So i guess i kinda get where Liz is coming from, but still, slapping Honjo out of the blue because she made her remember an ex is kind of a fucked up thing to do. Like i get it, you were venting and letting all out, but how the fuck is it Honjo's fault? Anyways, i really hope we get more development for Liz' character since she's still just a more angsty and violent version Mei-tron.

Oh and thanks for the answer @GuiltyBoomerang, sorry for the late, late reply.

last edited at Sep 10, 2018 2:52PM

Eh, I'm just happy for the soft butch representation. Yuri needs more butches. :D

Eh, I'm just happy for the soft butch representation. Yuri needs more butches. :D

I don't know if I'd quite use the word butch to describe it, but it's a good look.

page order kinda messed up. It seems to be ordered alphabetically but then 16 is before 2

Don't know if it's fixed since you posted this, but it's right now.

So... she doesn't REALLY explain anything... just states that she feels like she has fun every day with the other members of her band and can talk about anything with them and is happy that she met her "soft butch" protagonist... but doesn't really explain WHY she flipped out about the earrings and slapped her...

Seriously frustrating girl!

Really. If a person wants to apologize for something, they need to do considerably better than "it's your fault."

She explicitly apologizes on the last page though...

Anyways, to second-guess the intent of the writing I think the point is that Liz is both seriously rattled by her old traumas bubbling up all of a sudden, and deeply frustrated that it's getting in the way of both her work and her pursuit of a girl she's majorly interested in.
In short she's in pain and blindly lashing out.

Now the important bit in this chapter is that while she's being maddeningly vague and roundabout (that "after telling you about everything" is some bullshit), perhaps because the matter is too emotionally distressing for her to discuss in explicit terms or just because she doesn't really know how to process this kind of thing, she's making a real attempt at talking to Honjou about it and managing to communicate at least the general outline of the issue. Getting that off her chest also seems to have calmed her down enough to both apologize for her prior outburst(s) and revert to her old mischievous flirting (possibly in a conscious effort to show Honjou she's in a better shape).

She explicitly apologizes on the last page though...

Yeah, no--"Sorry for today" following by a joking offer of more slapping is way too offhand to make up for physical abuse. And her behavior the night before was as bad in its own way as the slap--Maki had gone out of her way to be nice and Liz totally lost it on her. And still hasn't even told her why.

I can't quite tell if we're seeing the character the way the writer wants us to, or if the writing isn't working as intended--either way, "Senpai said we were just pretending" is no more an excuse for Liz's emotional abuse of Maki than "My bad--those earrings brought back some bad memories" atones for the slap.

Number of times the word "sorry" appears in this chapter: 5

• Maki: 4
• Liz: 1

Who said anything about excusing? The point is she behaved like people only too readily do when seriously upset, and sought to explain things and make amends after calming down and collecting herself.

Whether that is sufficient or not is fundamentally for the offended party, ie. Honjou, to decide but it's indisputably a step in the right direction.

Not sure why you're talking like Liz wanted to blow up in her face like she did...

The slap scene still shocks me, when I reread it. The most shocking thing about it is, that Liz doesn't do it in the heat of the moment. She had some time to get her emotions under control. And then Maki apologizes and Liz with full consciousness reaches out to slap her. WTF, bitch? If Maki had any self-respect, she'd run.

last edited at Sep 10, 2018 5:08PM

The slap scene still shocks me, when I reread it. The most shocking thing about it is, that Liz doesn't do it in the heat of the moment. She had some time to get her emotions under control. And then Maki apologizes and Liz with full consciousness reaches out to slap her. WTF, bitch? If Maki had any self-respect, she'd run.

What Melon said.

Look, I know we're supposed to see Liz as acting out because of past emotional trauma. But her responses are so disproportionate and her aggression toward Maki is so misplaced that it's hard to have any sympathy for her.

And her apology comes off as less "I deeply regret what I did and will not do it again" and more "Look, I said I'm sorry, so you need to be nice to me again."

I just re-read the whole series again, and:

Times Maki utters the word "sorry" (not all to Liz): 10
Times Liz utters the word "sorry": 1

EDIT: And Liz's very calculated slap comes as a response to Maki's formal, bowing apology to her.

last edited at Sep 10, 2018 5:34PM

I've wanted to like this, I really have. And I try not to be overly-judgmental about characters until I see how things (mostly) play out.

But Liz's "mysterious" aura just turns out to be a cover for an abusive, self-dramatizing user, and I guess the MC is supposed to be sweet and understanding, but that's not the same as being a willing doormat.

And I'm hoping that "let me know if you want to be slapped" line was supposed to come off differently than it actually sounds.

It was, I believe, self deprecating humor.

Did i miss something? XD

I really want to know what expression soft butch was translated from here.

Fussy (but like in a really bad way here....)

I've wanted to like this, I really have. And I try not to be overly-judgmental about characters until I see how things (mostly) play out.

But Liz's "mysterious" aura just turns out to be a cover for an abusive, self-dramatizing user, and I guess the MC is supposed to be sweet and understanding, but that's not the same as being a willing doormat.

And I'm hoping that "let me know if you want to be slapped" line was supposed to come off differently than it actually sounds.

It was, I believe, self deprecating humor.

I think so too, and I think that it's a terrible example of it--invoking a future slapping incident, and imagining Maki to desire more slaps is terribly inappropriate in that context.

(It would rather different if Liz had actually apologized in such a way that it seemed like she was aware of how bad her behavior had been and that she was ashamed of herself for doing it).

Again, it's not clear if the shittiness of the "apology" is supposed to show the character giving a shallow, half-assed apology, or if it's the writer creating an ineffective scene.

Wtf girl..if it was me, be thankful I didn't slap you back or pulled your hair..but asking me for another slap..seriously..I'll get triggered and ask you to leave the house xDD you didn't even say sorry..soft butch? Lol she might be a masochist xDD jk

last edited at Sep 10, 2018 8:52PM

Maki deserves better than this.

Yay people are overreacting about a simple joke again

Yay people are overreacting about a simple joke again

Come here so I could slap you and then tell a simple joke afterwards. Lol sure it was a joke but the action prior to it was not. The problem was not the "slap joke" but rather the real slap that happened to the MC. Why joke about it when you can say sorry instead for slapping her without reason.

last edited at Sep 11, 2018 6:48AM

Yay people are overreacting about a simple joke again

Come here so I could slap you and then tell a simple joke afterwards. Lol sure it was a joke but the action prior to it was not. The problem was not the "slap joke" but rather the real slap that happened to the MC. Why joke about it when you can say sorry instead for slapping her without reason.

Because that's how some people deal with problems. I recognize myself in it tbh. Rather than apologizing I tend to joke around about the matter later on, or turn it into a joke the moment after it happened rather than apologizing straight away. I know it's not right and I should change my ways, but hey I'm working on it.
Just saying, humans are very diverse, they deal with issues and situations differently.

But I have to agree that the story is very chaotic. Liz atm just seems like some kind of polymorf character. I get she was upset about her past and maybe slapped her half because she wanted to test her half because she was just angry, but it still doesn't justify it. And then with the sudden change of moods and uhg idk just too chaotic man.

last edited at Sep 11, 2018 7:05AM

Yay people are overreacting about a simple joke again

Come here so I could slap you and then tell a simple joke afterwards. Lol sure it was a joke but the action prior to it was not. The problem was not the "slap joke" but rather the real slap that happened to the MC. Why joke about it when you can say sorry instead for slapping her without reason.

Because that's how some people deal with problems. I recognize myself in it tbh. Rather than apologizing I tend to joke around about the matter later on, or turn it into a joke the moment after it happened rather than apologizing straight away. I know it's not right and I should change my ways, but hey I'm working on it.
Just saying, humans are very diverse, they deal with issues and situations differently.

But I have to agree that the story is very chaotic. Liz atm just seems like some kind of polymorf character. I get she was upset about her past and maybe slapped her half because she wanted to test her half because she was just angry, but it still doesn't justify it. And then with the sudden change of moods and uhg idk just too chaotic man.

Exactly the point..the girl has clearly some issues she needs to deal with..as you have said, "humans are very diverse" and that goes both ways..we can't also expect the people to understand that behavior especially when the other party doesn't even have any idea what is going on..I grew up in an environment where violence in household is "normal".. so for me, violence in a relationship is a big no no(be it physically or verbally)..so Liz's action is not justifiable in my book and feel free to call it an overreaction..that's just my opinion..:))

last edited at Sep 11, 2018 9:28AM

I really want to know what expression soft butch was translated from here.

As I explained on my blog, the original is 歩くカミングアウト which means "someone who is obviously gay from the way they act, look and so on". I needed a word that wasn't too obscure, campy or straigh up offensive, so I went with soft butch because I think it fits for Maki.

That asshole doesn't deserve to be happy

The next chapter we'll probably sees Liz's ex.

That last panel, I had a feeling the hottie was a kinky sadist ;)

Real talk though, this kinda makes me wanna cry. The hottie’s heartbreak resurfacing and the other one getting slapped around whilst being hella confused stirred up my feelz. Anyway, quite the fascinating read and I look forward to more

last edited at Sep 11, 2018 1:51PM

yayyy drama was solved. NOW FUCK!
who am i kidding, GIVE ME ALL THE DRAMA MOMONO MOTO!!

btw, many ppl are making a fuss over a single slap, yup it's bad to slap your girlfriend without her doing any fault and joke about it afterwards, but you need to get this, THEY BOTH LOVE EACHOTHER! some relationships don't require a "sorry" to fix things up. only the feelings that matter. if you really decide to leave your lover because of something like that, then you're not in love for real.

yayyy drama was solved. NOW FUCK!
who am i kidding, GIVE ME ALL THE DRAMA MOMONO MOTO!!

btw, many ppl are making a fuss over a single slap, yup it's bad to slap your girlfriend without her doing any fault and joke about it afterwards, but you need to get this, THEY BOTH LOVE EACHOTHER! some relationships don't require a "sorry" to fix things up. only the feelings that matter. if you really decide to leave your lover because of something like that, then you're not in love for real.

Bullshit. In my opinion.