I feel like this conclusion requires more reading between the lines than I'm comfortable with. The explanations in your comment feel like assumptions based on context that wasn't provided in text.

I'd disagree with this quite a bit. I don't want to get into the weeds of going back through all the moments of the manga but in my view, all of this context and characterization was provided "in-text," this chapter and those before it. I also think that quote is being made to suggest more than it actually does. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

I'm only quoting this part but I completely agree with everything you wrote. After Chapter 44, once the festival was finally over, it was the perfect opportunity to focus on other characters for a while (like Aki's sister and her senpai, perhaps) for a while and put Aki and Shiho's relationship on hold, so that both of them can sort their feelings in a more natural way instead of this rushed development. Something like what happened in Yuri is My Job! with Hime and Yano after Volume 7, for example.

Shiho doesn't deserve to be in this uncomfortable and uncertain situation. It's entirely Aki's fault, and this time she has no excuse.

They are sorting their feelings out in a natural way: by dating. That's natural. I'm sure they'll be among the cast now as they date and we'll follow everyone. They'll never be fully in the background, since they are part of the 4 person main ensemble. Nothing bad has happened and figuring out your feelings for someone as you date is normal. Aki communicated where she's at mentally and both of them can move forward honestly. They're not in a bad place, as of yet, nor are they "together" yet. So it's doing what you want, except it's treating dating as it should be treated: as part of the process.

last edited at Dec 29, 2023 10:09AM

This manga lost me years ago but it somehow came back with what I always wanted with Shiho's arc... Her type of character is my favorite and I love dramatic pining with a positive/hopeful outcome :) I can't wait for the anime now!

last edited at Jan 1, 2024 12:34PM

Shiho doesn't deserve to be in this uncomfortable and uncertain situation. It's entirely Aki's fault, and this time she has no excuse.

what the actual fuck lol, how is this aki´s fault in any shape or form, can you really blame aki for being extremely wary and walking on egg shells around shiho. From her perspective shiho suddenly left without any reason and cut all ties with her, only to start antagonizing her and the SS girls the moment they meet again, then she learned that the reason shiho was being a nuisance to everyone was cuz she loved her and felt rejected (even tho she never actually confessed).

Can you really blame her for thinking that if she didn´t reciprocates shiho´s feelings on the spot she would just regress and cut her of her life again, heck even after the festival ended shiho confidently said to aki that she wouldn´t accept her previous relationship since she wanted more.

If shiho had any growth during this whole arc i´d be more incline to see aki´s decistion as rash but she didn´t, like at all. Shiho started as someone that would throw away the things she supposedly loved the moment things didn´t went her way, i.e. violin and her love for aki, and on the climax of this arc as always she was ready to throw away her first love without even trying. The only reason the story didn´t end with shiho alone again was cuz hima literally drag her so aki could do all the development

Shiho doesn't deserve to be in this uncomfortable and uncertain situation. It's entirely Aki's fault, and this time she has no excuse.

what the actual fuck lol, how is this aki´s fault in any shape or form, can you really blame aki for being extremely wary and walking on egg shells around shiho. From her perspective shiho suddenly left without any reason and cut all ties with her, only to start antagonizing her and the SS girls the moment they meet again, then she learned that the reason shiho was being a nuisance to everyone was cuz she loved her and felt rejected (even tho she never actually confessed).

God f*cking forbid that Shiho, of all people, should be made “uncomfortable.”

The mental contortions that readers put themselves through to identify someone other than Shiho as being “at fault” are truly astounding.

Can you really blame her for thinking that if she didn´t reciprocates shiho´s feelings on the spot she would just regress and cut her of her life again, heck even after the festival ended shiho confidently said to aki that she wouldn´t accept her previous relationship since she wanted more.

If shiho had any growth during this whole arc i´d be more incline to see aki´s decistion as rash but she didn´t, like at all. Shiho started as someone that would throw away the things she supposedly loved the moment things didn´t went her way, i.e. violin and her love for aki, and on the climax of this arc as always she was ready to throw away her first love without even trying. The only reason the story didn´t end with shiho alone again was cuz hima literally drag her so aki could do all the development

Basically, no hope is better than false hope.

Aki unnecessarily prioritized her desire to not lose Shiho as a friend over her (Shiho's) mental well-being.
Aki knows that Shiho likes (in present tense) her. She could have examinated whether her feelings for Shiho are romantic in any way or not without involving her so directly. How long ago did the festival end? A couple of days? Aki already invited her on a date and to start dating formally, but not without clarifying (after the proposal, by the way) that she currently does not have a romantic attraction for her. Do you think this is fine, given the conext of these two characters? Not to mention that Aki knows Shiho better than anyone. She is perfectly aware of her volatile personality, her insecurities and her fragile ego. Aki is a well-intentioned person, of course, but her actions and decisions are immature and inexcusable this time around. Did you see the state Shiho was in the last pages of the chapter? Do you think is fine to ask for a kiss out of desperation?

In summary: Aki herself got into a labyrinth in which she only has two options: Either reciprocate Shiho's feelings, or lose her relationship with her forever.

last edited at Jan 2, 2024 6:19PM

Aki is not manipulating her, the one who forced literally everything up to this point was Shiho, the one who asked for a kiss was Shiho too, she keeps making ultimatums over and over about everything, the music, her love, her friends, everything has to be perfect or completely ruined and wasted.

So Aki is betting on love, she thinks it could work... But people think is better to just lose her forever? (and let's repeat once again, there's no room for a third option because Shiho wants it this way) I don't know, If things could end anyway, I rather go for the route that could potentially make both of them happy, even if it doesn't happen immediately.

last edited at Jan 2, 2024 6:39PM

In summary: Aki herself got into a labyrinth in which she only has two options: Either reciprocate Shiho's feelings, or lose her relationship with her forever.

bruh, shiho brought that to herself through her own actions, she gave the ultimatum to aki at the festival. Aki took the blame for everything shiho did and apologized even tho she literally did nothign wrong, now after shiho pretty much forced a confession out of her, she acts insulted? even tho this is literally what she asked for?. What the actual fuck dude? what is aki supossed to do, how much more does she has to bend over backwards to satisfy shiho

last edited at Jan 2, 2024 11:47PM

bruh, shiho brought that to herself through her own actions, she gave the ultimatum to aki at the festival. Aki took the blame for everything shiho did and apologized even tho she literally did nothign wrong, now after shiho pretty much forced a confession out of her, she acts insulted? even tho this is literally what she asked for?. What the actual fuck dude? what is aki supossed to do, how much more does she has to bend over backwards to satisfy shiho

Let's focus on the events after the festival. Aki was the first to initiate contact, and no less than to invite her to a meeting where she asked her if she would like them to start dating.
I understand that Aki has doubts about what kind of feelings she has for Shiho. That's perfectly normal. What I'm saying is that she should have tried to search for answers little by little and without giving Shiho hope from the beginning like she clumsily did. Last time I checked, they go to the same school. It's not like they live in separate towns or something like that.

I know you hate Shiho, but put yourself in her shoes for a second and imagine what she must be feeling right now, "dating" someone she loves deeply and who may or may not reciprocate her love at some point. That's not healthy. And it's Aki's fault.

I know you hate Shiho, but put yourself in her shoes for a second and imagine what she must be feeling right now, "dating" someone she loves deeply and who may or may not reciprocate her love at some point. That's not healthy. And it's Aki's fault.

Keep saying that over and over—that’ll definitely make it so.

Even though they weren't married yet, I already knew that Aki would be the one to lose in future arguments with Shiho

now after shiho pretty much forced a confession out of her, she acts insulted?

Aki definitely doesn't deserve any blame for anything but Shiho also does not force any confession out of her. We're starting to strip Aki of her agency. She thinks about what she wants, comes to certain realizations and makes a decision, all on her own.

Wanting to distance oneself from an unrequited love is not an unreasonable or rare desire, nor is it manipulative. Neither the story or Aki treats Shiho's past (or future) desire for distance as wrong and they shouldn't. Instead, the story treats her headspace and methods, the way in which she goes about separating herself from Aki, as the negatives that needed improvement and caused lasting issues. Those have both mostly been dealt with from a character standpoint. She's learned the wrongs of her methods and she's not in the same headspace as before.

Current Shiho does not pressure Aki into anything. She simply confesses and expresses her desire to be with Aki. She communicates where she is at mentally and waits for an answer. That's perfectly fine. After that the ball is in Aki's court and she decides what she wants: she wants a date and afterwards, she wants to try dating Shiho. She's making her own decisions based on her own thoughts, on her own timeline and they're both communicating. That's perfectly healthy.

last edited at Jan 4, 2024 4:16PM

That's perfectly fine. After that the ball is in Aki's court and she decides what she wants: she wants a date and afterwards, she wants to try dating Shiho. She's making her own decisions based on her own thoughts, on her own timeline and they're both communicating. That's perfectly healthy.

Don't you really think Aki could have handled the situation a little better? I thought we agreed that she carried out things too quickly, given the context. I don't know, I just believed Aki was emotionally mature enough to do better than this.

That's perfectly fine. After that the ball is in Aki's court and she decides what she wants: she wants a date and afterwards, she wants to try dating Shiho. She's making her own decisions based on her own thoughts, on her own timeline and they're both communicating. That's perfectly healthy.

Don't you really think Aki could have handled the situation a little better? I thought we agreed that she carried out things too quickly, given the context. I don't know, I just believed Aki was emotionally mature enough to do better than this.

No, I don't think she acted too quickly and I'm not sure how we're measuring speed either. She spent a few days thinking about it, as she said. Then, she had a successful mock date and afterwards finalized her decision. She then talked through her thought process with Shiho. Shiho was willingly involved in this and was allowed to respond with her own honest feelings.

Then, with everything laid out, they both agreed to date. People date others for less and falling for your partner as you date is the standard. So, I have no issue with either of them currently. They're both communicating, which they did not do well in the past and from there, they are making educated decisions. That's solid and better than many real relationships. What about that process is not emotionally mature? What else should they be doing?

last edited at Jan 5, 2024 2:47AM

I know you hate Shiho, but put yourself in her shoes for a second and imagine what she must be feeling right now, "dating" someone she loves deeply and who may or may not reciprocate her love at some point. That's not healthy. And it's Aki's fault.

Keep saying that over and over—that’ll definitely make it so.

Lol I don't know where that came from either, I just find baffling how despite the text itself making it very clear that Aki is dating shiho out of fear of retaliation from her, some people will just find a way to make shiho the victim despite her making her bed and now not wanting to lay on it.

For me, Shiho had had to go through so many things, of course she's broken now, and don't really know how to act. Moreover, you need to remember that they are like 18
People at 50 for exemple do relashionships mistakes, and that is normal.

And I also think she should be afraid of getting her heart broken again.

Some new cast member for the anime have been revealed:

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-02-02/whisper-me-a-love-song-yuri-anime-reveals-more-cast/.207134

Do you think we should make Shiho and Aki the main characters? Last year I sent a request to MAL to turn Kanoko and Sumika of Yuri Is My Job into the main characters (it was accepted). So I'm thinking of sending a request to turn Shiho and Aki into main characters, but it seems more difficult than that series. Because Shiho appeared quite late, and Aki only had an important role from chapter 30 onwards.

You answer your own question

Do you think we should make Shiho and Aki the main characters? Last year I sent a request to MAL to turn Kanoko and Sumika of Yuri Is My Job into the main characters (it was accepted). So I'm thinking of sending a request to turn Shiho and Aki into main characters, but it seems more difficult than that series. Because Shiho appeared quite late, and Aki only had an important role from chapter 30 onwards.

I suppose it depends on where the story is going from here. If the two still keep staying in focus for a longer time, it should be OK. Otherwise mighty be difficult indeed.

Two words: ensemble cast. They all have relevance to the plot. They're all main characters, and the pov moving or focus shifting between them doesn't make them less so~

Feels like it's been quite a while since the last chapter, I wonder if the author is really busy with the anime adaptation, I don't know where people check the yurihime magazine.

I'm very curious because we reached a point where pretty much everyone reached their goal so is like "okay, now what?"

Two words: ensemble cast. They all have relevance to the plot. They're all main characters, and the pov moving or focus shifting between them doesn't make them less so~

Right. All 4 of them are main characters. It's a story about 2 pairs of couples. All 4 of them have been involved in every plot, in one way or another, since then beginning (and even before then).

last edited at Mar 5, 2024 5:23AM

Feels like it's been quite a while since the last chapter, I wonder if the author is really busy with the anime adaptation, I don't know where people check the yurihime magazine.

I'm very curious because we reached a point where pretty much everyone reached their goal so is like "okay, now what?"

The new volume came out this week, hopefully we get the translated version soon.

The new volume came out this week, hopefully we get the translated version soon.

We have that AND a special edition booklet AND this month's chapter in the works.