Going off of the comments for awhile now I feel like 1 of maybe...5 people that are still reading this manga and enjoying it haha

Internet comments are never, ever representative of actual reader enjoyment. People who are displeased with something are way more likely to seek someplace to bitch about it. This disproportionately skews online criticism toward the negative. Never use that as a barometer.

Makes sense yeah, I hope that's true.

So the couple's life story was just a bait and switch for another pining romance story. Sad times.

I think the main couple are the most important characters still, we're just having side characters like Shiho explored and their romances as well. Shiho is an important character for this arc, but these events have led to better communication between the main couple as well and them growing closer. So in my opinion it's fairly well rounded.

Going off of the comments for awhile now I feel like 1 of maybe...5 people that are still reading this manga and enjoying it haha

Internet comments are never, ever representative of actual reader enjoyment. People who are displeased with something are way more likely to seek someplace to bitch about it. This disproportionately skews online criticism toward the negative. Never use that as a barometer.

This manga is the current best-selling series of its magazine, and its sales continue to grow from volume to volume, so I think that speaks for itself.

I think people need to understand that, whether we like it or not (I certainly do), Shiho is the most important character in the story. This Arc, which will culminate with the band competition, most likely represents the climax of the entire series.

So the couple's life story was just a bait and switch for another pining romance story. Sad times.

Well, think about it this way: Shiho leaving the band was what made it possible for the story to unfold the way it did. Thanks to that, Yori performed in her place and this allowed Himari to see her in the first chapter of the story. So yeah, basically everything revolves around Shiho.

My issue with Shiho is that yeah she's come to dominate the story and her big reveal has turned out to be like we all initially thought when she was introduced.
She's become really unlikable to me and I'm tired of this forced conflict.

I do like that we've had some main couple chapters but holy fuck this story was supposed to be about them!

Going off of the comments for awhile now I feel like 1 of maybe...5 people that are still reading this manga and enjoying it haha

Internet comments are never, ever representative of actual reader enjoyment. People who are displeased with something are way more likely to seek someplace to bitch about it. This disproportionately skews online criticism toward the negative. Never use that as a barometer.

This manga is the current best-selling series of its magazine, and its sales continue to grow from volume to volume, so I think that speaks for itself.

I think people need to understand that, whether we like it or not (I certainly do), Shiho is the most important character in the story. This Arc, which will culminate with the band competition, most likely represents the climax of the entire series.

So the couple's life story was just a bait and switch for another pining romance story. Sad times.

Well, think about it this way: Shiho leaving the band was what made it possible for the story to unfold the way it did. Thanks to that, Yori performed in her place and this allowed Himari to see her in the first chapter of the story. So yeah, basically everything revolves around Shiho.

Shiho was the main character all along

Bruh this chapter was hilarious, it treated the big reveal as if people didn't see it coming from a mile away. When hima as all :o I couldn't help myself but laugh while thinking of course that's the reason you dummy
Well it seems like this arc is finally getting to its climax so hopefully things will wrap up nice and quickly and there's some time left to see a bit more of hima and yori and maybe the tall and small girl (I don't remember their names)

There it is, I FUCKING called it like a year ago. Fuck you Shiho, I knew she loved Aki but Aki loved Yor! It changes FUCKING NOTHING. Shiho is still fucking garbage and my disappointment is immeasurable that it was so easy to predict. I swear to god if Shiho and Aki somehow end up together at the end of this frustrating and predictable series, I will be more than disappointed and this series will be cemented as one of the worst ever made. Aside from Liberty

Going off of the comments for awhile now I feel like 1 of maybe...5 people that are still reading this manga and enjoying it haha

Internet comments are never, ever representative of actual reader enjoyment. People who are displeased with something are way more likely to seek someplace to bitch about it. This disproportionately skews online criticism toward the negative. Never use that as a barometer.

In my experience, comments and online reaction is generally accurate and an excellent tell of quality of content. Just as people are excited to talk about how much they hate something, they are equally excited to comment when they particularly enjoy something. Take Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker vs The Mandalorian. TROS had a greater voice online because it was a movie, but the outpour was mostly negative because of the contrived plot, unlikeable protagonist, and the fact that they pulled the villain out of their ass because they killed their main villain in the last movie. The mandalorian had a nearly equal outpour of positive comments and reviews because of its good story, likeable protagonist and overall quality.

It’s the same with this site, take Liberty for example. Everyone hates that series because the love interest is entirely unlikeable despite the author trying to frame her as a sympathetic character. Meanwhile the good series on this site all have hundreds to thousands of positive comments.

EVERYONE IS A FRICKIN LESBIAN AND I LOVE IT

I see why people would be angry with ... well the author at this point because all the build up on Shiho’s leaving (and then throwing in the rival who passed away just recently) was so overshadowed by not so subtle hints of Shiho’s displeasure of Aki and specifically Yori. Makes it sound like the audience was treated as oblivious so it can be offensive.

Idk I know character development and plot have never been my strong suites when it comes to reading or watching something AT LEAST for lesbians. I know this one and Liberty and even True Colors were coming out slower and slower and things seemed to get more frustrating. But idk. I’ll keep reading it. Can’t do anything about complaints ya know

It’s the same with this site, take Liberty for example. Everyone hates that series because the love interest is entirely unlikeable despite the author trying to frame her as a sympathetic character.

I’m agnostic on the “number of comments issue,” but this series and Liberty do have in common that we’re supposed to at least be interested in characters (I don’t think we’re supposed to actually like Shiho) whose present-day negative traits are disproportionate to the past “trauma” that supposedly causes it.

(That’s why Shiho has to get an extra “dead love object” trauma—by itself “I’m evil to the girl who the girl I liked liked instead” is just pretty damned lame.)

Despite the author’s best efforts, I am not interested in Shiho, and her plot has required Hima to come off as less an adorable idiot (the part where she’s in love with Yori) and more of an emotionally clueless busybody idiot.

last edited at Sep 22, 2022 8:13AM

[Hima] to come off as (...) an emotionally clueless busybody idiot.

The very reason why I actually fist-pumped when she grew a pair and realized that wanting to help everyone (a laudable intention, won't be me the one to disagree, in case my name didn't made it clear) is NOT the same as being an extreme doormat. The kind of character growth I love.

[Hima] to come off as (...) an emotionally clueless busybody idiot.

The very reason why I actually fist-pumped when she grew a pair and realized that wanting to help everyone (a laudable intention, won't be me the one to disagree, in case my name didn't made it clear) is NOT the same as being an extreme doormat. The kind of character growth I love.

I think it remains to be seen whether Hima is acting differently because she’s actually learned something (“character growth”), or whether her behavior has simply altered in order to fit the needs of the plot.

Shiho really feels like she wandered from a moody, dramatic manga. It's so weird how hard the tone shifts every time she gets the spotlight.

Shiho really feels like she wandered from a moody, dramatic manga. It's so weird how hard the tone shifts every time she gets the spotlight.

Her character really reminds me of the girl from this parody oneshot
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/the_fourth_heroine

She's stuck in this series and has no way to go back home

What Shiho needs is a Sadist Onee san GF that would put her in her place from time to time ... but then we'll jump to a third nsfw tone shift

I don't know why people are acting like this is some sort of revelation. It was plenty clear Shiho had a thing for a Aki.

WHO?
I mean, literally everyone here knew that. If anything we're like "Oh, so finally its confirmed"...

Internet comments are never, ever representative of actual reader enjoyment. People who are displeased with something are way more likely to seek someplace to bitch about it. This disproportionately skews online criticism toward the negative. Never use that as a barometer.

This. Also, sign me in the "still enjoying the manga" list-

last edited at Sep 22, 2022 9:44PM

Holy sht, didn't see that coming ( sarcasm btw). Glad that Hima stood her ground and defended her girl.

I like reading this manga and I hope for the Aki x Shiho angsty drama that will come.

This just got... extremely confusing. I thought shiho was in love with hima or something.
Tbh I dislike shiho as a character, she's kinda annoying. Or maybe i'm just not a fan of the cutesy bratty characters.

I'm the one feeling jealous instead of yori lmao, having hima spend time with another girl/band seemed great for angst potential but now I just wish she'd stick around her lover or something.

last edited at Sep 28, 2022 11:28AM

This just got... extremely confusing. I thought shiho was in love with hima or something.

Your confusion is understandable, since the characters are constantly blushing at each other, but the author hinted many times that Shiho was in love with Aki, and it was basically confirmed in the latest Extras.

The most annoying thing for me is that the whole drama is 100% in Shiho's head. She never managed to interact with Aki in a romantic manner, and neither Aki did with Yori, yet she already created the whole narrative on her own and now she is "ending it" on her own too.

Aki is just living her life, moving on from her own heartbreak, not being toxic to anyone, and Shiho is in the corner, being all moody, overdramatic, trying to... I don't know... stick it to Aki? Or Yori? Meanwhile, Yori is also completely unaware...

I have to agree with the statement that she wandered in from a different manga. She feels like an overdramatic emo kid surrounded by a bunch of peppy cheerleaders.

I mean yeah sure it sucks that the person you like doesn’t like you back but why does the author have her make it seem like she was cheated on like it was this super dramatic trauma and hates the other person for no particular reason at all. Doesn’t really make me like her character at all and I never liked her character that much either because it was obvious she hated yori because she liked the other girl

last edited at Oct 20, 2022 3:57AM

That's a little dramatic don't you think? She spent so much time and energy trying to hurt someone who befriended her when she was at her lowest.

At this point my biggest worry is that they wont have Shiho apologize or feel bad at the end of her arc. Like if she gets to reconcile with every1 without rectifying or at least adressing how much of an ass shes been to every1, thatll be severly disappointing (but im afraid thats what we might get).

This is consistent with Shiho's flaw of running away from things without seeing them through properly when things start not going her way. She quit the violin when someone better showed up, she left bands when she couldn't connect with the other members, she didn't even try to give Aki the letter anyway. There's no way she can move forward until she stops acting that way.

I'm starting to suspect Shiho may win the battle after all - since this time it will be her turn to sing her love song. If Hima an convince her to, at least.

I mean yeah sure it sucks that the person you like doesn’t like you back but why does the author have her make it seem like she was cheated on like it was this super dramatic trauma and hates the other person for no particular reason at all. Doesn’t really make me like her character at all and I never liked her character that much either because it was obvious she hated yori because she liked the other girl

Eh, I mean, it's easy to sit here and judge, but the timing could not have been worse for Shiho to find out about Aki's feelings for Yori right at the time she was at the absolute highest point with her own, having finally written that love letter after so many tries and happily coming over to see her to hand it over. The despair feels so much deeper the higher the fall. Not saying Shiho has been right to behave the way she has, but it's certainly understandable why she would feel the way she does.

At this point my biggest worry is that they wont have Shiho apologize or feel bad at the end of her arc. Like if she gets to reconcile with every1 without rectifying or at least adressing how much of an ass shes been to every1, thatll be severly disappointing (but im afraid thats what we might get).

There's no way Aki would let her get away with that.

last edited at Oct 20, 2022 5:09AM