Forum › My Unrequited Love discussion

Tron-legacy
joined Dec 11, 2017

I don't see anything in the new chapter that suggests Kaoru likes Uta this way. On the other hand, Reiichi admits Kaoru is wrong by thinking he was never in love with her I think maybe his situation is complicated too, but it seems that he does care.

We know he -cares-, the question of if he's actually romantically in love with her is different. I don't see how you're interpreting any of his reaction as him thinking she's wrong about his feelings. He immediately replies with a pretty clumsy non-response, he doesn't say anything internally about loving her, just thinks about how Uta was right about her emotional state. Then he looks at her dead mother's picture and looks guilty. I actually think those panels say a LOT about his motivation for marrying her. Eventually he says she's wrong, but he has to work up to it. That is generally a bad sign (TM)

I came away with this chapter more certain than ever that he's not in love with her, and he's lying about that to protect her feelings, because he -does- love her in a familial sense. He feels duty-bound to protect her and- oh fuck fuck FUCK.

I just realized Kaoru said he went to see her mom when she was in the hospital. She asked him on her deathbed to take care of Kaoru. It's the last thing she ever said to him. I'd bet all the tea in China.

Tron-legacy
joined Dec 11, 2017

Hey now, she'd been into her childhood friend well before that!

Which is probably part of the problem: he does care for her, but as his childhood friend or like a (normal) sister. It's a pity marriage without romantic spark.

The issue is not the longevity of Kaoru's feelings, the issue is: what does Reiichi have going for him that makes him so great to this particular person?

Now, I know that love doesn't work by a cost/benefit equation; you fall in love with who you fall in love with.

But this is a story with the theme of romantic attraction at the center of it (whether you want to characterize its genre as "romance" or not).

And the very reasonable question of why exactly Kaoru feels so strongly about Reiichi (who is at best--which means putting the whole issue of possible infidelity completely aside--a pretty drab, ordinary, low-charisma guy who pays little attention to Kaoru's emotional state), has been explicitly asked within the text itself, but has yet to be answered.

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/my_unrequited_love_ch04#12

It kinda has. We've been told she was alone all the time until she met Reiichi and Uta.I would guess, based on their personalities and what we know about their backstory, that she fell in love with him, (or maybe just the idea of him) and just never gave up on it.

When they were kids, we know he was her only friend for awhile, and when she hit puberty that turned into infatuation and love. He was never into her, so he always avoided answering, because he cared, he just wasn't in love. And then He fell for Risako, but Risako didn't return his feelings, but wanted to see Kaoru give up on him, so she went with it. And it probably worked? I mean when she sees him after her mom's death, she doesn't seem to get excited or hopeful at all, and she seems kind of flabbergasted by his sudden switch.

Personally, I think Kaoru has wanted to have Reiichi (and Uta) as family more than anything.

Murcielago_reiko
joined Dec 9, 2019

Pending further developments, purely in terms of hoping for a livelier story, I’m on Team Kaoru Snaps Gay.

Ditto.

Img_0215
joined Jul 29, 2017

When they were kids, we know he was her only friend for awhile, and when she hit puberty that turned into infatuation and love.

All this post really says is, “Kaoru became besotted with Reiichi and remained so.” We know that. We have always known that.

The actual question posed was:

Kaoru: “Reiichi-kun has tons of wonderful qualities ...!”
Friend: “Oh yeah? Like what?”
** crickets **

I have been arguing that the story has never filled in that blank. Another poster put the best possible face on it by calling him “cheerful, easygoing, and kind,” but, except for the “marrying Kaoru out of guilt” thing, none of that manifests as positive action but only the lack of negative action:

  • cheerful = he’s usually not verbally unpleasant or domineering
  • easygoing = he doesn’t care about much one way or or the other
  • kind = he’s not directly abusive

Again, my point is not to tear down Reiichi as an imaginary human being; it’s about his function in the story in regard to plausible future courses of action by Kaoru in relation to Uta and her romantic feelings.

Reiichi is clearly not a compelling person in his own right—Kaoru loves him because she’s always loved him, not (as the friends point out) because of any special qualities that are perceivable by anyone else, and in the face of negative qualities that even she has begun to perceive—his emotional distance, his indifference to her feelings, his possible infidelity.

So given all that, the more Kaoru clings to her feelings for Reiichi, the emptier a character she seems to be in relation to Uta.

Yuu
joined Mar 28, 2015

Blastaar posted:

When they were kids, we know he was her only friend for awhile, and when she hit puberty that turned into infatuation and love.

All this post really says is, “Kaoru became besotted with Reiichi and remained so.” We know that. We have always known that.

The actual question posed was:

Kaoru: “Reiichi-kun has tons of wonderful qualities ...!”
Friend: “Oh yeah? Like what?”
** crickets **

He's been a good brother for Uta. At least, I don't think I ever saw her complaining about him. I think he married Kaoru because of Uta.

Not that it was a good idea, but there's that.

Img_0215
joined Jul 29, 2017

He's been a good brother for Uta. At least, I don't think I ever saw her complaining about him.

High praise indeed.

LesbianPirate
Shithead
joined Oct 23, 2018

i can't stand another chapter of this het drama bullshit but i will because i am desperate for any hope or sign of a gay ending

Not_from_3re
joined May 18, 2019

Did Chaosteam dropped this or Dynasty won't allow more uploads due being licensed?

I know it was also picked by another group but I'm curious

46-75
joined Jun 25, 2019

Did Chaosteam dropped this or Dynasty won't allow more uploads due being licensed?

I know it was also picked by another group but I'm curious

As far as i know, Chaos still translated it and its their translation that Dynasty upload.

joined Aug 21, 2017

Uh oh
(Well, I'm saying that, but I honestly don't know who the girl in the picture frame is)

46-75
joined Jun 25, 2019

Uh oh
(Well, I'm saying that, but I honestly don't know who the girl in the picture frame is)

Kaoru's mom

D2ad4ba6-d1f7-4800-86c3-5a64a1f1e50f
joined Jan 15, 2017

What is happening man ;-;

35
joined Feb 5, 2020

Move, I'm gay

Wooper
joined Oct 25, 2015

Finally! I feel like we've finally encountered a pool of water on the other side of a desert. They are actually talking to each other and directly. This is so great! ha-ha...

seungwanderlust
joined Dec 23, 2017

We’re finally moving forward omg

Screenshot_2018-10-31%20dynasty%20reader%20%c2%bb%20fusoroi%20no%20renri%20ch13
joined Jul 1, 2014

I do and do not want to hear Reiichi's side in all of this. Yes, I am curious as to why he felt it necessary to marry her, but honestly, I really wish he would just acknowledge he made a mistake and move on because this whole painful dance between them has gone on long enough. Hell, I don't even care if she gets together with Uta at this point. My whole concern is for her to move on, go live by herself, and just learn how to be happy.

And yes, I'm fully aware she can't do that until she understands her relationship (or lackthereof) with him. but ugh, he's just.... so boring! lol

joined May 1, 2013

The drawing on page 19 is somehow stark and evocative because it captures their feelings and isolation but also simultaneously hilarious because LOOKIT HIS TINY LITTLE HEAD

Murcielago_reiko
joined Dec 9, 2019

What is happening man ;-;

Going full on Yuri lovey-dovey I hope.
I still want a Uta-Kaoru-Risako threesome tho.

Murcielago_reiko
joined Dec 9, 2019

Move, I'm gay

Chaosteam slayed the credits lol. Boss Kaoru is friggin Boss Gay.

Murcielago_reiko
joined Dec 9, 2019

I do and do not want to hear Reiichi's side in all of this. Yes, I am curious as to why he felt it necessary to marry her, but honestly, I really wish he would just acknowledge he made a mistake and move on because this whole painful dance between them has gone on long enough. Hell, I don't even care if she gets together with Uta at this point. My whole concern is for her to move on, go live by herself, and just learn how to be happy.

And yes, I'm fully aware she can't do that until she understands her relationship (or lackthereof) with him. but ugh, he's just.... so boring! lol

Looks like a massive wake up call for Reiichi. I have this inkling that he married Kaoru out of pity and he mistook it as him being chivalrously "in love" and shit. You're right. Their relationship has dragged painfully on. And I stand by an earlier comment that Kaoru should stockpile chocolates and Salmon. Those foods trigger dopamine. happy feels.

Thinking more about it, how could he not tell Kaoru "I love you."? They fucked and stuff, right. Not even "I love you" even in the heat of the moment? Jesus. Sad, if that's the case.

Img_0215
joined Jul 29, 2017

The drawing on page 19 is somehow stark and evocative because it captures their feelings and isolation but also simultaneously hilarious because LOOKIT HIS TINY LITTLE HEAD

He doesn’t seem to keep much in it—no sense in wasting storage space.

NaiveGlasses
joined Jun 8, 2020

Finally have some gutsss...

Userpic-128-white
joined Jul 21, 2015

Turns out this was about Kaoru's unrequited love the entire time

123118
joined Jan 31, 2013

I'm curious why Reiichi glanced at the photo of Kaoru's mother? Maybe he made a promise to take care of Kaoru? Or the mom asked him to look after her daughter? So he felt somehow obliged to marry Kaoru, even tho he was not in love with her. And now he's feeling remorse and guilt.

Lil-Dumpster-Rat
2020-10-01%20(2)
joined Jul 27, 2019

Sorry man, she's gay now ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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