She even made the effort to befriend her crush's crush, compared to Fujishiro being a jealous wreck lately.

No no no hold up right here. She didn't know before Fujishiro told her and when Fujishiro did told her, she brush it over as "But that's what friends do" when it was obviously not and Izumi was trying to make her princess not change by saying it wasn't love but just friendship. She is not evil but don't try to make her the good guy here. She will do anything to not make her "princess" change. I'm tired of having sadbackstory third wheel who past "dangerous" vibes moments was justified because she is insecure.

Izumi....isn't evil, though? Like not even a little? The most evil thing she's done is lose her cool and confess when she's afraid of losing the girl she loves. Other than that she's just stayed close, supported her, been nice to everyone, and hoped it wouldn't get to this point.

It's not "skin someone alive for a dollar" evil, but she deliberately gaslighted them to try and keep everyone in the closet where she was comfortable. We can't even argue she feared it was one-sided and was trying to save them the pain of rejection, she was working on both of them because she feared it was mutual. She only fell back on the truth as an absolute last resort when she realised there was no other option.

She may not be evil, but her actions lean in that direction. Her first instinct was to drag them down. Sure, she was afraid, but her shit still stinks. Sayaka in contrast was nothing but supportive throughout, even if she was unhappy to see the object of her affections fall for someone else.

Unpopular opinion: Bloom Into You is overrated.

I mean, if that's your opinion I don't think it needs this qualifier. I'd respect it even if you flat out said you just didn't like it. I love it though. One of the few yuri to be animated that I actually like.

The only opinions I'm having trouble with is what I think are called bad faith critism?

Anyway, a good (great imo) story that starts off the way you described (but unfortunately is only two chapters) would be "Love prep room" (chapter 1) and "Fever Retreat" (chapter 2) by Nanzaki Iku. After all these years this one is still stuck to me.

I've thought of a few more since I posted but I'll be in if I can remember the names.

She even made the effort to befriend her crush's crush, compared to Fujishiro being a jealous wreck lately.

No no no hold up right here. She didn't know before Fujishiro told her and when Fujishiro did told her, she brush it over as "But that's what friends do" when it was obviously not and Izumi was trying to make her princess not change by saying it wasn't love but just friendship. She is not evil but don't try to make her the good guy here. She will do anything to not make her "princess" change. I'm tired of having sadbackstory third wheel who past "dangerous" vibes moments was justified because she is insecure.

(I'm kinda half-replying to you, half responding to stuff Circa has said here, just for clarity)

She could have, and side-crushes in manga frequently do, spent all her time trying to neg, sabotage, and undermine their relationship, but she didn't do that. You can also have an argument as to whether she was trying to undermine them by lying or whether she was skirting denial herself. but either way, she's never said or done anything -mean- to anybody.

Fear of losing a cherished relationship can make people do some stupid stuff, but just comes off to me like a Nice girl doing her best.

I do totally agree that Sayaka was even nicer, but crissakes, Sayaka was a freakin' saint. ;p Izumi is mostly doing okay. ;p

last edited at Jan 13, 2020 10:06AM

Izumi....isn't evil, though? Like not even a little? The most evil thing she's done is lose her cool and confess when she's afraid of losing the girl she loves. Other than that she's just stayed close, supported her, been nice to everyone, and hoped it wouldn't get to this point.

It's not "skin someone alive for a dollar" evil, but she deliberately gaslighted them to try and keep everyone in the closet where she was comfortable. We can't even argue she feared it was one-sided and was trying to save them the pain of rejection, she was working on both of them because she feared it was mutual. She only fell back on the truth as an absolute last resort when she realised there was no other option.

Well said, and agreed.

poor izuma but I'm rooting for my lovely kurokawa <3

I am personally of the opinion that Kurokawa looked cuter pre-makeover

She could have, and side-crushes in manga frequently do, spent all her time trying to neg, sabotage, and undermine their relationship, but she didn't do that. You can also have an argument as to whether she was trying to undermine them by lying or whether she was skirting denial herself. but either way, she's never said or done anything -mean- to anybody.

Fear of losing a cherished relationship can make people do some stupid stuff, but just comes off to me like a Nice girl doing her best.

Phew, I was worried my previous post was a bit too negative, so this time I'll start with a qualification.

Izumi's actions are understandable, and probably forgivable... but they certainly shouldn't be earning her any points as a good/supportive friend. Her failures may be realistic, she may be doing her best, but she isn't doing the best she could. She is definitely an antagonist, albeit a "soft" one. Resisting the impulse to sabotage your friends is an "after school special" classic moral.

Even if her motives weren't entirely selfish, all her actions could all be framed that way. Even trying to get Nanaki's old friends to reconcile with her could be interpreted as trying to hide the fact she was chasing Nanaki. She isn't trying to isolate Nanaki completely because she is afraid it would be too obvious. Making some attempt to rationalise Nanaki's feelings towards Kurokawa as friendly could be seen as projection, but the way the scene was staged made it clear it was more deliberate than that, most blatantly that she probably staged the hug to be seen by Kurokawa. It was also clear that Nanaki suspected her motives at the time.

Being close to Nanaki's other friends is how she gets close to Nanaki (without suspicion), standing by her initially didn't cost her anything since she never cared about popularity. The moment Nanaki did something she didn't like (falling for Kurokawa), she stopped being good and started game-playing. Even the tear soaked confession, uttered only when she had confirmation that Nanaki liked Kurokawa, could be read as emotional blackmail.

The interesting "good friend" test that is going to happen seems to be for Nanaki - at the start we saw she could be quite callous, but she has been trying to be better since. Her reaction to Izumi's crisis will be quite revealing - will she just coldly dismiss her (and later get told off by Kurokawa), or will she try to be compassionate about it?

If you read every action by someone as entirely as cynical and self-serving as possible, no shit they appear kinda bad. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. She's a fucking teenager for Christ's sake, she's figuring stuff out, she's not trying to hurt people, she's just hurting, and trying to navigate her life as best as she can.

Izumi....isn't evil, though? Like not even a little? The most evil thing she's done is lose her cool and confess when she's afraid of losing the girl she loves. Other than that she's just stayed close, supported her, been nice to everyone, and hoped it wouldn't get to this point.

It's not "skin someone alive for a dollar" evil, but she deliberately gaslighted them to try and keep everyone in the closet where she was comfortable. We can't even argue she feared it was one-sided and was trying to save them the pain of rejection, she was working on both of them because she feared it was mutual. She only fell back on the truth as an absolute last resort when she realised there was no other option.

That's called selfish, not evil.

And, yes, Izumi is selfish, and there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone is. Nanaki is also selfish: she wanted to monopolize Kurokawa, and ended up getting her kicked out of her group, and she even admitted, that she knew they would kick Kurokawa out. Only difference is, Izumi knew she was in love, while Nanaki realized it just now.

Still, I ship Nanaki x Izumi. Would be less boring than the "default" option.

last edited at Jan 13, 2020 6:14PM

Still, I ship Nanaki x Izumi. Would be less boring than the "default" option.

Too bad i won't see it happen. Izumi confessing out of the blue when Fujishiro just realise her feelings for Kurowaka will end with Fujishiro rejecting Izumi. Fujishiro never had romantic feelings toward Izumi and so i don't see her accepting the feelings here and now. Unless Kurokawa end up reject Fujishiro because she feel they're not of the same world but even there i don't really see Fujishiro falling into Izumi's arms all of a sudden.

That's called selfish, not evil.

And, yes, Izumi is selfish, and there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone is. Nanaki is also selfish: she wanted to monopolize Kurokawa, and ended up getting her kicked out of her group, and she even admitted, that she knew they would kick Kurokawa out. Only difference is, Izumi knew she was in love, while Nanaki realized it just now.

Still, I ship Nanaki x Izumi. Would be less boring than the "default" option.

Grabbing someone's slice of pie when they are late is being selfish, telling them the wrong time so you can more easily take it is being an asshole.

Nanaki's presence had the side-effect of scaring off Kurokawa's friends, but she wasn't going out of her way to chase them off, and she felt guilty about it. Izumi's actions are deliberate, premeditated, and apparently guilt free, it is a whole different ballgame - still redeemable teenage misbehavior, but definitely not points for a "good friend" CV (and addressing another argument I would think meeting some people's definition of "mean").

Izumi x Fujishiro: Interesting like the 1001 closeted lesbian pining after friend stories on the right, or interesting like the 1001 Yuri "Prince" and Princess stories on the left?
edit: there is a reason why stereotypical genre hack Iroha is shown shipping them.

last edited at Jan 14, 2020 6:08AM

Izumi x Fujishiro: Interesting like the 1001 closeted lesbian pining after friend stories on the right, or interesting like the 1001 Yuri "Prince" and Princess stories on the left?

Interesting, like Izumi pushing down Nakai onto the bed, a la Kuzu no Honkai? I know it won't happen, but that's what I'd want.

If Izumi gets rejected, and that's it, than this was just a wasted storyline. Unlike in YagaKimi, where Sayaka's love had a purpose (It helped us know Touko better, she was kind of the "antagonist" in a few chapters to Yuu, and she had her own story arc and character progression), here Izumi's love didn't really mattered in the story so far, and her motivations were only just introduced, so there is zero time for any story arc or character progession. The only way this was not a total waste of her character is if her confesion moves her forward, and not back.

TL;DR: I like Izumi's character better, lets recast her as the heroine of the story

last edited at Jan 14, 2020 4:34PM

Izumi x Fujishiro: Interesting like the 1001 closeted lesbian pining after friend stories on the right, or interesting like the 1001 Yuri "Prince" and Princess stories on the left?

Interesting, like Izumi pushing down Nakai onto the bed, a la Kuzu no Honkai? I know it won't happen, but that's what I'd want.

If Izumi gets rejected, and that's it, than this was just a wasted storyline. Unlike in YagaKimi, where Sayaka's love had a purpose (It helped us know Touko better, she was kind of the "antagonist" in a few chapters to Yuu, and she had her own story arc and character progression), here Izumi's love didn't really mattered in the story so far, and her motivations were only just introduced, so there is zero time for any story arc or character progession. The only way this was not a total waste of her character is if her confesion moves her forward, and not back.

TL;DR: I like Izumi's character better, lets recast her as the heroine of the story

Nanaki (pre-reform) is a callous bitch with anger management issues, there is every chance she'd deck her... which granted, actually would be an interesting twist, finally some dubcon sleeze getting beaten to a pulp.

Izumi is a supporting character, she moves the main characters forward - in this case she has been a foil and a sounding board for Nanaki, and her confession provides a test for Nanaki in several ways. And it does move Izumi forward, even if she is rejected, maybe even moreso if she is rejected. It has progressed her character, she has finally admitted to her feelings.

That said Izumi doesn't actually have much of a character, we have seen her outward interactions, but we now know much of that was a lie - we know nothing beyond her interactions with Nanaki, and even then only that she likes her and prefers to avoid conflict (by manipulation if needed).

The character that you like is a character that you created from an almost blank slate. Probably a distillation of "yuri prince" characters since that is the theme of Izumi's public persona.

Have been trying to think of character comparisons for Izumi's behaviour... Finally figured it out, the character Izumi's selfish friendship reminds me of is Matsuri from Citrus (but Matsuri is turned up to 11, because Citrus). Matsuri plays a "cynical bitch" persona, while Izumi uses a "dashing prince" but the underlying game is quite similar - they don't want their loved one to change.

Izumi look like a Yandere Sayaka.

goes back to chapter to see
sees
comes back to forum
panting
HOLY SHIT, YOU'RE RIGHT!
Now if only I could know how to unsee that resemblance...

Well, as a matter of fact, I did unsee it in the almost 2 months since then, but now I re-saw it, so now I'm gonna have to take some time to unsee it all over again.

Now that Izumi has broken down and spilled the beans, I feel more relieved than anything. She's not so creepy anymore.

last edited at Jan 14, 2020 7:13PM

Too bad i won't see it happen. Izumi confessing out of the blue when Fujishiro just realise her feelings for Kurowaka will end with Fujishiro rejecting Izumi. Fujishiro never had romantic feelings toward Izumi and so i don't see her accepting the feelings here and now. Unless Kurokawa end up reject Fujishiro because she feel they're not of the same world but even there i don't really see Fujishiro falling into Izumi's arms all of a sudden.

Me neither, but one can always hope, right? Such a shame Izumi is an interesting character; usually distant and quiet, but she can be the exact opposite when needed. She is calculating, but to me, she comes of more naive than evil.

She could've been a greate femme fatale, if used correctly. Instead, she confesses the worst possible time.

Agh, the prince theme in a yuri story is boring. I don't think Izumi is evil, but she also doesn't have any other quality to be shippable with Nanaki.

You know comment section is often more interesting because it is like spoiler that can explain the whole story than the original manga...
Btw Im pretty surprised to see izumi confess to nanaki,, iknow she likes nanaki a lot but never expected it to be love,, I womder what Nanaki would feel to her since it might turn in to love triangle...

last edited at Jan 16, 2020 12:07AM

I'm gonna cry in my English class

You know comment section is often more interesting because it is like spoiler that can explain the whole story than the original manga...
Btw Im pretty surprised to see izumi confess to nanaki,, iknow she likes nanaki a lot but never expected it to be love,, I womder what Nanaki would feel to her since it might turn in to love triangle...

This will give Nanaki the opportunity to be able to interpret her feelings for Kanade as romantic love.

This will give Nanaki the opportunity to be able to interpret her feelings for Kanade as romantic love.

Nice! Nanaki has been fumbling towards a way to describe her not-exactly-friend feelings and Izumi just told her, kind of a spectacular own-goal (esp since Izumi previously equated her feelings/actions towards Nanaki with Nanaki's towards Kanade). If Nanaki is feeling particularly cruel she can thank Izumi for finally giving her a good tip.

This is something minor, but I noticed a few things about what the characters call each other in this chapter that bugged me.

1.Why does Izumi call Kurokawa by her last name in her narration when switching to first names was Izumi's idea?

2.Why did Izumi and Fujishiro initially use "-san" on each other's last names when they seem to use yobisute on everyone else's?

And a third question, unrelated to the other two:

3.Apparently, Hiro wasn't Nanaki's first boyfriend. What happened to the other ones?

last edited at Jan 23, 2020 11:15PM

3.Apparently, Hiro wasn't Nanaki's first boyfriend. What happened to the other ones?

Presumably something equally banal given she's apparently gone through quite a few and seems to have singularly lousy taste in men.