Am I the only one that likes Asuka calling Ayako “Mom” or is it just me..

Well I'm not into it in and of itself, but I think that is the way it works in the story, and I like the unconventional angle in that. It is a really interesting place to be. Ayako loves being Asuka's mom, and Asuka loves Ayako being her mom; it isn't separate from their romantic feelings, it's woven together into a single thing. Asuka is the only person in the world for whom Ayako is "Mom" so for both of them the word is symbolic of their specialness to each other... I really don't think either of them will be pushing for Ayako's first name to replace it, especially not in the bedroom.

I'm hoping it goes a lot further than a word, and Taiyaki is going to dig deep on the layered emotional significance as their relationship evolves. Familiar/unfamiliar, maternal/erotic; a duality in everything they do together.

The only scenario I can see for using Ayako's name is if at some point in the future they are trying to "pass" as a normal couple... even then I think Asuka would probably just call her mom and pass it off as a joke about the age difference.

Yikes

Well I'm not into it in and of itself, but I think that is the way it works in the story, and I like the unconventional angle in that.
[...] both of them the word is symbolic of their specialness to each other... I really don't think either of them will be pushing for Ayako's first name to replace it, especially not in the bedroom.

Let me tell ya, you ARE into that through and through. Just confess.

Am I the only one that likes Asuka calling Ayako “Mom” or is it just me..

You're not alone my friend.
I still think that Ayako will ask, at some point to Asuka to adress Her by name, but damn ... I know full well how deep in the dark side I am, but I like the fact She still calls Her Mom.

Am I the only one that likes Asuka calling Ayako “Mom” or is it just me..

I personally don't like it but that's only because it reminds me of how my mum is dead

Ohhh yeah it's happening

I'm concerned over how Ayako was incredibly calm and collected when confessing to Asuka. I'd wager she's about to start the next statement with "...but." I think she'll try to distance herself, after all.

Yep, I so thought the same. It's just not possible for her to say: "Yes I love you, now my daughter, we should calmly head toward the bed and proceed scientifically to the logical outcome."

I can NOT fathom this.

You're right, I don't think this will end well, at least not short-term.

I just re-read this, and just noticed that Ayako's arms are crossed while admitting she loved Asuka. So, she's deadpan and exhibits a closed body language. She might have acknowledged she loves Asuka, but emotionally she's already put miles of distance between them. Now, if she'll also try to physically distance herself, that remains to be seen.

I can certainly see this being the case but I really hope shes just setting the tone for an important conversation they need to have about how to progress from this point on.

She was "closed" when she was curled up in a corner at Akira's place too. She didn't rush back because she was convinced what she feels/did is ok, she rushed back because running away would hurt Asuka. She probably doesn't even have a plan. It seems like she is now aware of her feelings, and has probably decided to confess, but she is still ashamed/anxious about it, so defensive body language is to be expected (Ayako isn't particularly open or expressive at the best of times).

I think it is likely heading for a talk, which could be very interesting, since Ayako has no previous experience with falling in love, and has only just realised her own feelings, it probably hasn't occurred to her yet that Asuka is feeling the same things she is. That revelation could have rather big implications for what "not hurting Asuka" means.

I really really hope Ayako doesn't close off and just let's go. So they can both experience beimg stupid teenagers in love to growing older & wiser together... Always. Going past them finally getting together officially... I can't wait for what comes after that. Like hiding it??? I feel like Asuka will not be able to control her excitement. Lol but can't wait for the next step!!! Them becoming an actual couple. (Crossing fingers)

Agreed. Very excited about where this might go. I really want to see their daily romantic dating life as well and how they will handle their relationship given its implications. Hopefully they will become a couple and if they do, I hope we get to see how their relationship plays out for a while. I hate it when series end shortly after the characters get together. I'd wager though given that because we still have some other plot ends to tie up not related to AyakoxAsuka, there should be a good amount of story left. For example we still don't know full details about Akira's past, Ayako's past, and Miyuki's situation yet.

Yes, my heart is already hurting I know Ayako will do something that will define their relationship for good. It is almost obvious that she will say " And as your mother I can't let giving you hope" most likely this will be the tone of the following conversation. Crap that is gonna hurt...

Am I the only one that likes Asuka calling Ayako “Mom” or is it just me..

Well I'm not into it in and of itself, but I think that is the way it works in the story, and I like the unconventional angle in that. It is a really interesting place to be. Ayako loves being Asuka's mom, and Asuka loves Ayako being her mom; it isn't separate from their romantic feelings, it's woven together into a single thing. Asuka is the only person in the world for whom Ayako is "Mom" so for both of them the word is symbolic of their specialness to each other... I really don't think either of them will be pushing for Ayako's first name to replace it, especially not in the bedroom.

I'm hoping it goes a lot further than a word, and Taiyaki is going to dig deep on the layered emotional significance as their relationship evolves. Familiar/unfamiliar, maternal/erotic; a duality in everything they do together.

The only scenario I can see for using Ayako's name is if at some point in the future they are trying to "pass" as a normal couple... even then I think Asuka would probably just call her mom and pass it off as a joke about the age difference.

What a beautifully worded assessment. I agree, though I'm also biased as I would also prefer if she continued to call her Mom.

I still think that Ayako will ask, at some point to Asuka to adress Her by name, but damn ... I know full well how deep in the dark side I am, but I like the fact She still calls Her Mom.

To add support for circamoore's argument, given how we have already seen Ayako's strong desire to want to have a family, for example when she is leaving to visit Akira and how we can she has long desired and dreamed of being part of a family, I don't think that she would want to put that kind of distance between them from a family perspective and would want to continue to be called Mom to maintain that closeness and have a reminder of their family bond.

Well I'm not into it in and of itself, but I think that is the way it works in the story, and I like the unconventional angle in that.
[...] both of them the word is symbolic of their specialness to each other... I really don't think either of them will be pushing for Ayako's first name to replace it, especially not in the bedroom.

Let me tell ya, you ARE into that through and through. Just confess.

Lol, ya got me. In terms of this story definitely, it's not just conceptually interesting, it's hot too. That is one of the things that makes it good.

Incest isn't something I'm "into" irl, except as a rights issue. People construct their own little worlds, and stories give us a chance to take a look into a different world. To fully experience these worlds needs at least a little empathy with the players. For a world were mother and lover are blurred, that empathy is going to be a little erotic (I'll admit that I've given some, ahem, thought to possible scenarios when Asuka and Ayako finally get together).

Porn has generally enjoyed a lot of protection as artistic expression, simply because there is no objective way to draw a clear line. The erotic is part of the human experience.

More generally I'd summarise my taste as transgression and transformation, stories about breaking the mold. My reading/watching/writing list does include a fair bit of incest (it's basically our leading "harmless" taboo), but there are lot of other things in there too, sexual and non-sexual (and things that blur the line, like Kusanagi's self-objectification in Ghost in the Shell).

What I mean about not being incest itself, is that at least for me "throwing in" a little incest doesn't make a mediocre story interesting, it is about making it convincing, and going somewhere with it.

I'm concerned over how Ayako was incredibly calm and collected when confessing to Asuka. I'd wager she's about to start the next statement with "...but." I think she'll try to distance herself, after all.

Yep, I so thought the same. It's just not possible for her to say: "Yes I love you, now my daughter, we should calmly head toward the bed and proceed scientifically to the logical outcome."

I can NOT fathom this.

You're right, I don't think this will end well, at least not short-term.

I just re-read this, and just noticed that Ayako's arms are crossed while admitting she loved Asuka. So, she's deadpan and exhibits a closed body language. She might have acknowledged she loves Asuka, but emotionally she's already put miles of distance between them. Now, if she'll also try to physically distance herself, that remains to be seen.

I can certainly see this being the case but I really hope shes just setting the tone for an important conversation they need to have about how to progress from this point on.

She was "closed" when she was curled up in a corner at Akira's place too. She didn't rush back because she was convinced what she feels/did is ok, she rushed back because running away would hurt Asuka. She probably doesn't even have a plan. It seems like she is now aware of her feelings, and has probably decided to confess, but she is still ashamed/anxious about it, so defensive body language is to be expected (Ayako isn't particularly open or expressive at the best of times).

I think it is likely heading for a talk, which could be very interesting, since Ayako has no previous experience with falling in love, and has only just realised her own feelings, it probably hasn't occurred to her yet that Asuka is feeling the same things she is. That revelation could have rather big implications for what "not hurting Asuka" means.

In the case of Akira, Ayako was curling up in shame. She didn't want to talk, she was processing the fact that she just tongue-wrestled her daughter into submission. Note that after an imaginary panel where she's taken into custody by the cops, she grabs Akira by the shoulders and begs her to take care of Asuka. She's not closed, she's shellshocked and panicking.

I think a better comparison would be chapter 6. Ayako was pretty forceful in initiating a talk, but started with the obvious "We need to talk. Can you spare a moment?"

If she just wants to talk calmly about this without rejecting Asuka's romantic feelings, I don't see why she would say "I love you" right off the bat.

asuka's probably gonna be all like "yeah duh that's natural for a mom" and ayako's probably gonna be like "fuck me right here right now with that ladle in your hand" and go in depth with her confession in the next chapter

i can't wait yall
Someone kidnap Taiyaki's editor and replace her with this woman!

Am I the only one that likes Asuka calling Ayako “Mom” or is it just me..

Well I'm not into it in and of itself, but I think that is the way it works in the story, and I like the unconventional angle in that. It is a really interesting place to be. Ayako loves being Asuka's mom, and Asuka loves Ayako being her mom; it isn't separate from their romantic feelings, it's woven together into a single thing. Asuka is the only person in the world for whom Ayako is "Mom" so for both of them the word is symbolic of their specialness to each other... I really don't think either of them will be pushing for Ayako's first name to replace it, especially not in the bedroom.

I'm hoping it goes a lot further than a word, and Taiyaki is going to dig deep on the layered emotional significance as their relationship evolves. Familiar/unfamiliar, maternal/erotic; a duality in everything they do together.

The only scenario I can see for using Ayako's name is if at some point in the future they are trying to "pass" as a normal couple... even then I think Asuka would probably just call her mom and pass it off as a joke about the age difference.

Beautiful summary. I don't think it's hot at all, but I think it's clear Asuka wants to be both Ayako's daughter and lover, so calling her mom would be the natural thing to do.

I think it's clear Asuka wants to be both Ayako's daughter and lover, so calling her mom would be the natural thing to do.

Exactly. It just seems right.

Asuka.....I love you.....

As a daughter

And as a lover who burns with sexual desire for you.

So... yeah...

I guess what I'm trying to say is...

Make sure to call me "mama" when we are making hot lesbian incestuous whoopee! Okay?

Asuka:

Asuka.....I love you.....

As a daughter

And as a lover who burns with sexual desire for you.

So... yeah...

I guess what I'm trying to say is...

Make sure to call me "mama" when we are making hot lesbian incestuous whoopee! Okay?

Asuka:

MY GOD YES! PLEASE LET THIS BE TRUE!

last edited at Apr 4, 2020 5:49PM

How is Asuka not getting WHIPLASH? lmao

If she just wants to talk calmly about this without rejecting Asuka's romantic feelings, I don't see why she would say "I love you" right off the bat.

I think it has a double meaning. It seems like they are headed for a very serious mother-child emotional talk, opening with a reassuring "I love you" is almost obligatory for this (just like love/like in English, the connotations of suki in Japanese are dependent on context, so Ayako's declaration is a bit pointed in context, but not unambiguous what kind of love). This part applies whatever direction she is intending to go with the talk.

It may also be a warmup, the first shot at a clearer statement. I think she has decided to admit her feelings to Asuka (if she is thinking clearly, or at all, she will have realised that, especially after the night before, Asuka must have some inkling about her changed feelings, so there is no point trying to lie about it).

Of course, that doesn't mean she is comfortable with the idea of acting on those feelings. We didn't see any sign she bought that part of Akira's argument, only the part that leaving Asuka hanging was hurting her.

I referred to "closed" because that was the term the post I was responding to use, but the term I used later was the broader idea of defensive. Crossed arms are often described as a barrier, but barriers can be defensive as well as aggressive (aggressive posture can also be a sign of trying to overcome fear). In ch6 Ayako still felt in control, she was just "dealing" with something Asuka did, her own feelings weren't "on trial".

Agreed in that Ayko's body language doesn't look like she has rushed home to passionately declare her love and sweep Asuka off her feet. But it doesn't seem likely she has some cool headed distancing plan prepared either. She panicked when her boss even suggested they might grow apart.

More like Ayako has come home to "face the music". She is steeling herself to admit to her daughter that she has sexual feelings towards her, that they have to stop, that, as she sees it, she has failed as mother.. but it seems likely Asuka is going to argue pretty strongly against the last part, and as for the middle one, Ayako never has been good at saying no to her daughter...

Random tangent: when writing this I realised "platonic" really isn't the right word to describe something as visceral as the mother-child bond.

last edited at Apr 4, 2020 8:58PM

More like Ayako has come home to "face the music". She is steeling herself to admit to her daughter that she has sexual feelings towards her, that they have to stop, that, as she sees it, she has failed as mother..

As much as I want to see them together asap, I think I would be okay with this scenario. It would be fun to watch Ayako try to set boundaries between the two of them only to have her defenses slowly fall over time because of her love for Asuka and seeing her give into her true desires.

but it seems likely Asuka is going to argue pretty strongly against the last part, and as for the middle one, Ayako never has been good at saying no to her daughter...

Thats what I'm counting on and I love it. I'm all for watching Asuka slowly try to nudge her overtime to give in and her only putting up token resistance because her true feelings betray her. I wonder if they will remember their agreement to buy a new bed to share. Given these new developments this would certainly be a big trial for them to overcome if they intend to try and suppress their desires.

Out of curiosity, how did Ayako confess in Japanese? Was it daisuki or was it aishiteru or something else?

Asuka.....I love you.....

As a daughter

And as a lover who burns with sexual desire for you.

So... yeah...

I guess what I'm trying to say is...

Make sure to call me "mama" when we are making hot lesbian incestuous whoopee! Okay?

Asuka:

I loved how you used emojis to perfectly express Asuka's reaction.

Sometimes a picture is better than a thousand words, lol.

Out of curiosity, how did Ayako confess in Japanese? Was it daisuki or was it aishiteru or something else?

飛鳥
あなたのことが好きよ

Asuka
anata no koto ga suki yo

HOLY SHIT SHE SAID IT BOYS

oh oh come on we need chapter 16.4

I wonder if they will remember their agreement to buy a new bed to share.

I've been wondering about the bed for a while. "buying a bed together" is such a cliche that it is also a euphemism. Obviously at the time it served to demonstrate how deeply Ayako was in denial. Not only being ok with their arrangement continuing on a long term basis, but actually making plans to do it in comfort.

When I first read it I assumed they would probably shop for the bed while Ayako was still in denial, but it would arrive after the revelation to confront them with what they were doing... 'if we accept this it means we are really going though with it' moment.

We haven't had another reference to it, and it is a bit late for it to be pre-realisation, so maybe it will turn out to have just been for that scene... although I suppose they could have done the shopping/ordering off-screen.

It could be pretty fun... Ayako gets home from work to find Asuka unusually exuberant... "Hey mom, guess what happened today"... throws open her bedroom door, throws herself on the bed and poses "***our*** bed arrived!" (big grin).

(mood reasoning: With confirmation Ayako feels the same way as she does (even if they aren't supposed to be acting on it), Asuka is going to be on cloud nine for a while... I wonder what Rui will make of it)

I suppose there could also be a call back much later, going bed shopping as a sign Ayako has completely accepted their relationship (along with some "I can't believe I was that oblivious" reminiscing).

I wonder if they will remember their agreement to buy a new bed to share.

I've been wondering about the bed for a while. "buying a bed together" is such a cliche that it is also a euphemism. Obviously at the time it served to demonstrate how deeply Ayako was in denial. Not only being ok with their arrangement continuing on a long term basis, but actually making plans to do it in comfort.

When I first read it I assumed they would probably shop for the bed while Ayako was still in denial, but it would arrive after the revelation to confront them with what they were doing... 'if we accept this it means we are really going though with it' moment.

We haven't had another reference to it, and it is a bit late for it to be pre-realisation, so maybe it will turn out to have just been for that scene... although I suppose they could have done the shopping/ordering off-screen.

It could be pretty fun... Ayako gets home from work to find Asuka unusually exuberant... "Hey mom, guess what happened today"... throws open her bedroom door, throws herself on the bed and poses "***our*** bed arrived!" (big grin).

(mood reasoning: With confirmation Ayako feels the same way as she does (even if they aren't supposed to be acting on it), Asuka is going to be on cloud nine for a while... I wonder what Rui will make of it)

I suppose there could also be a call back much later, going bed shopping as a sign Ayako has completely accepted their relationship (along with some "I can't believe I was that oblivious" reminiscing).

If Taiyaki think we forgotten about the bed, she is sadly mistaken. I think of them buying the bed together a lot. I think it’ll be cute of them both debating what kind of bed they want and arguing in the shop of sleeping together and everyone is watching them. I can imagine them figuring their relationship out and still be able to sleep together without any funny business.
I hope this relationship won’t turn out like Dear My Teacher, where they both are waiting for Asuka to turn of age and time is lagging in the story and jumps to the end where they get together officially

I think we're probably pretty close to the end. Google Translate is terrible with Japanese, of course, but if I interpreted a couple of Taiyaki's tweets from a while back correctly, she's said that this volume will be the last one. If I had to guess what's going to happen next, it might be that Ayako will say that she wants to reciprocate Asuka's feelings, but that she doesn't want things to go there while Asuka's still her dependent. (This would probably explain the combination of the "I love you" and the guarded body language, plus it's an issue that has been brought up a few times in the manga itself.) I think they'll definitely be lovers at the end, though, since Taiyaki has pretty much straight up said that's what's going to happen. Possibly it'll be something along the lines of a time-skip to a year or two later with Asuka returning home from college, and then they go to the new bed together, and then a happily-ever-after final chapter.

If I'm right that we're close to the end, there are a few things I wish had been explored a bit more before this point, but overall that would be a very satisfactory ending, IMO.

We haven't had another reference to it, and it is a bit late for it to be pre-realisation, so maybe it will turn out to have just been for that scene... although I suppose they could have done the shopping/ordering off-screen.

Well in terms of time passing within the story, the bed conversation likely didn't happen that long ago. It happens at the end of chapter 10 and then chapter 11 is the wedding. Its true that a lot of chapters of flashback (the dark days) happened in between putting physical page distance between it and the current point, however I don't think it would be odd to see this plot point again since its possible it might have happened just days ago.

It could be pretty fun... Ayako gets home from work to find Asuka unusually exuberant... "Hey mom, guess what happened today"... throws open her bedroom door, throws herself on the bed and poses "***our*** bed arrived!" (big grin).

I suppose there could also be a call back much later, going bed shopping as a sign Ayako has completely accepted their relationship (along with some "I can't believe I was that oblivious" reminiscing).

I hope we see it again since you're right. It could be pretty fun to watch the possible scenarios play out. Also if it gets brought up again it puts pressure on the two of them to share a bed together again. I also don't see Asuka just forgetting the fact that she used to be able to sleep next to Ayako every night and then was told she couldn't until they get a new bed. Shes definitely going to want that bed if she can get it!

(mood reasoning: With confirmation Ayako feels the same way as she does (even if they aren't supposed to be acting on it), Asuka is going to be on cloud nine for a while... I wonder what Rui will make of it)

I think Jun at least is certainly going to be suspicious since he knows Asuka is in love with Ayako and knows there are probably only a few things that would make her this happy. I wonder if Asuka will tell him herself since he seems to be more or less accepting of her situation even if he doesn't think its normal and I imagine Asuka might want to have someone to talk with someone about it depending on how things develop. Although I suppose Akira could also work, but I can see Asuka being a bit hesitant to go to her.

As for Rui, I can see her making a playful guess that it has to do with her mother, and Asuka being unable to hide her emotions could lead to Rui asking more questions about what could possibly have happened with her mother to make her so happy.