(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...

Breaking up because of such a trival thing. This girl is nuts.

I only care about Amane at this point. Fuck kou and nene, as well as senpai.

Same tbh

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

I'm not sure she's at the point of needing a shrink, but I think even talking to a friend about it would have helped. Instead, she decided to run away which is NEVER the right answer to your problems.

That's just plain horrible advice.

Not really. At the very least she should voice her mind about how uncomfortably she feels that they're telling her she shouldn't smile. It's because she bottled up her dissatisfaction that it ended up becoming a larger issue.

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.

She shouldn't have broken up to begin with. She's just running away, and I will say it again and again, running away is never the right answer. You have to face your problems or they will just get worse.

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

We know, but it doesn't make her actions any less disturbing and wrong.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 3:19AM

I wonder what kind of luck Amane have to get surrounded by these people. When we all waiting for the reason why Nene broke up with her so we can atleast lower the hate towards her, but it turns out cuz of such reason, wtf is wrong with you.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 3:26AM

As far as the "cutting ties for your own good" trope goes, I think this one had one of the better reasons behind it, since the problem was Nene's own terrible feelings-- which she was promptly disturbed by. There was no outside influence, just Nene's own complex she's got to face for this to work out, I think that's pretty good.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 3:36AM

As far as the "cutting ties for your own good" trope goes, I think this one had one of the better reasons behind it, since the problem was Nene's own terrible feelings-- which she was promptly disturbed by.

Cutting ties with Amane doesn't solve anything. The problem is not Amane to begin with. Nene had issues from before she met Amane. She has to face those issues.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 3:39AM

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

I'm not sure she's at the point of needing a shrink, but I think even talking to a friend about it would have helped. Instead, she decided to run away which is NEVER the right answer to your problems.

Never is a strong word. Talking to a friend... Like the way Amane talked to her senpai? Communication is a skill, not a method. Sometimes talking about things you don't understand can exacerbate the issue. You have an optimistic outlook, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I think you are simplifying the situation greatly.

That's just plain horrible advice.

Not really. At the very least she should voice her mind about how uncomfortably she feels that they're telling her she shouldn't smile. It's because she bottled up her dissatisfaction that it ended up becoming a larger issue.

Telling her employers to "fuck off" would not have helped her situation in any way.

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.

She shouldn't have broken up to begin with. She's just running away, and I will say it again and again, running away is never the right answer. You have to face your problems or they will just get worse.

Distancing yourself from a situation and gaining a new perspective on things can be very beneficial. If she didn't want to be in a relationship at the time then she shouldn't have been in one. Simple as that. Still, emotionally manipulating Amane during the break up was a mistake. Being honest with her and asking her to understand that she has things she needs to sort out would've been a better move.

You're looking at everything from the perspective of an observer rather than a participant. It seriously distorts the complexity of the situation.

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

We know, but it doesn't make her actions any less disturbing and wrong.

I never said it did, did I?

Never is a strong word. Talking to a friend... Like the way Amane talked to her senpai?

Yes. Her senpai being a nasty piece of work doesn't change anything. Talking to someone when you're dealing with shit can be pretty helpful all the same.

Telling her employers to "fuck off" would not have helped her situation in any way.

"Fuck off" was just an expression. The idea was that she shouldn't bottle up her feelings. She should voice her dissatisfaction and frustration, specially to the people who literally make her feel that way.

Distancing yourself from a situation and gaining a new perspective on things can be very beneficial.

That wouldn't help because her problem actually has nothing to do with Amane. She had issues from before she met Amane, and she would continue to bear those issues even if Amane wasn't around anymore. Nothing will change for her until she makes some effort to get over her shit.

If she didn't want to be in a relationship at the time then she shouldn't have been in one.

Except we know she did want to be in a relationship. She broke up just because she was running away.

I never said it did, did I?

But you think that way or you wouldn't feel the need to bring it up.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 4:03AM

Love yourself before you love someone else, I guess.

But you think that way or you wouldn't feel the need to bring it up.

This is where I realize discussion was pointless from the beginning and drop out.

Yes, as expected a stupid reason. Inferiority complexes are such a pain. I think this just makes Nene seem worse to be honest. The only reason she likes Kou and doesn't have those same negative feelings for her is because Kou stands behind the camera and won't be looked at like Amane would... Irrational feelings are irrational.

Kou sure has interesting methods to confront someone though. Pinning her down and almost kissing her was really necessary to ask her a question...?

Well... now we have a reason for senpai to be the actual antagonist, because now whoever wins the contest decides how these relationships are going to work out. It's really stupid to tie the resolution to winning a contest Kou. That was a pretty bad move.
Then again, this is an artsy story, so it's all about the poetic justice.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 4:32AM

^ I think it would be better if Senpai won the contest. I'd like to see what Nene would feel if she found out Senpai won with a picture of a suffering Amane that she took thanks to Nene breaking her heart. Would Nene finally feel some remorse for what she has done? Would she feel regret that she pushed Amane towards someone who doesn't really care about her and just wants to use her suffering for her own convenience?

Nene has to talk with Amane and make amends, but rather than doing so because Kou's picture won, I'd like her to do it because she realized it's the right thing to do. That's why Senpai should win the contest.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 5:04AM

^ I think it would be better if Senpai won the contest. I'd like to see what Nene would feel if she found out Senpai won with a picture of a suffering Amane that she took thanks to Nene breaking her heart. Would Nene finally feel some remorse for what she has done? Would she feel regret that she pushed Amane towards someone who doesn't really care about her and just wants to use her suffering for her own convenience?

Nene has to talk with Amane and make amends, but rather than doing so because Kou's picture won, I'd like her to do it because she realized it's the right thing to do. That's why I think Senpai should win the contest.

Aha... yeah that would also be poetic justice in a way... It would also prolong the drama unecessarily, but that's what these soap operas are all about.

But the fancy schmancy artistic idea behind this story is "pictures show the true emotions" and thus what Kou's camera captured has to be the truth that triumphs over the manipulative piece senpai created. That's just how this has to go down thematically speaking, but I'm not opposed to getting surprised for once.

^Both possible developments are having their charm. But if senpai win it’ll be more interesting, because Nene will need to talk with Amane by her own will.

last edited at Jul 26, 2019 5:33AM

Did I just fucking witness a sunken ship be pulled out of the water?

Did I just fucking witness a sunken ship be pulled out of the water?

They just repurposed it into a submarine.

Did I just fucking witness a sunken ship be pulled out of the water?

They just repurposed it into a submarine.

Hopefully, none of the other combatant ships is a destroyer.

Well... now we have a reason for senpai to be the actual antagonist, because now whoever wins the contest decides how these relationships are going to work out. It's really stupid to tie the resolution to winning a contest Kou. That was a pretty bad move.

I'm pretty sure Nene will do it regardless of the result

Well... now we have a reason for senpai to be the actual antagonist, because now whoever wins the contest decides how these relationships are going to work out. It's really stupid to tie the resolution to winning a contest Kou. That was a pretty bad move.

I'm pretty sure Nene will do it regardless of the result

Making the entire promise even more pointless.

Well... now we have a reason for senpai to be the actual antagonist, because now whoever wins the contest decides how these relationships are going to work out. It's really stupid to tie the resolution to winning a contest Kou. That was a pretty bad move.

I'm pretty sure Nene will do it regardless of the result

Making the entire promise even more pointless.

Hey, if you take stupid and pointless decisions off the table, this story isn’t going to have much left to work with.