One day they’re role-playing a wedding fantasy and the next Mei tells Yuzu (in a letter) that they will never speak again.

Which chapter is the wedding fantasy? I always see people talking about it but never read that in the chapter. There was even a fanvid which had them wearing wedding dresses taken from manga but I never read it in any chapters. Thanks!

End of Chapter 35. It’s some sort of wedding shop free dress fitting and photo event.

Mei breaks down at the end of the scene because—oh, crap, it’s too tedious to even write it out. Short version: Mei has a sad because oblivious Yuzu is happy.

Omg thanks for this! I don't know how I'd missed that part! Now I'm sad and heartbroken all over again seeing Mei breaking down at the end of the chapter.

I think trying to somehow mould Mei into a lovable person (at least in the conventional sense) would not only be contrary to her character, but I also do not think Saburouta even attempted to go for something like that, this is more of an element that part of the audience read into the story of their own accord.

But Mei has to end up being “lovable” in the sense that half the audience isn’t horrified to see the OTP actually get together—the character having “issues” is fine, desirable even, but we have to see (and more importantly feel) enough of what Yuzu sees in Mei to make the genre plot work.

Manga and anime are both full of very flawed, pain-in-the-ass characters that audiences nevertheless find fascinating and compelling—that’s the whole basis of the tsundere archetype, for instance. I’m not sure Mei is joining that pantheon any time soon.

Let me put things yet another way: I think you do a very good job of making the case for Mei and her motivations as a hypothetical human being mostly abstracted from the concrete ways the story has actually been told.

But if you’re an author one chapter away from the end of your romance, and a big chunk of your audience intensely dislikes one-half of your OTP and hopes they DIAF, and another substantial chunk feels the need to defend that character by reading between the lines, I’d say that the execution of your romance has gone badly off the rails somewhere.

last edited at Jul 21, 2018 1:36PM

@Blastaar: You will hear no arguments from me on that score, I basically agree with everything you have written in your response. One thing all of us can agree on is that the writing has certainly been lacking in some areas, Mei's side of the story being the foremost issue, in my opinion.

last edited at Jul 21, 2018 1:47PM

But if you’re an author one chapter away from the end of your romance, and a big chunk of your audience intensely dislikes one-half of your OTP and hopes they DIAF, and another substantial chunk feels the need to defend that character by reading between the lines, I’d say that the execution of your romance has gone badly off the rails somewhere.

That or the mangaka is a genius and the story was delivered exactly as intended, i.e. she wants to portray Mei as someone who the readers have mixed feelings about from start to end.

Think how Kodama Naoko wrote Hotaru in NTR for example. She was meant to provoke mixed feelings because of her methods to attract Yuma, and even to the end, she was not at all changed from an obsessive person completely absorbed only with Yuma, which many might argue doesn't make her a lovable character.

The difference though is that in NTR, both characters behaved hot and cold and in the end showed very strong feelings for each other, and didn't have to be "convinced" to be together. It was clear they were the most important thing for each other despite all their mistakes. So it truly came off as an intense love story even if a twisted one (and no matter if the reader likes the way it was executed or not, etc).

In comparison to that, what gives me a bitter taste about Citrus (lol pun intended) is that Yuzu is 100% about being with Mei but Mei is not 100% about being with Yuzu, she still prefers duty over Yuzu for most of the story even if ultimately she has a change of heart in ch 41. That's a real turn-off for a love story.

last edited at Jul 21, 2018 1:51PM

Do not forget, Yuzu is bi, at the very beginning of the story she was not even that, she was (or thought herself) straight, did everyone forget how much she anguished over getting into an all-girls school with no potential boyfriends around?

I'm pretty sure she only wanted a boyfriend because she was trying to be the stereotypical gyaru, she thought that having a cute boyfriend was 'cool' and would impress her friends and make them jealous, and it was expected of her to have a boyfriend by her social circle, I mean do you remember how her "friends" reacted when they saw a lesbian couple? And how Yuzu ended up crying because of the way they reacted? The whole "I want a boyfriend" thing was just peer pressure at its finest IMO. And I don't remember Yuzu mentioning that she ever had a boyfriend (well, she did say something about breaking up with her boyfriend at the beginning but right after she says that she was never honest about that, so I guess it was just a lie) or that she was ever romantically attracted to a specific man (but I don't remember every single chapter of Citrus so maybe I'm wrong). She might be bi, but the beginning of the manga isn't really a proof of that... IMO, she thought she was straight 'by default', like many other homosexuals, because she was never really attracted to someone before.

Do not forget, Yuzu is bi, at the very beginning of the story she was not even that, she was (or thought herself) straight, did everyone forget how much she anguished over getting into an all-girls school with no potential boyfriends around?

I'm pretty sure she only wanted a boyfriend because she was trying to be the stereotypical gyaru, she thought that having a cute boyfriend was 'cool' and would impress her friends and make them jealous, and it was expected of her to have a boyfriend by her social circle, I mean do you remember how her "friends" reacted when they saw a lesbian couple? And how Yuzu ended up crying because of the way they reacted? The whole "I want a boyfriend" thing was just peer pressure at its finest IMO. And I don't remember Yuzu mentioning that she ever had a boyfriend (well, she did say something about breaking up with her boyfriend at the beginning but right after she says that she was never honest about that, so I guess it was just a lie) or that she was ever romantically attracted to a specific man (but I don't remember every single chapter of Citrus so maybe I'm wrong). She might be bi, but the beginning of the manga isn't really a proof of that... IMO, she thought she was straight 'by default', like many other homosexuals, because she was never really attracted to someone before.

Very first chapter, notice her thoughts.. Not something spoken, not something she forced herself to think, and added to that, it is not even a thought that could lead anywhere in practical terms, since I can not imagine Yuzu actually having an affair with a teacher. She just found him hot.

Edit: Scratch that second-to-last sentence, she actually might have considered making a move on him. In any case, she seems far too enthusiastic to not be attracted to him, at least on a superficial level (his looks). Sure, you could write it off as her "forcing" herself, but that is not even alternate interpretation of evidence, that is just blatantly reading your own ideas into what we are presented with. She did not, at any point, go over this herself, she did not state her sexuality openly, she did not say anything about her previous desire to have a boyfriend, and we are not even given any visual clues that she was forcing herself back then. Therefore, what we are presented with is that she finds both sides attractive. Until I see her saying something on the issue herself, Saburouta making a statement on that, or someone digs up panels which convey visually that her previous ideas were a result of her forcing herself, I will write her down as being bi.

last edited at Jul 21, 2018 7:55PM

^ Nothing there suggests anything beyond a default assumption of heterosexuality by Yuzu. She’s a fashionista, so of course she knows what “hot guys” are supposed to look like—from magazines. Her whole first-day shtick is an attempt to adopt a new, more sophisticated high-school persona to match what she’s previously been faking.

What she really thinks is here:

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/citrus_ch01#4

Never been in love, and has no idea what it is.

Edit: Having seen your edit, I’ll grant the point—she may in fact be sexually attracted to the teacher. Or she may not. But it’s still the case that in the opening chapter she’s more-or-less playacting what she imagines to be the role of gyaru high-schooler hoping to flirt with the teacher.

I suppose I just don’t see the stakes involved in putting a fixed label on Yuzu’s sexuality given such scant evidence. As in many yuri manga, her first romantic and sexual experience is fixated on a single person who is female; there’s no indication within the story that she’s been attracted to anyone else of any gender.

last edited at Jul 21, 2018 8:37PM

^ Love is one thing, sexual attraction is another. Why people insist on using the two as synonyms has always been beyond me, to be honest.

are we really going now for the "is yuzu really a lesbian" argument after all these chapters? these "is she a lesbian or a bi" arguments have become really tedious and annoying. please stop.

last edited at Jul 21, 2018 8:00PM

^ Love is one thing, sexual attraction is another. Why people insist on using the two as synonyms has always been beyond me, to be honest.

I’m just saying that there’s no evidence for anything about Yuzu’s sexual orientation or romantic inclinations beyond her acting the way she thinks a girl of her age and style should act—she explicitly says she’s been putting on an act.

I really don’t care if she’s called lesbian or bi or whatever, but calling that teacher a “hottie” tells us nothing about Yuzu’s sexuality.

I didn't mean to say that she was voluntarily forcing herself though, more like she was heavily influenced by her social circle and the whole gyaru subculture to believe that having a cute boyfriend was a 'vital' necessity. And you can find someone extremely attractive without wanting to date/fuck the person, happened to me plenty of times.
Lastly, I don't deny that she MIGHT be bi, but stating that she IS bi without a doubt is clearly exaggerating considering the lack of actual evidence.

Yuzu is classic baby dyke through and through, what are you guys even going on about? Lol

I don't think she could be any gayer. Almost every lesbian I know thought they liked guys but it was more like a "they are good-looking, I should probably be dating them" until they stumbled upon a girl who inexplicably "smelled good".
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/citrus_ch01#11

Uh, no they didnt. Not at least according to 2chan. They had a very similar reaction as western fans to the author pulling a wild arranged marriage out of nowhere. Probably why the manga is getting cut short shortly after introducing it.

Wrong. The author announced the climax in December. The manga was entering its ultimate arc. So no, the manga wasn't cut short after introducing it. The author made clear 2018 would be the end of the Citrus, there were just some delusional people who bickered about the word she used because they rejected the "climax" translation and wanted to see the "most important part".

The adaptation was already a warning, like for previous series of the magazine, the anime adaptation's purpose was to promote the last volumes. And the volumes are a top seller for the editor. Citrus, after Yuru Yuri is their series that sells the best in tankobon format. They earned new readers after the anime attracted by the series, so very unlikely that it is ending cause of the wedding being a drama not appreciated.

Just the author's choice, after that we can agree on the bad writting here but her wish to end her manga on this last drama was clearly a personal choice.

I may add that 2chan isn't representative of the magazine's readers target, it is a Japanese shit posting area and they never liked Citrus when they cherishe Maria Sama. Citrus never has a regular thread here. So don't use this site as the alpha and omega of Japanese readers view on the manga.

last edited at Jul 22, 2018 5:26PM

Is Mei pregnant?

Is Mei pregnant?

I know I should resist, but:

what would make you think that Mei is pregnant?

what would make you think that Mei is pregnant?

The plot.

what would make you think that Mei is pregnant?

The plot.

OK, in for a penny, in for a pound:

What about the plot would make you think that Mei is pregnant?

last edited at Jul 22, 2018 7:09PM

what would make you think that Mei is pregnant?
The plot.

I mean…
She left for a whole year, it's nine months of gestation, she could practically have given birth.

what would make you think that Mei is pregnant?
The plot.

I mean…
She left for a whole year, it's nine months of gestation, she could practically have given birth.

Well, I’m not sure of your timeline, but even so, given what we know about uptight Mei and her easygoing fiancé (who reminds her that she’s still a high school student), I think the chances that the two of them have had unprotected premarital sex are very low.

Very, very low.

(These aren’t a couple of crazy kids in love who can’t keep their hands off each other, after all—we’ve seen what that looks like in this story.)

And the chances that Mei has had unprotected premarital sex with a male other than her fiancé are nonexistent.

Now, a random science baby from some unknown origin for Mei would liven up the final chapter considerably. But I doubt if we’re going to get that lucky.

And the chances that Mei has had unprotected premarital sex with a male other than her fiancé are nonexistent.

It is not as if Mei was still a virgin, she already knows what it is to be with a man and having descendants is part of her responsibility as heir to the Aihara family, that is why she got married in the first place.

And the chances that Mei has had unprotected premarital sex with a male other than her fiancé are nonexistent.

It is not as if Mei was still a virgin, she already knows what it is to be with a man and having descendants is part of her responsibility as heir to the Aihara family, that is why she got married in the first place.

I . . . um . . . I got nothin’.

Someone else will have to take it from here.

last edited at Jul 22, 2018 8:50PM

That's a lot of arbitrary asspulls for one post. : |

Is Mei pregnant?

This question here is why Sabu is either a genius mangaka, or a disaster.

One chapter before the end and people are asking if Mei has had unprotected sex with Udagawa. Nobody knows who Mei is. Holy f.

I think that theory is crazy af but just to imagine it as the final chapter is so funny, like ... oh my God, it would be catastrophic writing

Can you imagine, if that's why she decided to hurry up the wedding? Yuzu's face lmao
Well, if Sabu pairs that up with Matsuri then pushing Gramps down the stairs upon receiving the news of Mei's pregnancy, I'm down.