It's Tough Slapping The Child I Failed To Raise

Omg that lunch she made for the husband at the end, that killed me

I dunno i like the non existence of the drama tag because it makes the dramatic moments all the more impactful and surprising.

HmmMmM some people might've a really bad day or life and trust me this is the least thing they would like to read by surprise when they're looking for some laughs

To be fair if they made it through chapter 6 than they know what to expect

Yeah I think the same. Tbf the manga did start out with a black comedy vibe and was light on the angst, but the angst got gradually stronger. I think if any of the earlier chapters before this one were unbearable to read for someone, they would have dropped this by now. I think most of us now are here to see if it will get better for Neeko.

I think most of us now are here to see if it will get better for Neeko.

I personally no longer have any faith in the author's actual understanding of the topic they tried to tackle with Neeko, so while I do think Aldehyde will try to set up a better future for Neeko in the end, without a proper medical understanding of the actual needs of people with severe anxiety and depression, any "better future" they come up with will be based on false assumptions and ultimately even more aggravating.

Ok... so she is about to get married... Damn! I was expect this story will turn to gay for pay, now it's become het! Sh*t

...

I don't think this was gonna be yuri in the first place

I'm going to bet she isn't actually going to get married.

I think most of us now are here to see if it will get better for Neeko.

I personally no longer have any faith in the author's actual understanding of the topic they tried to tackle with Neeko, so while I do think Aldehyde will try to set up a better future for Neeko in the end, without a proper medical understanding of the actual needs of people with severe anxiety and depression, any "better future" they come up with will be based on false assumptions and ultimately even more aggravating.

Ideally, I'd like to see Neeko end up in therapy and getting proper medical help, but since it's Japan, I don't have any faith either.

I think she could become an Idol online or a streamer ... Then maybe the fans would cheer her up and we get arcs like scandals and stuff like that instead of depression

Jesus fucking christ. "Comedy."

These hit way too close to home, why do I keep clicking on these expecting actual comedy?

well, stuff like the jealous mom and the grumpy lunch she made is pretty funny.

I'm sorry but what is a "Food porn" ? I can't imagine it, no matter how i try to imagine it.

Food pictures/videos that look so good, you orgasm from it.

My prediction:
1) Dad will bring some guy as a husband candidate for Neeko.
2) Neeko will screw up, guy will run away, and Neeko will go on living with dad and mom.
3) Dad will be very happy about it.

Btw, this manga is a comedy no matter how you look at it. What? There are angsty scenes? Yeah, it's called black comedy. There are also cute scenes, funny scenes, heartwarming scenes... I don't think any change of tags is needed.

TimSuu posted:

The mother was actually pretty supportive compared to others who'll scream at you angrily day in day out.

Even if the rest of what you're saying is accurate, it doesn't come across that way terribly well. Neeko's mother doesn't come across very well as someone who's actually supportive. She may not scream angrily but the end result is more or less the same. She doesn't actually help Neeko improve her situation at all because she approaches it totally wrong and the end result is almost always Neeko feeling bad about herself, yet again, and not wanting to bother her mom.

Neeko's mom comes across as genuinely wanting to push her daughter forward without really understanding how she feels. like, she does what she can for Neeko to "progress" on the life track she doesn't question because that's what she and all her peers believe you're just supposed to do, it's normal and there's no reason to think about it.

Neeko's parents are both well-meaning but none of them understand her and therefore don't and can't actually help. so in conclusion, yes, it's tough being Neeko.

And just a bit ago it seemed like Neeko was starting to gain some confidence and make some money working from home (Mom's best success in the manga, really). Having all the bad shit come bubbling back up, plus (well meaning) pressure to get in a relationship... It's too real!

I think there is not one easy solution to this - I am not a NEET but I'm a total social recluse (my only point of contact with people outside work and home is my weekly piano lesson). I've been better and I've been worse, but I feel for Neeko a lot. Therapy is often a joke - I once tried to bring up my relationship issues with a therapist, after I had been dumped by the only real girlfriend I've ever had, and had him laugh it off. Another therapist I met earlier when I was more severely depressed decided attacking me for half an hour was the right thing to do. A few others just gave me drugs, with no meaningful therapy otherwise. I've met more worthless therapists than good ones, though the few good ones were very good (the old guy who managed to help me out of my longest, deepest pit, for example).

I personally no longer have any faith in the author's actual understanding of the topic they tried to tackle with Neeko, so while I do think Aldehyde will try to set up a better future for Neeko in the end, without a proper medical understanding of the actual needs of people with severe anxiety and depression, any "better future" they come up with will be based on false assumptions and ultimately even more aggravating.

You say Aldehyde doesn't understand, but someone on MangaDex who claims to be an actual therapist seems to disagree. At the very least, they say that Aldehyde surprisingly nails several symptoms of actual mental conditions in Neeko.

https://screenshots.firefox.com/TsZYvVRve7vKSIoo/mangadex.org

last edited at Feb 22, 2019 1:57PM

I personally no longer have any faith in the author's actual understanding of the topic they tried to tackle with Neeko, so while I do think Aldehyde will try to set up a better future for Neeko in the end, without a proper medical understanding of the actual needs of people with severe anxiety and depression, any "better future" they come up with will be based on false assumptions and ultimately even more aggravating.

You say Aldehyde doesn't understand, but someone on MangaDex who claims to be an actual therapist seems to disagree. At the very least, they say that Aldehyde surprisingly nails several symptoms of actual mental conditions in Neeko.

https://screenshots.firefox.com/TsZYvVRve7vKSIoo/mangadex.org

You don't need to be a therapist to understand Neeko. Everything she experiences I also experience regularly to near 100% accuracy, and I'm also fully aware I'm only one of millions of people who go through the exact same thing as me. And somehow, that thought isn't as comforting as everyone tells you it's supposed to be.

last edited at Feb 22, 2019 3:27PM

Swag Wagon posted:

And somehow, that thought isn't as comforting as everyone tells you it's supposed to be.

That probably depends heavily on one's personality. Someone who has trouble empathizing with others or someone who has the shitty mindset that it's not enough that they win but others must lose would probably find comfort in that but just about anyone else would find it little comfort at all.

I personally no longer have any faith in the author's actual understanding of the topic they tried to tackle with Neeko, so while I do think Aldehyde will try to set up a better future for Neeko in the end, without a proper medical understanding of the actual needs of people with severe anxiety and depression, any "better future" they come up with will be based on false assumptions and ultimately even more aggravating.

You say Aldehyde doesn't understand, but someone on MangaDex who claims to be an actual therapist seems to disagree. At the very least, they say that Aldehyde surprisingly nails several symptoms of actual mental conditions in Neeko.

https://screenshots.firefox.com/TsZYvVRve7vKSIoo/mangadex.org

As Swag Wagon pointed out, depicting the symptoms is just one part of understanding the topic, while actually showing us how to overcome them is a whole other beast, and that's where I have no faith in the author's ability or, indeed, willingness to execute. I have already expressed in this thread my discomfort at the apparent mixed messaging of this manga, where we are seemingly expected to root for Neeko on one page, but to point our fingers and to laugh at her illness on the other. That is what makes me think the story will never reach a satisfying conclusion.

last edited at Feb 22, 2019 4:57PM

yea this ain't a comedy
it gives me real anxiety
brb gonna go watch some beheading videos followed by cat videos.

Welp, i came for yuri found a kawaii waifu, but still not yuri.

this is too real.

the salt the mum had

last edited at Feb 22, 2019 10:08PM

...depicting the symptoms is just one part of understanding the topic, while actually showing us how to overcome them is a whole other beast, and that's where I have no faith in the author's ability or, indeed, willingness to execute. I have already expressed in this thread my discomfort at the apparent mixed messaging of this manga, where we are seemingly expected to root for Neeko on one page, but to point our fingers and to laugh at her illness on the other. That is what makes me think the story will never reach a satisfying conclusion.

Arguably, as I've taken a day or two to think it over, that may be the point of this series. Depicting Neeko's relapses and outbursts with such genuine emotion and accuracy means the author definitely has a degree of familiarity. Whether it's off hand knowledge from an acquaintence who was actually willing to share their experience, or they have personal experience with the subject is both unknown and unnecessary. What matters is that I have full confidence that Neeko's plight is genuine.

That said, there is a dilemma inherent to depicting severe social anxiety so accurately.

On one hand, Neeko is a fictional character in a fictional setting that we emphasize with and we want to see improve and get better. On the other, anyone experiencing the same things Neeko is knows that if it were that easy to solve they probably would have done it by now, and if she were to quickly and suddenly get better out of nowhere it would be disrespectful to the people who are actually suffering.

There's a delicate balance and the author is really towing that line. The times where Neeko's dysfunction is treated like a "joke" doesn't actually feel disrespectful to me, at least, not totally. It's just accurate to how most people are treated. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, it's supposed to. Neeko is misunderstood and that's fine. The author is making a point that this is Neeko's life and this is what people feel.

My personal issue, and I hate taking about myself and do it rarely online, I'm only using myself as an example, is that Neeko is too empathetic to me. Her life almost feels like I'm reading a personal biography (with some notable exceptions, of course. I'm not a cute anime girl living in Japan, for one.)

While I'm glad a peice of media exists that helps others understand what people like me are going through, it's really hard to continue reading and remind myself of my own issues constantly.

Neeko's mom comes across as genuinely wanting to push her daughter forward without really understanding how she feels. like, she does what she can for Neeko to "progress" on the life track she doesn't question because that's what she and all her peers believe you're just supposed to do, it's normal and there's no reason to think about it.

Well, yeah. Moms trying to get their twenty-something daughters married asap (setting up omiai and such) is like the oldest trope in the book. Truth in fiction, too.

It's a common source of angst in yuri stories, where the lesbian daughter isn't interested in men but 1) she hasn't come out to her parents yet, or 2) she has come out to them -- but they just got angry and redoubled their efforts to get her a proper husband. I don't think it's Neeko's case, though, as she has shown some interest in males (and little attraction to females).

Honestly, it's kind of unrealistic that her mother has waited until now to introduce her to some marriage candidates. In a less comedic setting, the pressure on Neeko to marry someone and give grandchildren to her mother would have been there, I suspect, since long ago.

Aranged dates... Fking ell..