Personally, I don't get the Sayaka craze that's happening right now. I can potentially see a future in which the confession is initially accepted as part of an arc, but I can't see a Sayaka ending. Here's why:

Touko's main problem with love is related to the concept of change; how loving someone means that you love how they are then and may not love how they will be. Yuu's confession was one that was brought about BY Touko changing, evolving and developing as a person, something that Yuu helped facilitate. After Yuu was rejected, Touko explains that Yuu has changed and is therefore no longer special, and yet she misses her in spite of her misguided beliefs of love. Yuu, and Touko's relationship with Yuu is completely contrary to Touko's beliefs about love. Touko believes love is conditional and binding, stagnating to one's personality, but her relationship with Yuu shows that love persists through change. At least, that's what I've seen.

Sayaka's confession seems to validate Touko's views on love. Sayaka's confession is very similar to the girlfriend act in the play. While yes, it did end happily there, Sayaka seems to be showing exactly what Touko fears about love. Where she says she loves everything about Touko, she's saying, "I love everything I KNOW about you," displaying to Touko that it's the front Sayaka loves. Even if Sayaka knows more than most, she still doesn't know everything. "I love the you that you show me. And since what I am shown is subject to change, so is my love," is probably what Touko hears.

Like I said, I can actually see Touko accepting Sayaka's confession as part of an arc. Touko's attempt to normalize her life and allow herself to further develop her own identity. Ultimately though, I see any romantic involvement with Sayaka ending poorly. They will, of course be friends in the end, but as romantic partners I find this pairing anti-thematic.

you're so amazing... tbh I can't wait to read the following chapters to see how Touko feels a difference between being with Sayaka and Yuu after she was confessed by both of them

I had an impression that there might be some visual callbacks in the poses and expressions between Sayaka’s confession and their scenes together in the play, but that’s not it—it’s the hands. In the vast majority of Touko-Sayaka panels during the play, they’re holding hands in some way. And, of course, in the latest chapter Sayaka’s actual declaration of love is preceded by several close-ups of their hands.

But that reminded me of the real callback—to the matching rooftop scene of Yuu’s speech to Touko just before the play, where Yuu takes Touko’s hands and holds them for seven full pages (and how they got those lewd interlocking-fingers panels past the censors I’ll never know. Lol)

The two subsequent confession scenes have understandably overshadowed that rooftop scene, but it’s one of the most important in the series so far, and it seems significant that Touko’s takeaway there was, “I want to believe in Yuu.”

It also strikes me that there’s some kind of symmetry with both Sayaka’s confession and Yuu’s truthtellng scene being up, and the big turns in the Yuu-Touko relationship (Touko’s “don’t love me” ultimatum and Yuu’s confession) being down (in the culvert below the railroad tracks).

Whether that’s just for drama in the staging or there’s some further thematic significance I cannot even consider until I’ve had a drink. Or two.

I'll be honest, every comment I see against the Sayaka x Touko pairing makes me wish they would get together more. Maybe I'm just very attached to Sayaka since she's my favorite character, but man, hearing some of y'all be so against the relationship is sure annoying.

Personally I'm so against it because if this DOES happen then Touko not only used Yuu but used her in a totally tragic way where Yuu will have it thrown in her face day after day that the person that used her is now dating not only someone else, but someone that she has known and has in the past (several times) talked down to Yuu like she was Touko's play thing and not worthy of respect (the dismissive "I'll take care of her like I always have" at the mini mart comes to mind). It will also (in my mind) cheapen every bit of personal and relational development that went on between Yuu and Touko because it will NEVER confront Touko's statement that she "can't love anyone that love's something she hates."

That's because somewhat ironically, Yuu is kind of a "third wheel" or "interloper" in this story. She sort of just drops between an established relationship and confuses Sayaka at first.

We just don't see much about Sayaka's and Touko's past. It's mostly delivered as exposition or shorter snippets and thus it doesn't strike a chord emotionally, until this late in the manga when Sayaka has finally gotten enough scenes by herself and with Touko to become a proper part of it.

If this series started with Sayaka and Touko meeting for the first time, and went though all their school years first in like say 60 chapters (30 per school year)... What would you think about Yuu then? Would your perspective shift or change regarding her and what role you would assume she should play? Would you be more comfortable thinking of her as that helpful nurse who gets her patient back on her feet, or a heroine who will get the girl in the end?

last edited at Jan 2, 2019 6:26PM

I just have to say, damn I remember being this indecisive and unintentionally cruel in high school. I relate a lot to Touko in all the worst ways lmao

If this series started with Sayaka and Touko meeting for the first time, and went though all their school years first in like say 60 chapters (30 per school year)... What would you think about Yuu then? Would your perspective shift or change regarding her and what role you would assume she should play? Would you be more comfortable thinking of her as that helpful nurse who gets her patient back on her feet, or a heroine who will get the girl in the end?

Well, sure, which is to say that there’s such a thing as narrative focus. It’s not as if these characters exist outside of the text we are given and thus have a ”real” role that readers are perceiving accurately or inaccurately.

I mean, the story could have started with Koyomi (or Maki) as an outside observer/narrator, watching and reporting on the interesting dynamic among two senpai and a first-year. Then it would be that story, told in an entirely different way.

Or it might have started with Mio’s funeral, and shown us in detail the entire process of “weak Touko’s” self-transformation, then cross-cut to a full delineation of Sayaka’s relationship with Dumper-senpai. But none of those stories actually exist.

What we do have is a very odd bent-genre “romance only if there’s no romance” romance, which, having stipulated up front that there can be no ultimate romantic resolution, proceeds to throw out all the genre signals of a romance.

No wonder we’re always a bit on edge. :)

I opened comments expecting shitposts but essays are all i get

On a sidenote, I would looove to see a Touko+Sayaka ending. I actually came to like Sayaka's character a fair bit more, than I would expected (given, that her role is obviously a third wheel), and I would gladly see her "seduce" Touko, and have an unexpected win.

Though, if that happed, everybody would lose their mind, for one reason or other. But yeah, unexpectedly event to me, I'm in team Sayaka. Cheers!

last edited at Jan 2, 2019 9:18PM

It's not fair. That was such a smooth and beautiful confession. Why does Sayaka have to keep suffering? Touko will either reject her or date her for a while, which would be a lot worse in the long run.

Honestly this series twists and turns so much, it's hard for me to want to keep reading. At least Touko has now heard the feelings of the two girls. Best girl confessed first, Sayaka now confessed, we'll see where it goes. I have a feeling it'll end with no romantic resolution, but that's just suspicion.

last edited at Jan 2, 2019 10:35PM

CURRENT SITUATION
Yuu loves Touko, has confesed.
Touko loves Yuu but is scared/unable to reply.
Sayaka loves Touko, has confessed, interupted before reply.

CURRENT SITUATION
Yuu loves Touko, has confesed.
Touko loves Yuu but is scared/unable to reply.
Sayaka loves Touko, has confessed, interupted before reply.

I think it’s unlikely that Touko could have produced an immediate reply to Sayaka in those circumstances, and it’s probably in Sayaka’s interest that she didn’t get one, because Touko still seems to be in automatic “don’t love me” mode—giving Touko time to process is the right thing even if they hadn’t been interrupted.

All this recent focus on Sayaka’s inner life can make us forget that the last thing we’ve actually seen Touko thinking was, “I miss [Yuu].”

I'm half-wondering now if Koyomi's rewrite of the play was meta and Nakatani originally intended for Yuu to enable Touko and Sayaka to get together, but rewrote the script to pair her with Yuu.

It's not likely but it's fun to consider.

Looking in the perspective of Yuu, my guess is that provably Touko will return the favor. Yuu teach Touko about acepting herself, a lesson that Touko maybe will finish to learn, and in the end maybe whe will teach Yuu about how it is to be "in love". Because when we start the story, Yuu struggles about what she really felt, and what she thinks she should feel. Therefore would be good for closure, that both learn and change because of their relationship. In the case of Sayaka, her battle really was about self realization and courage...

no noooooooo

Seriously the best confession scene I've ever read (that I can currently think of). Almost ended up rooting for Sayaka, despite there being better chemistry between Touko and Yuu.

I dream of the day where I can read an ending to a yuri love triangle where everyone just agrees to go the polyamorous route.

I dream of the day where I can read an ending to a yuri love triangle where everyone just agrees to go the polyamorous route.

"This manga just might be the greatest thing ever."

Half of my heart is screaming and the other half is crying so damn much

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/bloom_into_you_volume_6_extras#11
This still leaves the birthdays of 3 people shown in the ED unknown to us, readers and viewers. Nakatani-sensei, what about Hiro, Midori and Manaka?

So it was just me banging my head against a wall for the entire chapter? Yeak ok. Ouch.

This was the exact same amount of dread I felt during Yuu's confession chapter. Touko sure is an imposing foe. That "Everything?" was a looooooot worse than an outright rejection though. Touko is not allowed to reject one and accept the other. Both of them accept her completely, so she better not get the wrong idea.

The fact that she could see it coming is interesting at least. On one hand I'd like to think she could sense it thanks to what happened with Yuu, on the other I wouldn't be surprised if she had a suspicion for a long time.

Escapism is the name of the game, so let me just focus on Midori and Manaka who are totally gay for each other as well! I mean come on, the entire chapter was lowkey showing them off!
Alright... that isn't gonna distract me at all. sigh

I dream of the day where I can read an ending to a yuri love triangle where everyone just agrees to go the polyamorous route.

That kind of thing has to be set up right and be actually a threeway thing. Anything short of that is a trainwreck and would make things 100 times worse. Like if there was ANYTHING between Yuu and Sayaka that would be a off-hand possibility... but nope. Polyamory is weak at best and gets worse when the partners are made to feel like third wheels to each other.

last edited at Jan 3, 2019 5:51AM

Look, guys, let's just cut the middle man here. Touko rejects Sayaka and saddened Sayaka decides to turn to a friend. She ends up turning to Yuu because of how close she observed the two being, and they explain their situations to each other. One thing leads to another and BAM, Yuu x Sayaka ending. Checkmate, all of you.

On a sidenote, why is "Rise" (that insert song from episode 9) just stuck playing in my head over and over again?

Half of my heart is screaming and the other half is crying so damn much

Most relatable post this year!

First, since the author is Japanese, I think that you saying "tsume-shogi" would've been more appropriate than "checkmate". Second, there is no checkmate or tsume-shogi that anyone in this thread can put someone else into (at this point, anyway).

The checkmate was more tongue-in-cheek than anything.

On a sidenote, why is "Rise" (that insert song from episode 9) just stuck playing in my head over and over again?

It means watch episode 9 again...lolz

On a sidenote, why is "Rise" (that insert song from episode 9) just stuck playing in my head over and over again?

It means watch episode 9 again...lolz

I gotta wait for at least January 10th for that, if my brother and I watch one episode a day.