I think the ones frustrated with the story are mostly because there is no yuri payoff and it's likely there won't be.

You really need to stop projecting opinions onto other people--you're not a mindreader. I for one don't particularly care about a "yuri payoff." I just think that this is a series that once had a lot of potential for developing an interesting story that has been fumbled in the execution. As several people have noted previously, the series in general suffers from a notable lack of focus.

I said I "think". No need to get defensive as I wasn't talking about you or anyone in particular.
I fail to see how the series has suddenly changed from the beginning to now. To me it has been consistent since the start.

I disagree that the characters (with the possible exception of Uta) have been "well-developed." Characters behave erratically, information is withheld from readers for no reason, important scenes are chopped up almost randomly (like Uta's "cliffhanger" confession that only got replayed several chapters later in a flashback), and plot lines get picked up and dropped with little or no discernible rationale.

If this were just poorly done in general, it would be easy to ignore. But for me the frustration comes from its occasional flashes of interesting development that just remind us of that initial promise, holding out a glimmer of hope that it might someday recall what it was supposed to be about.

You are talking very vaguely. Like you're not mentioning what is that the story is lacking right now. What glimpses of hope you're referring to?

I think the ones frustrated with the story are mostly because there is no yuri payoff and it's likely there won't be.

The Kuro parts definitely feel like they're in another story/universe.
But besides that, the main characters here are all very well developed and interesting. Plus the mystery around Risako and what actually is going on with Reiichi.
I just think people have to read this without expecting any yuri, but more like a story about complicated issues and dynamics between the characters.
And this is what makes this story special. It's not the classic "safe" unrequited love story where the mc actually gets together with their love interest in the end, but the possibility of actual unreturned feelings is real.
It's just like when you know a character won't actually die, so the emotional impact it has on you is not strong. Seems like here the author has the guts to actually follow through that- a non ideal but realistic ending. We need some of this in manga too.

last edited at Nov 16, 2019 8:48PM

I'm actually rooting at this point for Reiichi NOT to be cheating. It makes too much sense: Kaoru desperately wants external reasons to justify doing things, so in a hazy moment, she WOULD invent evidence for a very convenient suspicion that would be a socially justifiable reason to divorce her husband. This actually does fit the theory that she's very closeted... though that isn't the only thing that's work.

I'm rooting for him to not being cheating too. But that's because I can only see Kaoru being with him. Her being in the closet seems way too stretched imo and literally the only reason this might happen would solely be for the happy yuri ending.

A crazy ending that I wouldn't mind would be Risako ending up having a secret crush on Kaoru. Then Risako and Uta bonding over it, and when Uta becomes an adult they start date each other.

Risako...My gay senses are tingling...

Raws are up to chapter 18. Hope we get an update soon

As if a straight girl would ever say that. This only happens in manga

She is not straight. She had never been interested in a guy before and the story hints she just didn't realize it.

That thing with heroes getting negative energy and turning into antinoids reminds me of Madoka.

I think this story needs to decide what to be. The elements of Sci fi and the classic highschool yuri set up just keep interrupting each other.
From one hand you have the mystery of why she's in that world and how their universes work, from the other it's just random scenes between them being nervous of their crush wearing a yukata. The number of times I've seen this trope makes it really annoying if there isn't any good development between them already.
I think this is a classic issue authors have. They want to keep people interested in the main appeal of the story (which here is supposed to be the Yuri) and they end up adding kinda forced interactions between them without any build up.

Aside from the art, the story is subpar in comparison to the usual storytelling that Mochi is capable of doing.

Well I wouldn't call incest with random plot superior to this but different strokes.

last edited at Nov 6, 2019 3:52AM

There's always something so exciting about two seemingly straight girls realizing their feelings for each other. Maybe it's because it's the most realistic wishful thinking fantasy most of us have lol.

That's actually interesting, I think what is compelling is the fact that they're breaking heteronormativity. Because there's this barrier that even if someone is not straight but is not completely gay either, they can go all of their lives living as straight or even not realizing their same sex attraction and putting it under the category of admiration.
And some of them would actually be a better match with someone of the same sex, but that is not even an option in their minds.
Like here Moe is a way better match than the manager, but Hikari, because of the heteronormative way of thinking, does not even see that as an option even though Moe is able to fulfill her needs.

I'm not into actual straight characters being with the same sex though. They'll obviously never be into it and these stories just give a bad vibe.

could use some name plates for identifying purposes, their faces are too similar, not a knock though, I gonna go ahead and call them all Risafaces

Aren't most faces in anime pretty identical though? You differentiate them from hairstyle, eyes, personality (facial expressions) and maybe clothing.

Hikari is so realistically stupid. The fact that she thought manager was ever going to be serious. But on the other hand it's completely understandable how she can't get over him so easily. She seems like the type who likes being with someone, so I wonder if the author will take the route of her going along the lines of "I'm lonely without a bf now, so Moe can you "hug" me instead" to start more skinship.
Moe just started realizing her feelings are more than friendly, so I wonder if their interactions change from now on.
Again, great chapter. Wish we we could have more regular updates of this manga, like twice per month would be awesome.

Ps. This is not a position for hugging lol. You don't need the leg placement like that.

last edited at Oct 31, 2019 11:35AM

I feel like Sakuya might be author's self insert type of character

New chapter raws looks really good

Three months of waiting for a ten pages update is sad. Too bad the updates are so slow, because the story is pretty interesting.

I have a feeling the girl might be the monster. Or she has some connection to it.

If this is the way the author chooses, we have not finished with the drama because a new uta-kaoru-risako triangle would be quite intense 00

(Don't think this needs spoiler since it doesn't have anything to do with the new chapter and it's just speculations based on former chapters, so I'll leave it like that so we don't get black texts all over the thread. )

I mean, Kaoru having feelings for Uta is already a wishful thinking imo, but having feeling for Risako is unbelievable. So I doubt there will ever be this type of love triangle.
On the other hand, it wouldn't be impossible that Risako actually had feelings for Kaoru all along.
Her character has been mysterious and even the cheating is yet to be confirmed. So I could believe that the author leaving it ambiguous might hide more than just showing how low Kaoru is willing to stoop for keeping Reichii.

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/my_unrequited_love_vol_3_extra_3#4

Oh, I hadn't noticed that. They'd make a good looking couple in that colored picture.

But honestly Risako being in love with Kaoru I a strech.

You're free to have your own opinion and dislike this work, as all of your points are valid. But contrary to what this discussion may have you believe, some people, like myself, still love this story and these characters. Please don't invalidate that.

I didn't invalidate anything. I'm aware that Citrus is really popular, and outside of this forum people don't really criticize it much. Just making an observation that I think this is author's strategy to keep the story going, since most of the side characters haven't really offered anything significant. Most of them except Matsuri and Harumin could be removed from the story without anything changing.
You might say for example, the twins have pushed Yuzu to confess, but this really was unnecessary since Yuzu could have decided to do that on her own without the whole "my fated person" thing from Sarah, and we could see a more introspective Yuzu.
Without the twins there could still be a confession, but with them we got like at least five extra chapters. So furthering the length of this manga.
Then, Harumin's sister. Again, unnecessary drama and she became quickly irrelevant after expanding the story.
So the twins, Nene, Shirapon, Harumin's sister all have taken up a significant length of the story, but are discardable.
Notice how I didn't mention side characters like Yuzu's mom, Mei's dad and grandad, Yuzu's friends from middle school, the manager who Mei was going to get married to. Because these characters have actually contributed important parts to the story.
And frankly, even with this push from everyone, Yuzu and Mei development is still really slow. It feels like we're going in cycles which makes me believe even more that this is a way from the author to just add length to the story.
I don't have a problem with slow development as long as it makes sense. And yeah, some people might say love is not logical, but someone's actions still have to be based on something. People are still not mindless creatures to be acting completely random from one day to the other.

last edited at Oct 20, 2019 7:53AM

I seriously think Saburuta doesn't allow them to kiss or do more solely to keep the interest of the readers, because besides that, there's nothing else to look forward to the story. The new characters are just an excuse to keep the story going.

I also disagree that they have chemistry. For me, chemistry to put it very generally is how they interact, not them constantly blushing and holding back.
There was also no built up in their relationship. It was always Yuzu going after Mei. I don't see any chemistry in that. And even in the first chapters that Mei was acting out and kissing Yuzu, that was to punish her. Even these kisses were bad because you could feel Mei being either cold and unmoving or punishing Yuzu.
The (literally) only time I've felt nice and chemistry with this couple was when Yuzu had sneaked in Mei's bed during their school trip.

I also really feel like we'll never get anything more than a kiss that won't last long. I doubt there will ever be an intimate scene too, but if that happens in the very last chapter, it will be a fade to black before showing anything.

It would actually be pretty interesting if the author somehow incorporates her summoning flames with the painting brush or something similar to a painting brush. Like her trademark attack

HonestYuriHawk posted:

Mei's reactions to Yuzu's deep love is always so adorable.

...

Just kidding just kidding XD I know you what you mean, Mei in the colored page was super cute and coming out of the elevator is probably the reddest we've seen her in the entirely of the citrus verse, right? too bad the building doesn't have like 50 floors, they would've come out dripping .........sweat

I, on the other hand find it stupid and boring. Over reacting in small things like that is only cute when they have a crush and start realizing it, or in the first stages of their dating.

I mean, even Saburuta recognized their development is weird through Matsuri saying it.
Like, they're going to get married but Mei finds it hard to say I love you and they both get so flustered as if they just had sex inside the elevator..!! ffs. Cause getting married to your same sex gf in front of all these people and declaring your love in front of them all is less awkward than say I love you to her in private.

Risako stole Reiichi because she wanted Kaoru to divorce, so she can have her.

Where did I read something like that? Oh right, in some Kodama Naoko.

if only

I'd take that over het drama any time.

Citrus was good in the first ten or so chapters. It had an interesting premise like living with that hot bitch you just had a fight with at school, and on top of that her being your step sister.
This start and the nice art grabbed people's attention. And when something grabs your attention, even if it gets bad quick, you're still invested to begin with. So you will still check it.

But she was never good at developing stories. She just has good ideas that can only last so long. Also her side characters are pretty nice tbh. I found them all likable and interesting except the twins. So again, good ideas but doesn't know what to do with them and it shows shortly after. We could see that in the early beginning of Citrus anyway.

last edited at Oct 16, 2019 1:38PM

Lol not surprised. Of course, adding new characters is the only way for Saburuta to make the story longer.
Well, it would be more understandable if there wasn't anything else to do with the current characters.
Wonder if that long break was because she didn't know what to write, so she ended up adding new characters.

Yuri googles? who needs that https://youtu.be/LPrrmjDKTjY
'If My Favorite Pop Idol Made it to the Budokan, I Would Die'

Holy sh*t that's so gay!

I think I've read that in a manga here. Anyone has the link?