I find it hard to sympathize with Nene, though I do feel a little bad for her. Girl needs to get her demons in check before she really enters the point of no return. Senpai ain't just sitting around waiting for some competition to end victoriously before she does something. Leaving Amane to get slowly tortured while you two basically death flag yourselves just makes me shake my head.

last edited at Jul 25, 2019 10:50PM

big bruh moment this chapter

I find it hard to sympathize with Nene

I don't think we're supposed to. She's so petty and immature. I understand where she's coming from but there's no way I can sympathize.

last edited at Jul 25, 2019 11:03PM

Is there something in the freaking water around there that results in psychologically abusive adults (“You’re prettier when you don’t smile”—who the fuck says that to a child?) and yandere high schoolers (“Cry. Cry. Cry. Suffer. Because only then are you mine alone.”) and middle schoolers (“I wish Amane was as ugly as shit.”).

I’m not sure little Kou is up to an entire community makeover . . .

I find it hard to sympathize with Nene

I don't think we're supposed to. She's so petty and immature. I understand where she's coming from but there's no way I can sympathize.

I'm going to make a wild guess and predict we're in for some heavy character developement now that she's had her long overdue satori. Likely punctuated by copious amounts of not exactly unjustified self-loathing and regrets; I figure Kou's going to have her hands full keeping Nene from imploding completely while they try to square things with Amane.

Is there something in the freaking water around there that results in psychologically abusive adults (“You’re prettier when you don’t smile”—who the fuck says that to a child?) and yandere high schoolers (“Cry. Cry. Cry. Suffer. Because only then are you mine alone.”) and middle schoolers (“I wish Amane was as ugly as shit.”).

I’m not sure little Kou is up to an entire community makeover . . .

Turns out they live in Silent Hill, Japan.

last edited at Jul 25, 2019 11:14PM

Have I mentioned that this manga, aside from being good, is one giant circle of affections?
Kou->That photography club girl->Amane->Nene->back to Kou and so on.

I find it hard to sympathize with Nene, though I do feel a little bad for her. Girl needs to get her demons in check before she really enters the point of no return. Senpai ain't just sitting around waiting for some competition to end victoriously before she does something. Leaving Amane to get slowly tortured while you two basically death flag yourselves just makes me shake my head.

1. They're kids
2. It's pretty responsible to not be around someone for fear of being toxic.

Man I do not like Nene.

1. They're kids

That helps understand where she's coming from but it doesn't make her sympathetic.

1. It's pretty responsible to not be around someone for fear of being toxic.

It's not like the break up was for Amane's sake. It was for her own sake, because she couldn't deal with the situation. She was just running away instead of facing her problems.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 12:35AM

1. They're kids

That helps understand where she's coming from but it doesn't make her sympathetic.

1. It's pretty responsible to not be around someone for fear of being toxic.

It's not like the break up was for Amane's sake. It was for her own sake, because she couldn't deal with the situation. She was just running away instead of facing her problems.

I mean they're stuck in the same school what can you do?

At least when you're an adult you can move away. Though sometimes they come crawling back in your life and stir up feelings.

1. They're kids

That helps understand where she's coming from but it doesn't make her sympathetic.

1. It's pretty responsible to not be around someone for fear of being toxic.

It's not like the break up was for Amane's sake. It was for her own sake, because she couldn't deal with the situation. She was just running away instead of facing her problems.

I mean they're stuck in the same school what can you do?

Face the problem. Talk to Amane and tell her the truth. Get someone to help her get over her complex / psychological issue. Or maybe just tell the people who told her she shouldn't smile to fuck off. The one person she shouldn't have hurt was Amane who was a total sweetheart to her.

At least when you're an adult you can move away.

Running away from your problems is pointless. You never grow as a person that way.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 12:46AM

It's a relief to find out that Nene's feelings for Kou are real and she's not only using Kou. But this also means more angst

It's a relief to find out that Nene's feelings for Kou are real

I wouldn't know how real they are. In the pictures Kou took of the two together, she wasn't smiling as brightly as she did with Amane. Maybe she does like Kou to some extent but I don't think she loves her like she loves Amane. That's what the pictures suggest at the very least.

But this also means more angst

I doubt it. Kou has made up her mind that Nene and Amane are her friends, and she's gonna do whatever she can to see them happy. I don't think there's gonna be any angst from her part.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 12:57AM

Its a psychological problem and they are both directly linked. It's better to keep distance with the person or actually talk it out.
But she seems a tad psycho about it so it's better she's away. Pretty exageratted the whole "i want to her to hate me" lol

MY GOD, BIGGEST FACEPALM!!!!! What a stupid reasoning, latino soap opera much? "can't like her because I cant ..." SMH

I find it hard to sympathize with Nene, though I do feel a little bad for her. Girl needs to get her demons in check before she really enters the point of no return. Senpai ain't just sitting around waiting for some competition to end victoriously before she does something. Leaving Amane to get slowly tortured while you two basically death flag yourselves just makes me shake my head.

1. They're kids
2. It's pretty responsible to not be around someone for fear of being toxic.

Yep, they're kids. That's why I feel a bit bad for her. But I still can't really sympathize with how stupid she is acting.

It's not really responsible what she's doing. She's seething with jealousy to the point she wished the person she genuinely loves was ugly or disfigured so she wouldn't be able to do what she does so naturally? You think she's actually going to become an even half decent person if she keeps that kind of complex without actually trying to better herself? Leaving Amane only postpones the problem -- If she gets that way over someone she genuinely cares about, imagine what she'll say or do to her colleagues as time progresses. Except she'll have nowhere to run when that time comes.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 1:43AM

“I wish I were as pretty as _____” or “looked cute smiling like ______” is garden-variety adolescent insecurity; “I wish she was ugly” is rather more disturbing.

At least Nene knows enough to be disturbed by it.

It's not really responsible what she's doing. She's seething with jealousy to the point she wished the person she genuinely loves was ugly or disfigured so she wouldn't be able to do what she does so naturally? You think she's actually going to become an even half decent person if she keeps that kind of complex without actually trying to better herself? Leaving Amane only postpones the problem -- If she gets that way over someone she genuinely cares about, imagine what she'll say or do to her colleagues as time progresses. Except she'll have nowhere to run when that time comes.

Exactly. This kind of psychological issues tend to grow over time if you don't deal with it. That's why she has to face it and get over it now when it's still relatively harmless. Otherwise, some years down the line she might end up attacking someone just because they had a pretty smile.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 2:18AM

Lol this was not the reason I was expecting

Is there something in the freaking water around there that results in psychologically abusive adults (“You’re prettier when you don’t smile”—who the fuck says that to a child?) and yandere high schoolers (“Cry. Cry. Cry. Suffer. Because only then are you mine alone.”) and middle schoolers (“I wish Amane was as ugly as shit.”).

I’m not sure little Kou is up to an entire community makeover . . .

Turns out they live in Silent Hill, Japan.

Exactly my thoughts, the adults are super messed up if they say that.

(I’m not good at grammar so sorry if it’s hard to read)
Wait. You don’t want to think of Amene like that so you decided to hurt her instead?(Broke up and don’t tell her why, but still be with her, flirt with another girl in front of her, etc)

Nene’s logic (sorry if I’m wrong) : Love her -> have a bad thought -> don’t want to have that thought -> so I have to hate her and make her hate me by hurting her.

I don’t understand this. I understand about having a thought like that but if I were Nene I will find a way to change my thought such as consulting with psychiatrist or with Amane herself. Since she know that that thought is bad why don’t she find a way to change it? If someone understand this please tell me. I don’t want to judge that her logic is unreal/bad immediately because I’m not a girl and I have a strong mind. So, if anyone understand her logic, please explain it to me. (I know it’s just a manga but still...)

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 2:48AM

I know there's a lot to discuss about, but i can't help but be distracted by Kou's butt.

Nene does the stupidest stuff. I like characters with baggage, but the only thing that could redeem Nene at this point for me is if she punches senpai in the face.

1. They're kids

That helps understand where she's coming from but it doesn't make her sympathetic.

---

Yep, they're kids. That's why I feel a bit bad for her. But I still can't really sympathize with how stupid she is acting.

It seems like you two are confusing sympathy with empathy perhaps? You don't have to agree with or even understand a person to sympathize with them, but you two seem to already be sympathizing with her from your comments.

---

Face the problem. Talk to Amane and tell her the truth.

She's a child who's been through emotional abuse and has some deep seated insecurities. Dialogue between two people is quick to become a very emotionally charged activity. Randomly bringing up a topic that has deep ties to her emotional trauma that she doesn't even understand and trying to talk through it between two middle schoolers who have no relationship experience and probably very minimal communication skills... Something tells me that one's a long shot...

Get someone to help her get over her complex / psychological issue.

That would probably actually help if great mental health support was that easy to come by.

Or maybe just tell the people who told her she shouldn't smile to fuck off.

That's just plain horrible advice.

The one person she shouldn't have hurt was Amane who was a total sweetheart to her.

Agreed. That seems to be one of the things she was trying to minimize, but at the very least she could have handled the break up much better, while she gave herself some time to sort things out. But again, she was a middle school girl with no relationship experience and minimal communication skills. Hopefully Kou can point her towards a better track.

Is there something in the freaking water around there that results in psychologically abusive adults (“You’re prettier when you don’t smile”—who the fuck says that to a child?) and yandere high schoolers (“Cry. Cry. Cry. Suffer. Because only then are you mine alone.”) and middle schoolers (“I wish Amane was as ugly as shit.”).

Well, evil begets evil, or something like that.

“I wish I were as pretty as _____” or “looked cute smiling like ______” is garden-variety adolescent insecurity; “I wish she was ugly” is rather more disturbing.

Almost as if she'd been emotionally abused from a young age...