I just watched episode 8 and Mei smiled like three fucking times in just one episode wtf. She only smiles like once or twice in the entire manga (not counting evil smiles)

Let me tell you the most obvious thing; you are being given THE UNBEARABLE PAIN only because it's finally time for THE SWEETEST RELEASE. Nobody slaughters a successful comic with anime in progress on top of that. I assume they didn't go through the full sexual intercourse yet? That's exactly what you'll get. Their "first time". So just relax.

Did you make an account because you wanted to post this? XD

I'm a bit surprised people are surprised by this chapter. I can understand feeling like the second arranged marriage was introduced abruptly but the previous few chapters telegraphed this clearly imo, and Mei eventually having to choose between Yuzu and running the school was introduced volumes ago

I honestly don't know how to explain this but Mei's decision here makes total sense to me. I can feel it in my bones. Coming from a country where arranged marriages are common (Saudi), I have known a number of gay women who have married men and set to raise families out of a sense of familial obligation. And on one level I used to find it infuriating but on another I know intimately the pressures and upbringing that lead there because I had to escape it myself and just... there's nothing unusual about it. It's just reality for a whole lot of us. calling it a cliche is like saying it's a cliche American fiction frequently features drug crime. It shows up regularly in fiction because it's something a lot of us deal with. Of all the absurd drama in this series, this strikes me as the least contrived and most natural twist so far

Honestly it feels like every time a manga has this plot element people complain about it and it irritates me because it feels like people don't understand what it's like growing up in a social context where you are not an individual so much as a representative of your family whose honour you are responsible for. You don't have to like it, I certainly don't, but getting angry at characters who reflect how little real choice we often have in the matter leaves a bad taste in my mouth

last edited at Feb 24, 2018 11:23PM

She wasn't a sidekick, if anything, she was the instigator, the leader. Mei has always been reluctant and I can't blame her for giving in to the display of kindness and love Yuzu showed her.

No, Mei began it all when she kissed Yuzu in their bedroom not long after meeting. Yuzu is not the instigator, it was 100% Mei who started it all.

See, if Mei was the one who started it, promising Yuzu all sorts of things to seduce her, knowing full well they couldn't keep it going in the long term, I would've agreed with everybody. But in this story, Mei is more passive than anything. She still promises lots of stuff to Yuzu but it's because she's too young and too in love with her to refuse her, to say to Yuzu "keep your hopes down, relationships aren't set in stone" (in the library in vol6); and that she didn't have the heart to break Yuzu's further : her step-sister just had an existential crisis and was really feeling down. The smile she does at the end of this chapter is like a complete opposite to her crying face in the last chapter.

Except, again, Mei did start it with the kiss. Mei was also the one pushing to have sex first. Mei was the one who went on the attack the first sign of Yuzu getting with someone else. Mei was far from passive. She wasnt the one pushing for a normal wholesome relationship but she was certainly the one pushing for a physical one.

Well, the only thing Mei can be accused of is to have been seduced by Yuzu, but who can blame her for that? Okay, okay, I'm pushing it. Still, it hurts, it wasn't a kind act at all, but I don't think she is a monster, just a confused selfish teenager who still wanted to indulge in the love of her step-sister, even if just a bit.

Yuzu was seduced by Mei starting with the kiss and Mei was the one pushing for sex before Yuzu was ready for it. She is just as much of a monster as a playgirl can be. She seduces Yuzu, gave into Yuzus demands for an actual relationship and then shattered it all in almost the worst way possible. People arent saying she should be hanged but you have to see why a lot of people would hate her for doing what she did.

I wish there was a bit more build up leading to this chapter, like her making the decision and accepting and leaving, but I think standalone, this was pretty brilliant. It tugs on your heartstrings in all the right ways, and the clashing of the emotional note and comedic pictures only cause it to hurt more towards the end. My only issue is I wish Mei went a bit more in depth with her reasons for making her choice. Ah well, pretty good chapter.

How many volumines Citrus will have? Someone knows? I saw on Twitter a picture with 50 chapters, but...

How many volumines Citrus will have? Someone knows? I saw on Twitter a picture with 50 chapters, but...

Mistake. the person who took the picture was on a manga site that counted the bonuses as chapters hence the number 50.

Since the volumes are paired with their regular cover, it will be 10 volumes or 12. The author tweeted for the new year that the manga was entering its turning point. Did she mean climax or just we were in the last part of the plot which could be expanded on numerous volumes? Who knows.

We'll have probably some idea with chapter 37's structure. If resolution begins in it, volume 10 could be the last. The fact that there is an anime can lead to thinking the same thing will happen than with NTR. When the anime ended, the last volume began. Ichijinsha uses animes to promote their top series when they are reaching their acme.

Let's hope the author doesn't rush the ending, that's all.

4 chapters are not enough for me to end the story without feeling the rushing of the action. 12 would be ok.

last edited at Feb 25, 2018 12:19PM

4 chapters are not enough for me to end the story without feeling the ruching of the action. 12 would be ok.

That, or Saburouta could do a last big volume like Kodama with NTR who did 6 chapters. But yeah, I would prefer 12 volumes with a view on their life after the big drama resolution, and also a closure for the side characters too.

Yo first time posting here, made the account because I recently read the whole Citrus manga so far and felt impacted by chapter 36, as something similar happened between my girlfriend and I years ago (except in our case I’m more similar to Mei in personality and she is more similar to Yuzu, but she was the one sending me the “Dear Yuzu” letter once sh*t hit the fan with her strict family).

I feel all the hatred towards Mei is uncalled for, even though upon first reading chapter 36 I also had a very gut level emotional reaction of disliking the way she did things. But that was just my immature side talking, that empathizes with Yuzu and would like life to be simple when it’s actually not. The author of this manga sure knows how to deliver the point, she made us feel exactly like Yuzu did which I believe was precisely her intention (in addition to being an easy way of moving on to the next, likely more serious phase of the story).

My analysis of Mei’s actions is the following.

Mei never gave any demonstration of actually liking the life of managing the academy. I mean, she doesn't show any love or enjoyment for it even after she affirms it's her own decision. I don't think it really is, she just believes so because she is still a kid: she is actually doing it completely out of duty and as a "good kid" would, because she has only ever been loved conditionally and in her mind, in order to have value and be loved she must follow these obligations. If she truly loved it and was looking forward to doing this her whole life, she would behave like most people who are really into their work, and show joy in her life and in her interactions with people.

But she doesn't! It means that just like her dad, she is only doing it out of a sense of obligation and not because it's her passion in life. If she chooses the path of passionless duty, she is never going to feel fulfilled and would likely crash her own life down the road with a divorce too and god knows what else, recreating the cycle of divorce and unhappiness with her own children, maybe abandoning them like Shou did.

Regardless, in the end, the story is about duty vs personal fulfilment, rather than a conflict between career and love. It is about whether Mei can handle the uncertainty of going for a path forged by herself rather than laid down for her (as Mitsuko explains in a previous chapter when she applauded Yuzu). The main challenge though, is that Mei is an extremely insecure and needy person and in my opinion has been obsessed about Yuzu from the very beginning, precisely because subconsciously her mind knows Yuzu is the gatekeeper, the person who has the type of psychological freedom she craves so much.

In terms of how to solve this whole issue, in my opinion if Yuzu doesn’t do something concrete to demonstrate that she is willing to be together with Mei permanently as an adult and through thick and thin, Mei will just go ahead with the marriage. Reason being, Mei doesn’t believe Yuzu loves her enough (as an adult rather than just a crush) or has enough maturity to face the uphill battle of fighting the family and society, even though she clearly would like for her to be able to: which is why she was trying to make Yuzu be more open about their relationship to their friends, and encouraging her to not worry so much about societal opinions.

And who can blame her for thinking that Yuzu would not be up to the task of supporting her as a reliable adult partner? During the story, it becomes clearer and clearer that Mei’s love for Yuzu was never “puppy love”, it’s adult love, but Yuzu is still a kid. Yuzu starts out as a reckless teenager and the process of her becoming more mature is still ongoing. She has been unable to lead Mei to have sex with her because she is still not ready for it (psychologically), even though Mei has given indication she has been wanting to do it since pretty much day 1. Because Mei has a more passive and accommodating personality, she wants/needs Yuzu to lead, and so far Yuzu is a very confusing leader to say the least.

My opinion on how the story will go: I feel Harumin, who has been a mystery so far in what is her real purpose in the story, will finally stop being neutral. Either she will push Yuzu to take action, or talk to Mei, possibly instigated by Matsuri. I doubt Matsuri will actually take action herself because she is very smart and knows Yuzu and Mei would likely not listen to her, given she is not seen by others as a reasonable person. But Harumin is, so she is the best bet here. Another possibility, even more dramatic but leading to unpredictable consequences, is that Harumin liked Yuzu all along and decides to do something about it. However, I find that less likely because I am under the impression Matsuri and her will become a couple.

I hope Citrus won't end at Volume 10. 12 is fine but I wish there will be more. it won't be bad also if we can have a canon Matsuri x Harumin after the hopeful happy ending for Yuzu and Mei.

There's no doubt that Volume 10 is going to be the turning point of Citrus. I can't even imagine the amount of drama it will have especially that it will now involve the whole Aihara family into the plot. Getting the acceptance of their family with their taboo relationship is going to be the toughest obstacle Mei and Yuzu need to deal with before they can have their happy ending. man' I hope we can see Mei and Yuzu get married and have science babies.

Who wouldn't want to see Mei finally happy with her new loving family with Yuzu after all the sh*t, she has to deal with because of her irresponsible father.

last edited at Feb 25, 2018 12:22PM

I hope we can see Mei and Yuzu get married and have science babies.

My money's on mismatched twins who fight all the time in public, but underneath it all . . .

Didn't the author promise a happy ending?

The characters can end up happy, but still not with each other lol A lot of people would be happy with a Yuzu x Harumin ending at this point I bet, given how much Mei seems to be disliked. It's unlikely but would be the ultimate twist.

Too much fanfictions man... Chill.

I'm wondering why some readers are so freaked out. The happy ending is obvious. Anyone who reads this manga for more than 2 years already knows the outcome of this whole drama. Yuzu and Mei will be together again and that's it.

The characters can end up happy, but still not with each other lol A lot of people would be happy with a Yuzu x Harumin ending at this point I bet, given how much Mei seems to be disliked. It's unlikely but would be the ultimate twist.

Damn right. I keep reading that Sabuoro Uta promised a happy ending but she didn't specifically said that Mei and Yuzu will be the endgame couple and that's why a lot of us is worried.

Harumin x Yuzu wouldn't be so bad but after what Mei and Yuzu has gotten through. it will be heartbreaking for the fans, if they don't end up together. I mean, the reason why all of us follow Citrus is because we want to see the two of them have a happy ending. We had enough Yuri manga or anime with bad endings or inconclusive endings when we don't for certain if their relationship are just a fleeting highschool romance and in time just became the butt of a joke that they still end up with a guy. it's time that we have a married yuri couple manga/anime and I'm hoping it will be Citrus. I still want to keep my hopes up after Chapter 36.

last edited at Feb 25, 2018 2:57PM

I'm wondering why some readers are so freaked out. The happy ending is obvious. Anyone who reads this manga for more than 2 years already knows the outcome of this whole drama. Yuzu and Mei will be together again and that's it.

Well, given the circumstances that Mei and Yuzu are stepsisters and Mei has responsibilities of being the sole heiress of the academy. it's kinda hard to imagine how will Mei and Yuzu get through all of this without their family being involved in the story. Yuzu's mother, Mei's irresponsible father and her sick grandfather. These people are irreplaceable persons in their life who will be greatly affected with their relationship, if ever they decided to come out.

last edited at Feb 25, 2018 3:10PM

The characters can end up happy, but still not with each other lol A lot of people would be happy with a Yuzu x Harumin ending at this point I bet, given how much Mei seems to be disliked. It's unlikely but would be the ultimate twist.

Damn right. I keep reading that Sabuoro Uta promised a happy ending but she didn't specifically said that Mei and Yuzu will be the endgame couple and that's why a lot of us is worried.

Harumin x Yuzu wouldn't be so bad but after what Mei and Yuzu has gotten through. it will be heartbreaking for the fans, if they don't end up together. I mean, the reason why all of us follow Citrus is because we want to see the two of them have a happy ending. We had enough Yuri manga or anime with bad endings or inconclusive endings when we don't for certain if their relationship are just a fleeting highschool romance and in time just became the butt of a joke that they still end up with a guy. it's time that we have a married yuri couple manga/anime and I'm hoping it will be Citrus. I still want to keep my hopes up after Chapter 36.

Everything about Citrus is centered around Yuzu and Mei. All the volume covers, special arts and goodies are about these two, so they're the OTP of this manga. Also, Citrus is one of the most important series of the comic Yurihime magazine and the anime is currently airing, why would someone think that Saburouta will suddenly give a bittersweet ending? She may be a troll sometimes, but she's stupid to mess up with a manga she's been doing for five years (and it's finally getting more recognition). That's why the happy ending is Yuzu and Mei together, so i guess there's no need to worry about it.

@IttelepaC

We already know everything that you have pointed out but like I said given the circumstances of their complicated relationship. the story could go differently. besides, did you read that the Japanese folks reacted positively with Mei's decision?

I do hope for a happy ending not a bittersweet ending just like title suggest "Citrus".

last edited at Feb 25, 2018 3:18PM

@IttelepaC

We all know everything that you have pointed out but like I said given the circumstances of their complicated relationship. the story could go differently. besides, did you read that the Japanese folks reacted positively with Mei's decision?

I do hope for a happy ending not a bittersweet ending just like title suggest "Citrus".

Yes. But there's some ways out of this conflict, i guess. Some Japanese are expecting Shou to come back (he also said something like ''wanting to reach an answer'', that's why he's travelling around the world), and there's a reason why the Manager (a good guy who knows how much Yuzu loves her partner) is the fiancé. If we put everything together, so the outcome is very obvious. But Saburouta always surprises us, so let's just wait two long months for the next chapter.

last edited at Feb 25, 2018 3:21PM

@IttelepaC

We all know everything that you have pointed out but like I said given the circumstances of their complicated relationship. the story could go differently. besides, did you read that the Japanese folks reacted positively with Mei's decision?

I do hope for a happy ending not a bittersweet ending just like title suggest "Citrus".

Yes. But there's some ways out of this conflict, i guess. Some Japanese are expecting Shou to come back (he also said something like ''wanting to reach an answer'', that's why he's travelling around the world), and there's a reason why the Manager (a good guy who knows how much Yuzu loves her partner) is the fiancé. If we put everything together, so the outcome is very obvious. But Saburouta always surprises us, so let's just wait two long months for the next chapter.

I'm not worried about the fiance cause like someone said here in the forum that even if the manager backs out, there's tons of rich guys who could replace him.

What concerns me in the story is how will their family think of their relationship. remember that Mei's grandfather is sick and his last wish will be probably to see her granddaughter marry a guy from a rich and respectable family. so, how can Mei refuse that? Can she risk her grandfather's health for her love for Yuzu?

And how will Yuzu's mother take all of this? Shou and her will technically need to divorce if they want to support Yuzu and Mei's relationship. there's gonna be a lot of sacrifices needed to make for this happy ending and it just makes me worry.

last edited at Feb 25, 2018 3:46PM

@IttelepaC

What concerns me in the story is how will their family think of their relationship. remember that Mei's grandfather is sick and his last wish will be probably to see her granddaughter marry a guy from a rich and respectable family. so, how can Mei refuse that? Can she risk her grandfather's health for her love for Yuzu?

Her grandfather dislike the idea of pushing all the responsibility to Mei, but he doesn't have a choice since Shou is travelling. Shou will eventually come back (i mean, he needs to), so everything will eventually get solved.

And how will Yuzu's mother take all of this? Shou and her will technically need to divorce if they want to support Yuzu and Mei's relationship. there's gonna be a lot of sacrifices needed to make for this happy ending and it just makes me worry.

Ume is a good woman and a open minded person (just like Shou), she'll support Yuzu and Mei if this means they'll be truly happy. And also, she married Shou just to take care of Mei while he's travelling around the world to reach his ''answer''. They both agreed about this. So their parents wouldn't be a big problem.

last edited at Feb 25, 2018 3:55PM

And that might be funny to read.

@IttelepaC

What concerns me in the story is how will their family think of their relationship. remember that Mei's grandfather is sick and his last wish will be probably to see her granddaughter marry a guy from a rich and respectable family. so, how can Mei refuse that? Can she risk her grandfather's health for her love for Yuzu?

Her grandfather dislike the idea of pushing all the responsibility to Mei, but he doesn't have a choice since Shou is travelling. Shou will eventually come back (i mean, he needs to), so everything will eventually get solved.

One of the objective of this arranged marriage is to produce a heir and besides do you really think Mei's grandfather will take the news of them being in a relationship that easily? Their relationship will ruin the reputation of the Aihara family. a stepsister from a respectable family in a romantic relationship?

And how will Yuzu's mother take all of this? Shou and her will technically need to divorce if they want to support Yuzu and Mei's relationship. there's gonna be a lot of sacrifices needed to make for this happy ending and it just makes me worry.

Ume is a good woman and open minded, she'll support Yuzu and Mei if this means they'll be truly happy. And also, she just married Shou to take care of Mei while he's travelling around the world to reach his ''answer''. They both agreed to this. So their parents wouldn't be a big problem.

Yeah, I hope that Ume and Shou only married because of that agreement and not because they actually do love each other. Which is kind of nuts if you think about it.

I know I'm kind of taking the story hard by looking at it realistically. I really want Mei and Yuzu to have a happy ending but neither do I want a dumb solution to this plot like everyone will just be accepting and there won't be any consequences to all of it.

last edited at Feb 25, 2018 4:07PM