I think this is a good time for a side couple though.

There is never a good time for a side couple.

To be honest, all the side couple chapters to me have felt like the author going "Whoops! I forgot to write a new chapter, so here's a random doujin I wrote as filler instead. Sorry, LOL!"

I agree with the comments about side couples feeling like random doujins rather than part of a cohesive story. Either commit to one-shots or commit to a central narrative, and don't constantly interrupt the latter for the former.

I'd be interested in hearing what others see as specifically changing in the drawing style.

I just reread the older chapters to give you a more detailed explanation of my thoughts, and I think it's less about the individual elements used in isolation, and more about how universally they're applied? Like, everything feels way more "shiny" and "moe" now, from the colours to the style.

imo, that feeling is strongest in how the eyes are drawn now. They have, like, 50 light circles in them at all points, instead of just for emotive effect, and the shading for them feels softer and lighter, with greys rather than blacks, even for characters who used to have exclusively black eyes. They're also substantially larger, with the pupils often not even touching what's supposed to be the upper lid, and they're contorting with the brows less.

Yeah, idk. Everyone just feels a whole lot less expressive in general because of the changes.

The manga is better for being ensemble and the central couple are well designed so that their narrative helps the ensemble structure and that structure is also crucial to giving their story the emotional significance it has.

Thanks, Kobalos. I see what you're saying about the eyes in particular. I think also there is less use of dark areas and fewer dramatic high-contrast pages in general, adding to that "shinier" effect you mention. I wouldn't actuallly find much to remark on about the art if not for the sense of change from earlier chapters.

And I want Shiramine's big hair back--those flowing locks were highly expressive themselves.

I'm halfway on the side stories--they make the world seem wider than just the central couple, and they do, as Reejun says, contribute to that ensemble feel, showing that Shiramine and Yurine affect and are affected by other people.

But it's the OTP that keeps me wanting more.