Please don't normalize overwork
Wth are you doing, Kodama Naoko??

I read in someone's blog that the cliffhanger in the final page of this chapter is the first in a series of cliffhangers that will end every chapter from now on. One chapter's end will make you anguished, another will make you furious, another will make you pull your hair in exasperation, and so on and so forth.
I was wondering cause I can't remember, is it something Kodama likes to do a lot?

That just sounds like someone making a joke about NTR, the rest of her manga hasn't really had that format. I wouldn't even really call the ending of chapter 2 a cliffhanger. It certainly leaves you wanting more but it's not a melodramatic moment invented and resolved just for the chapter transition like NTR frequently did. Our mooch didn't just fall onto the mc but full on grabbed her, pulled her down onto the couch, and slowly leaned in and kissed her. I wouldn't expect it to be leading to a fast resolution given the very reasonable reluctance and concerns of the MC, but it was way too deliberate of an action and way too deliberately portrayed for it to be taken back at the start of the next chapter.

Please don't normalize overwork
Wth are you doing, Kodama Naoko??

Lol what are you talking about, the overworking is clearly being portrayed here as a bad thing the mc is experiencing??? It's making her miserable to the point of someone complimenting her for it making her cry, and that scene was not tears of happiness at being appreciated since she immediately starts thinking about all the breaks from work her straight peers get that she does not.

last edited at Jan 2, 2024 9:31AM

And this is why I just CAN'T with straight girls! O_O

Wait..let her cook!

hooray for femme topping

The real toxic relationship in Kodama Naoko's works is between the author and the reader

Damn I feel bad for Gotou...but you know so far this is looking to be one of Kodama Naoko's more grounded works and less despicable love interest lol. I thought it was pretty nice that Gotou offered to step up and pull her share of the costs. Hope everything works out for her before too much goes to shit.

That last scene... I hope this isn't going in the direction I'm afraid it's going.

But it's Kodama Naoko, so...

I guess she is selling sex...?

Mmhhh considering her sour face when looking for a job, I'm guessing this is either compensated dating, or just straight up prostitution.
Sucks to suck to be Gouto huh...
Thanks for the chapter!

Does anyone have any analysis? Ch02 p32 suggests that Gotou doesn't know that Rei is gay, then we have the kiss, and next chapter we seem to have Gotou fishing for info on Rei's sexuality. What do we think is up? It seems kinda dissonant for her to be so aggressive during the kiss scene and then act like she's not sure if Rei is into women.

YO is that Kuckzuya from the peak manga Rent-a-PEAK !?!?! :O

Miki is just older Hotaru.
But holly, will this add prostitution tag :0

Respect for the maturity from this manga. Shigisawa not only set boundaries and maintained them, she also has a female friend she's out to (and who seems to be lesbian too) AND that friend gave solid, sympathetic advice. Also, despite the reputation the author seems to have (personally I haven't read anything by her), Gotou doesn't seem to be a super bad or toxic person at all, she's certainly troubled and I can see how that might become an issue down the line, but she's not all that bad. Even if she now goes down a delivery health or whatever route, that doesn't really make her a worse person, if anything, it is just sad.

last edited at Jan 13, 2024 7:09AM

Respect for the maturity from this manga. Shigisawa not only set boundaries and maintained them, she also has a female friend she's out to (and who seems to be lesbian too) AND that friend gave solid, sympathetic advice. Also, despite the reputation the author seems to have (personally I haven't read anything by her), Gotou doesn't seem to be a super bad or toxic person at all, she's certainly troubled and I can see how that might become an issue down the line, but she's not all that bad. Even if she now goes down a delivery health or whatever route, that doesn't really make her a worse person, if anything, it is just sad.

yeah for the reputation that Kodama Naoko has, pretty much all her manga end on a positive note. So while these characters will be going through it. They'll almost certainly find themselves in a better place by the end.

last edited at Jan 13, 2024 8:22AM

I think this will be a misunderstanding and she's just going to job interviews, or that is her husband and they are meeting to discuss their marriage status.

But even if it turns out to be compensated dating, this will probably lead to that honest conversation Shigisawa wants.

Love a boundary setting queen. Lol her getting caught being happy at work thinking about divorce.
I don't think they ending scene implies it's going to be prostitution or even dating, because she's meeting that unknown guy in the middle of the day. It being a job interview is way more likely than anything else

Respect for the maturity from this manga. Shigisawa not only set boundaries and maintained them, she also has a female friend she's out to (and who seems to be lesbian too) AND that friend gave solid, sympathetic advice. Also, despite the reputation the author seems to have (personally I haven't read anything by her), Gotou doesn't seem to be a super bad or toxic person at all, she's certainly troubled and I can see how that might become an issue down the line, but she's not all that bad. Even if she now goes down a delivery health or whatever route, that doesn't really make her a worse person, if anything, it is just sad.

If you haven't read any of her other works, I'd definitely recommend "Days of Love at Seagull Villa". It's in my top ten manga of all time :)

biphobia

biphobia

You mean Rei telling Miki that Gotou is straight despite Gotou trying to have sex with her (while drunk)? Well, it is a little biphobic, but like, really mild in this context.

Does anyone have any analysis? Ch02 p32 suggests that Gotou doesn't know that Rei is gay, then we have the kiss, and next chapter we seem to have Gotou fishing for info on Rei's sexuality. What do we think is up? It seems kinda dissonant for her to be so aggressive during the kiss scene and then act like she's not sure if Rei is into women.

Gotou definitely knows, or at least strongly suspects. Look at how she flirted in chapter 1, and her reaction after Rei got flustered. My guess is that she's trying to get Rei to directly admit she's gay, and -- her personality being what it is -- she's taking this indirect route to do it.

Also, despite the reputation the author seems to have (personally I haven't read anything by her), Gotou doesn't seem to be a super bad or toxic person at all, she's certainly troubled and I can see how that might become an issue down the line, but she's not all that bad. Even if she now goes down a delivery health or whatever route, that doesn't really make her a worse person, if anything, it is just sad.

Gotou occupies an interesting place among Kodama's love interests. A recurring character archetype throughout her work is, to quote a previous post of mine: "manipulative women who deliberately use their beauty, feminine charms, and interpersonal skills to their own advantage." Gotou certainly fits this mold, but I do think she's the most straightforwardly likable/sympathetic of them -- the only thing she's really done wrong so far is the kiss, and while Rei is paranoid that everything she does is part of her devious master plan I think it's more likely that she's just extremely lost and confused at the moment.

I think it's related to how this is by far the most overtly political of any of Kodama's manga, and this extends not only to her explicit criticism of the Japanese government's refusal to legalize gay marriage despite massive public support. In Chapter 2, Gotou explains that she acts the way she does because "I just didn't believe that women could succeed just by working hard". Kodama makes it clear that she isn't manipulative because she's innately evil, she's manipulative because it's the only way she knows how to survive in a patriarchal society. This awareness of how the political and social environment shapes the characters really separates this manga is what I like the most about this manga so far.

last edited at Jan 14, 2024 2:44AM

ChikyuuNeko posted:

Respect for the maturity from this manga. Also, despite the reputation the author seems to have (personally I haven't read anything by her),

I do notice that a lot of people call Kodama Naoko "the one who does NTR"... Which I kinda dislike because I feel like when people do that they kinda ignore all the non-NTR stuff she was done which I think are pretty good. (Like I decided to fake a marriage with my junior (♀️) to shut my parents up for example). Sure some of her one-shots include people who can be toxic or unlikeable but I still really enjoy her work... (Other than Netsuzou Trap...)

yep, job interviews!

Fuck yeah, spoon-feed me that drama. I can't wait!
Thanks for the chapter!
Also Rei was hot this chapter.

I hope that lesbian friend will show up a bit more, she was cute.

I hope that lesbian friend will show up a bit more, she was cute.

More importantly, she is based, which is IMO the most attractive trait in an Adult life Drama.