Am I missing something or did Misa come down with a sudden case of amnesia? Why would Io call her and beg Misa to help her and then run out all haggard in a hoodie while visibly on the verge of breaking down if she was cheating? Io was audibly struggling on the phone, and Misa even talked to Hase and literally said "Isn't this the opposite of protecting Io?!"

Exactly. The idea that she could think this was cheating and call it "jealousy" is a large stretch. Io literally begged to be saved. They also treat the situation as though the manager just slightly overstepped, as though the issue is just about the manager not allowing Io freedom.

When Misa gets off the phone her thoughts are about that lack of freedom rather than the assault she could clearly hear on the phone. That just seems like a narrative oversight rather than the story just being toxic. I have no issue with complex relationships. I'm sure Misa will take care of her next chapter but that doesn't change this weird interaction.

Someone pointed out earlier that the Spanish version used "traitor" instead of "cheater" and that makes more sense. Misa doesn't think Io actively cheated, they didn't even have an exclusive relationship, but rather is doing the kind of misattribution of Io's feelings that some people in this thread did after the most recent chapter, interpreting Io following Hase's orders as Io's subby nature tempting her to go along with Hase rather than understanding that Io was scared and looking for an out but not feeling like she could just outright stand up to Hase. Misa thinks Io almost gave in to temptation and snapped out of it, enraging Hase, rather than the situation being nonconsensual from the start.
At least, that's my interpretation after sitting on it for a day and rereading it. The next chapter after this one is sure to be interesting on way or another, as Misa will presumably hear the full story and a) feel guilty over her presumption and b) very angry at Hase, perhaps to the point of acting against her.

last edited at Oct 14, 2024 12:38PM

If Ersrs is from a country that handled it relatively better and then went to Japan where they handled it relatively worse, it makes sense to me Ersrs would associate it with Japanese culture. And culture can have negative or destructive elements to it that necessitate culturally specific criticism in order to change.

This implies the existence of a country where Misa's reaction to what happened to Io would be unthinkable, and that country does not actually exist.

If you were to adapt this story to be at in America the only thing you'd need to change is Misa's job from "Hostess" to something like "exotic dancer" or "escort". None of my characterization or plot would need to change to be believable for American characters.

last edited at Oct 14, 2024 11:42AM

... Lol yeah you could say that. Could you explain why you think "normal is not getting in other people's way" applies more in Japan and less in America instead of just acting like it's obvious?

Pretty much at the opposite the ends of the spectrum of society from the community first thinking of Japan versus the me first thinking of America. The rest of the world tends to be somewhere between the two.

That makes absolutely no sense, a definition of "normal" that is "don't get in anyone's way" literally makes more sense describing the ideal permissiveness of a "me first" society, compared to a more strict definition of normal for "community first", one of the ways libertarians define the boundaries of their ideal society is "you can do anything as long as it doesn't get in the way of someone else rights". Stop throwing out cliches please.
Also Japan absolutely does not have the opposite kind of culture to America, not since the 1940s at least. It's certainly far from the most "community first" culture as well. Remember that the character who proposed this definition of normality is a western-style monster, not like a traditional yokai or something.

Unfortunately, Japan has a culture of victim blaming when it comes to sexual assault. A victim being told "you allowed it to happen" is extremely common and we actually see this exact interaction happening between Misa and Io.

Every time someone bad happens in a manga somebody comes along like this to claim it's some kinda especially Japanese bad thing and they're pretty much always wrong. There's not really any country on earth that DOESN'T have rape culture, unfortunately, just as there's no country on earth without patriarchy.

Why does this author only write unlikeable characters that have no redeeming qualities? The issue with doing that is the ending always acts like it's romantic and ok to be this messed up. Sure people can be crazy and toxic in real life but fiction shouldn't glorify it. Imagine someone that was assaulted reads this. Their biggest take away is if you get assaulted and tell your lover they'll just see you as a cheater. This story feels toxic just for the sake of it.

In what what specifically does this look glorious to you lmao

416 pages and the two have barely gotten past hand holding.

There’s 104 chapters
4 pages per chapter

104 x 4 = 416

Standard manga chapter page count is 25-30 pages

416 / 30 = approx. 14
416 / 25 = approx. 16 1/2

So if we were to go by said standard, only about 14-16, maybe 17 chapters have passed. For a slowburn, and considering what the recent story developments seem to be building to, that’s not bad I’d say.

Yes, but when each chapter is only 4 pages long, the faster pase kinda gives the audience the expectation of faster development. Additionally, those "16 1/2 chapters" have been spread out over 2 whole years. 2 years without any romantic development is a lot.

I don't know how you can say we've had no romantic development when we've gone from Aya thinking Mitsuki is just some nerd who sits next to her at school to being out to her friends about being in love with Mitsuki, who has in turn gone from being afraid of Aya judging her to writing suggesting songs about her and making those songs public.

I also think it's obvious Misa is pissed, not because she got cheated on (they never had that kind of agreement), but because Io was passive, Io didn't protect herself, and Misa hadn't done anything to prevent it and couldn't help at all in that moment. She is mad at herself for being powerless. This is her way of staking ownership to make it so Io will only listen to her in these situations. That's more immediately likely to work than giving Io a pep talk about how Io needs to stick up for herself, as Misa is going against many years of conditioning.

Of course it bodes bad / interesting developments in their future relationship. In a way they are each other's firsts, so the yuri toxicity must flow.

I feel like the public foot licking with no glasses is going to make Io lose her job or otherwise have financial impacts on Io, which will leave Misa at the head of a power imbalance as Io's remaining support.

I can understand how Misa is feeling, but I expected her to have greater self control than this I think. She's been fairly calculated and has a lot of experience from her job with keeping a lid on her emotions. I guess nothing to the extreme degree of this situation though, especially since Io is yeah probably the first lover she's been truly emotionally invested in.

Also they were in a dark alley for the foot licking, but Io ran out of her apartment without her wallet or phone and is currently alienated from her job and family for the moment, which is a more pressing immediate concern probably.

last edited at Oct 13, 2024 10:16PM

Yikes what the fuck Misa. I was so happy with how this chapter was going, with Io standing up for herself, biting Hasa, calling Misa for help and fleeing, and then Misa had to do all that out in the street? What the fuck? I could have had a little bit more patience for it if she at least got Io behind closed doors first, Jesus Christ. Hope Io stands up to her too now. Don't necessarily need to end things but she certainly needs to grab some humanity back here, a little scrap of dignity. Maybe Misa will feel guilty once Io tells her about how thoroughly Hasa has access to her life and control over her circumstances, idk.

last edited at Oct 13, 2024 7:34PM

for the record I'm pretty sure this definition of normality is most specifically applicable to Japanese society

How so? The specifics of what is normal differ, but the overarching definition of normal doesn't strike me as applying more there than anywhere else

Have you never been to America???

... Lol yeah you could say that. Could you explain why you think "normal is not getting in other people's way" applies more in Japan and less in America instead of just acting like it's obvious?

I trust the author will enjoy their break and come back with even more wonderfully deranged drama for us :)

I know Erika gave Aya that advice to break up for selfish reasons but honestly, who can't say that this didn't need to happen. Koto and her trauma is a lot to deal with and Aya got her own shit she needs to sort thru. Its funny to me how Aya is (mentally) the youngest of the three but is the only one trying to help herself by accepting her new reality and move on in a healthy way while the other two are still slaves to the past. Erika and Koto can be together for all I care, I just hope by the end those two crazies don't drag my girl down with them, Aya deserves better

Erika didn't tell Aya to break up with Koto, she told her to think about who Koto is and what she's been through. Aya's default in that situation was breaking up already, Erika pointed her down the path of that compromise she tried to offer Koto but couldn't. I'd imagine this has the effect of making Aya feel more confident in her choice and feel less like she's hurting Koto or being selfish, since it's a more informed choice on her part and a more deliberate fuckup on Koto's. Whenever Aya has asked Erika for help, she's given the best advice she can while also inevitably thinking about how that advice might help herself and beating herself up for it.

I hate it when things aren't at least a little "problematic" tbh. Gimme that texture, gimme something real to think about! Of course imo I Love the Villainess takes it a bit too far with the hetero incest couple, but better that than a smooth problem-free story.

last edited at Oct 10, 2024 11:43AM

What on earth, this post made me realize we don't have a butch tag on here, just "tomboy". That's fucked up

Lol "you're getting me dirty" yeah, she sure is

I really like Hajime, you don’t get gay dudes in lesbian manga very often, so it’s refreshing.

Yeah, me too.

Also if we as the audience learned too much about Yoru's perspective and mindset that would probably negatively effect some people's ability to empathize with Himeno's anxiety. It's best if we don't know for sure the answers to the questions she worries endlessly over, at least not before she gets the answer herself.

last edited at Oct 10, 2024 11:35AM

Bit of a tangent: a couple nights ago on Hazel's twitch stream I saw the 1992 Iranian film "The Mirror". It's about a little girl defying the helplessness you'd expect from a child, possibly even more from a little girl, to get home by herself after her mom doesn't show up to pick her up from school. It's a fucking excellent movie, and I'm bringing it up because Aya is reminding me of that little girl. Aya is still in many ways a child, but we tend to underestimate children. Perhaps her reduced experience doesn't just mean she might not know how to deal with things or predict certain outcomes, but she also hasn't had her confidence in her own feelings and perceptions over what an adult demands she think and feel instead squashed by negative experiences.
Aya, despite her depression and terrible family life, hasn't been beaten down and beaten into homogenous shape by larger society. She's a nail that sticks out and hasn't yet been hammered down. She's got the naive optimism of a child that if she works towards something she can achieve it, rather than the pessimism of Koto and Erika who assume their desires are very unlikely to be met unless they try to tip the scales rather than earnestly and openly pursue what they want.

PS: to Erika's credit she's taken Aya seriously and treated her with proper respect and care, unlike Koto. Of course, that's at least in part due to Erika's desire not being Aya, but she could have acted far worse than she has so far. Her unending internal negativity made sure she didn't lol. Erika is kind of on the opposite end of the maturity spectrum from Aya, experienced enough to be pessimistic, and mature enough to moderate her immediate feelings and take the long view. Koto is in the middle, experienced enough to be pessimistic and yet oh so immature in her refusal to listen to Aya and process any of the shit she's feeling.

last edited at Oct 10, 2024 3:41PM

I'm so proud of Aya, she's really giving it her all. She walked into that conversation willing to offer Koto a path forward like "let's start over," but Koto refused to even listen, and Aya refused to let Koto force her into anything. She's still got her feelings for Koto, and her desire to not hurt her friend, but she's still making the mature choice to protect herself. I don't even think she necessarily needs Erika either. If she hypothetically lost that connection too (not that I think it'll happen as of now) she's got her job and coworkers and she's remarkably resilient and resourceful for her level of experiences. I can easily imagine her living in a manga cafe or something rather than letting anyone push her around.

Is the licensed version of this just the two chapters on Renta? What's going on with this? I know Renta has a bad reputation but did they really drop the ball this badly to make the translation here get removed and then publish less than was translated by fans in the first place?
The Chinese Renta site linked on mangadex as the "official raws" has six chapters, no idea if this is all of it or not
https://tw.myrenta.com/item/230591

last edited at Oct 9, 2024 9:34AM

Eh, I like the Rehashed version more. The oomfie one is more "localized" but that doesn't necessarily make it better, and the word choices just kinda feel edgy to me, especially that final "whore," which makes it way harder to read the little sister as wanting the girlfriend for herself instead of her wanting the brother. "Trash" could be interpreted as referring to either of them, and isn't quite as scathing of an insult either way.

for the record I'm pretty sure this definition of normality is most specifically applicable to Japanese society

How so? The specifics of what is normal differ, but the overarching definition of normal doesn't strike me as applying more there than anywhere else

Yoshiko calling Hanayo "sugar" is so good, I love it. Thanks for the update!

Not wanting to bang in the woods would be a more reasonable concern, honestly.

This would genuinely make so much more sense. No walls, locked doors, soft bedding, or bathing, in exchange for dirt and bugs and rocks, but also immediate satisfaction. Not making that trade makes perfect sense to me, I wouldn't make it either.

last edited at Oct 8, 2024 3:38PM

I'm really surprised nobody in this thread brought up the very clear and intentional trans subtext in this manga because it feels so obvious to me.
The topic is brought up explicitly with the "pre-op transexual" line, which Chihiro does not refute but instead says "You're really rude!", which is accurate: don't go speculating about someone's genitals or medical history, people.
The subject of the theme is made obvious when Chihiro describes her childhood, saying "everyone mistook me for a boy when I was young, so I couldn't ask for girly things from my parents". This statement could only really mean two things and the non trans explanation (she was an only child raised as a boy by a family who really wanted a son) is a huge reach, because it makes the "so" of that sentence and the "A therefore B" structure it indicates not make sense.
Finally, the theme comes together with the plot as Chihiro marks her successful journey to self acceptance and confidence in fully embracing who she is by changing the main character of her semi-autobiographical novel from a man to a woman.

And if all that wasn't enough, she's even got a puppygirl gf, like that alone should convince anyone :P

This trans theme enhances a few different scenes of the manga: Nagi being the first person to intuit Chihiro is a girl, the manager being wishy washy in pursuing Chihiro, and Chihiro in the ending presenting much more femininely, including having a more curvy body.
And sure, you COULD argue against all of this... but nobody actually likes the "that thing you think has meaning is actually meaningless" argument, it's just a thought terminating conversation ender ;)

I don't get her hangups. Like in context, I'm pretty sure they're both considered marriageable age at this point and Elsa seems... frankly more mature than Evie a lot of the time. ╮⁠(⁠＾⁠▽⁠＾⁠)⁠╭

Oh, hey, I recognize you from Ao3.

Anyway, tbf, in terms of someone having hangups that prevent a relationship from advancing, not wanting to sleep with someone that you consider underage is...extremely valid.

But falling in love with them and dating is okay??? I do not understand how Evie could look at Elsa that way and still be willing to date her. Either the age thing is a barrier or it isn't, this half assed stance just feels like the kind of thing perverts dating a teenager irl and not wanting to be arrested for it would claim.

Huh, never heard anyone claim Nirvana influenced hiphop before. Wonder what's up with that?