Why do I keep reading?

All that said, thanks for team for continuing working on this considering basically everyone here hates the eveliving shit out the series. Hell I don’t even like commenting here but this one just takes the cake.

A good reminder--my sincere thanks to the translation team for bringing us what in any event is likely to be a classic series.

At first this seemed like it was going to be a really good, really interesting story. Now I feel like a member of the National Transportation Safety Board who gets to watch a plane wreck happen in real time.

In either case, I am unable to look away.

Thanks to you both! Reading comments is my favourite part of working on Liberty. Too bad I can't read them on MD anymore.

I didn't even read yet, but expecting utter garbage... Let´s go...

Edit: Yes! That's right! Fuck you Liz! You don't deserve to be happy! (As if... This writer is such trash in their art they'll make Maki cave in like the pathetic pushover she is with no development in her character whatsoever.)

last edited at Nov 27, 2021 12:24PM

I'm gonna go back to reading Hana ni arashi

Are those two dating? Do their friends know?

hmmmm (´ω｀)

She has babby? RUN AWAY! Good thing I didn't torpedo my other relationship, OH WAIT. But who am I kidding, Maki will definitely take her back.

It is slapped together because she is an inexperienced writer, this being literally her debut.

While she may get better with experience, other writers do well in their debut work. The question of talent versus incentive remains.

Not everyone does well in their debut works, so it is hardly an actual argument. Plus...

Consider for a moment that this series is one of Galette's flagship series, one of the only ones allowed to continue when the magazine was in rough shape due to covid and tightening budgets. Like you say, it's basically a VA having fun, and it sells books. Keeping an indie publisher afloat during the pandemic is an impressive debut no matter how you slice it.

It might be more interesting to speculate why the hell it manages to do it's job so well. Here's to another 5 years of it!!

It is slapped together because she is an inexperienced writer, this being literally her debut.

While she may get better with experience, other writers do well in their debut work. The question of talent versus incentive remains.

Not everyone does well in their debut works, so it is hardly an actual argument. Plus...

Keeping an indie publisher afloat during the pandemic is an impressive debut no matter how you slice it.

Oh, that was actually not what I was driving at with "not everyone does well in their debut works", lol. I was talking exclusively about the quality of writing, which, let us face it, is quite far from stellar.

It might be more interesting to speculate why the hell it manages to do it's job so well. Here's to another 5 years of it!!

Soap opera sells. Like, when you think about it, most soap opera features contrived plots, badly done and inconsistent characterisations, and plenty of morally reprehensible characters, so this fits perfectly. And as I said, this stuff sells well.

I compared Tomoko with Kodama previously, but it is my impression that in the realm of soap opera authors like Kodama are actually the exception, who put actual nuance and reasoning behind their characterisations.

So I am not in the least bit surprised this is performing nicely. Hell, I actually quite like it myself (no surprise, as fan of Kodama it stands to reason I would like Kodama-lite as well). Literally my only gripe with it was the massive contrast between the first several chapters and the rest of the story. Even the bad writing is not something that bothers me, it genuinely makes me laugh at this point and that is a plus in my book.

Keeping an indie publisher afloat during the pandemic is an impressive debut no matter how you slice it.

It might be more interesting to speculate why the hell it manages to do it's job so well. Here's to another 5 years of it!!

Literally my only gripe with it was the massive contrast between the first several chapters and the rest of the story. Even the bad writing is not something that bothers me, it genuinely makes me laugh at this point and that is a plus in my book.

This is a key point, I think. If had all been "ride the Maki-pony" hijinx or over-the-top melo tropes from the beginning, that would be one thing, and we'd have known what to expect.

But I was genuinely interested in Maki's personal struggles and in the mystery of sexy, elusive Liz, until the "mystery of Liz" began to be revealed, and that mystery turned out to be . . . what it has turned out to be--a stupid, narcissistic mess bordering on psychopathy, a reading of Liz of which the writer seems to be unaware.

It's as if we tuned into a taut psychological mystery movie that suddenly switched into a National Lampoon parody (but the producers didn't realize that's what they were making).

Honestly it would be better ending if they didn't end up together. It could be a nice surprise if that happen but probably Maki will take her back

I don't remember the earlier chapters or her name, but this is the same girl Maki was with when Liz and her lover got busted, not a new character. The hug looks nice, but imho it's just a lazy cliffhanger so we can get some satisfaction until the .... hits the fan in the next chapter.

From what I saw so far, these type of yuri stories never survive the 20+ chapter mark, and they never really have a proper redemption arc, or some kind of poetic justice at the end, so I am pretty sure it's going to end in like one or two chapters with Liz and Maki reconciling like nothing happened.

Truly I don't understand people's hate for this series. Liz needs an arc!

The author started her with unprocessed baggage that's festered into a driving bitterness that leads to her hitting rock bottom by her own actions. To me it's more meaningful that she actually did a cruel, unjustified thing because of the scars of her previous relationship.

It seems that some people have designated her a "bad person" who doesn't deserve redemption or happiness out of some sense of punitive justice. I think she's a product of her environment and her own anxiety about being vulnerable. This doesn't justify her behavior, but it means that she's capable of being better.

I want to see her get better by realizing that not everyone she opens up to is going to hurt or abandon her. She can still fuck up and deserve happiness! She has to learn to do better by being hurt and seeing the consequences of her actions hurting others.

last edited at Nov 27, 2021 1:42PM

Im pretty sure its not what it looks like but still, Fuck you Liz, i reaaaaally hope Maki decided to value herself and dont return with that cheating bitch but we all know where this is going to.

Truly I don't understand people's hate for this series. Liz needs an arc!

The author started her with unprocessed baggage that's festered into a driving bitterness that leads to her hitting rock bottom by her own actions. To me it's more meaningful that she actually did a cruel, unjustified thing because of the scars of her previous relationship.

It seems that some people have designated her a "bad person" who doesn't deserve redemption or happiness out of some sense of punitive justice. I think she's a product of her environment and her own anxiety about being vulnerable. This doesn't justify her behavior, but it means that she's capable of being better.

I want to see her get better by realizing that not everyone she opens up to is going to hurt or abandon her. She can still fuck up and deserve happiness! She has to learn to do better by being hurt and seeing the consequences of her actions hurting others.

The problem with this is that the deep trauma she endured which caused her to behave as a borderline psychopath is being dumped in high school. I am not saying that such an experience is a pleasant one, or that it leaves no emotional scars, but I am saying that the levels to which she is traumatised are way, waaay too high for such an affair.

Just to illustrate my point, let us return to one of the earliest WHAT THE FUCK moments, the earrings. Maki gifts Liz some nice earrings. Liz suffers a mental breakdown, because it is a deep trauma (let me reiterate, all of this stems from being dumped by her high school girlfriend). Maki proceeds to apologise (for doing nothing wrong, she had no way of knowing that particular shape of earrings had any sort of traumatic meaning for Liz). Liz responds to the apology by slapping her, because that is what a mentally stable person does under such circumstances. And Maki's first thought afterwards is whether or not Liz is alright, because of course a chronic doormat like her would think that.

Liz is being a "victim" of a failed high school romance, for which she proceeds to vent in massively disproportionate ways on people who did her nothing wrong and showed her only kindness and love. She is not exactly the shining example of a flawed but sympathetic character that makes you root for her happiness.

I don't remember the earlier chapters or her name, but this is the same girl Maki was with when Liz and her lover got busted, not a new character. The hug looks nice, but imho it's just a lazy cliffhanger so we can get some satisfaction until the .... hits the fan in the next chapter.

Actually, there's one cliche we haven't considered: Maki's ex is back! (The one who dumped her, came begging back, then ghosted her.)

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/liberty_ch16#4

We only see her in a chibi version, but the hair color, length, and bow are all there.

No trope unturned indeed.

I don't remember the earlier chapters or her name, but this is the same girl Maki was with when Liz and her lover got busted, not a new character. The hug looks nice, but imho it's just a lazy cliffhanger so we can get some satisfaction until the .... hits the fan in the next chapter.

Actually, there's one cliche we haven't considered: Maki's ex is back! (The one who dumped her, came begging back, then ghosted her.)

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/liberty_ch16#4

We only see her in a chibi version, but the hair color, length, and bow are all there.

No trope unturned indeed.

You can actually see her in page 2 and 3. I keep thinking she's just a throwaway character they made just for cheap drama.

I don't remember the earlier chapters or her name, but this is the same girl Maki was with when Liz and her lover got busted, not a new character. The hug looks nice, but imho it's just a lazy cliffhanger so we can get some satisfaction until the .... hits the fan in the next chapter.

Actually, there's one cliche we haven't considered: Maki's ex is back! (The one who dumped her, came begging back, then ghosted her.)

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/liberty_ch16#4

We only see her in a chibi version, but the hair color, length, and bow are all there.

No trope unturned indeed.

You can actually see her in page 2 and 3. I keep thinking she's just a throwaway character they made just for cheap drama.

You're right--I wasn't paying enough attention to read that as a flashback scene that connected to the next conversation. She's even wearing the same outfit and scarf.

I don't remember the earlier chapters or her name, but this is the same girl Maki was with when Liz and her lover got busted, not a new character. The hug looks nice, but imho it's just a lazy cliffhanger so we can get some satisfaction until the .... hits the fan in the next chapter.

Actually, there's one cliche we haven't considered: Maki's ex is back! (The one who dumped her, came begging back, then ghosted her.)

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/liberty_ch16#4

We only see her in a chibi version, but the hair color, length, and bow are all there.

You actually do see her in normal mode as well, and the actual scenario is slightly worse than what you presented. She did not dump Maki at first, Maki caught her cheating, that is why the ex came running crying and Maki took her back. Then afterwards that same cheating grillfriend dumped Maki, lmao!

I don't remember the earlier chapters or her name, but this is the same girl Maki was with when Liz and her lover got busted, not a new character. The hug looks nice, but imho it's just a lazy cliffhanger so we can get some satisfaction until the .... hits the fan in the next chapter.

Actually, there's one cliche we haven't considered: Maki's ex is back! (The one who dumped her, came begging back, then ghosted her.)

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/liberty_ch16#4

We only see her in a chibi version, but the hair color, length, and bow are all there.

You actually do see her in normal mode as well, and the actual scenario is slightly worse than what you presented. She did not dump Maki at first, Maki caught her cheating, that is why the ex came running crying and Maki took her back. Then afterwards that same cheating grillfriend dumped Maki, lmao!

Yes, Yuricchin just showed me that was the case. That's our Maki, for sure.

OK, I'm now totally down with "Liz slaps Maki and makes her apologize for cheating with her ex"--this series needs to have the courage of its convictions, even if it has nothing else.

(And maybe Liz rides her home, for good measure.)

All that said, thanks for team for continuing working on this considering basically everyone here hates the eveliving shit out the series. Hell I don’t even like commenting here but this one just takes the cake.

A good reminder--my sincere thanks to the translation team for bringing us what in any event is likely to be a classic series.

At first this seemed like it was going to be a really good, really interesting story. Now I feel like a member of the National Transportation Safety Board who gets to watch a plane wreck happen in real time.

In either case, I am unable to look away.

Thanks to you both! Reading comments is my favourite part of working on Liberty. Too bad I can't read them on MD anymore.

Just wanted to say I appreciate the work!

I’m not surprised people don’t like this, but I’m not gonna pretend like it’s not wildly entertaining on a low level. Like this this hands down shlock, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun to read.

Cheating horrible and I’m not gonna say Liz gets some kinda free pass to do it, but I do also believe people can make mistakes and earn a 2nd chance. She’s genuinely put Maki through the blender, and it’s pretty sad to see such a good person just get absolutely dragged through the dirt for like a dozen chapters while Liz keeps making mistake after mistake behind her back. But I isn’t looking away from the shit show lol

The problem with this is that the deep trauma she endured which caused her to behave as a borderline psychopath is being dumped in high school. I am not saying that such an experience is a pleasant one, or that it leaves no emotional scars, but I am saying that the levels to which she is traumatised are way, waaay too high for such an affair.

Just to illustrate my point, let us return to one of the earliest WHAT THE FUCK moments, the earrings. Maki gifts Liz some nice earrings. Liz suffers a mental breakdown, because it is a deep trauma (let me reiterate, all of this stems from being dumped by her high school girlfriend). Maki proceeds to apologise (for doing nothing wrong, she had no way of knowing that particular shape of earrings had any sort of traumatic meaning for Liz). Liz responds to the apology by slapping her, because that is what a mentally stable person does under such circumstances. And Maki's first thought afterwards is whether or not Liz is alright, because of course a chronic doormat like her would think that.

Liz is being a "victim" of a failed high school romance, for which she proceeds to vent in massively disproportionate ways on people who did her nothing wrong and showed her only kindness and love. She is not exactly the shining example of a flawed but sympathetic character that makes you root for her happiness.

I don't think there's any amount of trauma that makes Liz's behavior towards Maki justified. I find it just as compelling and believable that a mundane event had such a strong effect on Liz.

I don't think Maki's apology is framed as a "correct" response, either. Her character arc is learning to value herself. She's not at fault for what's happened to her, but she needs to learn to assert her worth and boundaries.

Maki doesn't have any obligation to forgive Liz or even hear her out. A good ending to the story could be Maki choosing to cut Liz out of her life completely.

I just don't think that's the only satisfying ending to their story. Maki forgiving Liz on the grounds that Liz needs to do better and fix her shit wouldn't compromise either character arc in my opinion.

Now, whether or not that could be executed in a satisfying way is going to at least partially be down to taste. I don't think it's too late to show them doing the work and earning a happy ending together, but that would require breaking out of the soap opera vibe we've got going right now.

So yeah, if you wouldn't forgive Liz in that situation, that's that's 100% justified. But I don't think it's a weaker choice for Maki to forgive her.

Man what is even going to happen at this point. I saw comments from another series talking about train wrecks, and mentioned liberty. That was a few months ago, and against my better judgement I've ended up reading this shit. I can't pull myself out of an angsty series once I'm in, but what could honestly happen here? Has Maki eloped? Is it a misunderstanding? Will we ever see the conclusion to this hellfire in my lifetime. What's the most likely outcome for this series atm?

lmfao

I don't think there's any amount of trauma that makes Liz's behavior towards Maki justified. I find it just as compelling and believable that a mundane event had such a strong effect on Liz.

But if you look at it in the context not of an imaginary human being in real life but of yuri manga tropes, it's not very believable at all.

"Senpai dumped me when she graduated because we're both girls" has occurred in any number of stories (off the top of my head: to Sayaka in YagaKimi, to one of the MCs in First Love Sisters, to Chidori in Hana ni Arashi. And I'm sure there must be others).

In all those stories, it made those characters sad and wary of getting romantically involved with a girl again, which they overcame to find romance once more. Full stop. It didn't turn them into borderline-personality physical abusers.

If such a thing had never happened in a yuri manga story before, well, readers could take it under advisement as a possible reasonable explanation for a character's behavior. But since it's been depicted in similar stories many times before, proposing it as some deep trauma that leads to a seriously warped personality is just ridiculous.

last edited at Nov 27, 2021 3:29PM

I don't think there's any amount of trauma that makes Liz's behavior towards Maki justified. I find it just as compelling and believable that a mundane event had such a strong effect on Liz.

That is exactly the reason why I do not consider it compelling, though. Mundane events are mundane for a reason, I just can not comprehend why someone would be this traumatised without basically being somewhat unhinged to begin with.

I don't think Maki's apology is framed as a "correct" response, either. Her character arc is learning to value herself. She's not at fault for what's happened to her, but she needs to learn to assert her worth and boundaries.

The problem with Maki is that we hardly ever see her learning this lesson. Literally the only scene that comes to mind was when she tried to slap Liz's ex, and even that was kind of... off... like, you are supposed to slap your own cheating girlfriend, not whomever happens to be with them. I agree that this is a lesson she needs to learn (or rather, that it would be beneficial for her to learn it), but the problem is, we are not exactly shown her making any progress on that front.

Maki doesn't have any obligation to forgive Liz or even hear her out. A good ending to the story could be Maki choosing to cut Liz out of her life completely.

I just don't think that's the only satisfying ending to their story. Maki forgiving Liz on the grounds that Liz needs to do better and fix her shit wouldn't compromise either character arc in my opinion.

Now, whether or not that could be executed in a satisfying way is going to at least partially be down to taste. I don't think it's too late to show them doing the work and earning a happy ending together, but that would require breaking out of the soap opera vibe we've got going right now.

Agree, it is basically down to the execution on the part of the author, how well can they pull it off. It is just that with the overall writing quality, and specifically when it comes to characterisations, I am not exactly expecting the most compelling scenario here if they opt for a happy ending.

So yeah, if you wouldn't forgive Liz in that situation, that's that's 100% justified. But I don't think it's a weaker choice for Maki to forgive her.

If Maki grows as a character, definitely, she could forgive her and still have it presented as a stronger option. But if she stays the same doormat as before, it is definitely a weaker choice.

last edited at Nov 27, 2021 3:38PM