I'm not buying this romance between Mei and Yuzu. They have an extremely shallow relationship in which Yuzu only likes Mei because she's pretty, [...].

And she's diligent, serious, and Yuzu finds good points even when outsiders find it unreasonable.. Ohmygod! Would it be possible that Yuzu is... In love? Like with all the irrational behaviours and thinking that comes with it?!

Add to that that Yuzu is a nice girl with probably a saviour complex, and it's easy to see why she loves Mei. Remember as well that we don't see everything, Saburouta choses to focus on the drama most of the time, but they may have nice behaviour. Just look at vol6/7 how intense and sweet their relationship is, it makes sense. And it's easy to imagine Mei falling for Yuzu as well.

And being pretty is/looks are important in a relationship, or in the process of falling in love with somebody.

I love Citrus

I think at some point over the course of this manga, Saburouta has started shipping Harumin and Matsuri far too hard to even consider Harumin being anything but good friends with Yuzu hehe.

I'm not buying this romance between Mei and Yuzu. They have an extremely shallow relationship in which Yuzu only likes Mei because she's pretty, [...].

And she's diligent, serious, and Yuzu finds good points even when outsiders find it unreasonable.. Ohmygod! Would it be possible that Yuzu is... In love? Like with all the irrational behaviours and thinking that comes with it?!

Add to that that Yuzu is a nice girl with probably a saviour complex, and it's easy to see why she loves Mei. Remember as well that we don't see everything, Saburouta choses to focus on the drama most of the time, but they may have nice behaviour. Just look at vol6/7 how intense and sweet their relationship is, it makes sense. And it's easy to imagine Mei falling for Yuzu as well.

And being pretty is/looks are important in a relationship, or in the process of falling in love with somebody.

It's also possible Yuzu is just a 16 year old who has no experience in life, and is making a big mistake. Unlike a lot of readers, I don't think Mei is a bad person, but she is who she is at the moment. Mei is not ready to have a high-stakes relationship with anyone because she can't communicate properly, she acts selfish (even when she thinks she is doing it for other people) and has cripplingly low self-esteem which usually leads to making bad decisions. Yuzu is setting herself up to suffer in the long run and it seems completely unrealistic that her own mother would accept that without at least a deeper conversation.

That she accepted Yuzu coming out is somewhat OK (still hard to believe in Japan), but that she accepted Yuzu to be in love with Mei without at least warning her daughter about all the consequences, and just saying "Yuzu you are ready" when the girl is in high school and Mei and her dated like puppies for like half a year is insane. But now I understand why Ume and Sho were painted as irredeemable screw-ups from the start...it was so that Saburouta could have the easy way out with this whole thing.

Also, please. For anyone to think the relationship between Mei and Yuzu is intense or an example of 2 people deeply in love, can only be because they don't have a lot of relationship experience lol It just seems "intense" because they are trying things out for the first time, and because Saburouta focuses on facial expressions and drawing every second of the (barely there) action. The reason many readers think HaruminxYuzu should be end-game is because Harumin is the only person in this story with whom Yuzu is consistently shown to have a deep enough bond that would maybe justify a long-term relationship. I myself ship HaruminxMatsuri for the kicks, but can't deny that. If we are meant to think Mei and Yuzu are a great couple outside of the drama scenes, why can't Saburouta simply show that? I mean, she shows Yuzu and Harumin spending quality time together all the time. I suspect it's because that's not her intention; we ARE meant to understand Yuzu and Mei's relationship is likely a mistake. Even if they end up together. Isn't that why the title is "citrus"?

last edited at Jun 18, 2018 7:48AM

i bet mei's dad was screaming on the inside.

"You're gonna do WHAT with Mei?"

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHHA. I love it. thanks.

Remember as well that we don't see everything, Saburouta choses to focus on the drama most of the time, but they may have nice behaviour.

In other words, you're filling in the blanks in the story with your own headcanon.

And it's easy to imagine Mei falling for Yuzu as well.

More headcanon. It sounds like you're making excuses for the poorly written characters.

Look, there's nothing wrong with liking Citrus. It just means you have low standards.

You know what guys, you wouldn't think that Harumin x Yuzu is for the better, if Yuzu and Mei have an ideal relationship.

I love Citrus because of the angsty drama and not because it's fluffy and lighthearted. It's pretty much the reason why a lot of readers like Citrus, the mutual love between the two main characters is not as easy as it gets with other manga/manhwa. it's a work-in progress romance.

last edited at Jun 18, 2018 9:34AM

Honestly, their marriage is more of a benevolent scam than anything else. The point was for Ume to take care of Mei, I guess if Mei and Yuzu ends up together, they don't have any more reason to be together at all. Unless they end up fancying each other, which would be cool for both of them!

Not sure how this could happen since Shou is never around.

I wonder though, how that would work : it's not like they can control their children's behaviour, I'm curious as to why it would render their marriage invalid or threaten it?

Ever seen Transit girls? Much better coming out scene. The build up between the two step sisters isnt comparable to Citrus, and thats saying a lot, but what I found most interesting was when they had to spill the beans to their parents about their relationship. It definitely strained their own relationship because the parents blamed themselves for allowing it to happen. They split up but get back together after accepting their daughters' relationship. Its an okay drama but the coming out part set the bar for me when it came to a realistic but sweet ending to these type of situations.

And she's diligent, serious

Arent these the part of Mei that Yuzu dislikes? Being diligent and serious is why Yuzu isnt allowed to dress or act how she wants at school and is exactly what is causing the very problem they are currently dealing with.

last edited at Jun 18, 2018 9:56AM

Harumi and Yuzu definitely have more chemistry than Yuzu and Mei. Overall this series felt pretty shallow with some crappy drama that left a sour taste in my mouth. It's nice to see a serial series coming to a close though, even if it was pretty mediocre imo.

Citrus is not a "masterpiece" by no means LOL But Mei's decision to bethrode herself because of her duty, as the sole heir of her family's business doesn't go against her character's personality and traits.

If you'd think about it, Mei already have everything she wanted her whole life, a loving family and someone who truly loves her which was the total opposite of what life she had before, but she was willing to give it all up because she wanted Yuzu to have a normal life.

Again, it's not the best decision ever but isn't this the same way, how Mei sacrifice her own freedom just so her father could go yolo in the other far side of the world lol. if Mei is willing to go through all of this again for Yuzu then she must have really love her, contradictory to what other people might say.

last edited at Jun 18, 2018 10:13AM

I'll be honest, I was reading this with semi-excited, semi-hyped trembling while covered in a blanket

Hope my mother didn't notice when she walked in

Well, I'm not alone here

Just realized it was Matsuri who said/thought, "You kept saying you weren't interested, but I had the feeling you went that way..." about Harumin. Which makes more sense because Harumin never asked Yuzu about Yuzu being interested in Mei/women, so it couldn't have been her who said that piece of dialogue.

Considering all the other facial expressions Harumin makes, it's actually pretty obvious that Harumin had to swallow being put in the friendzone here. Sad but definitely my favourite scene of this manga so far, now that I understood it. Brilliant case of "show it not say it".

last edited at Jun 18, 2018 11:29AM

Remember as well that we don't see everything, Saburouta choses to focus on the drama most of the time, but they may have nice behaviour.

In other words, you're filling in the blanks in the story with your own headcanon.

And it's easy to imagine Mei falling for Yuzu as well.

More headcanon. It sounds like you're making excuses for the poorly written characters.

Look, there's nothing wrong with liking Citrus. It just means you have low standards.

I'm just saying we don't see everything, so it's complicated to say if it's perfect or not, and no the second part isn't headcannon, it is actually quite obvious when you read the actual story. My only wrong was in the phrasing, you don't imagine it, it's happening in front of your eyes.

It just means you have low standards.

Well, I'm answering to you, so I guess...

Arent these the part of Mei that Yuzu dislikes?

Yeah probably... I guess instead of giving examples of what I might like, I should have just said that when you fall in love (or have a crush or w/e), you tend to find positive traits in almost everything the object of affection does and is.

The reason many readers think HaruminxYuzu should be end-game is because Harumin is the only person in this story with whom Yuzu is consistently shown to have a deep enough bond that would maybe justify a long-term relationship.

Yeah but that's just an indication that they will have a good friendship, not that they'll be good lovers. Of course, being friend with your lover is a good thing, but there's something missing in their current relationship to make them lovers : attraction toward each other.

I don't know for Harumin, but Yuzu clearly isn't attracted to Harumin, so they can't be a couple and it wouldn't make sense.

last edited at Jun 18, 2018 11:45AM

Tbh, this chapter felt kinda... I don't know what to say.

Yuzu revealed the truth to her mother, her step-father and her best friend, and they all took it well. And that's good. But it seems like things are going far too well too fast all of a sudden. Especially considering the number of preceding chapters that took their time building up this much angst/drama. I'm not complaining with the results, but if this was going to happen, then chapter 24 seemed like the perfect time to do it. Sure, Yuzu today =/= Yuzu 15 chapters ago, but at this rate, Grandpa will likely be just as much accepting in the next chapter. Totally anti climatic.

Maybe Shou will return to free Mei from the burden (or not). He seemed ready to lend Yuzu his "strength", whatever that means.

Hm...This chapter was kinda nice, aber now I'm rooting for Yuzu x Harumin even more. :c

I'm just saying we don't see everything, so it's complicated to say if it's perfect or not,

It just means you have low standards.

Well, I'm answering to you, so I guess...

What is it that makes people (who clearly are reading Citrus avidly themselves) come in after every chapter and insist that others acknowledge that the series is not ‘good’?

Is it to establish that they themselves are only hatereading, and aren’t taken in like the common herd?

I’m just not sure I see the point.

That coming out was rather underwhelming and hand waved like nothing.

Yeah right.

Even the most supportive parents, in real life, are worried to death, instead of being like "oh well, can't be helped, I trust you and good luck".

She's in love with her step-sister, ffs.

Yeah, but look at her STEP-FATHER! If you google "parental irresponsibility", you will find his picture on the website. Also, it's fairly obvious that her mother "married" the guy just to provide a stable home for his daughter. It's also possible that their marriage isn't even official, for all we know. In addition to the fact that one of the primary methods of becoming "family" that is traditionally used by lesbian and gay couples in Japan is "adult adoption" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_adult_adoption) which is a centuries old practice used to extend family lines. So, unless their parents had problems with the two of them being in a same sex relationship in the first place, there wouldn't be any problems with the fact that they are step-sisters, since the logical step to legal make them part of the same family unit would either be for the parents of one of the girls to adopt the other or, in some cases, for the older person in the couple to adopt the younger, thus giving them inheritance rights as the oldest child.

And it was extremely realistic in terms of the way Yuzu's mom already knew what was going on. As the father of a daughter on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, I knew several years before she came out, or I at least had a hunch. Frankly, that is part of why I started reading yuri manga. I added a bunch of yuri manga to my reading list and discussed those stories with my son and daughter, the same way I discussed the other manga and anime that I was reading and watching with them. It was kind of a semi-subtle way to tell my daughter, "when you're ready to come out, I'll be supportive." Of course, I have a lesbian aunt, so she probably already knew that...

As a side-effect, I discovered that I really, really enjoyed the writing in the yuri mangas more than I did in most of the others. I also branched out into lesbian romance novels and have become a fan of those... Strange how life works...

I'm just saying we don't see everything, so it's complicated to say if it's perfect or not,

It just means you have low standards.

Well, I'm answering to you, so I guess...

What is it that makes people (who clearly are reading Citrus avidly themselves) come in after every chapter and insist that others acknowledge that the series is not ‘good’?

Is it to establish that they themselves are only hatereading, and aren’t taken in like the common herd?

I’m just not sure I see the point.

I guess we all like Citrus for the characters, who are very relatable, but the general consensus is that the storyline is crap despite the potential and several individual scenes being at times downright brilliant. Which is unnerving. I'd say that causes the exasperated reactions of love and hate lol

It's like watching a soccer match in the World Cup and insulting the players of the team you are cheering for because they ended up performing so badly despite your hopes. You care, but because you care, you react so angrily.

last edited at Jun 18, 2018 1:03PM

Yeah but that's just an indication that they will have a good friendship, not that they'll be good lovers. Of course, being friend with your lover is a good thing, but there's something missing in their current relationship to make them lovers : attraction toward each other.

I don't know for Harumin, but Yuzu clearly isn't attracted to Harumin, so they can't be a couple and it wouldn't make sense.

During the series, Matsuri has always been right in her observations, and considering the latest chapter, it seems pretty clear Harumin got friendzoned against her will there, based on her reaction and what Matsuri said right after.

Now I totally agree Yuzu has no interest in Harumin. A lot of readers think Harumin would be a better match for Yuzu because unlike Mei the girl is actually a great person and treats Yuzu well, not because they actually believe Yuzu is attracted to her. It's the typical case of "why is Yuzu dating this person who makes her suffer, when she can do much better".

Yuzu is way too selfish on this one. She came out of the closet and forced Mei to do so. This isn't something you do for someone. This is a personal choice and even though it went very well, she shouldn't have done that.

Plus, she is forcing this relationship. Mei chose another path, and Yuzu doesn't respect that. Love doesn't justify all means. Let's imagine Mei is coming back to Yuzu, I don't think she will be thrilled AT ALL that Yuzu say all of those things.

The fact that everyone is supportive is great but I really don't like how it happened. This is either poorly written or it will backfire at Yuzu (and even though Mei had been hard on her, she would deserve it this time).

Yuzu is way too selfish on this one. She came out of the closet and forced Mei to do so. This isn't something you do for someone. This is a personal choice and even though it went very well, she shouldn't have done that.

Plus, she is forcing this relationship. Mei chose another path, and Yuzu doesn't respect that. Love doesn't justify all means. Let's imagine Mei is coming back to Yuzu, I don't think she will be thrilled AT ALL that Yuzu say all of those things.

The fact that everyone is supportive is great but I really don't like how it happened. This is either poorly written or it will backfire at Yuzu (and even though Mei had been hard on her, she would deserve it this time).

I find myself agreeing completely. Perhaps it is my extreme dislike of breaching other person's privacy, plus the meddling nature of it all, but I am unable to really support Yuzu's choices here. Outing your (technically) ex-lover to other people, who are her immediate family no less, is a really dick move. Sure, it went well, but that does not make it acceptable. Bonus points (in a negative manner) for doing it in order to enlist their help (or approval, at the very least) in an effort to go against Mei's personal choices. Do I think Mei made some poor decisions? Certainly, even though I understand her reasons. But those poor decisions are hers to make, Yuzu going against that is not really something I can root for.

And Shou pisses me off with the caring father act, as always. The Bohemian retard is the single most responsible culprit for Mei even being in this situation to begin with, if he wanted to appear all fatherly and shit, he should have done so years and years ago. And of course, meddling in his daughter's choices is apparently perfectly acceptable since her choice is to uphold the familial duty. If she decided to be an irresponsible hippie like him, I guess her decisions would have been respected then, the fucking hypocrite.

Eh, wait a moment, what is this revenge Matsuri talks about? :O

-just re-read it-

Eh, wait a moment, what is this revenge Matsuri talks about? :O

-just re-read it-

I suspect Matsuri finally had enough of Mei directly or indirectly hurting girls she cares about lol She already took Yuzu away from her, and now I guess she kinda suspects Harumin is going to take it in the chin to help YuzuMei get back together. Maybe she will show everyone at school that old pic of Mei kissing her, or corner the manager and reveal about the rings.

I said a long time ago that there were a bunch of players who could help break the Mei-Yuzu impasse (almost everybody in the story, really), and I’m totally not surprised at the parents being completely unfazed by Yuzu’s big reveal. The Tachibana sisters have had their turn as fairy godmothers/sisters, and Matsuri looks like she’s up next, with Harumin on deck (or maybe vice versa).

I am surprised by readers upset by a supposed recent lack of ‘realism’—this is the series that started with a Magic Lesbian Stepsister Kiss, after all, and the plot has proceeded by coincidences, conveniently overheard conversations, sudden plot developments, and character reversals (remember yandere psychopath Matsuri?) all along.

I get the feeling that this series takes a lot of hits for its failure to be something it has never tried to be in the first place.

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/citrus_ch39#31

I took a look at the raw for the page, and what Matsuri says on panel 3 is (more or less):

"You kept insisting that you weren't interested in anyone,
but just as I thought, it was Yuzu-chan, wasn't it..."

Just a small detail, I guess.