I didn't like the slap when it happened, especially as this artist's work is usually so unchallenging and comfortable which is appealing for its own reasons. The slap really didn't match the rest of the tone of the series, imo, and a similar dynamic could have been explored without the violent reaction.
Yeah. This has sort of been an unfortunate trend in Japanese manga (and Eastern media in general) for a long time. They tend to use DV and non-consentual (or dubiously consensual) interactions as plot or character development more than us Western audiences would like.
It's up to the person who was hurt to decide whether a behaviour crosses a line or not, ultimately, and clearly Kurumi doesn't think this crossed a line enough to worry about or dwell on at this very moment, and I think that's okay. Maybe the special was a subtle way to let us know that Kurumi is at least informed of what DV is, and if Ruriko were to hypothetically become violent again, that Kurumi would know what that means and what to do.
Honestly, showing the DV special on television is already 10x more self-aware than most manga. I personally interpreted it from the perspective that Kurumi thought -her- actions were out of line in the context of DV (hence the follow-up comment about messing up), but I can definitely see the argument that it was meant the other way too.
But I also think it's okay for people to feel that Ruriko crossed a line in a way that, if they were in a relationship with her, would be unforgivable for them personally - especially if they've been victimised previously and this event acts as a red flag for them enough to end a relationship out of self preservation. It's also okay to have conflicted feelings and to not really know where you stand too, and that's kind of where I'm at personally.
Of course, that's everyone's right - Kurumi's too. She would be totally entitled to the perspective that "a drunken kiss between friends escalating into a full-handed slap is a red flag I can't accept because it shows a propensity to act to situations with physical violence."
I personally think that drinking to the level you lose complete control of your senses and begin to act intimately towards someone else without consent warrants physical actions to stop your behavior. A slap is beyond what I think is completely justified as an initial response (I think pushing her away strongly would have been best to start), but I can understand why Ruriko did it.
Edit: And I'm not beyond bias from personal experiences in this area either, since I've had some highly negative interactions with alcoholic individuals in my life. That's likely a part of why I'm willing to be more charitable to Ruriko than some.
I'm interested to see where things will go from here, whether this arc will be explored more or whether that will be the end of it and we move on, or whether it's something that will be revisited at some point. I also really love this artist's way of drawing eyes and mouths, there's something slightly derpy and soft about them that just looks adorable to me.
I think this will probably be the end of it, given that they both reflected on it and both apologized for their parts in it (even if very briefly). It's not an ideal resolution, but it's a heck of a lot better than other Eastern media.
last edited at Aug 26, 2023 2:56AM
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