'I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Zhuangzi. Soon I awakened, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.'

Considering the butterfly dream parable, I think I'd rather be the mariposa. Ephemeral, beautiful, flying hither and yon.

Gotta love/hate how Hijiki is still keeping the "AM I FOR REAL THIS TIME OR WILL THIS BE ANOTHER FAKEOUT?!" skit going, with the chapters endings referencing being "like a dream"...

No! We do not want to be living your dream, pivot, pivot now!

My question isn't whether this is all a dream or not. My question is how much longer is this series going to last now that they're in a relationship? Too often nowadays, many yuri series end once the main characters enter a relationship instead of exploring the relationship.

So fluffy! But why do I like it better back when Hinoka was seducing Tsukushi?

My question isn't whether this is all a dream or not. My question is how much longer is this series going to last now that they're in a relationship? Too often nowadays, many yuri series end once the main characters enter a relationship instead of exploring the relationship.

The purpose of those series is primarily centered around romance and the pursuit of it. The narrative tension lies in this pursuit, and once the romance is achieved, there's often a decline in narrative momentum.

Most series don't seamlessly transition from a dramatic narrative centered on achieving love to a more "slice of life" format. That's essentially a genre shift and often wasn't what interested the author (or many readers).

That's why many series that continue after the main romantic plot concludes often have additional dramatic focuses running alongside the romance, providing ongoing narrative depth and purpose--essentially other problems to solve. That's also why I love series that have romance as an additional genre and not the entire focus.

last edited at Mar 20, 2024 12:37PM

My question isn't whether this is all a dream or not. My question is how much longer is this series going to last now that they're in a relationship? Too often nowadays, many yuri series end once the main characters enter a relationship instead of exploring the relationship.

The purpose of those series is primarily centered around romance and the pursuit of it. The narrative tension lies in this pursuit, and once the romance is achieved, there's often a decline in narrative momentum.

Most series don't seamlessly transition from a dramatic narrative centered on achieving love to a more "slice of life" format. That's essentially a genre shift and often wasn't what interested the author (or many readers).

That's why many series that continue after the main romantic plot concludes often have additional dramatic focuses running alongside the romance, providing ongoing narrative depth and purpose--essentially other problems to solve. That's also why I love series that have romance as an additional genre and not the entire focus.

Fair point. I guess I was just venting about what I want from the genre, and I just so rarely see it today in series that I really enjoy. Personally, I just get irritated when you have all this dramatic tension and the story ends once the payoff has been achieved. If people really enjoy these kinda stories, there's nothing wrong with that.

That's why many series that continue after the main romantic plot concludes often have additional dramatic focuses running alongside the romance [...]

Yes. And, unfortunately, oftentimes they fail and the story feels very weak after they get together compared to before. I understand wanting to see more of the couple's life together, but personally, I don't care about seeing random side characters or external drama that appears out of nowhere, just so that the author can prolong a story that seems to have already reached its conclusion.

That's why many series that continue after the main romantic plot concludes often have additional dramatic focuses running alongside the romance [...]

Yes. And, unfortunately, oftentimes they fail and the story feels very weak after they get together compared to before. I understand wanting to see more of the couple's life together, but personally, I don't care about seeing random side characters or external drama that appears out of nowhere, just so that the author can prolong a story that seems to have already reached its conclusion.

That can happen too, but I meant series that aren't strictly romance. Mage and Demon Queen for example. It doesn't randomly introduce new dramatic elements--those elements were always part of the story and always part of the focus. Other examples: My Food Looks Very Cute, Vampeerz, On a Leash, etc. It's not that those series introduce random drama after the couples get together, it's that they were always dealing with more than just romance and the audience always understood and was interested in that; so satisfying the romance plot doesn't satisfy all the other plots being developed. This way the author can get the main couple together without worrying about losing readers or losing narrative momentum because the romance wasn't the only developed part of the story.

last edited at Mar 22, 2024 1:00PM

That's why many series that continue after the main romantic plot concludes often have additional dramatic focuses running alongside the romance [...]

Yes. And, unfortunately, oftentimes they fail and the story feels very weak after they get together compared to before. I understand wanting to see more of the couple's life together, but personally, I don't care about seeing random side characters or external drama that appears out of nowhere, just so that the author can prolong a story that seems to have already reached its conclusion.

That can happen too, but I meant series that aren't strictly romance. Mage and Demon Queen for example. It doesn't randomly introduce new dramatic elements--those elements were always part of the story and always part of the focus. Another example: My Food Looks Very Cute, or even Vampeerz. It's not that those series introduce random drama after the couples get together, it's that they were always dealing with more than just romance and the audience always understood and was interested in that; so satisfying the romance plot doesn't satisfy all the other plots being developed. This way the author can get the main couple together without worrying about losing readers or losing narrative momentum.

You're right, I misread a part of what you wrote and thought you were referring to series that introduce different dramatic elements after the romance has concluded in the part that I quoted. I agree when it comes to series where the romance was a subplot (though I have to say I didn't really like the last season of Mage and Demon Queen, but that's another story). What I was trying to say was that in series like this one, where getting together is the whole story, it often feels forced when they try to continue it afterwards, even if they shift the focus to other characters or new problems they have to face (so it was more in answer to the OP rather than you, I guess).

That's why many series that continue after the main romantic plot concludes often have additional dramatic focuses running alongside the romance [...]

Yes. And, unfortunately, oftentimes they fail and the story feels very weak after they get together compared to before. I understand wanting to see more of the couple's life together, but personally, I don't care about seeing random side characters or external drama that appears out of nowhere, just so that the author can prolong a story that seems to have already reached its conclusion.

That can happen too, but I meant series that aren't strictly romance. Mage and Demon Queen for example. It doesn't randomly introduce new dramatic elements--those elements were always part of the story and always part of the focus. Another example: My Food Looks Very Cute, or even Vampeerz. It's not that those series introduce random drama after the couples get together, it's that they were always dealing with more than just romance and the audience always understood and was interested in that; so satisfying the romance plot doesn't satisfy all the other plots being developed. This way the author can get the main couple together without worrying about losing readers or losing narrative momentum.

You're right, I misread a part of what you wrote and thought you were referring to series that introduce different dramatic elements after the romance has concluded in the part that I quoted. I agree when it comes to series where the romance was a subplot (though I have to say I didn't really like the last season of Mage and Demon Queen, but that's another story). What I was trying to say was that in series like this one, where getting together is the whole story, it often feels forced when they try to continue it afterwards, even if they shift the focus to other characters or new problems they have to face (so it was more in answer to the OP rather than you, I guess).

100%. Some authors struggle moving beyond pure fluffy romance, especially when incorporating dramatic elements into series solely focused on romance. Writing drama requires different skills than writing pure fluff. Some authors specializing in the latter don't transition smoothly into dramatic writing. You get "tropey" stories, as if the authors were picking out from a Common Plot Elements that Work (TM) handbook and the execution can feel a bit messy. Kase San is a recent example of this for me, but opinions may differ. That drama wasn't satisfying at all and left me feeling like the author might not handle that kind of writing that well.

last edited at Mar 22, 2024 2:00PM

100%. Some authors struggle moving beyond pure fluffy romance, especially when incorporating dramatic elements into series solely focused on romance. Writing drama requires different skills than writing pure fluff.

It’s not necessarily even a matter of the skill set. An author starts out writing one kind of story with a natural endpoint, using characters with a well-developed set of behaviors, and creators often just find that it works better to conclude that story and start fresh on another one with a different focus.

100%. Some authors struggle moving beyond pure fluffy romance, especially when incorporating dramatic elements into series solely focused on romance. Writing drama requires different skills than writing pure fluff.

It’s not necessarily even a matter of the skill set. An author starts out writing one kind of story with a natural endpoint, using characters with a well-developed set of behaviors, and creators often just find that it works better to conclude that story and start fresh on another one with a different focus.

Yeah that was what I said originally further up. This was just part of the conversation continuing.

last edited at Mar 22, 2024 2:36PM

HUMANITY RESTORED

Someone is a little horny lol

Also I'm excited for the double date

Good old communication.

Now she's just humble bragging

I'm healed.

INITIATE A SECOND Kiiii.................. :|

I love how she trailed off there

It adorable how hard Tsukushi wants this to work, even though she's kind of a dumb-dumb and it's all a bit over her head :P The wingwomen couple are once again the freaking MVPs, the main girls are so lucky to have them.

It adorable how hard Tsukushi wants this to work, even though she's kind of a dumb-dumb and it's all a bit over her head :P The wingwomen couple are once again the freaking MVPs, the main girls are so lucky to have them.

They're their mothers at this point.

last edited at Apr 4, 2024 8:59AM

Yuu out here keeping it real.

Although a double date is fun too. I'm all aboard Tsukushi's emotional rollercoaster.

Tsukushi is such a failgirl, I love it.

Cut in just in time to save the poor girl from a challenge still far beyond her. :D