re: special number 2. So, Seri and Shuoko have the exact same relationship problems as Sakurako and Kasumi. “If I try to put a label on it, it might ruin what we have.” How many different carbon-copy sexually ambivalent same-sex couples can the author write into one manga? It’s basically useless lesbian Invasion of the Body Snatchers at this point.

it's jover

I thought they were making a thematic point with different contrasting relationships

we're bidone

Christmas with the daughter. ^_^

Seri's relationship insecurity feels a little more melancholy than Sakurako's.

Seri's relationship insecurity feels a little more melancholy than Sakurako's.

Yeah, Kasumi and Sakurako just haven't put a label on it because they don't feel a need to. They love and cherish each other and that's mostly enough. (though Sakurako has a little bit of buried frustration.)

Seri and Shouko definitely seem more like the traditional definition of "useless lesbians." Just straight up afraid to advance and risk losing what they have.

Seri's relationship insecurity feels a little more melancholy than Sakurako's.

Yeah, Kasumi and Sakurako just haven't put a label on it because they don't feel a need to. They love and cherish each other and that's mostly enough. (though Sakurako has a little bit of buried frustration.)

Seri and Shouko definitely seem more like the traditional definition of "useless lesbians." Just straight up afraid to advance and risk losing what they have.

Yeah I was going to mention this. They're not the same situations at all.

Patience

I finally got my copy of the last volume in. It's sad to know the series is over now. I've enjoyed it over the years, and I look forward to reading it all again in the future.

Why hasn't this manga been adapted into an anime, even though it's finished? Because Yukiko-sensei doesn't want to or is there another reason?

Why hasn't this manga been adapted into an anime, even though it's finished? Because Yukiko-sensei doesn't want to or is there another reason?

Lots of manga don't get anime adaptations. Most of them, even.

Why hasn't this manga been adapted into an anime, even though it's finished? Because Yukiko-sensei doesn't want to or is there another reason?

Lots of manga don't get anime adaptations. Most of them, even.

Especially once they're finished, although there have been a couple of exceptions.

Why hasn't this manga been adapted into an anime, even though it's finished? Because Yukiko-sensei doesn't want to or is there another reason?

Lots of manga don't get anime adaptations. Most of them, even.

Especially once they're finished, although there have been a couple of exceptions.

Yeah, I know that, it's just that I think this manga is popular enough in Japan to be adapted into an anime (being able to write it for 10 years means it has a lot of fans, otherwise it would have been axed a long time ago.)
That's why I asked if Yukiko-sensei didn't want it so there wasn't an anime adaptation

This manga contained no drama even until the end, I see. Can't fumble an ending if you just keep everything roughly the same.

Honestly I think it's good like this, too.

last edited at Jun 7, 2024 10:19AM

Wait, so is this manga done? It says its licensed and ongoing...

I think it is over, but the fanlator hasn't wrapped it up for us.

Today, I came back to this because it’s still listed as ongoing. It still looks very much complete when I read the last two volumes again, but this time, the children’s book mentioned in chapter 76 intrigued me more. The book turned out to be “The Rabbits’ Wedding” by Garth Williams. A translated version has been published in Japan and its cover page matches the book Kasumi is holding on the following page.

The terse summary on Amazon US has this to say:

Truly exquisite large pictures tell a sweet story of two little rabbits who lived ‘happily ever after’ in the friendly forest.

The summary on Amazon JP is more verbose:

A white rabbit and a black rabbit used to play together every day. However, the black rabbit sometimes looked sad and thoughtful. When the white rabbit asked him, the black rabbit replied, "I am making a wish. What the black rabbit was wishing for was to be able to be with the white rabbit forever. What did the white rabbit do when it found out? This is a story of two soft and gentle rabbits, often chosen as wedding gifts.

Kasumi and Sakurako reading a wedding-themed book that mentions living “happily ever after” and is (in Japan) often gifted at weddings is quit nice by itself already, but let’s continue.

The plot summary on Wikipedia has this to say:

The rabbits live in the forest, where they go on journeys. The black rabbit (male) feels conflicted; finally he reveals why he has been depressed and thoughtful, conveying to the white rabbit (female) that he wishes she will stay by his side forever. The white rabbit accepts the black rabbit's wish and love. A wedding is celebrated and the bunnies dance under the moonlight with the other creatures of the forest.

After Sakurako mentioned the book, Kasumi turns Sakurako’s ponytail into bunny ears and says “Found a black bunny”, to which Sakurako replies “Then I guess that means you’re the white bunny, Kasumi-chan.” If we adjust the Wikipedia summary accordingly, we get this:

The rabbits live in the forest, where they go on journeys. The black rabbit (Sakurako) feels conflicted; finally she reveals why she has been depressed and thoughtful, conveying to the white rabbit (Kasumi) that she wishes she will stay by her side forever. The white rabbit accepts the black rabbit's wish and love. A wedding is celebrated and the bunnies dance under the moonlight with the other creatures of the forest.

I’m amazed by how well this matches the latter part of A Room For Two. Sakurako’s growing insecurities culminated in her armor-piercing question at the end of volume 9 and I think volume 10 is all about showing us that Kasumi accepts. Considering that Yukiko not only namedropped the book but also showed the cover page, this seems a bit too much of a coincidence to not be intentional. In the answer to Q3 of the interview, she said she had to be more careful about the things she drew at the start of the series. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she took some inspiration from the book when she started the series and it had been her goal all along to end it with the book as an analogy for Kasumi and Sakurako’s relationship, making it clear what kind of relationship the two would have in the end, even if she might not be able to show that explicitly.

The series was a bit too open-ended for my tastes, but with the knowledge about the referenced book, I feel reassured about Kasumi and Sakurako’s future. <3

As an additional bonus, the final panel of the final (regular) chapter showing the book and Kasumi and Sakurako talking about “seeing the future” and “funny details”, kind of makes it look like Yukiko really wants to tell us that the book is showing their future, but maybe I’m starting to read too much into it.

last edited at Oct 6, 2024 8:32AM

I read the whole thing (inc chapters 77 and 78) over a couple of days. I enjoyed the first several volumes a lot, but the last couple sort of frustrated me and hurt a bit as it seemed to me that Sakurako wanted some things from the relationship that just didn’t seem to be in the cards - maybe it’s enough for her, and maybe something gentle in the degree of understatement in the storytelling, but too close for me to time I spent in a relationship with a girl who ultimately decided she was straight (??) and that our time together, for all the words of love, was just not actually love. Hard not to project onto a character the degree of “maybe this is enough” self-deception in that sort of relationship? Yeah, yeah, projection is a bad way to read, etc., but last volume was actually outright anxious for me, once the author at least dropped heavy hints that Sakurako wanted more than she was getting, at least in some terms. Her specific thoughts that acceptance is enough for her to feel satisfied makes me really nervous about her sense of self-worth.

So I’m unsurprised this kicked off so much forum drama. It seems written at first as wish fulfillment, stays fluffy on the surface throughout, but plays a lot with ambiguity and expectations in some complicated ways. Much may depend on the individual reader. In any case, being uncomfortable and reflective with something isn’t a bad thing even if I struggle with Sakurako’s emotions and perspectives in the context of their relationships (this is different than yuri vs subtext, and I find Kasumi much more relatable a character).

It certainly did bug me enough that I am trying to sum up my thoughts here. In any case, Cats and Sugar Bowls was great and more my speed.

Final thought - Sakurako’s Kasumi worship and generally character dynamics reminded me a lot of Rae in I’m in Love with the Villainess, at least before Rae has a chance to grow out of it. There’s a lot of parallels in behavior saying ridiculous things, thoughts on acceptance as “enough love” emotionally, age of meeting their partner, focus on cooking, general fantasy competence, etc. The character designs from the college years here are also similar enough that I can’t now unsee it as a weird AU thing.

last edited at Oct 28, 2024 8:58AM

Rae was helped by Clare growing into love with her, too; Rae's clearly satisfied in the end, not settling.

^^ totally. IMO LN 3 - while weak plot wise - makes the series by letting the pair settle into a more equal and collaborative relationship.

And I do believe Kasumi loves Sakurako, and any part of a relationship may leave something unsaid or unsatisfied. But Sakurako felt sort of static and not changing, even with her talk of interdependence, while Kasumi had more of an arc. It makes it hard not to read Sakurako as insecure and hurting, although that’s very much subject to interpretation. Maybe I just place a lot of weight on super clear communication and boundaries in relationships, but this one definitely got under my skin. Not a bad thing, but perhaps not a happy story per se.

last edited at Oct 28, 2024 4:15PM

at least the one-shot implies that Sakurako has in fact gotten laid. (The friend asking if Kasumi's first time was with S, leading to Kasumi stuttering and changing the subject. Of course if you're pessimistic, you could take it as Kasumi embarrassed at not having had a first time.)