A classic Kodama Naoko, shitty person x shitty person plot, indeed. But I actually liked it more than her earlier works, probably because the characterization is getting more nuanced. In an earlier Kodama one-shot, Ayaka would be a flat character -- just a gold digger and nothing else, -- but we see her here as an honors student who knows that her friend considers her lifestyle disgusting, but her only (societally-accepted) path to a secure future lies in marrying some rich guy.
Mitsuki, meanwhile, goes through a small character arc, starting off as a passive friend, who feels revolted by Ayaka's actions but doesn't do anything about it. But when Ayaka cuts her off, it gives her time to reexamine her views. When Ayaka then contacts her again (quite intentionally, I believe), Mitsuki becomes an active, even aggressive top who makes Ayaka an all-but-explicit proposal to become her sugar mommy. Too bad Ayaka still doesn't consider it a possibility even after having sex with her...
All in all, I agree with the notion that bad people (as opposed to badly-written characters) often make for good plots.
last edited at Sep 1, 2021 4:19AM