Rope marks...

DDLC in its essence is a subversion of gal game tropes. It uses shock factor (I would hardly call it horror) to elicit a reaction, but it is most effective as a parody of the genre. For what it is, it is fairly well executed. But I don't derive much value out of it. The yuri fanworks on the other hand are a pleasant side-effect.

^It is not mentioned in her bio. This is information that was revealed in Legends of Runeterra (the card game) and confirmed by devs. The bios are generally lacking in details other than the most basic motivation. Her lovers names are Loto and Tama and they both have cards if you want to look them up.

last edited at Dec 7, 2021 3:24PM

^Nami is canonically in a polyamorous relationship with a man and a woman. So even though she is not a lesbian, she is definitely bisexual and has a female lover.

^Perhaps but Rei using strength enhancement magic to princess carry Claire to bed for their first night is by far the most in-character thing that I can imagine. That outweighs the gap effect of bottom Rei.

If I recall correctly in the Star Guardian universe they are childhood friends and the description is less than ambiguous about Jinx's affection for Lux. It should not come unexpected that the magical girl AU increases the levels of homosexual tension.
That being said, they are not officially gay in any capacity. I believe the only official sapphic characters in League of Legends are Leona, Diana and Nami (EDIT: Neeko is also a confirmed lesbian). I can't see Vi as anything but a butch lesbian of course and she has always been shipped with Caitlyn. Arcane did only fuel that fire.

last edited at Dec 20, 2021 3:04AM

The end of a story is not a negative. All that matters is that it sticks its landing.

With the mention of the festival we truly have come full circle. Arata Iri really wishes to do that phenomenal chapter again? I cannot fathom why... it cannot be replicated, the circumstances have already changed. Miko's sickness being paired with the emotional clearing of their feelings mirrors Nekozaki's sickness and acceptance of her feelings during the original manga already. Then the repetition must serve a different purpose. To retrace the steps and move beyond the line that the last timeline could not pass. Perhaps this time they will go to the festival together. Maybe this time they will not merely hug, but kiss in the night. Although we already had their kiss, even though we already know their love is true and reciprocated, if they declare it at that spot it will be like a send-off for both iterations of this story combined.

This finale could gain more meaning from the fact that this is a remake. I am intrigued Arata Iri! Show us that you can stick this landing!

last edited at Dec 6, 2021 7:40PM

I was kinda interested in this comic until I saw the MC attack someone for "pitying" her.

Violence aside, announcing to the class, "She's so pitiful!" is not the same as actually demonstrating sympathy for her.

To add to that, it completely fails as a defense and as an empathetic response. He did not defend her from being bullied because he thought they were wrong about what they said, he merely had an averse reaction to her immediate show of suffering. Of course we have no way to look into that random boy's head, but there are far more negative reasons to pity someone than there are positive ones, especially in this situation.

Being treated as a defenselss child who doesnt know better hurts, but it is worse that most of the time this is done in order to get browny points for 'protecting' an outcast. It's quite common in this world. By putting the victim down even further he can prop himself up as a savior all the more with no detriment to his own standing as he didn't object to the core reason for the bullying.

The violent reaction was uncalled for, but it is understandable. Maybe she (and me) interpreted that boy's meaning wrong, but in such a volatile situation any negative reinforcement will cause backlash.

yomi hirasaka's gender has been debated for ages. hence, this is something i can't confirm, but i can say for sure that their works have been quite queer-coded in the past.

I have to assume that a work starring an out lesbian protagonist can be considered more than queer-coded, no? Just queer maybe. If the story starts out like this, there can really be no recourse into avoiding the topic. In fact it seems to be the main focus.

I am not sure why Yomi Hirasaka's gender matters to how queer the story can be however. There are plenty of male artists and writers who have proven themselves.

This being a yuri manga I simply have to assume that it will eventually be revealed the author is at the very least bisexual and that her interest in cute girls is not platonic after all, but the dynamic, the motivations and the build up to that are very promising.

I've read that some of the big yuri artists, like Mira, Ayanero Taicho, and Morishima Akiko are actually straight women, interestingly enough. Mira apparently even has a husband and kids, too. If this is true and not just some made up rumour, what that shows is something that's been said for a long time, which is that the Yuri genre is that it really is one that kind of transcends gender and sexuality, for all to enjoy

Oh. I believe I am starting to see the issue here.
When I was refering to the "author" I was talking about the character in this story. The novelist Ayu will live with now. That is what happens when I do not bother using names... I think the initial deflection she made that made Ayu believe she is heterosexual was a red herring and she is actually bisexual at the very least.

On your topic though, naturally you do not need to be a lesbian to write about lesbian love (although I find it incredibly hard to believe Mira is heterosexual, no offense. She could be married to a man, but that does not exclude her from loving women). As I said in my reply above, even men have proven their worth to the genre, so there are no limitations in my opinion.

I've been re-reading the manga and it's surprising how many times Toudou brings up Yomotsuka. It's in almost all chapters. When she's touching her kouhai she thinks about how Yomotsuka's touch was on another level, she threatens Shirashiro with telling Yomotsuka about her sword and it's dissapointed when Sports Girl's groping skills don't match up to Yomotsuka's.

I don't know how future chapters will develop Toudou's relationship with the other girls, but the one who did the greatest impact was Yomotsuka for sure.

Conversely, I'm really not feeling her relationship with glasses best friend. In the case they end up going further, I can just hope Toudou enjoys herself.

I have noticed the same thing and made sure to check. Yomotsuka is mentioned by Toudou in every single chapter except Chapter 9. She is constantly on her mind.

Another aspect that I find relevant is that Toudou had prior relationships with several of her victims. Kamisada was her bully and it is implied at least that Kamisada was interested in Toudou before the potion (which is why she focused on bullying her specifically so much and why she was into her even after it wore off, unlike Ookada or Shirashiro). Of course her best friend who is an open lesbian and is physically attracted to her (I am not so sure about the "crush" the narration mentioned, seems very physical only to me) exists, but she is clearly a no-go as Toudou can't see her as anything more than a friend. Hanei Rin is the only one we get direct confirmation of being in love with Toudou without any love potion involvement.

What matters here is that, while many of the girls may have had an eye on Toudou before, Toudou herself has admitted she was focused on Yomotsuka even before the love potion. In chapter 1 she even starts to question why she "hated" her so much to begin with. I believe Mochi subtly tried to imply since chapter 1 that Toudou was intrerested in Yomotsuka and all the following events just strengthened that interest. Her going out of her way to test a love potion on a girl she "hates" is in itself kind of strange to begin with. Of course her justification of not minding to poison someone she dislikes or the fact that it would be shameful for Yomotsuka are believable, but it is not out of question that she subconsciously wished to be loved by Yomotsuka.

So while she likes the attention and admiration of others, the one she herself admires is a completely different matter and thus more powerful than any other relationship in my opinion. And Yomotsuka being an implied experienced lesbian really does help a lot, as she doesnt deny her attraction to Toudou and would be fine making her hers, but also respects Toudou's own choices. If they were to become lovers Yomotsuka wants Toudou to come to her.

last edited at Dec 2, 2021 3:06AM

It has been quite a while since I read a yuri manga that honestly and succinctly addressed the issues LGBT members face in a conservative and patriarchical society like Japan (The only recent exception for me would be Tsuki to Koi wa Michireba Kakeru, but that one is actually fairly old). Of course many works will dabble into themes of rejection or ignorance, but it is rarely the full package. The main characters will always have someone who accepts them when others do not almost immediately.

It is almost never focused on the fact that superficially Japan (and many other countries) are more "accepting" of these minorities, but in actuality will still be completely bigoted when it happens in close proximity to them. It is something I have been pointing out a lot to people who wholesale buy into everything being fine for lesbians in Japan, because of survey results like 70% of Japanese citizens are for gay marriage rights etc. The hipocrisy of a superficially polite society like Japan is so rarely addressed by the media within it.

Another very rarely addressed aspect is the nuance for how a lesbian is not attracted to every girl around her automatically, but that the sexual component (especially for a teenager) also doesnt just disappear. Mainstream Yuri tends to go for one direction or the other: The perfect "I only fell for this one girl because it's her, not especially because I am attracted to girls" romance that ignores every and all potential attraction to other girls... or the type where the lesbian is always horny for everyone around her and the concept of normal friends almost disappears completely.

As for the story itself, it is the perfect fantasy yuri set-up with a high school lesbian moving to a new place with a beautiful woman who could immediately be her love interest, where everything is convenient and falls into place. But the way this set-up is completely subverted right out the gate is done so well. Ayu is hopeful with her new start, but already scarred by bad experiences in a very delicate phase of her life. She is also dependent on this job and cannot afford getting ostracized due to sexuality again, especially in such a delicate situation as living with another woman. Whether the author is accepting or not, she has already implied to be heterosexual in their very first exchange, so Ayu simply cannot risk it. The fantasy scenario is suddenly a prison of deceit and self-loathing. It is quite well done, even if depressing.

Though I doubt the story will actually go into that direction, realistically Ayu moved to Tokyo to find other people similar to her, so as her job is just a source of income, she can spend her free time still looking for those people and get over her attraction to the author. If she found a girlfriend this situation would mostly solve itself. Instead, of course, it will most likely just focus on her struggle to hide her attraction while the author (whether she is actually het or just hiding her sexuality too) will constantly tempt her by acting overly casual with skinship and closeness and acting kind.

This being a yuri manga I simply have to assume that it will eventually be revealed the author is at the very least bisexual and that her interest in cute girls is not platonic after all, but the dynamic, the motivations and the build up to that are very promising.

last edited at Dec 2, 2021 3:09AM

Raerave posted:

wait but what is the spoiler tag?
i havent read the manga in a while

Honestly, anime-only person here, I have no idea whatsoever what was spoiled in here. Could just be a bit thick, though.

This doujin was not made for an anime-only audience, I can assure you. The entire thing references several developments from the later manga volumes. It would be a shame if people who haven't even made it to volume 5 read this, so the spoiler tag is very much appreciated.

An old favorite. And canon friendly due to Rin's bisexuality and Artoria's affection for Rin.

This artist truly understands the character dynamics of the manga and is clearly well read on the entire series as the abundant references to existing chapters show. This is something that seperates someone who is fully invested in a cast and story from someone who merely wants to ship two characters in their doujin. ShamiMomo is not far away from this doujin's reality. They are all but confirmed to be romantically interested in each other and just need a gentle shove.

The art is beautiful and the depiction of softness, intimacy, Shamiko's tail movements and even the sex itself was a joy to witness. This is a masterclass as far as doujin works go.

last edited at Nov 30, 2021 3:31AM

But for the record, if this were taking place in the States, that little boob-touch and kiss in the changing room could well land Aizawa on the sex offender registry for sexual assault and corruption of a minor. I'm not a lawyer working in Japan, or an expert in japanese consent laws, but I know that with matters of law it's usually not a good idea to make uninformed assumptions. It's probably better to assume risk and be wrong.

The age of consent in Japan, even at it's absolute highest, cannot be above 18. And according to the charts, at 18 there is no limitation to the age of the partner either. Assuming Misumi is 18 (which we established highly likely) there is not a single thing to be concerned about in regard to her kissing or groping her girlfriend who clearly consents.

And it's not just a matter of Aizawa going to jail. If Misumi's parents turned out to be bigoted assholes, they could seriously ruin her life without ever getting the police involved.

This is certainly a real possibility with Japan's social suicide and outcast culture. And that is after all the real fear disapproval would cause here. Ai-san cannot be legally hurt, but being socially ruined is almost no better.

Irys and Baelz pretended to be married during one Minecraft stream where they got successively more aggressive towards each other and by the end decided to get divorced. Ever since they have been pending between going through with the divorce and getting back together, acting out a marriage they never actually had. Their mix of antagonism and affection like old bickering spouses makes them stand out.

last edited at Nov 27, 2021 12:03PM

all future legal repercussions

Proving their innocence in the court of law isn't really the issue they're facing

Is it not? Quite a few people have insinuated a jail visit for Ai-san here already. I think the general perception is that their relationship is illegal or endangered due to the age gap. The parents being opposed to it could well lead to them pressing charges against her, yet with the facts we established that fear is nearly snuffed out.
Of course disapproval will have consequences in itself, but I did cover that in my previous comment as well.

Aizawa and Misumi are such sweet, respectful, pure-hearted people that things have just got to work out for them,

Because that’s how the world works, right? Do your best, work hard, be honest and sincere, and things will go your way.

Work with me here, people!

Sarcasm aside, you are not entirely wrong in a narrative sense. The point of this development is to show Ai-san's sincerity to the parents. She wants to make things right in a traditional sense. That's why I believe there will be no hiding of the relationship (aka the feared coming out). If the author continues this line of thinking I believe things will turn out fine. Ai-san's arc is all about becoming a reliable adult who can support her girlfriend's aspirations. This is a good challenge to that.

But curveballs are not uncommon in these works either. Should the parents be homophobic or opposed due to other reasons, I can still see their relationship merely being delayed until Misumi moves out.

I don't remember if we had been given the information, but Misumi being a 3rd year high school gives us a rough estimate of her age, something like 17~18 now, right? I'd have to re-read the whole thing to confirm, my memory being what it is...!

This is a very good point. As just in this chapter they talked about the future career survey because they are third years and about to decide on which college entrance exams to take. High schoolers in the 3rd year are generally already 18 and even if Misumi was still 17, it can't be long until she reaches 18.

Although the actual legal age of adulhood in Japan is 20, sexually speaking 18 year olds are entirely free to choose their partner. So all future legal repercussions are either non-existent or will be gone soon. The only issue being that they have been dating for a while already and that may be retroactively investigated. Maybe they should keep that part to themselves.

last edited at Nov 24, 2021 11:32AM

The parents are going through a multi-hit combo of shellshock. Receiving five mindboggling revelations so quickly might take a few years off their lifespan. Their daughter doesn't want to go to college, wants to be a professional mangaka, wants to move to Toyko, is a lesbian and dates an older woman. Hopefully their kindness is as tall as that stack of surprises. I fear most parents would have drawn the line at two of those things at most.

This is a catastrophically bad idea.

I mean, I'm sure it won't end in prison, this isn't that kind of series, but I mean, "caution to the wind" doesn't really do this justice.

Correct me if I am mistaken, but I don't believe there is a law against an adult and a teenager cohabitating in Japan? As long as the parents give the approval or the adult is assigned as a guardian, there would be no legal ramifications. It is not like anybody can prove whether they are truly dating. They had no sexual interactions yet, so that cannot be persecuted either. The case would be very weak.

I agree that it is a rather hasty move, because if the parents disapprove they will either have to break it off or date secretly with additional complications. It may have been prudent to first scope out how receptive to homosexual relationships the parents are...
The alternative would be to lie to the parents about her reason for staying in Tokyo and that will lead to even more lies to justify how she can make it on her own there. In that sense I believe they have no real choice but to be open about it if they want a clean relationship and conscience.

This reminds me of the phrase "I would rather beg for forgiveness later than ask for permission". I don't think that's a very good way to lead a life.

last edited at Nov 24, 2021 11:39AM

@Kojiro481 I see. I am not quite sure whether the official release will ever do the anime bonus novels, so it may be good to look into that much at least. Furthermore the official translation takes quite a few liberties, so if you are truly tired of waiting, you could try reading the fan translations of the novels you already finished. Sneikkimies is not entirely accurate either, but somewhere in-between those two you may find a better understanding of the series overall.

last edited at Nov 24, 2021 6:00AM

@Kojiro481
Perhaps you are unaware, but there are fan translations for Volume 8 and 9, as well as the bonus novels that were released to accompany the anime (which are canon and very good). You may have heard Sneikkimies mentioned in some AdaShima related conversations. Their translations are the ones most people have read I believe.

The tin contains exactly what the label says. When it comes down to it AdaShima is all that matters.

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/itoshi_koishi_ch15_5#8
Yuri Aquarium. Yayoi-san has chosen... wisely.

Commendable indeed that they kept their promise to wait until Hina reached the appropiate age. It's a rare feat in this genre and our real world as well.

A lot of this series, but this chapter in particular, is very well executed in a very on-brand Mochi mix of dirty and heartfelt. Toudou's denial of being a lesbian/into yuri is of course blatantly contradicted many times by now, but her construct of self-justification is also constantly attacked. We have seen her slip up about Yomotsuka in particular several times now (admitting she is her crush even before her supposed beloved teacher, admitting she enjoyed her molestations, finding her cool etc.), to the point where it is clear that she is more or less the "main heroine" if we went by harem terminology.

But Toudou still continues to cling to "I am just humoring her, because there will be (non-gay) benefits to me." Yomotsuka is rich and influential, so it is actually halfway believable that a scummy person would want to use her infatuation for her own gain. Yet the maid in this chapter completely throws this out the window by showing that if she were in an open relationships with Yomotsuka, her life would actually be in danger and she immediately is scared out of those self-serving thoughts. The ticket is her reason for being there and would be enough to justify doing something perverted in her mind (she braced for that much), but going any further would be at her own peril.

Yomotsuka's favor is entirely non-sexual however. She has been portrayed as a hardass and eccentric already equally, so it is clear she has a no nonsense attitude about her weird requests. Her skill at molestation in chapter 1 and her clear skill at sex in this chapter show that she seems more than familiar with lesbian intimacy, which explains why she was barely shaken by the fact that she was sexually attracted to Toudou after the potion wore off. Still, she just makes a banal (if eccentric) request. So all the sexual tension has to come from Toudou's side, who clearly got her hopes up and was more than willing to go along with it in the end.

What I find very important is that this first time was not under the influence of the love potion and that both sides consented completely. The story is entirely founded on a scummy drug plot, yet the genuine feelings and desires are those that matter in the end. The love potion is merely a jump-start to close a gap quickly and lead to realizations about the true nature of Toudou's sexuality. We have come to a point where Toudou has to either accept she is into yuri or turn sex and romantic affection into a "reward" for "playing along" with her victims/aggressors, much like her fantasizing about riches or influence used to be.

Although I wouldn't necessarily enjoy her sleeping her way through the roster of girls like an eroge harem protagonist, this is Mochi, so I will simply accept that it comes with the territory. I will insist, though, that Yomotsuka holds a special place in Toudou's heart as the only one she actually has shown serious romantic interest in. Giving all her firsts to her is certainly a good indicator that Mochi has the same idea.

^As I said, sexuality is all too malleable in the hands of comic writers. I cannot speak for runs before the 90s, but it doesn't surprise me that they flip-flopped so much. At least it was not such a drastic move as when they altered Iceman's mind to make him gay.