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Purple Library Guy
Aki/Momo discussion 11 Jan 01:00
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Yup, adorable is definitely the word. Some top notch old school yuri there. Like stuff I used to read from Tsubomi and like that.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

It was pretty good. I thought the twist was reaching a bit--like, to pull it off they had to kind of stretch the credibility of the first part. I think it's actually hard to do a good unreliable narrator in manga. I mean, to me the thing that makes unreliable narrators work is that they have an implied audience that they have some kind of awareness of--they're telling the story, and they colour it in some way to fit what they want you to think. In manga, you've got a viewpoint character, but normally they're not telling you the story--they're unaware of the fourth wall. And so if a character's thoughts turn out to have misrepresented how things are, particularly if they misrepresent how the character is perfectly well aware things are (ie it's not that the character has delusions), to me that comes off just implausible, or borderline cheating, or at best just kind of clunky.

This twist was pulled off mostly by having the character not think about certain aspects of the interactions until it's time for the reveal, and it pretty much works . . . but it's a bit clunky to me, because frankly it would be really weird for someone's stream of consciousness recollecting events to be structured in that way, where thoughts about certain aspects of their relationship get delayed even though clearly as events happened they were mixed in.

So I'm not as wildly impressed as many here, but I still liked it.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

I'm having a little trouble pinning down what the relationship between these two is meant to be. They're beating the hell out of each other and used to be fighting a war against each other, but they're also talking like friends and getting all blushy talking about how pretty the other is.

Well, they were presumably at war with each other out of duty. Fighting wars for their fiefdom is what warriors do. Doesn't mean they didn't LIKE each other.
So now in their future, they have no fiefdoms to defend, no duty to oppose each other. Why not get a little closer?

I mean, I'm not saying any of this makes sense--the whole story is silly. But that particular issue is a non-issue for me.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Well, the premise is great, in that slightly over the top way that makes me think of the manga club in Virgins' Empire. Fun so far, looking forward to more.
On the translators' note--I like the translation "memory holder". Sometimes using a slightly less familiar term jogs your mind to appreciate what it really means, where with something you know really well you just kind of gloss over the implications. Reminds me of something Tolkien used to do . . . not quite the same, but he would "rescue" old cliche sayings, by quoting older, more complete versions (or versions he made up that LOOKED like older, more complete versions) so your mind actually looked at what the old cliche was really saying, and you'd remember or realize the wisdom that got it repeated enough to become a cliche in the first place.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Huh. I have a feeling those girls aren't supernatural at all! They just heard somehow that she's a good mixologist.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Same author of Octave.... Hard pass.

Oh! Didn't recognize. I'm in.
Mind you, I didn't like Brides of Iberis. But these characters seem nicer; I get the feeling more of the conflict is coming from outside them, rather than from them being selfish jerks, so I might like it.

last edited at Dec 28, 2023 12:01PM

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

OK, so, the cats, Half-white and Half-black. Figure they were named after those people in the Star Trek (original series) episode?

Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Just vaguely uncomfortable with these teacher - student romances...

IMO librarians don't count. They have no authority, all they can do is hope you'll read a book. Of course I may be biased.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

The author wished to not be horny anymore

I suggest you to take a look at the release post on my blog.

Link for the lazy

Ah, yes, that would be me.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Quite liked the last few chapters.

Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Uh, how does one copy magic by looking.

Sharingan!

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Meh. I still don't like her, so I still don't care about her budding relationship.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

She thinks she's riding high. But the thing is, all the higher-ups know two things about her.

1. She's a traitor, and nobody likes a traitor
2. She's an ambitious woman, and they're male chauvinists--look what they used her to do to the other ambitious women at the company.

She thinks she's using them. They used her, and soon they will discard her. And she will be easy to discard, because she's dirty, and her clever tricks will do her no good when all the old boys close ranks against her.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

And by "fun" she means, everyone's going to go yandere on each other's ass.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

I can sort of see why she's such a walkover. I mean, there's this whole dark side of socialization in Japan, right? But normally when that kind of dynamic is happening, people are just sort of pushed by being aware of how people are looking at you, catching a smidge of what they're saying kind-of-behind-your-back and stuff. But she gets it all, allll the toxic thoughts that happen whenever she makes a ripple. If you're a quiet type to start with, it could beat you down.

Anyway I liked this.

Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Ugh... Gross. I don't get this obsession with yuri authors to push the story towards "yay pregnancy!" with lesbian couples...

As others have pointed out, this isn't a real thing. Hard to "get" something that doesn't exist. Considering that procreation is an incredibly basic biological drive common not just to humans but to all life (cuz any species that didn't have it, didn't reproduce and so they're, like, gone), it's almost surprising how very little yuri has anything about it.

Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Well, this continues getting more and more fucked up. This version of science babies is edging more into magic babies, but fine, whatever. The basic idea that the two can have a kid would be sort of nice, if it weren't for the specifics.

Good grief, what would that stupid "mother" have done if MC had been a one-night-stand type, done Nadeshiko the first night and then discarded her with neither aware that you need protection before putting a finger in? Yeah, the whole thing is pretty insane, makes no sense, and I hope we get to see some fun times between the two of them again soon because it will sure be more coherent than the plot.

last edited at Dec 20, 2023 2:59PM

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Great chapter. The little sister and cheek poke thing fucking melted me. Also Chiheerow. This isn't related to anything, but I'll also share that for some reason I really, really like the name Chihiro.

I like the name Chihiro mostly because it's the girl's name in Spirited Away.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Well, that was easy.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

That ending... She's actually a tsundere! :D

Sort of a tsunyan. "I-it's not like I want to gush crazy all over you, or anything!"

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

The "best friend" line surprised me, but it didn't ring that weird once I thought about it. I mean, Kase thinks more like a typical guy athlete than like a modern ordinary person of either gender, let alone like a typical Japanese young woman. For her, spending time with someone and running a lot of races with them = friends. Doesn't matter if they've never said a meaningful word to each other, what's that got to do with friendship?

And that attitude in turn explains why she considers this person a friend and yet had never before considered telling her anything much about herself . . . to her, that's kind of irrelevant. What makes them friends is that they spend time trying to run faster than each other. And to be fair, that in doing so they sort of passively absorb a sense of the other person's character. Communicating facts with words isn't really part of the deal.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

I don't think that this arc is that bad at all.

You think Kase putting her long-term relationship up for a bet isn't bad?

I would say something like "it's not a bet if you know you're going to win" but I need to caveat the fact that that's also the gambling addict's motto

Well, athlete, gambling addict . . . it's kind of similar really.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

Yeah, there's this line between being hypercompetitive and bitchy at each other on one hand, and conspiring to kill someone's career with lies and manipulation, on the other. Junko's in villain turf now.
Not that it BOTHERS me, depending how things work out. I'm just saying, objectively she's at that "decided to be evil" position.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

We need a Hatesex tag.

It's . . . already tagged with that.

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

I'm kind of in the other direction from some people here--what I find hard to believe is actually the interludes of nonviolence and the sexual tension, not the attacks. Well, that and the heavy-handed stalking--if you're not allowed to kill her, and you've agreed to that provisionally, then whatever, let her get some food--ideally, find some way to do actual surveillance so you can catch her if she tries to grab someone's soul or do anything else illegal, rather than just sort of getting in her way without a purpose.

But for me the problem here is, the comic has this premise: Obsidian is a murderess, probably a multiple murderess. Specifically, she has tried to kill the female lead and has killed the person in the world who mattered the most to the female lead. It appears to have been premeditated and done with enthusiasm and pleasure. Since then, heroine seems to have spent her whole life training to be badass enough to take Obsidian down when she meets her again. This is "My name is Inigo Montoya" territory, not teen sex comedy hijinks territory. It doesn't even really matter if she can't remember doing it; if she isn't a completely different person with a completely different personality, she's basically an amoral killer and probably needs to be put down before she starts up again. (Well, with the mind control powers it will probably turn out she was mind controlled or possessed at the time--but until this theory is floated in the comic it shouldn't figure into the heroine's motivations)

That means,
IF
you take the premise seriously, the only question should be does the female lead use her to track down her superiors before doing her in, or just kill her now and investigate further without that bonus. The question should NOT be, do they fuck.

So that's my problem here: The comic has a serious and somewhat tragic premise, but it does not take it seriously. Rather, half the time it blows it off for quick lulz. Most of the time when the heroine attacks Obsidian, for amazingly good reason, it isn't even resolved, they just cut away and it's vaguely assumed it came to nothing. And it isn't even gallows humour, which I can appreciate. Rather, I find the comedy undercuts the serious premise, and the serious premise makes the comedy seem stupid.

It's a pity because I can see two different decent comics here, which appear to be spoiling each other.

last edited at Dec 11, 2023 12:33PM