Forum › Be Careful, Onee-san (Serialization) discussion

President%20and%20new%20hire%20profile%20pic%202
joined Sep 27, 2017

Aw yiss new reaction image

welease.wodger
joined Oct 2, 2021

^^ must protecc da Lolli.

Palucina1
joined May 26, 2020

So, is Tae going to jail now?

herenowforever
Singeraigenerated
joined Feb 11, 2018

Ah, Sailor Cousins homage scene.

Mai knows all the classic pickup lines and maneuvers.

Screenshot_20220712-194055_tachiyomi%20(1)
joined Jun 22, 2013

Mai-chan is dangerous.....

joined Mar 23, 2022

Damnn if mai chan ain't not flirting with her intentionally I don't know anymore...
I can already see mai chan being a woman slaye- I mean player in the future. She and her smooth moves.

Utenaanthy01
joined Aug 4, 2018

Can't let the loli watch the lewd hand-holding.

Selfie
joined Aug 25, 2018

Mei-chan’s stares can end a war

joined May 28, 2018

M Night Shamalamadingdong twist is that Hitomi is her same-age (adult) sister/cousin/childhood friend who is playing along with her to help recover her memories.

The story would be hilarious if this was real.

Kanata%20emma%20cute%20cat%20laying
joined Apr 23, 2021

Azuma-san and Hitomi-chan casually holding hands

E. Vigée Le Brun
joined Jun 8, 2021

Why so many people keep posting theories, made of pure unbased speculation, about Mai being an adult against all evidence? Is it that difficult to read the story as it is?

Img_0215
joined Jul 29, 2017

Why so many people keep posting theories, made of pure unbased speculation, about Mai being an adult against all evidence? Is it that difficult to read the story as it is?

I suspect that it’s not difficult just reading the story as it is, but some people seem to have difficulty coming to terms with liking it exactly as it is.

(My own theory is that the author is just, “I like size-gap, i like age-gap—I’m really going for it this time!”)

NuclearStudent
joined Dec 13, 2018

Why so many people keep posting theories, made of pure unbased speculation, about Mai being an adult against all evidence? Is it that difficult to read the story as it is?

I suspect that it’s not difficult just reading the story as it is, but some people seem to have difficulty coming to terms with liking it exactly as it is.

(My own theory is that the author is just, “I like size-gap, i like age-gap—I’m really going for it this time!”)

I guess so, yeah.

This series really plays off the taboo nature of a lolicon relationship, despite the physical appearance and attitude of the child being nothing at all like a loli. It all works somehow I guess, but I always feel confused after reading. Like my brain simply doesn't think it's a child, you know.

last edited at Jul 14, 2022 12:07AM

Takasaki Reika
Untitled315
joined Mar 30, 2021

damn smooth

Dumshork
joined Mar 19, 2022

Why so many people keep posting theories, made of pure unbased speculation, about Mai being an adult against all evidence? Is it that difficult to read the story as it is?

I'm not actually suggesting she's really an adult, but the looks she gives are frightening given the context. The height and the body I can rationalize away, but children don't give looks like that. My personal theory about that particular part is that she's not actually doing it at all. What we're seeing is Tae's misinterpretation or distorted perception based on their height gap and the lighting.

AutumnWaterXIII
joined May 29, 2022

H-hand holding???? How lood O////O

F4x-3lwx0aa0tcu31
joined Apr 20, 2013

DumShork posted:

Why so many people keep posting theories, made of pure unbased speculation, about Mai being an adult against all evidence? Is it that difficult to read the story as it is?

I'm not actually suggesting she's really an adult, but the looks she gives are frightening given the context. The height and the body I can rationalize away, but children don't give looks like that. My personal theory about that particular part is that she's not actually doing it at all. What we're seeing is Tae's misinterpretation or distorted perception based on their height gap and the lighting.

But her friend reacts to such behavior as well...Well, she goes "Oh my" from time to time

Img_0215
joined Jul 29, 2017

Why so many people keep posting theories, made of pure unbased speculation, about Mai being an adult against all evidence? Is it that difficult to read the story as it is?

I'm not actually suggesting she's really an adult, but the looks she gives are frightening given the context. The height and the body I can rationalize away, but children don't give looks like that.

Isn’t that the joke? There’s absolutely no reason whatsoever to think that Mai isn’t doing and saying exactly what she’s depicted as doing and saying except for the cringey audience sitting there sputtering, “but-but-but—she’s ten [now 11] years old!”

If the author had wanted a garden-variety age gap, Mai could have been 14 or 15 or 16. She’s not—she’s ten [now 11].

Author-san says, “Deal with it.”

last edited at Jul 15, 2022 6:44AM

Img_0215
joined Jul 29, 2017

There’s absolutely no reason whatsoever to think that Mai isn’t doing and saying exactly what she’s depicted as doing and saying except for the cringey audience sitting there sputtering...

I don't appreciate being called cringey for sharing my personal viewpoint AS my personal viewpoint, which I still see as valid and possible. This isn't conducive to constructive conversation, and can quickly devolve into personal attacks, which I've seen in another recent thread. I didn't think I'd have to start making mental notes on who to simply ignore on this site, but that seems to be the case.

There have been lots of other readers besides you who have posited some way out of the dilemma the author has posed for the audience.

If in fact you aren’t cringing at the idea of the unusual (to say the least) age-gap in this story, how would you describe the response that leads you to create a headcanon theory to explain away the literal level of this text?

EDIT: I realize on re-reading this that you have mistaken the meaning of my previous sentence, and that’s undoubtedly my fault. I most likely should have used the term “cringing audience,” i.e., readers who are cringing at the idea of an age-gap romance with a person Mai’s age. I did not mean “members of the audience who make me cringe with their responses.”

last edited at Jul 15, 2022 1:55PM

joined Mar 8, 2019

We enjoy reading differently. Some people are content to just read the story as it is. Some like to theorize, to make predictions, to further exercise their imagination. Sure it's wishful thinking but if the reader can accept that their hypothesis/desired outcome is simply not in the cards then it's harmless.

We come here to share our thoughts and feelings. People will disagree. Perhaps provide context as to why to open discussion and not attack their intelligence/preference/etc. simply because we don't share similar POV?

last edited at Jul 15, 2022 2:08PM

Img_0215
joined Jul 29, 2017

We enjoy reading differently. Some people are content to just read the story as it is. Some like to theorize, to make predictions, to further exercise their imagination. Sure it's wishful thinking but if the reader can accept that their hypothesis/desired outcome is simply not in the cards then it's harmless.

We come here to share our thoughts and feelings. People will disagree. Perhaps provide context as to why to open discussion and not attack their intelligence/preference/etc. simply because we don't share similar POV?

If you're talking to me, I believe that I did not attack anyone's intelligence. As to the idea that, for example, Mai is really an adult, that is indeed an example of "wishful thinking, a hypothesis, an exercise of the imagination." It may (theoretically speaking) even turn out to be true.

But as far as the text goes, at this point there's absolutely no evidence that any such thing is remotely the case--it's a story that someone has made up in their head because the story as it actually is (so far) makes them uncomfortable. Readers are certainly free to do that. It still has nothing to do with the text the author has given us.

Dumshork
joined Mar 19, 2022

Thank you for the clarification, and I'd like to re-iterate that I do not think she's an adult. The way she talks and acts the vast majority of the time is that of a child. I also don't have a problem with age gaps in fictional stories, regardless of the legality were those involved to be real people. I just find it rather jarring that this eleven-year-old is giving what another person in these comments referred to as "schlafzimmerblick." I couldn't agree with this description more, and my imagination immediately went to why she could be doing this. Could it be a "deal with it" situation the author has created simply for the fun of it? Sure. It wouldn't be satisfying to me as an explanation, but you can't argue with word of god. Lacking that word, I thought to myself, "what is a rational explanation for this?" - and came up with my theory. Is it likely that it's wrong? Absolutely. It's just a guess on my part.

Serenata suggested that other characters have reacted to her expressions before, but I went back through and couldn't find an instance where it was clear that was what they were reacting to in particular. If anyone has a link to a page in the story where this is cleared up, please feel free to share it.

joined Mar 8, 2019

If you're talking to me, I believe that I did not attack anyone's intelligence. As to the idea that, for example, Mai is really an adult, that is indeed an example of "wishful thinking, a hypothesis, an exercise of the imagination." It may (theoretically speaking) even turn out to be true.

It wasn't directed toward you. It's a general broadcast based off the arguments I've come across, hence the etc. Though I will admit I try to avoid interacting with you. I'm not here often enough but when I do come across your comments, what you write comes off as condescending when you disagree. Perhaps that speaks more about myself and my issues than you.

But as far as the text goes, at this point there's absolutely no evidence that any such thing is remotely the case--it's a story that someone has made up in their head because the story as it actually is (so far) makes them uncomfortable. Readers are certainly free to do that. It still has nothing to do with the text the author has given us.

Why do you assume they're uncomfortable with the given context? Not attacking. Just curious because I only read one comment and they even tagged it as baseless. They could simply just be fabricating for fun.

Img_0215
joined Jul 29, 2017

Why do you assume they're uncomfortable with the given context? Not attacking. Just curious because I only read one comment and they even tagged it as baseless. They could simply just be fabricating for fun.

You’re right—that was an assumption on my part, and the poster did clarify what they were responding to.

This story is quite challenging on several levels: ethically, sure, but also on the level of plausibility and consistency of characterization.

The main issue, what critics call an “interpretive crux,” is what exactly are we to make of Mai?

The basic story tropes here are not unfamiliar (age-gap, reverse size-gap, the younger character (apparently) coming on to the older one, etc.). But the extreme nature of the specifics (Mai’s age, her physical development, her seductive affect) are rarely seen outside of hentai. This kind of age-gap and “wholesome” just doesn’t compute (or rarely does—I imagine there must be some parallels in the wide universe of manga). So this story inherently does pose a lot of (at this point) unanswered questions.

But I think there’s an important distinction to be made between what the text (as authored) is doing and what people make up in their heads. A valid interpretive hypothesis needs to be based, however tentatively, in the specifics of the text.

In the case of predictions about uncompleted serial stories, there’s also the weaker “evidence” of typical genre tropes and conventions that might apply—stories often use these to signal where they’re going without being completely overt about it. This story doesn’t really allow readers to put much weight on such things, though, because of its unusual premises.

As I said, readers are free to fabulate on a story any way they like. But unless a theory is grounded in something in the text, it is, at best, not very helpful in positing answers to the story’s questions.

joined Jul 21, 2020

Why do you assume they're uncomfortable with the given context? Not attacking. Just curious because I only read one comment and they even tagged it as baseless. They could simply just be fabricating for fun.

Let me give you an analogy. You know YuruYuri? It's an immensely popular series with zillions of followers. The girls in that manga are in 1st or 2d year middle school, they are barely older than Mai. Well, get a load of this: nobody, and I mean nobody, has ever ever speculated that they are actually a bunch of 25-year-olds masquerading as seventh and eighth graders. The canon says that they are kids in middle school, so everyone thinks that's exactly what they are. Claiming otherwise wouldn't seem fun, just weird.

But then why when it comes to BCO, even tho the canon is as strong as in YuruYuri, so many readers express such a strong reject of textual fact—coming up with explanations for what doesn't need to be explained and positing that Mai has to be an adult woman, even tho this idea creates a shitload of massive complications and is way more implausible, far-fetched and problematic than the simple canon?

The most seeming answer is: because they are uncomfortable with the given context. As for why they feel this way, well, I think I can guess... but that would be a speculation of mine so I won't say it.

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