Wow people here take things too seriously and try to find explanations about a a fantasy world that was created by a mangaka just to serve her story. Slavery, pedophilia, child abuse. Damn , calm down everyone. I don't think Itou intended for us to think about all these with this manga. It's like I'm watching Pokemon and complain about animal abuse. I mean they do have these cute animals fight each other! Someone put an end to to this!!! Just enjoy the cute fluffy fantasy and keep your dark twisted thoughts for the real world.

I can enjoy the cute love story, but at the same time I'm very aware of the unfortunate implications. Whatever Itou Hachi intended, she created a world that's pretty fucked up.

And all of it's right there in the text. You don't have to read between the lines to see that the beastkin's position in society is subordinate to humans. The author chose to bring the racial inequality to the forefront by how she constructed the plot. This didn't have to be a story about a love forbidden by the laws of their society. There didn't have to be a subplot about kidnappers stealing beastkin and selling them. The author didn't have to tell us that beastkin cannot travel or use public accommodations unaccompanied. She didn't have to have a character who constantly calls Master a lolicon, or otherwise implies that she's a pedophile.

None of that was necessary for this story to work, but it's in there. You kind of have to deliberately ignore it or pretend like it's not there.

last edited at Nov 12, 2018 10:09PM

Ima bouta bust a cap in Stella. Who wanna join.

I can enjoy the cute love story, but at the same time I'm very aware of the unfortunate implications. Whatever Itou Hachi intended, she created a world that's pretty fucked up.

And all of it's right there in the text. You don't have to read between the lines to see that the beastkin's position in society is subordinate to humans. The author chose to bring the racial inequality to the forefront by how she constructed the plot. This didn't have to be a story about a love forbidden by the laws of their society. There didn't have to be a subplot about kidnappers stealing beastkin and selling them. The author didn't have to tell us that beastkin cannot travel or use public accommodations unaccompanied. She didn't have to have a character who constantly calls Master a lolicon, or otherwise implies that she's a pedophile.

None of that was necessary for this story to work, but it's in there. You kind of have to deliberately ignore it or pretend like it's not there.

Yup.

I think Itou Hachi wanted to draw loli maid animal girls, but started thinking about the implications, and ended up in a dark spot. Then ran with it. As you say, the story world didn't have to be this way. Itou Hachi also tends to put some dark plot points into longer works (like the doctor with anxiety issues, a damaged eye, and badly scarred face, whose father died in the fire that destroyed her eye). This one is just darker than we expected from the cover art, because we're a bunch of people who are suckers for cute loli animal girl maids.

This isn't really that much of a surprise in context of the other works by the author, and we're just following Chekhov's gun down off the mantle for this story. We have kids raised by an institution and farmed out as maids once you take away the animal ears. Already that's not a sweetness and light story. Adding animal ears doesn't turn it into one suddenly, instead it brings up more questions that have to be answered by the story.

Itou Hachi seems pretty committed to answering those questions at this point.

This isn't really that much of a surprise in context of the other works by the author, and we're just following Chekhov's gun down off the mantle for this story. We have kids raised by an institution and farmed out as maids once you take away the animal ears. Already that's not a sweetness and light story. Adding animal ears doesn't turn it into one suddenly, instead it brings up more questions that have to be answered by the story.

Itou Hachi seems pretty committed to answering those questions at this point.

I had a longish post sometime back expressing my surprise that the author suddenly seemed interested in raising such questions that had lain dormant in the basic storyworld premises, but without necessarily answering them.

Although it certainly may turn out otherwise, I have yet to be convinced that recent developments are more than just ad hoc efforts (perhaps editorially inspired) to inject some drama into the storyline.

The darker aspects of the Senri-Chiru series were built into the overt themes of the story from the beginning. Around the time of the introduction of the Mist character this one seems to have taken a sudden swerve toward “issues” where it had previously been almost entirely about Mel looking adorable in her PJs.

It was nice to see the newly introduced enhanced beastkin sense of smell come into play once again.

last edited at Nov 13, 2018 7:39AM

I propose the creation of the BLF (Beastkins Liberation Front).

sees the discourse
looks at the update
Umm... I like the driver I think she's cute?

Edit: On a more serious note, Stella is actually doing the right thing. All the evidence she has to go by is a beastkin that clearly ran away and her own beastkin urging her not to let master see Mel. Maybe she doesn't have the full story yet, but keeping them apart for now would be the right course of action in case of abuse. It's just common sense.

last edited at Nov 13, 2018 11:36AM

On the different note. When will manga characters learn that "telling my biggest secrets to someone, when they're asleep" is the worse idea ever? You can't know for sure whatever they sleep or not and you have no guarantee they won't suddenly wake up. Every single time character attempted it, it always failed and doomed everything.

On the different note. When will manga characters learn that "telling my biggest secrets to someone, when they're asleep" is the worse idea ever? You can't know for sure whatever they sleep or not and you have no guarantee they won't suddenly wake up. Every single time character attempted it, it always failed and doomed everything.

You could explain it by saying that some part of he wanted Master to hear. Actually, I think that's the only thing that really makes sense here. It's not like she had planned to say anything. She didn't think it through beforehand, she just felt overwhelmed by emotion in the moment.

I can roll with that explanation.

Yikes. Someone put social commentary in my moe beastgirl yuri.

On the different note. When will manga characters learn that "telling my biggest secrets to someone, when they're asleep" is the worse idea ever? You can't know for sure whatever they sleep or not and you have no guarantee they won't suddenly wake up. Every single time character attempted it, it always failed and doomed everything.

You could explain it by saying that some part of he wanted Master to hear. Actually, I think that's the only thing that really makes sense here. It's not like she had planned to say anything. She didn't think it through beforehand, she just felt overwhelmed by emotion in the moment.

I think that’s always the purpose of the trope: the character wants the other person to know something—usually about how the character feels—but for whatever reason isn’t able or willing to say it directly. (The obvious exception being the villainous, “Yes, sleep my pretty, while I [do something horrible],” etc. That’s just bad villain technique.)

I continue to hold to my prediction: Master knowing that Mel loves her ultimately is a good, and indeed necessary, thing.

How dark these recent chapters have apparently gotten and how the story is apparently trying to address larger issues seems to become quite the debate. So here is my two cents. Well folks time to put our think hats on.

First of all, knowing the works of Itou Hachi well, having read most of them several times, it is quite clear that his/her stories are character-driven stories and not plot-driven stories. Therefore, one must ask not what the implications of these darker themes mean to the plot/setting of the tale, but how they will effect the development of the character. I personally think that the reason for these developments are to put Master into a state of depression to help her and Mel's relationship start or at least have her address her past problems.This is similar as to why Itou Hachi made a darker themed arch in Isn't the Moon Beautiful, AKA "I Love You" if you take the meaning from Natsume Souseki, which was to develop Senri's deep fear of loss and to grow Senri and Chiyo's relationship.

Now, why will this affect Master? Master's character is all based around her having trust issues due to constant betrayal be people she thought she could trust. This recent story arch has not only Mel run away, mind you the only reason Master got Mel is because Colette thought Master could have someone in her life that she could completely trust, but also her old friend now denies her access to even seeing Mel. This now will probably put Master into a depressed state an once again close herself off where the only thing that will help is Mel.

Now that that is over with, now to address the theory on why there some beastkin, mainly children, amid the humans. This is just for fun by the way. If we take Itou Hachi's books about beastkin and put them into one universe, then it is clear how there are beastkin. He mainly starts his books by saying there is a certain country where the people are noted for having animal ears and allowing same-sex marriage. Now that is not to say that everyone in the world has animal ears; therefore, these children must be orphans or children left by their parents. So in this country the state takes them in and treats them as pets and companions for Humans. Now before you go saying this is wrong and evil, It is a lot worse when a human is among the beastkin as shown in "Snow of Spring."

Finally, yes.....Marie is the only reason this arch has a problem at all. #StellaIsNotTheProblem

last edited at Nov 14, 2018 12:07PM

Ok, noted Stella is not the problem. Anyone want to shoot up Marie? #MarieIsAThot

AhhhhhHHHHH
I can't wait for the next chapter! Wonder how itou hachi is going to solve this mess lmao

the credits page perfectly summed up my reaction

I propose the creation of the BLF (Beastkins Liberation Front).

Beastkins Life Matters

... What happened to the translation of the next chapter? It's been about two weeks since the translator said it would be out by "this weekend" (i.e. a week ago).

... What happened to the translation of the next chapter? It's been about two weeks since the translator said it would be out by "this weekend" (i.e. a week ago).

Oh shit... I think they were just busy with their life :v

So I guess they really are slaves...in a weird way with choosing their own Masters.

i have mixed feelings about this chapter... it's good that things got fixed between master and mel but i feel sad for marie, her love for mel is what makes my heart break ;_; she deserves love

last edited at Nov 26, 2018 3:34PM

Poor Marie, though. That's rough.

Eternally conflicted about this manga cuz I feel an underlining grossness in how their relationship is depicted.

Poor Marie, though. That's rough.

Yeah, and Stella as well? Idk, you never know with her. But yeah, that must sting man.

Slavery is wrong. Paedophilia is wrong. Species racism is wrong. This manga combines all three. It's disgusting. How can you people be okay with such a horrible, toxic relationship?!