wait was this hinted at before or am i just dense (or just didnt read careful enough) realising they are ace/demi/whatever only now in the last chapter

For Hinako it was shown right in the first chapter actually, with the way she feels repulsed by physical contact with the guy. And there are multiple other instances throughout where she questions the depth of her own feelings towards Asahi bc the thought of being physically intimate makes her uneasy.

Yeah, but that first chapter could also be interpreted as her being gay and her repulsion being a consequence of compulsory heterosexuality. It's ambiguous, until the end I guess.

So the story ends with ... Hinako and Asahi becoming besties

Yay!

Really, I thought Hinako's reluctance to be intimate with that guy in the beginning was because she was gay, not because she dislikes intimacy in general. What a weird resolution to an otherwise OK romantic story.

Well, another one done and dusted, I guess.

Bro lots of people on Dynasty hates aces seems like. Everytime they appear it's always a trainwreck in the comments. Empathy isn't in abundance around here I guess.

I'm ace myself, and I'm not usually the type of person to care about "representation", but I have to admit seeing an actual ace couple is pretty neat since most ace characters tend to also be aro by default, at least from what I've seen.

Same , personally I remember really few ace characters or honestly normally I only care about the story itself hahaha, the ones I did catch were mostly aroace, like the author thinks sexual = affection and that always looked strange to me.
So tho I dont like to label myself; Im aroace if we are talking about now, and could understand the characters emotions about not being a "normal" lover, really liked how it was resolved~

Bro lots of people on Dynasty hates aces seems like. Everytime they appear it's always a trainwreck in the comments. Empathy isn't in abundance around here I guess.

More like hate imo, I think it can give a "no resolution" feeling? Im aroace so I dont see it that way, but people I know when they see stories like these, they tend to expect for a "romatic story with a sweet kiss closing the relationship" (me too just in case, I really like stories like that but I understand this ending too and I like it); since (in a really cruel way to say it) for them it was like if there is not kiss is just all a "game".

Again that is how I interprete that reactions, so not to think bad~

Bro lots of people on Dynasty hates aces seems like. Everytime they appear it's always a trainwreck in the comments. Empathy isn't in abundance around here I guess.

More like hate imo, I think it can give a "no resolution" feeling? Im aroace so I dont see it that way, but people I know when they see stories like these, they tend to expect for a "romatic story with a sweet kiss closing the relationship" (me too just in case, I really like stories like that but I understand this ending too and I like it); since (in a really cruel way to say it) for them it was like if there is not kiss is just all a "game".

Again that is how I interprete that reactions, so not to think bad~
No I think everyone’s just hornee. I’m the least ace person but I really like seeing this kinda relationship play out it’s refreshing and sweet for a yuri story.

Bro lots of people on Dynasty hates aces seems like. Everytime they appear it's always a trainwreck in the comments. Empathy isn't in abundance around here I guess.

More like hate imo, I think it can give a "no resolution" feeling? Im aroace so I dont see it that way, but people I know when they see stories like these, they tend to expect for a "romatic story with a sweet kiss closing the relationship" (me too just in case, I really like stories like that but I understand this ending too and I like it); since (in a really cruel way to say it) for them it was like if there is not kiss is just all a "game".

No I think everyone’s just hornee. I’m the least ace person but I really like seeing this kinda relationship play out it’s refreshing and sweet for a yuri story.

Predictably shit ending unfortunately, oh well, at least it ain't the 2000s/early 2010s anymore - we have plenty of choice nowadays so it's hard to be too cut up about this.

Adding on to some of the discussion here, the few asexual people I've casually known absolutely still kiss and show each other romantic affection, I think even they'd call the ending in the manga as "super best friends" and not lovers. "asexual" != "aromantic".

last edited at Dec 8, 2022 9:46AM

So the story ends with ... Hinako and Asahi becoming besties

Yay!

Really, I thought Hinako's reluctance to be intimate with that guy in the beginning was because she was gay, not because she dislikes intimacy in general. What a weird resolution to an otherwise OK romantic story.

Well, another one done and dusted, I guess.

they are a couple now, how the hell did you interpret it otherwise??

Bro lots of people on Dynasty hates aces seems like. Everytime they appear it's always a trainwreck in the comments. Empathy isn't in abundance around here I guess.

I think responses would be much different if the story didn't take such a subtle route with it, which isn't to say I find that a bad thing. I'm going to enjoy re-reading this now knowing the resolution seems to be an ace couple, but upon first read rather than having no empathy perhaps it's that people like me empathized according to our own experiences first and foremost. Which is natural, but leads to anticipating something that didn't come. Ideally I would love to see 1 to 3 chapters more going into their new dynamic, as the abrupt end really does this relationship development no favors, specifically for readers to empathize better with something they may find unfamiliar. Sorry to ramble, I'm just making a case for it not being outright hate against aces.

Personally I'm happy with the ending, aside from it feeling too quick. I'm always a sucker for a story of two people bettering each other's lives regardless of the relationship type.

So the story ends with ... Hinako and Asahi becoming besties

The ace/demi erasure is strong with the comments lol. I'm not ace myself, but I would say having romantic feelings for another person hardly makes you platonic besties.

Also, this is kinda the whole point of this series-- both Hinako and Asahi were learning about themselves throughout and they were constantly asking themselves if the lack of sexual/physical intimacy desires meant they were lacking in the ability of loving someone. The fact that the resolution is that they both were able to come to terms in accepting themselves and wholeheartedly be able to say that they love one another is actually quite sweet. They did hold each other's hands in the last chapter, so it's likely they just have very very little desires in the physical (read: sexual) sense.

Also as an aside, everyone's level of intimacy is different. Not every ending to romance needs the main leads to bang/shag each other for there to be a sense of completion, no matter what the media formula tells us.

[completely off topic, but @Aunt_Rhody, is that dahyun in your pfp by any chance??]

last edited at Dec 8, 2022 9:53AM

It’s been a fairly recent development that authors have been intentionally creating ace (or aroace) characters at all. What was much more common were lead characters reacting against comphet by claiming “they don’t understand love at all,” feeling abnormal, etc., then discovering that they had feelings about a same-sex partner, i.e., discovering their own lesbianism, with kissing/physical intimacy as the standard yuri-genre narrative endgame.

Yuri has been a romance genre, full stop, and authors are still in the process of exploring how to incorporate non-romantic and/or non-sexual emotional connections into a romance genre and discovering how audiences react to such characters.

So, sure, some readers have reacted negatively to the mere presence of ace characters, but it’s much more common that stories with ace characters have confused readers about what kind of stories they are going to turn out to be.

I think Crescent Moon and Doughnuts is kind of a breakthrough in showing an OTP ending up in a deep and mutually satisfying emotional connection without one or both characters having a “lesbian conversion experience.” (I mean, there have been such stories before, but this one seems like it uses the yuri story template for ace characters as if it’s just a standard genre variant.)

It’s been a fairly recent development that authors have been intentionally creating ace (or aroace) characters at all. What was much more common were lead characters reacting against comphet by claiming “they don’t understand love at all,” feeling abnormal, etc., then discovering that they had feelings about a same-sex partner, i.e., discovering their own lesbianism, with kissing/physical intimacy as the standard yuri-genre narrative endgame.

So, sure, some readers have reacted negatively to the mere presence of ace characters, but it’s much more common that stories with ace characters have confused readers about what kind of stories they are going to turn out to be.

You make a great point-- I guess I've gotten used to the trend, and admittedly, I was pretty tired with the comphet plotline now that I've moved on from that phase in my own life. I completely understand how this ending could seem lackluster if you expected the usual formula of confusion, slow realization, anticipatory build up, and some obstacles to propel in to the final grandiose climax of confession and love.

[completely off topic, but @Aunt_Rhody, is that dahyun in your pfp by any chance??]

yep, the one and only queen dubu <3 I saw someone say "just like a doughnut" in another comment and I chuckled

last edited at Dec 8, 2022 10:07AM

ending feels rushed and awkward and includes what seem to be genuine arcs turned into distracting asides. gotta say i shipped little sister and friend but that too was rushed.

overall this was a great series that feels a little axed over the last 3 chapters.

ace lesbians are valid.

It's a good ending. Not all ace people have no sexual desires though since it isn't the same as sexual attraction.

"just like a doughnut" in another comment and I chuckled

So deep, so empty, I need thee

Bro lots of people on Dynasty hates aces seems like. Everytime they appear it's always a trainwreck in the comments. Empathy isn't in abundance around here I guess.

The issue is that this just feels like a complete cop-out after everything that came before. Sure, things have improved somewhat over the years, but it still sucks when a yuri romance smashes into the relationship ceiling that suddenly gets introduced for no good reason whatsoever. It's why I hated the ending of Marimite, yelled at my screen during the last episode of Aquatope, and why I dislike this one.

Well, at least it was over quick.

Abrupt ending. Not even a kiss. Art somehow dropped in quality. What happened to this manga?

She literally says that she doesnt want to kiss anyone. Jesus, some people are good at complaining while having zero reading comprehension

they are a couple now, how the hell did you interpret it otherwise??

No, they're not. The ending is just a weird roundabout way of telling they, yes, they will be best friends forever, but not as an actual couple.

they are a couple now, how the hell did you interpret it otherwise??

No, they're not. The ending is just a weird roundabout way of telling they, yes, they will be best friends forever, but not as an actual couple.

Like I said. No reading comprehension. They can literally confess, say I love you and lets stay together forever and it's still not enough.

Like I said. No reading comprehension. They can literally confess, say I love you and lets stay together forever and it's still not enough.

There's a long history in anime and manga of two female characters telling each other "I love you," after which one or both hook up with a guy anyway. The issue is what happens after they say it, but this story just ends there. To me, that comes across as "so close, yet so far."

I'll also keep it at that. Yes, I'm annoyed, but hey, there's so much more to read out there.

last edited at Dec 8, 2022 10:54AM

Noooooooooooo not end it now

The issue is that this just feels like a complete cop-out after everything that came before. Sure, things have improved somewhat over the years, but it still sucks when a yuri romance smashes into the relationship ceiling that suddenly gets introduced for no good reason whatsoever.

Some literary interpretations are subjective and entail several legitimate ways of seeing a story. The above is not—it is simply false.

Both characters were introduced from the very beginning as being alienated (for different reasons) from what they saw as “normal” relationships. Their attitudes were not a “complete cop-out after everything that came before” nor was there a “relationship ceiling” that suddenly got introduced.

They each opened up emotionally to the other while learning about and respecting the other one’s feelings and personal boundaries, and they have mutually decided to be together, presumably permanently. The expectation that the story would inevitably conclude with a standard lesbian sexual relationship is entirely made up and based on nothing in the text itself.

Can someone make a crop of the "Did we just get our feelings across" panel?
Like, that would solve so many stories in record time!