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Late autumn rain coldness
joined Jul 13, 2024

I'm just confused. What's the point of the Hinako & Asahi romance? It fells so forced. Is there a difference between "platonic couple" and BFF? Don't tell me now they're holding each other's hands a bit longer. "I love you, but not in a romantic / sexual way." We used to call it friendship.

last edited at Jul 15, 2024 3:55PM

Snowfox
joined Jan 31, 2015

I'm just confused. What's the point of the Hinako & Asahi romance? It fells so forced. Is there a difference between "platonic couple" and BFF? Don't tell me now they're holding each other's hands a bit longer. "I love you, but not in a romantic / sexual way." We used to call it friendship.

Note the Ace/Aro tag.

Drawn%20by%20noratanukimaru
joined Apr 5, 2023

I'm just confused. What's the point of the Hinako & Asahi romance? It fells so forced. Is there a difference between "platonic couple" and BFF? Don't tell me now they're holding each other's hands a bit longer. "I love you, but not in a romantic / sexual way." We used to call it friendship.

It doesn't stop being gay just because they don't kiss or have sex. Unless you think this deep form of affection is somehow worth less than the way allo people love, not that friendship is worth less than romance either. If they don't feel it is merely friendship, then it isn't and they don't have to place a label on it. I don't like the term QPR because it's very USamerican in identity but that's how some describe what they have with others.

The point is that they felt like they didn't fit in, that they were missing something others seemed to have and by trying to fit in they only hurt themselves. They deeply love each other but not in the way everyone else would expect them to, with sexual desire and all — that expectation placed them in a cage, labeled them as broken and made Hinako unhappy for a very long while. It's not like this will keep them from being physically affectionate later on as they develop their life together and become comfortable with someone that understands them and isn't going to demand things they aren't capable of, and I don't mean sex but just cuddling, hugging, grooming each other... things like that which aren't limited to the concept of lovers. Even if it doesn't happen because they happen to be repulsed by physical touch, it won't change the fact they love and care about each other very much in a way that goes beyond friendship for them or else they wouldn't have made a big deal out of it and this work wouldn't exist at all.

Honestly what they have would be the ideal for me if I ever wanted something with someone else.

(Not meant as an attack on you also, I hope my tone doesn't sound rude because I don't mean to be)

joined Mar 15, 2015

I read through all four volumes while traveling, and enjoyed it. It's probably my favorite of the Shio Usui stories.

Out of the main couples, Hinako and Asahi are my favorite thus far, since their inability to feel love in a way that's expected of them is a challenge to overcome, particularly in Hinako's case, since you can see how much pain her desperate need to be 'normal" is causing her. It was also nicely touched upon in Asahi's interactions with Fuuka, although one could assume that Asahi never thought much about romance because she was too busy with work and taking care of Subaru.

The secondary characters were also better than in "I Married My Female Friend," since they actually felt relevant to the story rather than just showing up for a chapter or two like many in the latter series did. I also liked how Mikoto and Ayano went from people Hinako just hung out with to having a more genuine friendship with her. I also liked Hinako's complicated relationship with her mother, and how the two ultimately love each other despite their occasional conflicts.

I'm personally fine with the nature of Hinako and Asahi's relationship, but it felt a bit anticlimactic for Hinako to basically just explain herself to Asahi and for Asahi to immediately just accept, even if it's been established that the two are the same in many ways. It might have been nice to have a few extra chapters chronicling how their relationship changes(or doesn't change) after becoming a couple.

Still, I liked it overall, and would recommend it to others.

Celebrationofchapter42
joined Oct 7, 2024

I'm just confused. What's the point of the Hinako & Asahi romance? It fells so forced. Is there a difference between "platonic couple" and BFF? Don't tell me now they're holding each other's hands a bit longer. "I love you, but not in a romantic / sexual way." We used to call it friendship.

This story was about exploring the multifaceted forms of love. IT IS BEAUTIFUL; how the author wrote asexuality pertaining the subject of love. What we really take away from it is that they love each other, no need to define love with labels. And what lovers do together isn't restricted by romantic guidelines, people can just love and exist, romance or not.

Screenshot_15-9-2025_205514_dynasty-scans.com
joined Mar 31, 2023

Just finished reading this title for the 2nd or 3rd time and can’t recommended it enough. It’s refreshing to find a beautiful love story where sex is not the end-all be-all of a romantic relationship.

last edited at Jan 14, 2025 6:43PM

BoredLittleShit
joined Jun 5, 2025

I am getting Kuudere vibes from the first few chapters

joined Feb 5, 2025

i still really love this manga, forever my favorite comfort story

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