I adore how the most foreboding chapter of this manga is purely buildup to Michi getting kissed by a genki gyaru.
Masaki's definitely the girl from Honda's photo in the volume 2 extras.
Either Masaki really, REALLY knows her type or she knew Michi in the pre-amnesia days - she was at their school at the start of the year which is an odd detail. And despite all the red flags even Honda's shocked how fast Masaki jumped Michi. Still, Masaki didn't seem to recognize Michi at first in the selfie. Though if she does know her, that's the perfect chance for Michi to explore her missing memories without getting wiped again since it has nothing to do with Aizawa.
It's also the perfect case for Michi to admit she's in the middle of a love triangle and even double down on her feelings for Aizawa over a living girl.
There's tons of structure set up this chapter: It's a short while until goodbye at winter break, Masaki's surely coming back to school and Aizawa won't take that well, then two weeks of yuri divorce, something big happens at the New Years' concert, then reunion. Somewhere in there Michi is going to have to break into school and meet Aizawa. And bear in mind Christmas is a romantic holiday in Japan. That's like 5 emotional climaxes and probably the next 2 volumes worth of plot.
But that's a lot of thinking ahead when I can't imagine what the hell is about to happen in Honda's room.
Random notes:
- Ange being Michi's 2nd favorite is surely setup for Michi to confront whatever's possessing her.
- I keep confusing myself so for everyone's sake, Honda never said Masaki went to a different school. That was something Kasumi assumed and stuck. Honda didn't bother correcting but did get all awkward when it was brought up.
- Dorothy says Masaki was originally meant to appear in volume 1, back when she thought she needed to rush the story. Masaki probably is a pivotal character.
- High school isn't compulsory in Japan so someone who skipped middle school could still test to get in.
- Imaginary Honda #2 was super Osakan which somehow translates to Canadian? I don't make the rules.
Now I'm going to ramble about horror and romcoms.
It's an uncommon understanding that irony is key to both horror and comedy. Both rely heavily on building and subverting expectations, following similar patterns of raising, relieving, maintaining tension to banked and spent. It's this commonality that makes horror comedy like chocolate + peanut butter. In fact you'd be hard pressed finding a horror movie that doesn't throw in moments of even black comedy to subvert irony in the opposite direction.
And I think Dorothy does a masterful job utilizing irony for both purposes; this chapter being a prime example. Honda acting weirdly weird despite normally being the weirdest character leaves the whole scene uneasy, the strange inversion with Michi using the outgoing fonts while Honda has the shaky stuttering ones, leaping in and out of Honda's usual style of rapid-fire oddball jokes solely to stall and avoid the inescapable elephant in the room. Building up this feeling of dread. We know something's wrong that Michi is savvy enough to pick up on but not identify. Dramatic irony, when you're screaming at the TV hoping the dumbass protagonist realizes they shouldn't go in the house. The unrocked boat that should have been.
The foreboding balanced by a constant undercurrent that Masaki represents a romantic danger, (some small comfort to the yuri-loving audience who are still likely fearing the inevitable rivalry.) while subverting Michi's hopes of finding refuge in friendship. She doesn't see it precisely because she's blinding herself to love. Meanwhile Aizawa notices immediately. Yet this further subverts the typical impotent threat of a third wheel: Masaki is unintentionally raising the stakes for Aizawa's unstable unlife. The tension doesn't let up with the reveal - there's a dread for what happens when Aizawa finds out; you know someone's going to get hurt, not just in the feelings, and Michi's at fault.
But indeed there's almost always a sense of culpability in horror. The protagonist always gets a chance to dodge danger and ignores it. It's part of the cautionary tale, tied here into self-discovery. Undoubtedly, Masaki is already scary as a horror monster because we know she's a time bomb for Aizawa. And Michi's brought it on herself. Not that Honda doesn't share the blame. That shot of her in the elevator pre-emptively apologizing is almost comically unnerving, maybe the most bad vibes panel in the entire manga, followed by a hard cut to superdeformed chibis as she dodges the subject a final time.
This chapter's so uniquely Aizawa-san's style I love it.
It's wild that all this tension is spent introducing a simple love triangle. That Masaki's double-page intro somehow fits in the same category as the rest of the full-page jumpscares - very deliberately playing off multiple layers of tension. The general sense of danger, the horror of an impending love rival, and the comedic irony of subverting both aspects with each other; this would never work in a non-horror romantic comedy. It's a testament to the manga's strength synthesizing all 3 genres. Even if some people might have strong opinions on love triangles.
last edited at Sep 21, 2024 8:00AM
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