Uhm, yes. It felt like a buildup towards the climax, if anything, but not an ending.

This entire chapter is like a call back to earlier chaps.

Just look at Ayaka's expression when she says "I'm gonna wipe the floor with you": it's no longer angry, it's almost playful, like she's actually having fun. Also compare Yurine's "I can't contain my happiness" in this chap to Ayaka's "I'm so happy" in chapter 15.

The two main characters' arc is a mandatory Story S, because once Shiramine and Kurosawa are an official couple, their story is over.

Dunno, there are romcoms where the confession between the two mains isn't the end, although they're pretty rare (Karin and Jitsu wa Watashi wa come to mind… two series with vampire girls, weirdly enough…) And so far, none of AnoKiss' arcs have relied on big love confessions. Moe and Mizuki were already a couple, Yukina and Towako kinda were, Chiharu and Izumi had an arc after they became a couple, and Itsuki made no secret of her love for Sawa.

I honestly would like to see how Ayaka and Yurine's relationship evolves after high school, but I'm not holding my breath for that.

I'm honestly a bit confused too… She's been saying "I love you" as a morning greeting to Ayaka for 36 chaps, so why can she no longer say it now? Does that mean she didn't consider herself in love "for real" before that (cf chapter 11)? I guess it's a continuation of chap 35, where she went from "loving her because she's her rival" to "being her rival because she loves her".

You know, Shiramine doesn't look too confused on page 30, not even surprised -- more like saddened, and a little bit frustrated that it took Kurosawa so long to realize her feelings. It makes me think that unlike her, Shiramine has long understood and made peace with her feelings, and has been only waiting for Kurosawa to make the first move in some way.

That's an interpretation… She looks irritated, but in a different way than usual… We badly need a chapter from Ayaka's point of view next. When was the last time we heard her thoughts?

last edited at Nov 14, 2017 6:15AM

Give up. Her hair will never be fluffy again. ;__;

But boy, Yurine blushes more in those few preview panels than in the entire series.

edit Chap 36 is in proofreading. ^^ An AyaYuri chapter. We're gonna have an AyaYuri arc two volumes in a row. \o/

…It is. =O
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/a_kiss_and_a_white_lily_ch05#5

They really do work better as a band of best buds than as lovers… I wonder if Canno realized that too. That last line made me laugh. XD

…Damn. I sent you the right one this time. I think.

Today, in the latest volume's omake: Ayaka intensely challenging a grid of sudoku, Kaoru and her hopeless crush, and Yukina not noticing that her kouhai is taking a stealth shot at her. =3

Seriously, Ayaka was both pitiful and kinda cute in this omake…

It depends I'd say… It is indeed the case for MizuMoe, YukiTowa and Haika; and SawaItsuki to a lesser extent. But ChihaIzu and the Three Stoogies aren't really connected to the main couple in any way (though I love the former, mind you).

last edited at Oct 12, 2017 4:53PM

Hopefully. =3

…I tried to remake the chart with a color code to make it a little more legible… Does that work?

last edited at Oct 1, 2017 7:54PM

Hmm… I don't really see it. =[ The current art is indeed more "moe" to an extent, but it does a stellar job at conveying conflicting emotions to me. Ah well, different people have different appreciations I guess.

About volume 7… the good news is, there are a lot of omake, the bad news is that I could only find subpar-quality scans, and even Bookwalker's digital volumes don't look that great (AnoKiss is sadly not an isolated case in that regard. :x)

But according to the afterword, volume 8 will continue on AyaYuri. \o/

last edited at Sep 28, 2017 8:22AM

Yeah, idk. Everyone just feels a whole lot less expressive in general because of the changes.

I have the opposite impression on that… The facial expressions feel more diverse and nuanced to me in later chaps. Though I did prefer Ayaka's big fluffy hair. =[

PS: Speaking of the artstyle, haven't the girls also become somewhat… bustier?

last edited at Sep 27, 2017 3:53PM

Moe tried the same thing, but it didn't quite work…

I think this is a good time for a side couple though. Time for Yurine to take a step back, socialize a bit and figure out what happened with that kiss.

Yeah, I don't mind another side-couple related to the mains (like Haine was to Yurine in this one), that's even a plus. I'm just afraid volume 8 will be completely AyaYuri-less, like volume 2, 4 and 6 were. Those tend to be… fine, but not as interesting as the odd-numbered volumes (save for the end of the track team arc <3).

It's about how far our two leads have gone, in regards to their individual personality and in terms of their relationship with each other, which is very subtle due to the way the story works.

And you know, it's always hilarious (and a little irritating) to see people comment "Wow, there's finally some progress between these two!"… after pretty much every chapter that features them. >.> The progress only seems slow because we only get to see them every two volumes, but between chapter 1, chapter 15, chapter 23 and chapter 35, the evolution is very noticeable.

Ayaka and Yurine have switched places, haven't they? Ayaka is parroting back Yurine's own words at her, and the latter is being utterly clueless (about how much she hurt Ayaka when she agreed that just any girl who could make her feel more normal would do).

I think she's sort of aware of it. In this chapter she goes out of her way to show Ayaka that she cares about her, not about winning or losing. Also, there was chapter 15. But maybe Ayaka still thinks she's being insincere and is afraid of what would happen if their competition stopped… Really, side couples are nice and all, but I really hope the the next volume continues this arc. =[ I don't want to hang on this cliff until volume 9.

About the art… I'm not sure myself. It seems somewhat "cleaner", but I'm not sure in what way. The eye reflections are more detailed I think. And the angles somewhat more cinematic. The lining might be a little thicker too. I started to notice the change as early as volume 3, but I still can't quite pinpoint it…

last edited at Sep 25, 2017 2:18PM

^^ Nobody's shitting on it though.

By the way, I got a feeling the two girls at the end aren't gonna stay "single" for long. Call it a hunch. =3

Yes, the whole artstyle has changed. It's become… rounder?

Where can i find the good Raw for this manga? Like the first 3 chapters of kawaiiscan. I did have the Raw with same side but it's a little blury

They're on Manga-zone.

But man I really, really loved this chapter. If you reread the first chapter, you realize that Ayaka and Yurine's position are now pretty much reversed, with Yurine being the one who reaches out to Ayaka. Ayaka is still obsessed by the competition but at the same time she constantly shows genuine care by her actions. And you know, in a way I can get where she comes from. She's spent a whole year working her ass off to defeat Yurine, so I wouldn't want my rival to just give up either. I'd almost feel betrayed. On the other hand, you can see just how much more "human" Yurine has become through her interactions with the other characters. Even her teasing is starting to backfire.

I just love these two characters. Should there be an anime, I really wouldn't mind if it focused entirely on their arc. By the way, isn't it the first time a volume ends on a cliffhanger…?

BOIIII

Uguuuuuh.

last edited at Sep 25, 2017 8:37AM

Canno likes gay stuff and she likes to draw girls, so of course all the girls are gay. :þ Some illustrations from volume 7's preorder edition:

Yukiko (Futaribeya)

tMnR (My Unrequited Love)

I'm now pretty sure Yuunagi was rejected for the casting of Jitsu wa Watashi wa because she was too lewd.

But damn, these chapters are too short. =__=

Volume 7 cover!

I like it better than the volume 6 one, though Aika's face is a bit weird…

Also, chap 35's Little Theater, as a little apetizer (no spoilers, it's completely unrelated to the chapter).

Christmas Eve

Miyuki A real Christmas meal…
Two single girls having dinner together.
Are you really fine with that?

All our friends from college are having dates with their boyfriends.
It's kinda depressing.

Miho Is it really?
I'm honestly having the time of my life just dining with you.
The feeling's not mutual?

Miyuki …I won't lie, I'm actually having a blast too.
Miho Ahaha! All's well then! Let's enjoy ourselves!
Miyuki Dunno… Is this really alright…?

Miyuki 24 years old. Single.
Miho 25 years old. Single.

(I like how Canno's tweets are like "Yes, I'm doing a Christmas chapter in August, what of it?" XD)

last edited at Sep 7, 2017 9:48PM

Chap 35 preview.

Back to AyaYuri.

Well as for Izumi and Chiharu, their second arc came like, four volumes later. (In fact, after the first arc, you only find out they started dating through a phonecall in the extra of v2, it was like bam, here you go). Volume 6 is still sorta recent, dunno if the 3TP couple would get more material later, or if that's pretty much it. I mean, until a second arc happened, we couldn't have known that Izumi and Chiharu were gonna get more development

Precisely, the fact that ChihaIzu was only officialised in a quick extra called for further development of how it happened and how each of them would live with it (although there was the Drama CD 2 I guess, but I assume not a lot of people bought it). With AmaNinaRyou it seemed pretty… final? I mean, we could have a piece of them later on, like Sawa and Itsuki in this chapter, but I don't really see a whole arc. Ah well, it's Canno, she does whatever she wants, so who knows. X)

Yeaah she got influenced by her peers, thought she had to grow up and stop relying on Aika as soon as she could. Now that she know she doesn't have to though, she can sorta find a balance for her feelings and be more honest about how she feels, what she feels insecure about. But yeah Aika is definitely part of her comfort zone.

I guess 'balance' is the right word, yeah. Relying on her less doesn't mean she has to completely cut her ties with her…

Is not only mature air, she outright acts like the stereotypical twenty something OL and she also looks older than the rest of the girls.

I'd assume that's because she's also an aunt and has to act the part somewhat (plus having a part-time job). I thought she was in college at first, but 18-ish years old doesn't seem too farfetched, especially for an anime Japanese school. cough She's pretty damn well-endowed too. cough

(udpdated chart… not that there was much to update)

last edited at Aug 14, 2017 6:30AM

I wouldn't as harsh about the poly arc, but I can't say those complaints have no validity either…

…About that, I just noticed that almost all of the "side couple" arcs in the series were between two girls who have known each other for years. Mizuki and Moe since middle school, Chiharu and Maya ditto, Yukina and Towako since they were little, Sawa and Itsuki basically their whole life, and even Haine and Aika if you count them as a "couple".

On the other hand we have Ayaka and Yurine, Izumi and Chiharu, and the Triple-Couple. AyaYuri's arc spreads over the whole series, ChihaIzu had two distinct arcs and a few extras to solidify their relationship… But in Amane, Ryou and Nina's case, everything was established and developped in 3 or 4 chapters. Canno may not like long arcs, but that was just suicidal.

To go back on chap 34, Haine's character arc confuses me a bit honestly. It started with "I have to become an independent adult quickly" and ends with "oh, I can cling to my big sis until the end of time after all." The message is "don't try to grow up too quickly" mixed with "it's okay to have somebody to rely on", I guess…? Yet we have a middle-school girl working a part-time job without anyone batting an eyelid. Japan is weird.

ch 34, pg 08, "thinkng". misspelling (thinking)

…Well, err, let's just say it's the French spelling. :þ

last edited at Aug 13, 2017 8:55PM

I don't think we will ever get to see Haine's mother reaction but it was cute...

Reaction to what? The only thing she'll see is two sisters fond of each other. :þ

I like how on page 9-10 of Chapter 34 Haine goes from walking in front and saying her aunt is too protective to suddenly hiding behind her.

Yeah, I hadn't noticed that, it's cute.

Sawa and Itsuki have appeared quite a lot haven't they..

They're apparently pretty popular among Japanese fans…

That first panel though… Rewriting history a bit, eh Itsuki? XD

This chapter reminds me of that interview where Canno said she tended to like relationships that "may or may not be romantic". I think that was the intention here, rather than full-on incest. That's probably the reason she refrained from having them actually kiss − and why Aika says "she's probably not like Nishikawa". And I'm honestly fine with that.

last edited at Aug 13, 2017 8:45PM