I liked seeing a nod to the sternocliedomastoid. Cool muscle with a kickass name.

A nod to the muscle that tilts head? Yay the stretching puns have finally started after a while

Heard this is SHAFT studio's favorite muscle.

last edited at Mar 29, 2015 2:17PM

everything they do is what couples do! well, tone down the stretches perhaps but.... totally gay for each other :p

well, tone down the stretches perhaps

You mean you don't stretch with your partner daily?
Gotta keep a healthy relationship

I'm beginning to think he made this extra just to draw his characters half nude lol

Showing her ankle's muscle in underwear was absolutely necesary, idk what are you talking about sir!!... or madame!!!

Wonder what the author has in mind. As I reread it, there's no clear path to yuri. It's not closed off either, but Keiko gives out conflicting vibes. The author knows what his readership is waiting for, but giving it too soon doesn't seem in his plans, if he's going to give it at all. Keiko and Ran might as well put their lives back on the "right track" (whatever it happens to be) at the end, with the help of each other and that "special time/friendship" they shared, and never actually do anything more than hugging (and stretching).

Anyway, it has a great reread value. When you reread it, you get the hints the author left everywhere. It all gives some feeling of fate between them, that their lives seem to cross at critical moments and it makes them bounce in slightly different directions. Even if there's no yuri til the end I don't care. This is a really really good read.

last edited at Mar 30, 2015 1:00PM

Extra 2 might be the most informative chapter yet. ...though it makes me feel like I'm in terrible shape, when I consider my habits. orz

Wonder what the author has in mind. As I reread it, there's no clear path to yuri. It's not closed off either, but Keiko gives out conflicting vibes.

So far we know that Ran has never showed any interest in men, in fact, we only saw her interested in Keiko (admiring her, checking her out and being affectionate with her), we also saw her competing for Keiko's admiration (attention) when she took up on stretching to one up Keiko's boyfriend...etc. She seems like a typical invisible lesbian femme (If we ever must label her).

Keiko on the other hand has actually fallen in love with a guy and had a fulfilling relationship with him, she dated her fair share of men and seemed to be still interested by the opposite sex. However, she can be bi and we know that if anything she like Ran as a sister, her feelings may or may not get deeper than that. I honestly don't know, I guess she can definitely fall in love with her but so far she seems oblivious to it. I think she likes her companionship with Ran, she likes their routine and is still healing from her miscarriage and break up.

I think Ran will confess her love and Keiko will reject her at first, I think they won't live together anymore, but at some point, Keiko will realize her feelings as well and we will get our happily ever after.

Heard this is SHAFT studio's favorite muscle.

Perfect response.

Wonder what the author has in mind. As I reread it, there's no clear path to yuri. It's not closed off either, but Keiko gives out conflicting vibes.

So far we know that Ran has never showed any interest in men, in fact, we only saw her interested in Keiko (admiring her, checking her out and being affectionate with her), we also saw her competing for Keiko's admiration (attention) when she took up on stretching to one up Keiko's boyfriend...etc. She seems like a typical invisible lesbian femme (If we ever must label her).

So far, we know a lot more about Keiko than about Ran. Between her graduation and the time she got to meet Keiko again, we don't know what she's been up to, beside studying medicine.

And when I said conflicting vibes, I mean that it's ALWAYS Keiko that's been pulling Ran into her orbit. When Ran was jogging, she stopped her and talked to her because of reasons.

When Ran's father died in that earthquake, she offered her to stay because of reasons also.

We always think of Ran as being the one "in love" and of Keiko as not seeing her "like that" (yet), but it's not that clearcut.

The initiative always comes from Keiko, since the beginning. She's been using Ran to heal herself and she's been giving very little back. But isn't it what Ran wanted all along ? Help people, heal them ? Hell, she does that just by being herself.

I think Ran will confess her love and Keiko will reject her at first, I think they won't live together anymore, but at some point, Keiko will realize her feelings as well and we will get our happily ever after.

It's a little too cliche I think. You may be right but I sure hope Akili has something better in stock.

Drama is lurking around the corner, with the ex making a come back, the mother hated for some unknown reason (the "man shoes" beside her mother's shoes in the entrance means I guess she was at least promiscuous with men, so Keiko is an unwanted child ?). Keiko seemed to have a death wish (smiling at the earthquake) and her encounter with Ran seems to have "saved" her. If Ran leaves, for whatever reason, how will that play out ? On the other side, Ran has a huge problem of self-control and that could be dangerous.

There are many many paths the author can lead us to and I sure hope he doesn't deliver one of those "after a grand confession and some drama, both finally accept they are in love with each other, they kiss, make babies and live happily ever after, putting that stretching lessons to good use".

That'd be a waste.

last edited at Mar 31, 2015 5:31PM

Drama is lurking around the corner, with the ex making a come back, the mother hated for some unknown reason (the "man shoes" beside her mother's shoes in the entrance means I guess she was at least promiscuous with men, so Keiko is an unwanted child ?).

We've already had a bunch of reason. A man that the mother brought home hitting on Keiko (maybe always hook up with scum) and the mother treating Keiko badly after her miscarriage
I bet on the unwanted child, when Keiko try to get some comfort from her mother, she get nothing. Instead, the mother put the blame on her.

Keiko seemed to have a death wish (smiling at the earthquake) and her encounter with Ran seems to have "saved" her. I

I don't think she had a death wish, I think she thought it would be great if something bad happened to her mom and got disgusted of herself.

last edited at Mar 31, 2015 5:49PM

I bet on the unwanted child, when Keiko try to get some comfort from her mother, she get nothing. Instead, the mother put the blame on her.

Keiko seemed to have a death wish (smiling at the earthquake) and her encounter with Ran seems to have "saved" her. I

I don't think she had a death wish, I think she thought it would be great if something bad happened to her mom and got disgusted of herself.

^^^^^ that is one hell of a speculation. Same goes for the one above it. From how Prism and the previous chapters of Stretch have been written, I doubt Shou is "that" dark. Now I could be wrong because he has revealed some very dark issues from Keiko's past and when the chapters get dark and twisty (to borrow a phrase from Grey's Anatomy), they are dark, but they are top-layer dark with the one exception of Keiko's dream sequence. By top-layer dark I mean the issues are definitely emotional. in some cases the topic is very painful to either relive or to tell another person. So if you are correct, I will be even more impressed with Shou than I already am. But right now, nothing points to thoughts of death on the part of Keiko nor ill wishes for her mother. (so prove me wrong. which chapters would you be refering to?)

http://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/stretch_ch22_5#14

That smile means something. What it means is up for interpretation. Maybe her mother lives in Touhoku?

^^^^^ that is one hell of a speculation. Same goes for the one above it. From how Prism and the previous chapters of Stretch have been written, I doubt Shou is "that" dark. Now I could be wrong because he has revealed some very dark issues from Keiko's past and when the chapters get dark and twisty (to borrow a phrase from Grey's Anatomy), they are dark, but they are top-layer dark with the one exception of Keiko's dream sequence. By top-layer dark I mean the issues are definitely emotional. in some cases the topic is very painful to either relive or to tell another person. So if you are correct, I will be even more impressed with Shou than I already am. But right now, nothing points to thoughts of death on the part of Keiko nor ill wishes for her mother. (so prove me wrong. which chapters would you be refering to?)

Man hitting on Keiko (wel, not hitting on her actually, but being a scum) :
http://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/stretch_ch22#7

The mother treating her badly after the miscarriage, not giving her any comfort and Keiko having a grudge on her because of that :
http://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/stretch_ch14#7
http://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/stretch_ch11#last

after that we have this :
http://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/stretch_ch22_5#14
and this :
http://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/stretch_ch22_5#15

Seing how Ran's dad is dead, we can suppose that Keiko and Ran's hometown is in tohoku. Keiko having a fresh grudge against her mother, probably only thinking about that, her ex and her couldbe child and the next thought after smilling creepily being "did I really consider that..." with a shocked face, it's not hard to suppose she had evil thought about her mother.
She just lost her child and had no comfort from her mother, it's not that dark and unreal that in her weak moment, she thought things like that.

I'm betting for this theory because apart from this one, I can't think about any thought with the epicenter being in Touhoku as trigger that could end with this creepy smile.

last edited at Apr 1, 2015 3:16AM

As for Shou not being "that dark", even if Prism is mostly light hearted, the homophobia scene, where the girls could have been beaten up, or worse, is an indication that he knows everything can't be rosy. If he had continued Prism, he may have wanted to tackle more serious issues about the implications of two girls being together in today's Japan.

And anyway, Stretch's target audience is more mature I think, so that the characters would experience darker moment is consistent.

last edited at Apr 1, 2015 5:42AM

As for Shou not being "that dark", even if Prism is mostly light hearted, the homophobia scene, where the girls could have been beaten up, or worse, is an indication that he knows everything can't be rosy. If he had continued Prism, he may have wanted to tackle more serious issues about the implications of two girls being together in today's Japan.

And anyway, Stretch's target audience is more mature I think, so that the characters would experience darker moment is consistent.

x2. That scene is always kinda freaky to read because it's a group of much older people (always assumed college aged) physically assaulting two young high school age girls in the open like that. It really would have been interesting to see him continue it, ah well...

And I like the story in Stretch, it's always been mature when it comes to the dramatic moments.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32130599

Well, now Ran and Keiko can have a marriage certificate from the government of Shibuya, xd and now Shou must have a smile on his face. By the way, I want to see the certificate in the series in the very near future, xd.

http://yawaspi.com/stretch/comic/036_001.html

Anyone remember when Dynasty Scans brilliantly fooled us with a NSFW tag on a Stretch "chapter" last year for April Fool's? xD I wonder where is that page now .__. I had a good laugh after reading it haha

Ah, I see luggage, they will go to Keiko's mother place very soon. Next chapter if Shou doesn't pick up after them visiting the mom... x)

last edited at Apr 1, 2015 2:57PM

Incoming Avatar changes

Shou is a troll. I almost punched my computer screen

Don't worry, when the storyline picks up, Spiderman will be there to give us our monthly stretching lessons

So far, we know a lot more about Keiko than about Ran. Between her graduation and the time she got to meet Keiko again, we don't know what she's been up to, beside studying medicine.

I don't know, I've always thought of Ran as a goal oriented person and an overachiever (just look how serious she is about stretching), it will not surprise me if we found out that she was only dedicated to studying without much of a life outside of it.

The initiative always comes from Keiko, since the beginning. She's been using Ran to heal herself and she's been giving very little back. But isn't it what Ran wanted all along ? Help people, heal them ? Hell, she does that just by being herself.

Keiko keeps on saying that she has been interested in Ran because she was cute and she sees her as a little sister, but the thing is that Keiko herself doesn't seem to realize the real reason.

I honestly believe that Keiko has been interested in Ran from the get go because she is different from her, be it from her looks, family life, background, personality... etc. Ran is the breath of fresh air that Keiko so desperately needed and still needs.

It's a little too cliche I think. You may be right but I sure hope Akili has something better in stock.

Yes, it definitely is! Hopefully we will get something different.

Keiko seemed to have a death wish (smiling at the earthquake) and her encounter with Ran seems to have "saved" her.

Just like @trafi said, my interpretation of this scene was that Keiko wished for her mother to be dead (same as when she was a teenager).

On the other side, Ran has a huge problem of self-control and that could be dangerous.

Ran looks like an alcoholic or an alcoholic in the making, being away from Keiko will destroy her for sure, unless she acknowledge her issues.

There are many many paths the author can lead us to and I sure hope he doesn't deliver one of those "after a grand confession and some drama, both finally accept they are in love with each other, they kiss, make babies and live happily ever after, putting that stretching lessons to good use".

That'd be a waste.

I think we will end up with an open to interpretation ending, some will label them "friends" and others will think of them as future romantic partners

We have to wait and see, but if anything this manga is entertaining regardless of the yuri.

https://plus.google.com/photos/+DelgerLhamsuren/albums/6132954199510582369

translated

On the other side, Ran has a huge problem of self-control and that could be dangerous.

Ran looks like an alcoholic or an alcoholic in the making, being away from Keiko will destroy her for sure, unless she acknowledge her issues.

Not only alcohol. Food too. Or when it comes to tidy up the appartment, she makes excuses for not doing it. She's a child in a woman's body.

If they ever separate on some misunderstanding or some external event, Ran AND Keiko will drown, for sure. They need each other at the moment.

I think we will end up with an open to interpretation ending, some will label them "friends" and others will think of them as future romantic partners

We have to wait and see, but if anything this manga is entertaining regardless of the yuri.

I don't know. Shou can write yuri, though Stretch isn't anywhere near the mood of Prism.

Anyway, I like closure personally. So I hope the ending is not TOO open.

And yes, I was surprised at how good this one turned out, even if the romance is almost non-existent.