I guess she just isn't as keen on traditional Japanese culture like you guys.

Well, there's a (really big) rift between young and old people in Japan on the question of tradition and culture, what should be done, etc. She is/was poor up until now. The fact that she comes as a gyaru in the private school is proof enough that she doesn't understand the world she is entering in. It's not much to do with Japanese culture as a whole (which is in two half atm), but more about rich society culture/tradition. Since Yuzu doesn't seem to be educated in the old traditions, she doesn't know anything about this and it probably doesn't make any sense to her.

So if Mei isn't married gramps is going to sell the school to someone else? No, none of that makes a damn lick of sense.

Well, if Mei and Shou refuses to take over, he won't have any choice when the time to die comes.

She can continue the business without having to pump out kids of her own.

She can't if she wants the business to be still in the family. And I repeat, in Japan, a woman SHOULD be married and MUST have kids, it is expected of her - otherwise, she is badly viewed as somebody who doesn't do her duty for the country. It's a very traditionalist notion, but rich people tend to be traditionalist and have everything to gain by maintaining the status quo, lest they risk to lose their assets.

Mei is the only family member left. It wouldnt be about family status and prestige, and will be her status and prestige. She would become headmistress no matter her marital status. Getting married has absolutely nothing to do with Mei becoming headmistress.

If she is the only family member left, she is the family. Grandpa is dying, what he wants the most is to be sure everything he (or his father) has built is going to stay in his family and that his family will thrives and gain from the business. He is the head of the family, if Mei wants to please her family, she has to inherit the school.

She could become headmistress without marrying, yes, but that would be badly viewed and the rich would stop sending their daughters in the school, because "what is this woman who isn't even married doing here in the first place?". With a husband, it would be more tolerable. They could even make the husband as a front while Mei leads the school from the shadow to calm down the filthy rich.

If Mei wants to keep her family prestige and reputation, she has to marry and bear children. In her eyes, atm, there is no other way and bringing Yuzu along would be too painful for the both of them, hence why she selfishly (even if it was selflessly in her head) decided to break up with her step-sister.

last edited at Feb 19, 2018 8:22AM

I don't believe that at all. This particular character is notably bad at conforming, and in love with a person she probably shouldn't be.

You literally just said that you are more keen than Yuzu on traditional Japanese culture despite her being right in the middle of the situation. There is a difference between not knowing and not conforming. She already knows about the family, Mei's dream, and her past ex-fiance. Yet you believe that she's too dumb to realize something so simple.

It's certainly possible. There are also plenty of other possible reasons she believes she has to do it, even if she in fact doesn't. Would it kill you to use some imagination? I've never once seen you accept a manga with any ambiguity present. It's your kryptonite.

Yeah, how dare I want the author to tell me the story instead of me having to fill in the plotholes myself.

Well, if Mei and Shou refuses to take over, he won't have any choice when the time to die comes.

That's not what I said. I said if she refuses to get married, her getting married and inheriting the school are not connected.

She can't if she want the business to be still in the company.

Typo? Last time I checked her dream was to be headmistress, not continue her prestigious family line.

And I repeat, in Japan, a woman SHOULD be married and MUST have kids, it is expected of her - otherwise, she is badly viewed as somebody who doesn't do her duty for the country.

Their declining population says otherwise. The average age for a woman to marry for the first time in Japan is 29 while it's 27 in the US.

She could become headmistress without marrying, yes, but that would be badly viewed and the rich would stop sending their daughters in the school, because "what is this woman who isn't even married doing here in the first place?".

That has got to be the largest grasping at straws I have ever seen here yet. What if her husband died or divorced? Would parents start yanking their kids out? No, that is just absurd.

If Mei wants to keep her family prestige and reputation, she has to marry and bear children.

Well, good thing that she never once claimed to ever want to do that. Her dream was to inherit the school, not support her non-existent family.

Cannibal

I don't know if you're honestly stupid or if you're deliberately trolling, and it doesn't matter. Stop it now.

You're so god damn sure you've found this perfect "gotcha" in the fact that the Japanese author with the Japanese target audience ISN'T EXPLAINING THEIR OWN CULTURE TO THEM. Particularly parts of their culture that show up in fiction all the time. Hell, even the western audience here understands this shit; the Japanese audience who reportedly love it definitely do.

So drop it or get another ban. The only person impressed at this point is yourself.

Do not answer this message.

I'm sorry people talked about things in ways you didn't approve of.

Also, nice. Threaten to ban me again because you don't want me to answer your stupid fucking claim that it doesn't need to be explained despite the fact that the Japanese character in this Japanese manga don't know this traditional Japanese culture like the weebs here.

last edited at Feb 19, 2018 9:09AM

Bye Cannibal.

See you next month.

@Klice

I think the side characters will be playing a big part on the next arc because throughout the series, Mei isn't the only one who Yuzu has change for the better with her warm personality. I really want to see where Harumin stand on her bestfriend's situation. we do have a hunch that she is just playing dumb because as Matsuri said that Harumin is the type of person who doesn't want to be personally involve with other people's problem. but I don't think she will just watch in silent and lowkey help Yuzu just like before.

I'm still disappointed with Mei's decision and the way she left Yuzu with just a letter was very cruel especially after she admitted on a f*cking piece of paper, how she really feels for her. but I really admire Yuzu for respecting Mei's decision even though she was head over heels in love with her. that's effing true love right there. imo Yuzu is just a really great character.

tenoh posted:

I thought there will be more closure in regards to their relationship post time skip. Either SU wanted to keep us on suspense or they're just lazy.
And I just found out thật SỰ is a straight, married woman too. No wonder she's really bad at handling the characters.

Not all yuri artists have to be lesbians or bisexuals, thơ a lot are, well some of the best.

Why did you know that Saburo Uta married? :O Wow that's so suprising.. :O

She's not, some people were spreading that rumor on another board but it was actually another yuri mangaka.

Go figure...So some people were so salty they had to make up stuff to complain about it, worst thing, even if she is married to a man or a woman WHAT THE FUCK does that even matter?, geez. Some people just can't fathom the idea of other people discussing the manga normally.

I am sorry and I am not sorry

Oof that was hard to read, seeing everyone act normal around Yuzu but knowing she's still devastated. I'm surprised Yuzu saw the letter and didn't attempt a way to get Mei out of the situation. Or maybe she did and we just won't get to see it for a while.

I have a feeling Matsuri is going to be a major player in getting things back to normal. Although it'd be kind of cheesy, I wonder if she, Harumin and the others are going to step up and help Yuzu out this time instead of it being the other way around for once. Since this chapter focused on them secretly hurting from watching Yuzu pretend things were okay rather than Yuzu herself.

But I wonder why the Tachibana sisters weren't shown at all? I know they're in a different city altogether but maybe just sending Yuzu a text message in worry would have been enough.

But I wonder why the Tachibana sisters weren't shown at all? I know they're in a different city altogether but maybe just sending Yuzu a text message in worry would have been enough.

They were in the story just to cause some rucks, not make it go forward or anything. A Citrus classic, if I must say.

Arrrgh!

:slams head on desk:

Oof that was hard to read, seeing everyone act normal around Yuzu but knowing she's still devastated. I'm surprised Yuzu saw the letter and didn't attempt a way to get Mei out of the situation. Or maybe she did and we just won't get to see it for a while.

I have a feeling Matsuri is going to be a major player in getting things back to normal.

Ofc she will. That conversation with Nene wasn't random.

last edited at Feb 19, 2018 12:17PM

Oof that was hard to read, seeing everyone act normal around Yuzu but knowing she's still devastated. I'm surprised Yuzu saw the letter and didn't attempt a way to get Mei out of the situation. Or maybe she did and we just won't get to see it for a while.

I have the feeling she didn't because she's too kind. Perhaps, not in the same fashion than Mei, since she has little self-confidence, she didn't want to imposer herself on Mei and didn't want to hinder her project, no matter how hard it hurt her.

I have a feeling Matsuri is going to be a major player in getting things back to normal. Although it'd be kind of cheesy, I wonder if she, Harumin and the others are going to step up and help Yuzu out this time instead of it being the other way around for once. Since this chapter focused on them secretly hurting from watching Yuzu pretend things were okay rather than Yuzu herself.

I thought so too, but I kinda want Harumin to be the one ultimately helping Yuzu. It would be like the ultimate proof that their friendship is definitely something special. That said, I think Matsuri kind of give up helping them when she heard about the engagement, so I don't know if she'll do something to make things up again; perhaps I'm wrong.

---

They were in the story just to cause some rucks, not make it go forward or anything. A Citrus classic, if I must say.

I read on reddit in the anime comments somebody saying that SU could have replaced this story line with any other kind of drama. So the thing we can accuse them of is being kind of generic and forgettable. But they did made thing go forward, in addition to make Yuzu realise she had to consider Mei's feelings, they gave us one of the cutest confession ever.

---

[...] Mei isn't the only one who Yuzu has change for the better with her warm personality. I really want to see where Harumin stand on her bestfriend's situation. we do have a hunch that she is just playing dumb because as Matsuri said that Harumin is the type of person who doesn't want to be personally involve with other people's problem. but I don't think she will just watch in silent and lowkey help Yuzu just like before.

I can't agree more.

but I really admire Yuzu for respecting Mei's decision even though she was head over heels in love with her. that's effing true love right there. imo Yuzu is just a really great character.

When you love someone, you need to be able to let them go... Yuzu is indeed a very good protagonist of a melodrama - will it become a tragedy at this point?

I do wonder...does this even have a purpose for this chapter? It's super depressing and I'm kinda wondering what Saburota is planning. Is she planning something awful to the end? Or is there going to be a good ending? Cause this right here...I don't know what to say about it.

Ehhhh autor say Citrus will have happy ending..

I do wonder...does this even have a purpose for this chapter?

To make the intrigue go forward and make people feel bad. To make Yuzu suffer, perhaps. Or to show to Mei that going the way everybody expects you to go isn't the best way for you or your loved ones.

Unless SU goes back on her words, an happy-end is to be expected, but otherwise, it could be a good lesson on how hating on yourself ends up hurting everybody close to you as well.

Re-reading volume 8 to soothe my heart... Knowing what happens later makes it a bit more painful, though.

last edited at Feb 19, 2018 1:31PM

Mei must realize she deserves Yuzu's love. Question, will this epiphany, about erasing her self-hate, happen by herself or with the help of someone?

One way or another, even if the marriage was decided by Mei or their tradition, Udagawa-san can still back out if he feels like it (if he's the fiancé). I didn't think there's a possibility of Citrus going over them being high schoolers but now I kinda want to see how this would be laid out.

I don't think it matters if fiance backs out. The point is its an ingrained tradition - this fiance backs out, no worries, Gramps has got 3 more waiting in the wings! It's probably part of why I enjoy the fiance subplot a lot more than most people around here do lol, because imo it forces character progression. First fiance was a copout because dude was just a creepy sexual harasser, but by bringing in 2nd fiance it confirms the only way to break this cycle is if MEI herself takes action and wants to break the cycle. Clearly, we're not there yet, but I'm looking forward to how it shakes out

last edited at Feb 19, 2018 2:21PM

Flip it around and you notice that Mei is misunderstood, she loves Yuzu, you cannot deny that she does

Yes, you can. Shou left the school and his family to live the life that he wanted. Mei can't even leave the shitty school to be with the girl she loves, only explanation is that she never actually loved her in the first place.

Yes, because humans never have conflicting feelings and motivations. Humans never want multiple, different things that are sometimes diagonally opposed to each other. Humans are simple, uncomplicated creatures that only ever operate with one single motivation in mind. And obviously, love is the most important motivation of all. Therefore, if you are not prepared to drop your own family (whom you love) and all other dreams you might have (like running the academy) like hot potatoes the moment love enters the picture, then the only possible explanation is that it was not love in the first place. You nailed it. As usual.

Let's not forget that Shou leaving the school is arguably what triggered this whole process, throwing Mei under the bus in the first place. Mei is positioned to understand the burdens of responsibility, moreso because she was fucked over by her dad ignoring his, and likely saw how her gramps was affected by Shou leaving too. Maybe this is an East/West perspective thing, but I have a lot of sympathy for Mei's almost tragic dedication to duty and filial piety. It's easy to say Mei should just choose love and fuck all, but from an Asian perspective that's fucking irresponsible and careless (i.e Shou), and lbr she quite literally hasn't reached that at this point in the story anyway, and its pretty understandable why.

Wow, I haven't been this depressed since I watched Yamibou. =(

Dude you overreacting.

I'm just going to copy and paste an excellent analysis of previous volumes and how they tie with Mei's letter made by an insightful anon at /u/

Volume 1 - Had Harumin explain how relationships between girls worked at their school and established the deal with fiances. Also had Mei's grandfather as a huge influence on Mei.

Volume 2 - Yuzu learned of Mei's troubled upbringing and dedication to the school from Himeko. Then Shou shows up and we're given the message that there's no one way to live your life.

Volume 3 - Matsuri is there to trigger Mei's jealousy to get her to pursue Yuzu. And while the reader is made to doubt Matsuri's observations, most of them about Mei do ring true to some extent in hindsight.

Volume 4 - Shows that Mei is willing to try to run away from her problems.

Volume 5 - Mitsuko forces Yuzu and Mei to make hard choices, but also introduces the concept of creating your own path with a strong will. Volume also showed how much Mei loved the school, even having to hide her grandpa's photo when kissing Yuzu in his office.

Volume 6 - Yuzu and Mei's relationship intensifies and the ring is given to Mei, which triggers her deeper feelings. Mei acting awkward while comforting Yuzu in the library now has a more negative meaning in hindsight.

Volume 7 - Mei starts actively trying to figure out if she loves Yuzu. By the end of the volume she realizes that she does.

Volume 8 - Sexual tension reaches its peak and is really the "calm before the storm" of volume 9.

Volume 9 - Everything starts to go to hell when Matsuri learns of Mei's engagement. Their friends worry and ponder their future, Yuzu is oblivious to why Mei is acting weird, while Mei is obviously torn. Eventually the guilt overwhelms Mei when Yuzu is thinking of their future together, so timeskip to after Mei bails in order to fulfill her duties. We get a short "where are they now" of the rest of the cast.

Honestly I'm confused as why people are taking these development this hard or assuming this will only end in a het, loveless marriage. I mean, if this were an het story and Yuzu were an idealistic if commoner guy, everyone would be confident on this being just another obstacle to be solved by true love~

Oh, and nothing is really know about Saburota's personal life beyond what she shared on that German interview.

last edited at Feb 19, 2018 4:51PM

Honestly I'm confused as why people are taking these development this hard [...].

That I can explain for my part and I think it makes sense if you're invested in the characters, or if you place yourself in Yuzu's place (or even in Mei's). As many people said, it's not the destination but how you get there that counts. Of course, if you read the afterwords, you know the author is wishing for a happy ending (meaning she will do it), that doesn't remove the fact that the road towards that happy ending is filled with drawbacks and suffering.

And damn this break-up is suffering. I said I wasn't completely surprised by this chapter because there were still some surprise. I would have thought we'd actually see Mei struggle to make her choice and finally choose Yuzu after some stuff happened that made her realise Yuzu was, for her, the most important thing of all (or I hope she would realise this). So having them break-up and Mei actually making the choice without consulting Yuzu is actually similar to Mei making her choice without consulting us either. We don't see her process of thoughts, nor do we see her struggle (except for one chapter and the previous ones if you know what's coming), so in a way, the time skip SU did is almost on the same scale of betrayal than Mei breaking up with Yuzu through a letter; Yuzu's reaction being our own reactions after SU said betrayal. We were promised that they'd get over everything, but they didn't.

Of course, she just postponed the resolution to an ulterior moment, but it still hurt. The more I think about it, the more this chapter makes sense, the more I find it well done and that it fit in the story - and perhaps I'll think of it as one of the best chapter she did (but I may be pushing it, I didn't think favourite chapters yet); those expressions are maybe some of the best she did as well. The only thing I mad at is the (most likely) wait of two months...

Edit This reminds me, about the arranged marriage, everything is explained in Chapter 33 already. Well, I guess the discussion's over now, anyway.

Mei must realize she deserves Yuzu's love. Question, will this epiphany, about erasing her self-hate, happen by herself or with the help of someone?

Yes! The wait will be too long to have that answer...

last edited at Feb 20, 2018 7:57AM

Some simple things dont necessarily have to be explained.

Except its not simple, if it were then Yuzu would have seen it coming. I guess she just isn't as keen on traditional Japanese culture like you guys.

She didnt see it come because shes naiive and in her first love phase. Has nothing to do with knowing "Japanese culture like you guys."

wow the feels.
Well done on the authors part. The atmosphere weighs a tonne.