• Lots of depictions of het
• Constant feeling of hopelessness/no progress
• MC is kinda boring

Really wanted to like this manga because I love TMNR'S art and EliUmi doujins but this story is really not my cup of tea (and in my opinion worse drama than Citrus). Second time dropping this manga, hopefully for good.

Say whatever you want, you've got to admit tMnR is an artist at making uncomfortable situations. it's quite rare, really, because they make sure everything looks fine, and then, one small detail, and we're like "Oh shit, it's still going down"

Also, tMnR's characters always feel quite real, somehow

I really don't want them to make the guy out to just be a cheating scumbag with no reason. Hopefully, if they do that, they give a really good reason for his cheating, like he was being blackmailed or something by that other woman.

This is leaving me with an utter bad taste in my mouth.

yeah, me too but I really want to see the ending

I also think that Reichi didn't cheat on her now, this manga is really giving mixed signals

I really don't want them to make the guy out to just be a cheating scumbag with no reason. Hopefully, if they do that, they give a really good reason for his cheating, like he was being blackmailed or something by that other woman.

Or, alternatively, he's been shown to be neglectful from the start and it's perfectly in keeping with his character.
You don't need to make the other woman into some Evil Temptress when the dude's at bare-minimum equally to blame.

Honestly, everyone sucks at communicating in this story, but I think that's what makes it feel so real (and simultaneously, incredibly frustrating). People are like this all the time. Up until now, Reiichi has never expressed his thoughts or feelings to Kaoru or Uta. Kaoru rarely voices her fear of loneliness to Reiichi (possibly due to her fear of being seen as a "troublesome woman", as seen in chapter 2). Neither of these two's needs are ever expressed to each other, so I find it unsurprising that some kind of drama has stirred up. It was bound to happen sooner or later, with or without cheating.

Reiichi was shown to be neglectful since chapter 1 (so it's not like he suddenly broke out of character or anything). We don't know why, but it honestly could be anything - and I won't try to justify his actions, because I think he's making terrible decisions, but he probably felt like he had no time for himself, with him working full time (most likely overtime as well, knowing the culture) in order to support his stay-at-home wife and his younger sister, who was probably incredibly depressed until recently. He must've gotten frustrated with himself and felt hopeless, being unable to make the two of them happy, and found another way to release all of this stress.

Alternatively, there's also the possibility that he might've never loved Kaoru in the same way she loved him. He could feel indebted to her for saving Uta, or he might love her as a childhood friend. He might've married Kaoru because of her impact on Uta. Nobody knows what this guy was thinking.

But right now, he looks like he's full of regrets. He wanted to discuss the events of the accident while at the hospital, he spent Christmas with the family (somehow, I feel like if the accident never happened, he'd be out on another "business trip" by now... which I personally think would be unsurprising considering his track record), and he vowed to Kaoru that he would never leave her again and tried to seal the deal through physical affection. It feels like he's done a complete 180 from when we first saw him in chapter 1. The event of the accident must've snapped him out of whatever he was in trance about.

But the damage is done. The ball is in Kaoru's court now, but it looks like she's tired of playing. Hopefully, Uta can free her from the game so they can move onto other things.

I'm not gonna lie though, I'm still rooting for Miyabi x Uta.

I kind of wish the guy would just fuck off and die but then again, this is not what the manga is about.
Still, I hope he actually does fuck off regardless of reason.

Rather than cheating, I feel more as if Reiichi is sick or terminally ill or have a bigger problem that he needed to consult with the girl from before. Idk.

I really don't want them to make the guy out to just be a cheating scumbag with no reason. Hopefully, if they do that, they give a really good reason for his cheating, like he was being blackmailed or something by that other woman.

Mistakes happen, divorces are a thing because you can't really know what will happen next and sometimes engagement were a mistake. I think the reason he's cheating, if that's the case, is because the marriage was probably a mistake. That's a bit of stretch but with the neglect, the 7 rejections, the things that happened with Uta's parents, I think he was playing it "safe" or something but, sadly for him and Kaoru, it didn't turn out so well...

Honestly, everyone sucks at communicating in this story, but I think that's what makes it feel so real (and simultaneously, incredibly frustrating). People are like this all the time.

Holy shit, thank you. I'm a bit annoyed to see users say things like "communicate like normal people!!". I get the frustration, I get that sometimes it can be over the top, but more often than not, people don't communicate or very poorly on their issues.

And pretty nice analysis overall.

It feels like he's done a complete 180 from when we first saw him in chapter 1. The event of the accident must've snapped him out of whatever he was in trance about.

I have the feeling that it's like those couples who won't divorce or break up because "they should make it work" somehow, like it's just a phase and they would feel bad if they failed at their marriage (in addition to other stuff as well, probably). Damn, this manga is doing great.

P.S. This has probably been mentioned a million times, but perhaps the unrequited love isn't only Uta's.

last edited at Jan 24, 2018 10:28AM

Mistakes happen, divorces are a thing because you can't really know what will happen next and sometimes engagement were a mistake. I think the reason he's cheating, if that's the case, is because the marriage was probably a mistake. That's a bit of stretch but with the neglect, the 7 rejections, the things that happened with Uta's parents, I think he was playing it "safe" or something but, sadly for him and Kaoru, it didn't turn out so well...

Yeah, probably played it safe. Kaoru was his childhood friend, so he might've seen no reason not to be with her (I mean, after rejecting her several times). Plus, she has always been a good influence on Uta, save for whatever happened with her parents. I also partly think that their parents split due to cheating. It could've influenced Reiichi into doing the same, but it would crush Uta if that were the case. This is kind of a stretch now, but it would be natural for Kaoru to not want to spill the beans or confront the issue with Reiichi so she could protect the happiness that Uta had recently just found.

Honestly, everyone sucks at communicating in this story, but I think that's what makes it feel so real (and simultaneously, incredibly frustrating). People are like this all the time.

Holy shit, thank you. I'm a bit annoyed to see users say things like "communicate like normal people!!". I get the frustration, I get that sometimes it can be over the top, but more often than not, people don't communicate or very poorly on their issues.

And pretty nice analysis overall.

It feels like he's done a complete 180 from when we first saw him in chapter 1. The event of the accident must've snapped him out of whatever he was in trance about.

I have the feeling that it's like those couples who won't divorce or break up because "they should make it work" somehow, like it's just a phase and they would feel bad if they failed at their marriage (in addition to other stuff as well, probably). Damn, this manga is doing great.

P.S. This has probably been mentioned a million times, but perhaps the unrequited love isn't only Uta's.

People don't like confrontation, especially not Kaoru, who has been seen keeping all sorts of things to herself (e.g. when she saw Reiichi with another girl, or why she picked up selling online handmade goods - I know it was just a hobby at first, but she clearly feels much happier being able to support the people around her; and more notably, her fear of loneliness), and Reiichi is now aware he's made a huge mistake. More than likely, they'll have the "make it work" mindset. I feel like it's up to Uta to make Kaoru realize she deserves better. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll end up together, though. :P

I feel like Reiichi is more than willing to own up to his mistakes at this point, and it might seem like he deserves a second chance for that reason, but I don't think it fixes anything. Even if he does suddenly become the perfect husband, the underlying problem that pushed him into cheating is still there.

But then again, what do I know ¯\_(・ᴗ・)_/¯

• Lots of depictions of het
• Constant feeling of hopelessness/no progress
• MC is kinda boring

Really wanted to like this manga because I love TMNR'S art and EliUmi doujins but this story is really not my cup of tea (and in my opinion worse drama than Citrus). Second time dropping this manga, hopefully for good.

Well, in Saburouta defense, Citrus moves fast from one drama to another.
This one doesn't, and that just gives the sense that the story is slow as hell. Wonder if it'll be more 20 chapters of MC crying before she finally does something.

• Lots of depictions of het
• Constant feeling of hopelessness/no progress
• MC is kinda boring

Really wanted to like this manga because I love TMNR'S art and EliUmi doujins but this story is really not my cup of tea (and in my opinion worse drama than Citrus). Second time dropping this manga, hopefully for good.

Well, in Saburouta defense, Citrus moves fast from one drama to another.
This one doesn't, and that just gives the sense that the story is slow as hell. Wonder if it'll be more 20 chapters of MC crying before she finally does something.

She already had 'given up' so I don't think her doing something about it will happen anytime soon, and falling in love with someone else is also out of the question

Rei-kun's proportions are a train wreck in the first few pages like god damn.

The yaoi proportions are actually a subtle hint that Reiicchi is cheating on Kaoru with a man. You heard it here first.

She already had 'given up' so I don't think her doing something about it will happen anytime soon, and falling in love with someone else is also out of the question

So the only way for the story to move on is Uta losing the only character development she had, bringing her character back to 0.
But seriously, if Koaru spends the next five chapter with this "maybe he cheated on me. What do I do? What do I do?"....

Can someone kill that a asshole of a husband and let the little sister take care of the waifu, ffs ¬¬

Can someone kill that a asshole of a husband [...].

No need to got that far, divorces are a thing. It's still pure speculation, but even if Reiichi feels guilty about the situation Kaoru is in, he can still support her while she finds a job or whatever. Since this manga is going the low-key "realistic" route, I guess this would be a possibility.

so now i can say that rei kun is a steaming sack, right?

It's difficult to "fall out of love" or to stop liking someone that quickly, especially when Uta's had a crush on Kaoru for so long and not to mention they live together, so they see each other all the time.

What Uta has given up on is having her feelings returned, meaning she's not going to continue pursuing Kaoru whenever she's conscious of her actions. She's forcing herself to keep her relationship with Kaoru as just sisters-in-law, and for the most part, you can see that she's trying her best to keep her distance, but you can't exactly fault Uta for slipping into the palms of her feelings from time to time.

I think Uta is an incredibly (relatively) realistic character. That doesn't necessarily mean she's going to be interesting though, but not every teenage girl with unrequited feelings for someone else is interesting anyway, lol.

The only realness I perceived from this slightly unstructured mess with shameless overused tropes (like amnesia) was found in the way tMnR portrays the progression behind MC's feelings, which sadly had to stem from such an unpolished, forgetable boring character, but luckily is aided by the supporting characters which allow her to shine. Kuro's role has emphasized this fact by actually explaining the thought process behind MC's feelings in a brutally honest manner, which made this tolerable to endure so far up to the latest chapters. It's both a relatable situation for many readers and also secondhand validation, I guess. I can't bring myself to get annoyed at MC and her pain, because it comes off as authentic and realistic (unlike the caliber of the circumstances that are currently taking event in this).

Kaoru is lovely and I still long to see her get more development on her behalf. I don't really care about the dude and now the only characteristic I find in him, besides being absent and stodgy, is that he is an actual rectangle. Or maybe CLAMP lent him. https://i.imgur.com/VuWaT1D.png

last edited at Jan 28, 2018 2:48AM

Fact: all criticism is automatically rendered invalid, if you just claim the work is

ＲＥＡＬＩＳＴＩＣ.

Works every time!

But if an element of a work accurately reflects real life, what's the basis for that element being called "bad" or faulty writing?

Some people like fiction that doesn't depict reality in the average daily life of an individual.

Does anyone actually deem this in its entirety as "realistic", though?

Some people like fiction that doesn't depict reality in the average daily life of an individual.

Fair enough, but why would you dislike fiction for accurately reflecting real interpersonal relationships? People often don't give a reason why they think something is bad, so the implication is that they think it's unbelievable or unrealistic. When that's not in fact the case, the criticism is totally unclear and unfair.

last edited at Jan 28, 2018 3:21AM

I think it's tolerable for reasons previously stated. But I can't and won't wrap my head around amnesia plot devices, unbalanced restraining relationships, constant retrogressive miscommunications, plotlines with unsatisfying closures or no closure at all, and overall tedious characters and interactions. But that is just my beautiful and objectively perfect opinion, of course.

"Realistic" is way too often used as a lazy way to instantly dismiss criticism. Realism is also a really low bar to pass.

It's also a lazy way to criticise a story if you don't like it, "it's not realistic that they behave like this or end up with them, boo hoo hoo". Basically, it should be a big no-no. I used it between double quotes because it gives a vague idea of what I was thinking and I was too lazy to specify that it was low-key level of drama (no over reaction like in melodramas, not that I don't like melodrama) comparable to a situation that I could witness or that I have witnessed directly.

In my defence, I wasn't using it as a critic nor a praise, just as an observation of how the story could continue based on what happened.

What drives me up the wall is when people claim that e.g. a manga where the whole conflict hinges on a bunch of teenagers not communicating properly, is "good because it's realistic". It's like, cool, but that's a completely trivial concept. If that's all the story has to offer, it's not good.

I don't know about that. If this is what people want/like, how could it be not good? I love seeing character struggle even if they just had to talk or stuff, because I can relate, because I also had difficulty to express my feelings, my insecurities and stuff, and it could act as catharsis or something similar.

What bothers me, though, on that subject, is the idea that simple or not very complex equals bad. That's not true.

last edited at Jan 29, 2018 1:47AM