I wanted to like this one and I still sorta do, but it’s simply not that great. If not for the beautiful art and striking marine imagery that allows you to drown with Tsukiko, I would’ve not have gotten all the way through this story. While reading this, there was a prevailing question of, “What’s the point?” There isn’t enough development for the side characters (especially love bird girl and glasses) and they end up being a waste of time IMHO. The focus should’ve been on either the main pair or the height gap theatre pair, which were actually pretty nice. The dialogue and numerous monologues are vague and confusing to the point where I think the author leaves too much text out. But the real problem lies within the main duo.
Like many others, I believe this story falls flat because of the lack of progression seen in Aya and Tsukiko’s dynamic and relationship. Individually, they’re good characters and I like their relationship—how Tsukiko slowly becomes more and more interested in Aya and how Aya reaches out to Tsukiko but never goes too far. This stagnant relationship built out of mutual distance from one another, occasionally stirred by small steps to close that distance or life itself, is almost compelling but falls flat. It ends up unfulfilling at best, dull and infuriating at worst. I think this can be attributed to how simply disinterested Aya and Tsukiko themselves are at their own relationship. Apart from the vague I’m friends with her because she’s kinda interesting, their reasons for being with each other don’t change nor are developed at all. Also, they don’t show much affection or intimacy, even on a friendship level. They remain awkward and stilted throughout the entire series. Tsukiko especially, all Tsun and no dere. Aya too, who is too careful and ends up further maintaining their stagnant gap. This could’ve been explored as Aya fearing that closing the distance might harm their delicate relationship, but the ending chalks it up to simple disinterest. This awkwardness combined with no direction toward real affection and intimacy results in their friendship not really working. In fact, since neither of them put much work into growing or keeping the relationship, it feels outright artificial. A romantic relationship would be completely out of the question.
The ending is by far the worst part about this series. Most frustrating about it is how they end up separating (a product of their lack of interest in maintaining their relationship) and are only reunited by circumstance. They don’t even try to seek each other out and are so meh about finding each other again, it’s hard to feel anything. The ending is bland and uninteresting and is almost a microcosm for the problem with Tsukiko and Aya. Neither of them are invested in their relationship yet it stays alive. It never grows and remains perfectly stagnant. If there’s no point for them to be invested in their relationship, why should we?
I like Sol Falling’s analysis but just wish the stuff you described were better presented and more prominent in the series proper.
I’ll have to read this again sometime, maybe it gets a lot better knowing everything. Regardless, I hope the author continues to make more Yuri (wouldn’t mind extra material to this series tbh) because their art is gorgeous and their writing, while confusing, can be fairly interesting.
