54 pages in the forum...

I know this is just me being negative but I'm kinda scared of how good and popular the reaction was with this manga, with just a few chapters with few pages and we're almost 10 pages in the forum.

It was bad when it was 10 pages, now we're at 54.
ngl I feel you, it's kind of irksome that so many amazing series only get a limited number of reactions while this with a few 4-page chapters of silliness boils such fervor. In ex. Lilies, Voice, Wear Wind at four whole volumes doesn't have even half the number.

It's partly about expectations. A really serious, slow burning series won't garner immediate reactions the way this one will, but it might have a long tail of people getting into it and becoming passionate about it.

In this manga's favor, the art is really, really good. The characters are really well defined for how many pages and chapters this has gone on. Mitsuki and Aya feel like they exist in this world beyond say the tropes of extrovert/introvert or gyaru/plain, and the art helps with making their expressiveness be part of their characterization. Plus, although we've been in a bit of a holding pattern as far as their relationship, things like chapter 5 and the way Aya asks for her number really has that Reiwa energy, and everyone gets hyped about "progress".

Also, and I do think this contributes more than might be expected, they're not particularly moe. "Cute" type girls are overrepresented in manga, and while gyaru are having a resurgence at the moment, alt-style girls are pretty rare. I can think of one other manga that has an alt-style girl lead. Variety in character can feel really refreshing after reading the same type of thing over and over again. "Cool" girls are pretty common, especially in yuri, but most of the cool girls are identifiable by short hair and being good at sports, and most of them still look generic. Mitsuki's style is pretty rare in manga.

Personally I think it's mostly that this series is incredibly short and easy to consume, it's very simple and straight forward. People tend to enjoy very quick to consume content, it's why Vine was popular and TikTok is now so popular. Along with media clips getting a ton of attention and so fourth. People like short and easy to consume content, and then to go about their day. I also think it's that this series is more on the Western side than a lot of manga, and it heavily leans into Western music, so there's an easy amount of relatability for a Western audience.

I think short content being easy to consume can be a factor, but I'm not sure how much it matters for manga. Regularity and having an initial hook seem much more important for something to blow up rather than length. Some things just hit a nerve. The Western side of it definitely is a factor, although I don't think the music necessarily is. I don't think a lot of teenagers even in the West are going gaga for Aerosmith or Black Sabbath. But the idea of having different personas at school and at home, of different personas among friends and a crush, of getting along with people but not necessarily having the same interests, those are universal concepts.

54 pages in the forum...

I know this is just me being negative but I'm kinda scared of how good and popular the reaction was with this manga, with just a few chapters with few pages and we're almost 10 pages in the forum.

It was bad when it was 10 pages, now we're at 54.
ngl I feel you, it's kind of irksome that so many amazing series only get a limited number of reactions while this with a few 4-page chapters of silliness boils such fervor. In ex. Lilies, Voice, Wear Wind at four whole volumes doesn't have even half the number.

It's partly about expectations. A really serious, slow burning series won't garner immediate reactions the way this one will, but it might have a long tail of people getting into it and becoming passionate about it.

In this manga's favor, the art is really, really good. The characters are really well defined for how many pages and chapters this has gone on. Mitsuki and Aya feel like they exist in this world beyond say the tropes of extrovert/introvert or gyaru/plain, and the art helps with making their expressiveness be part of their characterization. Plus, although we've been in a bit of a holding pattern as far as their relationship, things like chapter 5 and the way Aya asks for her number really has that Reiwa energy, and everyone gets hyped about "progress".

Also, and I do think this contributes more than might be expected, they're not particularly moe. "Cute" type girls are overrepresented in manga, and while gyaru are having a resurgence at the moment, alt-style girls are pretty rare. I can think of one other manga that has an alt-style girl lead. Variety in character can feel really refreshing after reading the same type of thing over and over again. "Cool" girls are pretty common, especially in yuri, but most of the cool girls are identifiable by short hair and being good at sports, and most of them still look generic. Mitsuki's style is pretty rare in manga.

Personally I think it's mostly that this series is incredibly short and easy to consume, it's very simple and straight forward. People tend to enjoy very quick to consume content, it's why Vine was popular and TikTok is now so popular. Along with media clips getting a ton of attention and so fourth. People like short and easy to consume content, and then to go about their day. I also think it's that this series is more on the Western side than a lot of manga, and it heavily leans into Western music, so there's an easy amount of relatability for a Western audience.

I think short content being easy to consume can be a factor, but I'm not sure how much it matters for manga. Regularity and having an initial hook seem much more important for something to blow up rather than length. Some things just hit a nerve. The Western side of it definitely is a factor, although I don't think the music necessarily is. I don't think a lot of teenagers even in the West are going gaga for Aerosmith or Black Sabbath. But the idea of having different personas at school and at home, of different personas among friends and a crush, of getting along with people but not necessarily having the same interests, those are universal concepts.

I think here the shortness is nice for people, because about once a week the series gets a new chapter that takes about 60-90 seconds to consume maybe, and then they either can move on, or jump right into the weekly discussion here. I also mention the music factor because at least for the audience on this forum it seems to be a huge point of discussion, and people talking about their love for the music in this series, and their fond memories growing up with it.

last edited at Aug 7, 2022 5:41PM

I don't think the music necessarily is. I don't think a lot of teenagers even in the West are going gaga for Aerosmith or Black Sabbath.

I also mention the music factor because at least for the audience on this forum it seems to be a huge point of discussion, and people talking about their love for the music in this series, and their fond memories growing up with it.

.......And it's at this point that we realize that the vast majority of the people writing comments about this comic are actually middle-aged guys with a nostalgia for old rock music and dad bands. o3o

54 pages in the forum...

I know this is just me being negative but I'm kinda scared of how good and popular the reaction was with this manga, with just a few chapters with few pages and we're almost 10 pages in the forum.

It was bad when it was 10 pages, now we're at 54.
ngl I feel you, it's kind of irksome that so many amazing series only get a limited number of reactions while this with a few 4-page chapters of silliness boils such fervor. In ex. Lilies, Voice, Wear Wind at four whole volumes doesn't have even half the number.

Ah yeah people enjioing Little cute manga about crush and music that made them Happy during the wrost timeline ever, they don t have taste! WHY THEY DON'T WANT TO READ THIS SUPER DRAMATIC SAD AND SLOW MANGA THAT MAKE EVEN MORE SAD AFTER READING IT
Let's people enjioing things that are not "sofisticated"

last edited at Aug 7, 2022 6:02PM

in the festival, welcome to the festival
Aya's heart goes....do-ki-do-ki-do-ki-do-ki-doki! doki!
mwah, ah, we want to see her squeee

54 pages in the forum...

I know this is just me being negative but I'm kinda scared of how good and popular the reaction was with this manga, with just a few chapters with few pages and we're almost 10 pages in the forum.

It was bad when it was 10 pages, now we're at 54.
ngl I feel you, it's kind of irksome that so many amazing series only get a limited number of reactions while this with a few 4-page chapters of silliness boils such fervor. In ex. Lilies, Voice, Wear Wind at four whole volumes doesn't have even half the number.

Ah yeah people enjioing Little cute manga about crush and music that made them Happy during the wrost timeline ever, they don t have taste! WHY THEY DON'T WANT TO READ THIS SUPER DRAMATIC SAD AND SLOW MANGA THAT MAKE EVEN MORE SAD AFTER READING IT
Let's people enjioing things that are not "sofisticated"

Also, the "age gap" tag keeps me away from that one (lillies, voice, wear wind).

last edited at Aug 7, 2022 6:04PM

Honestly girl at this point you've accumulated so many smooth points that you don't even need to worry if she's into women. She's just into you by now. Sexuality's irrelevant. You won.

Mitsukisexual

sounds like a better band name than Psychosexual. and yes, that was a real band name.

goddamn that was smooth as hell

mc is a smooth criminal and she doesn’t even notice

Mistuki's mind says no, but her body says yes

I don't think the music necessarily is. I don't think a lot of teenagers even in the West are going gaga for Aerosmith or Black Sabbath.

I also mention the music factor because at least for the audience on this forum it seems to be a huge point of discussion, and people talking about their love for the music in this series, and their fond memories growing up with it.

.......And it's at this point that we realize that the vast majority of the people writing comments about this comic are actually middle-aged guys with a nostalgia for old rock music and dad bands. o3o

I'm not exactly middle age, but I really really hate their playlist. This is because the music is mostly main stream and very commercial. To me, the music list is 100% bad taste. They are trash. Sure the artist can dig out something that is more obscure but representing the sub culture the main character is in? Guns and Roses? Yuck. (LA Guns is much more tolerable before they drop the "LA" and add "Roses" and became commercial and main stream.) Axel Rose is an idiot.

I don't think the music necessarily is. I don't think a lot of teenagers even in the West are going gaga for Aerosmith or Black Sabbath.

I also mention the music factor because at least for the audience on this forum it seems to be a huge point of discussion, and people talking about their love for the music in this series, and their fond memories growing up with it.

.......And it's at this point that we realize that the vast majority of the people writing comments about this comic are actually middle-aged guys with a nostalgia for old rock music and dad bands. o3o

I'm not exactly middle age, but I really really hate their playlist. This is because the music is mostly main stream and very commercial. To me, the music list is 100% bad taste. They are trash. Sure the artist can dig out something that is more obscure but representing the sub culture the main character is in? Guns and Roses? Yuck. (LA Guns is much more tolerable before they drop the "LA" and add "Roses" and became commercial and main stream.) Axel Rose is an idiot

It's funny cause the label Grunge was created as a way to commercialise the music and Nirvana was the commercial face of the terribly named genre.

last edited at Aug 7, 2022 7:08PM

ngl I feel you, it's kind of irksome that so many amazing series only get a limited number of reactions while this with a few 4-page chapters of silliness boils such fervor. In ex. Lilies, Voice, Wear Wind at four whole volumes doesn't have even half the number.

About twenty-five pages of comments then? That's not bad at all.
Ah... and Mm... Are All She Says: 13 pages.
Ohana Holoholo: 10 pages. :(
It's a general rule that serious, psychologically deep stories that need long chapters and many books to completely explore their subject will get less traffic in the forum. There isn't much you can do; just get used to it.

Oh boy, the exquisiteness of the musical taste on display in these comments is absolutely breathtaking.

If the mangaka had just filled in the blanks for the band names with much more obscure names, how much better this series would be!

ngl I feel you, it's kind of irksome that so many amazing series only get a limited number of reactions while this with a few 4-page chapters of silliness boils such fervor. In ex. Lilies, Voice, Wear Wind at four whole volumes doesn't have even half the number.

About twenty-five pages of comments then? That's not bad at all.
Ah... and Mm... Are All She Says: 13 pages.
Ohana Holoholo: 10 pages. :(
It's a general rule that serious, psychologically deep stories that need long chapters and many books to completely explore their subject will get less traffic in the forum. There isn't much you can do; just get used to it.

Yeah I think that's another factor with media in general, something that's easy to consume and is fluffy like this series is often going to be popular with a wider audience in general. People I think understandably often want something that's comfy, especially after a rough morning or a long difficult day, Which this series thus far is fun and very chill.

I mean, I like all these songs, but it's just surreal to read a story where they're acting like this music unique, edgy, and mature, when here it's the most overplayed shit I've been hearing in stores, in movies, and on the radio my whole life.

Japan has never felt so foreign.

when i was in school, i was also one of very few girls in our city who liked rock, metal, punk, etc. the other girls mainly listened britney spears and other pop stuff. they might have heard one or another rock song, but not many girls dared to say out loud that they really liked this kind of music. even "p!nk" was too much rock for most girls...
today a little bit more girls listen to rock, but if you watch concert videos of rock concerts, the audience is still mostly male.

Where I live I don't even think it's necessarily a question of whether you "like" this type of music, it's just so culturally pervasive that everyone is familiar with it regardless of if they'd ever actually choose to listen to it. Boy or girl, when I was in school I think everyone was familiar with these songs. Something like Blur Song 2 has been in so many games, commercials, and movies that even if you've never heard the name Blur, you still know this song.

Though now that I think about it, I had a girlfriend in high school who'd never heard of Nirvana... So maybe it's just that the people I usually hung out with were the type who were more into alt rock.

Tbh i think the bands referenced encapsulate what someone would consider "different" in a country that has a large music industry comprised largely of Jpop/Idol pop.

Tbh i think the bands referenced encapsulate what someone would consider "different" in a country that has a large music industry comprised largely of Jpop/Idol pop.

Well and then you have big bands in Japan like "Dir En Grey" as well, and they arguably make the bands in this manga look pretty tame haha

Tbh i think the bands referenced encapsulate what someone would consider "different" in a country that has a large music industry comprised largely of Jpop/Idol pop.

Well and then you have big bands in Japan like "Dir En Grey" as well, and they arguably make the bands in this manga look pretty tame haha

Japan has quite a good metal scene but i think you can divide that between mainstream metal and more underground metal as well with people tending to gravitate towards the more mainstream stuff.

All genres tend to have mainstream equivilants.

You still have to enjoy what you listen too. They're interested in bands that people in their classes would most likely not listen too. It's all relative.

last edited at Aug 7, 2022 8:55PM

Tbh i think the bands referenced encapsulate what someone would consider "different" in a country that has a large music industry comprised largely of Jpop/Idol pop.

Well and then you have big bands in Japan like "Dir En Grey" as well, and they arguably make the bands in this manga look pretty tame haha

Japan has quite a good metal scene but i think you can divide that between mainstream metal and more underground metal as well with people tending to gravitate towards the more mainstream stuff.

All genres tend to have mainstream equivilants.

You still have to enjoy what you listen too. They're interested in bands that people in their classes would most likely not listen too. It's all relative.

True enough yeah. I was mostly saying that while Japan does have it's whole Jpop/Idol scene there's also plenty of big bands that are more in the metal and rock genres there as well. You also get popular combos like "Baby Metal", who Western musicians such as Rob Zombie have love for haha

(I'm not a Rob Zombie fan, but seeing him defend Baby Metal from his fans being hateful towards them was cool to see.)

I like this!

.......And it's at this point that we realize that the vast majority of the people writing comments about this comic are actually middle-aged guys with a nostalgia for old rock music and dad bands. o3o

Tbh i think the bands referenced encapsulate what someone would consider "different" in a country that has a large music industry comprised largely of Jpop/Idol pop.

Well and then you have big bands in Japan like "Dir En Grey" as well, and they arguably make the bands in this manga look pretty tame haha

Japan has quite a good metal scene but i think you can divide that between mainstream metal and more underground metal as well with people tending to gravitate towards the more mainstream stuff.

All genres tend to have mainstream equivilants.

You still have to enjoy what you listen too. They're interested in bands that people in their classes would most likely not listen too. It's all relative.

True enough yeah. I was mostly saying that while Japan does have it's whole Jpop/Idol scene there's also plenty of big bands that are more in the metal and rock genres there as well. You also get popular combos like "Baby Metal", who Western musicians such as Rob Zombie have love for haha

(I'm not a Rob Zombie fan, but seeing him defend Baby Metal from his fans being hateful towards them was cool to see.)

Yeah definitely, i can imagine quite a few people at their school listening to bands like Babymetal as it's manufactured to attract people who like more pop elements in their music.

Yeah definitely, i can imagine quite a few people at their school listening to bands like Babymetal as it's manufactured to attract people who like more pop elements in their music.

Yeah, though funnily I have a friend that's on the opposite end who isn't into pop stuff, but he's a huge Babymetal fan haha

54 pages in the forum...

I know this is just me being negative but I'm kinda scared of how good and popular the reaction was with this manga, with just a few chapters with few pages and we're almost 10 pages in the forum.

It was bad when it was 10 pages, now we're at 54.
ngl I feel you, it's kind of irksome that so many amazing series only get a limited number of reactions while this with a few 4-page chapters of silliness boils such fervor. In ex. Lilies, Voice, Wear Wind at four whole volumes doesn't have even half the number.

I think you guys are forgetting the most extremely important fact about this manga: it’s weekly. Never underestimate the sheer power of something being constantly present. The vast majority of manga here are monthly so even the most popular ones, like “hino San no baka” are still going to only get that engagement once a month. This manga is here every week (give or take a few weeks off) so it’s always on people’s minds.

last edited at Aug 7, 2022 10:12PM

Yeah definitely, i can imagine quite a few people at their school listening to bands like Babymetal as it's manufactured to attract people who like more pop elements in their music.

Yeah, though funnily I have a friend that's on the opposite end who isn't into pop stuff, but he's a huge Babymetal fan haha

I'm the opposite, i'm not into pop (apart from the 80's) and can't listen to babymetal. I prefer my metal to be very very heavy, if i want pop i'll listen to 80's stuff lol

last edited at Aug 7, 2022 11:26PM