Listen to the fortune cookie. The fortune cookie knows best.

Having relationship drama like this as an adult sounds exhausting...

Have an itch to create a list so here goes my Joe and Kanna relationship list:

Kanna appears:
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/the_guy_she_was_interested_in_wasnt_a_guy_at_all_ch45#2

Their plans to go to the US fall apart:
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/the_guy_she_was_interested_in_wasnt_a_guy_at_all_ch49#2

Joe explains to Aya about their breakup:
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/the_guy_she_was_interested_in_wasnt_a_guy_at_all_ch50#3

Kanna explains to Aya what Joe was like when they were going out:
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/the_guy_she_was_interested_in_wasnt_a_guy_at_all_ch68#3

Joe and Kanna revisit their breakup:
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/the_guy_she_was_interested_in_wasnt_a_guy_at_all_ch109#3

Maybe she even has a man there (seeing that flashback panel where she's talking with a man with glasses who looks at her gently).

I went back to look and lol that tiny sliver of a person is not clearly masculine (assuming any not feminine character to be a man is really funny in the context of this manga in particular lol) and their facial expression is also just kind of neutral, I'd read it as an "I'm listening" kind of face. Given the context of the other glimpses around it I'd first assume these are images of Kanna at her fun and fulfilling job as "stylist" that she has in America. It appears to involve painting stuff on a ladder, yelling to photographers, and being listened to by some person.
Edit: I just noticed Kanna has a heart tattoo on her shoulder in the panel of her painting, that's cute. Maybe it's a heart for "styling" :P

last edited at Nov 17, 2024 2:41PM

I'm not sure why a lot of people are saying it's too late, while the fortune cookie tells otherwise. It's clearly a hint that Joe will do something about that situation.

It's Kanna's fortune, not Joe's, and the person Kanna wants to be is not the person Joe expects her to be without saying anything.

I'm not sure why a lot of people are saying it's too late, while the fortune cookie tells otherwise. It's clearly a hint that Joe will do something about that situation.

It's Kanna's fortune, not Joe's, and the person Kanna wants to be is not the person Joe expects her to be without saying anything.

Yeah, that fortune was the one she opened, and it felt like it was reinforcing her desire to leave and be herself. Joe seems like he is staring at it, though, so it could work for both of them in that scene. I think that's the point.

last edited at Nov 17, 2024 3:56PM

this manga is so fucking good.

I feel like y'all are ignoring the "pretend family" part. Joe saying to Kanna that she's like Mitsuki's mother now, with the implication that Joe is like Mitsuki's father, is hurtful. Even if they're ok now after their breakup, this is a level of intimacy that touches on that wound. Joe isn't courting Kanna. He has feelings for her still, as evidenced by chapter 83, but he isn't doing anything about it. So him leaving their connection implicitly through Mitsuki is taking advantage of Kanna and is cowardly. And he even acknowledges it himself in the thought bubbles in this chapter, that he had been living without thinking.

The whole situation is too much for Kanna. It's like seeing a vision of the life you wanted to have, but not actually be able to have it. It would probably be simpler if she just asked if he wants this to be something more, but it's likely that she's feeling too fragile to do that. If she gets rejected again it might just break her. I agree with other people that communication would do wonders here, but I kind of feel for Kanna in the situation. It's hard to play the emotional backbone for someone you have feelings for and be reminded that they don't have feelings for you (even if she might be wrong about that).

This also nicely parallels Mitsuki and Aya. Aya isn't communicating her feelings explicitly enough for Mitsuki (although she did communicate them), and Mitsuki, like her uncle, is going with the flow too much and living without thinking.

exactly this, i am expect that if the situation is to be fixed and have a "happy" ending then joe's going to have to show up and be like "let's stop pretending"

Bla bla I don't care

I think it's a bad idea to get into these complicated subplots in a manga told 4 pages at a time, especially when the author is kinda bad at conveying things clearly :P

It seems pretty clear to me. We don't have all the answers yet obviously but that's because we're not supposed to, since it's still unfolding. That's not a skill issue on behalf of the author, she's regularly putting up grade A material.

I think it's a bad idea to get into these complicated subplots in a manga told 4 pages at a time, especially when the author is kinda bad at conveying things clearly :P

Sumiko is great at conveying these things BUT I really think the 4 page format makes it extremely hard to notice for the reader. I noticed after rereading that it actually flows a LOT better and you notice a lot of clever things and foreshadowing when you have multiple chapters available at once.

But yeah the 4 page format really limits the storytelling although it is what allows Sumiko to polish the visual front.
I will forever talk shit on the 4 page format haha

The 4 page format is both a curse and a blessing, but I think it's the only reason I'm still following this, since it's not a huge investment of my time even if I quite frankly stopped enjoying it a while ago :P

So many random ass secondary threads that even if they make sense, it will take forever for them to actually resolve. I just don't feel like this is a story that will one day come together, it's more like a yuri version of some newspaper strip like Garfield or whatever. It's just The Beatles instead of lasagna or something, don't pick apart this analogy too closely :P

last edited at Nov 18, 2024 9:17AM

You took the thoughts right out of my head. Just when I think we’re getting somewhere there's yet another new plot happening. At this point I’m tempted to wait until I see an END tag because I’m starting to wonder if we’ll even get anything after that two get together. Assuming they do at all.

It’s been a storyline since Kanna showed up way back. Not a new plot line. And Kanna has been projecting onto Aya this whole time. Joe and Kanna have been running parallel with Aya and Mitsuki like a cautionary tale of sorts for the MCs. It’s been blatant the whole time.

last edited at Nov 18, 2024 1:39PM

It’s been a storyline since Kanna showed up way back. Not a new plot line. And Kanna has been projecting onto Aya this whole time. Joe and Kanna have been running parallel with Aya and Mitsuki like a cautionary tale of sorts for the MCs. It’s been blatant the whole time.

Yeah it has. I think people are a bit upset because they've been waiting a while for a big moment for our main two and it seemed right around the corner but now there's a pile of previously understated obstacles threatening to extend things again. That's the vibe I'm getting. Seems more like patience is beginning to run thin.

last edited at Nov 18, 2024 2:48PM

It’s been a storyline since Kanna showed up way back. Not a new plot line. And Kanna has been projecting onto Aya this whole time. Joe and Kanna have been running parallel with Aya and Mitsuki like a cautionary tale of sorts for the MCs. It’s been blatant the whole time.

Yeah it has. I think people are a bit upset because they've been waiting a while for a big moment for our main two and it seemed right around the corner but now there's a pile of previously understated obstacles threatening to extend things again. That's the vibe I'm getting. Seems more like patience is beginning to run thin.

Just imagine how Aya feels.

Just imagine how Aya feels.

Method reading.

Oh, Joe my man, that hurts D: and poor Kanna

But which is worse, living without thinking or thinking without living? I honestly don't know. As someone whose life seems to have been the latter so far, they both seem just as destructive.

given that the prom is happening on Christmas, I reckon we can expect some form of resolution or at least climax around our Christmas time, so strap in.

Joe, my man, you have a very brief window to make things right with Kanna... friggen do it.

The 4 page format is both a curse and a blessing, but I think it's the only reason I'm still following this, since it's not a huge investment of my time even if I quite frankly stopped enjoying it a while ago :P

So many random ass secondary threads that even if they make sense, it will take forever for them to actually resolve. I just don't feel like this is a story that will one day come together, it's more like a yuri version of some newspaper strip like Garfield or whatever. It's just The Beatles instead of lasagna or something, don't pick apart this analogy too closely :P

Agreed. Honestly it has become more of an advertisment for good bands than anything else for me

im suffering

That's a double oof.