I kinda don't like this whole rebellion thing being caused by some random third party and not, y'know, an organic result of a genuine class conscious taking form.

don't look up what happened in russia from 1917 to 1922

Ofercrissakes, like the Russian revolution was the only example of class struggle in history. Here's a clue: Unless you're very very rich, nearly every good thing you have, you have because of successful class struggle. Less than a 12 hour day? Class struggle. The weekend? Class struggle. Wages good enough to let you afford whatever you're using to post stuff on the interwebs? Class struggle. The vote? Class struggle. Look up the history of trade unions, or the Chartist movement, sometime.
Of course a lot of the good stuff class struggle got us has been getting taken away lately . . . because of class warfare from the other direction.

I think they were referring to the "third party component" coming into play because a large part of the October Revolution actually happening was due to the Germany's assistance in getting Lenin (and a whole other bunch of other socialist revolutionaries) back into Russia earlier that year (of 1917) after his exile from Russia since the end of the 19th century. Germany doing this in an attempt to destabilise the already falling apart Romanov Dynasty (which it did) and have a new government sign to a more favourable peace treaty to end hostilities (which happens in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk). Details might be a little suspect as this was what I recalled from a unit from Mod History in high school and a couple extra supplementary details/checks with the good old google. Just an interesting tidbit of one of the biggest turning points for history in the 20th century.

Or this went completely over my head and they're just referring to the Bolsheviks as the third party and separate to the actual working classes/peasants, with them mostly instigating everything up to the end of the Russian Civil War since the above commenter mentioned the period of 1917 - 1922.

Besides history, it's interesting to see quite a few people saying they're dropping this due to the direction change from slice-of-life to a more politically driven/drama plot. Obviously people read what they want to read, but personally, even though I like slice-of-life a lot as a genre, many of those fall into stagnation and end up sort of melding with each other in my memory as I struggle to differentiate between them due to usage of common events. Of course, all genres have their tropes which they use but slice-of-life tends to be the most narrow in scope and hence repetitive. So for me, this change of direction is quite refreshing and has piqued my interest towards this series much more than before (even though I knew it would go into that direction at some point, although not this early honestly).

Hinako caught a double whammy this chapter. I don't remember is she has mentioned to Shiori the circumstances of her family's death but if so, definitely not the best idea to bring her to the ocean alongside happy families playing on the beach.

Wow, I saw this updated but didn't get to read it until now. Once I got to the last few pages, I felt a pit forming in my stomach as I realised what was going to happen to the both of them. I automatically assumed that Airi was still alive after Hinako stopped choking her and she was still breathing (although the breathing sfx was actually from Hinako) but that last scene cemented their deaths with each other. The kind of the ending that leaves your mouth wide open before you start contemplating about everything that has led up to this moment. That ending really did its job punching you in the gut as hard as possible

However, kind of sucks the threads with the other characters were not resolved (girl who was obsessed with other's dramas, the yandere eyeing her friend, both of which were set up in the previous chapter). Part of me thinks it ended like this as the author realised that this chapter would have to be the last chapter of the next volume release and probably felt they couldn't hold that new plotline for another whole volume while continuing and extending this one with Airi and Hinako, so possibly some short-sightedness on the author's part (with the amount of leading on the second last chapter did)? Just some musing about the abruptness of this ending.

Left me with a stupid open grin on my face. Great one shot to finish the night.

Now that was just saccharine, chef's kiss. Wonder if the author has made anything else similar to this cause they have something pretty good going on here.

edit: Ok, I've browsed the interwebs and have made some discoveries. Found a translated oneshot by the author called "Jigoku Sensei" and only thing I can say about it is that it is a bit on the opposite spectrum of tone compared to this one. It's on mangadex with a readable translation.
Also I found another oneshot by the name of "The Art Teacher and the High School Girl", which is a bit more in line with this oneshot. You can also find in on mangadex (under the author title of Patrache).
Finally, if you know how to read japanese, the author has a bunch of works on their pixiv page including yuri and BL from a cursory look over here, for those who are curious for more.

last edited at Jan 20, 2022 3:01PM

Just an observation, is it just me or are there no dudes in this series/world? This chapter alongside that chapter when Baiser first fights against Loco and Leber with Loco's impromptu concert has no dudes in the background as with the crowd in this one, which are areas you would expect a mixture of people due to the sheer number but it appears not to be the case here. Of course it's not confirmed in the story and not very important, but it seems like this series might be a 404: Men Not Found one.

Shame this series isn't that popular on this site even though it slaps so hard with its comedy.

This is just the ordinary love story about how a lonely person became not alone.

For some reason, the way this statement in the description and at the end of chapter 2 is written so matter-of-factly cracks me up so much.

Series looks like an interesting mixing bowl of comedic moments between the lead interspersed with angsty moments when the protagonist realises their situation and inability to fully express themselves, which I assume is something that develops over time (like the author character being like "Surprise! I was actually joking about my joke earlier on", but hopefully it will deal with that with more elegance).

Otherwise for the chapter itself, interesting little tidbit of the author's philosophy revealed as desiring a simple life and a clear path. Even though it appears that they're a successful author, it seems they're lacking direction in life, which I'm guessing the plot moves in the direction of our protagonist providing that direction and meaning somehow.

Overall, so far, so good.

Yooo, this is a pretty nice series that I found just browsing through recent in the forum. Absolutely nutty art, water theme goes brrrrrr (in a good way). Monthlies always hurt with the low volume of releases but if the quality keeps up as it has right now, then I'm happy to wait. Although, I do have to say I found the series on a pretty bad cliffhanger with that reveal.

Short, sweet and punchy. Love it.

Ahhh, that had me vomiting sugar. Absolutely wholesome shot right into my veins.

That's very cute and all but I'm not sure I can 100% get behind the '' change everything about you to fit what your crush wants'' message (^^) It brings up quite a few bad experiences from my younger days .

No romantic experience on my end but it definitely seems rather unhealthy to "devote" yourself to someone else (i.e. go out of your way to match their hobbies/preferences). There's certainly room to try to get more things common with each other but there's a balance in that regard. Otherwise it was an aight oneshot.

Some people missed the news so let me repeat. The manga is ending next issue at chapter 16 (translation is 4 chapters behind). So 3 volumes in total.
https://twitter.com/uMeMi_M/status/1409316098349010946
It was bound to happen. Very few of these LN adaptations go all the way.
That said, the source material is still going on, so you better pray for it to get an English translation, or better yet, an anime.

Arrrgggh, man I was just getting really invested into this series. Well, probably due to that announcement, the translator dropped it, which is perfectly reasonable. Time to search for any morsel of translated LN or hope it actually gets onto the screens cause this was just getting pretty interesting. Most likely have to wait it out for a bit considering it is a pretty new series.

Certified seigi no mikata moment. Seems like shenanigans are afoot considering it was Vena who suggested that Sulfur should "betray" Tres magia and now it has led to her powerup. Now there's only Magenta left. Feels bad when you get drip fed the story only once a month, but the quality that comes with each month is pretty much worth the wait.

Woohoo, finally got around reading the Sayaka LNs. Feels great to see that evolution of Sayaka from being a naive young girl who approached love with an earnest but misguided approach (which ended up getting her burned badly) to a stagnant individual afraid of further pain and finally to a well-rounded person who has finally taken the steps to reach her own happiness alongside her special person.

Hitoma Iruma is just super solid with stories focusing on introspection with how natural and real the worries and insecurities of his characters come across through his words. Always fun to read his works (albeit translated with quite a few typos/grammatical errors that I'm not sure I should be expecting from an official publisher).

I guess I've finished my personal journey of experiencing this series (besides watching the anime, have been holding out on a small glimmer of hope of a second season, so I could watch it all in one go), but this is one of the few series that I feel like I can't get enough of (probably a sentiment echoed by a bunch of you here). Probably the only manga I've read three times over, which is a rarity for someone who hardly rereads/rewatches series and tempted to do so again after this.

But yeah, can't gush enough about this. Wish there's a second season more than any other series out there.

This is a moving story of two girls baring their most inner desires to each other and breaking free from the shackles that society has placed on them to conform to its rules and its expectations... only if it had just a couple minor details changed.

If it were any other yuri manga, this would have been a great chapter (minus the mentions of returning back to the "abuse play", if you can call it that). But knowing everything else that's happening, I can only see it spiralling further and further down into a situation that wouldn't exactly be the most favourable for our protagonists. I won't lie though, this is a lot more entertaining and engaging than a run-of-the-mill romance story, and I'm all for it

This initial chapter feels rather reminiscent of 100 girlfriends who really love you with the whole rejection at the start and the flood of potential partners (possibly simultaneous) that come right after. Basically just wish fulfilment for the author but if it's this entertaining, I'm not complaining.

I hate to burst everybody's bubble, but don't the "don't hang out with anybody else" and "I won't hang out with anybody else either" sound kinda ominous?

It was kind of whiplashy to see Tong Tong move in with that request so quickly but with Xiao Lu replying in kind, it seems alright. Of course, it's a tad possessive to be throwing that around willy-nilly, but I wouldn't worry if I were you in relation to this comic.

Hmmmmm. Honestly a pretty hollow experience reading this (I would have felt so cheated if I followed this from the start waiting each month for a new chapter). It didn't feel badly paced so it didn't drag... yet it was a whole lot of nothing.

The side characters seem to have attempted to address non-standard archetypes/personalities, which were ripe for exploration and development yet they all fell short on that side of things with interactions and events that really didn't feel realistic in terms of the consequences they brought on the characters. A prime example would be the relationship between Kuro and Miyabi. Having it start with Kuro seeing Miyabi as a convenient maid is ok, in that it provides a great opportunity to address this flaw in Kuro's character. We have Miyabi show more physical affection towards Kuro and them going on a couple dates... and suddenly this flaw in Kuro's character formed from the trauma caused by her father's behaviour is gone. Could have more stuff happened offscreen which could have helped this? Possibly, but I would assume the point is to show pivotal points in their relationship and they were personally not very convincing.

There's weakly building upon characters and there's not addressing them at all. Of course that would be Risako being the ever-present "I'm rationality incarnate and I have no need for feelings or relationships as they drag me down" character. Needless to say, this worldview is flawed in so many ways that it would be pointless to state so. This trope is so common in het stories (usually that typical plain-white-bread dude MC) it's difficult to not sigh heavily each time they say something along the lines of that at the start of a first chapter. However, the thing about this trope is it can lead to some great character development especially in moments where it's challenged directly and shown how flawed it is. Yet... this doesn't really happen with Risako and she gets to continue on her lonely path she has decided upon. Sure, she is definitely far from being the focal point in this series, the author might have wanted her to remain static, yet she played a large enough role and directly led to one of the main conflicts because of this trait I sort of expected something to be done about it (although considering the point in the story that this is mentioned, I don't see a great way of going about it). Overall, one of many missed opportunities to flesh out characters to make them more compelling.

And finally, our main "couple". Kaoru and Uta. Admittedly (and as expected), these characters and the connection between each other were by far the most convincing out of the bunch. Uta being Kaoru's support pillar time and time again (even through her mere presence) and Kaoru's attachment towards her (and her realisation of it) was one of the small snippets of convincing and genuine character building I got from this series. This coupled with Kaoru's loss of her mother and the juxtaposition with her tenuous marriage with Reiichi is all very good. Likewise, Uta's struggle with her situation played out in the first half in a painfully relatable fashion that also felt very grounded. The climax of her expressing her feelings towards Kaoru is also another great moment and it could have led to a path of acceptance of the end this first love (probably better to say crush). But it doesn't go into that direction, which is ok given how Kaoru feels back towards Uta and we have Kaoru express back her affection towards Uta. Great, now we can get to best part where they start to learn more about each other and further their relationship... right? Nope, story ends right at that point and we get what felt like a ham-fisted ending where the author says "Yes, they got together. Look, they had a consensual kiss with each other so that means they are very close to each other. Happy?". This is something I can believe as a development, but a believable development is not enough when it can be shown (sort of goes back to my comments on Kuro and Miyabi's relationship) rather than shoved into you face with no buildup. It just feels very cheap and unsatisfying.

I could go on and make further comments about other problems but that would require to look back for details which I've forgotten and I'm honestly not bothered with trying to go through that again. But the above paragraphs are my main gripes with this series.

If you wanna read something with this sort of unrequited angst plus a bit of an age-gap, try out "Haru and Midori". Sure the roles are reversed (the older woman crushing on the younger) and the crush is misplaced upon the daughter of her original crush but you have the co-habitation vibe going on and the angst behind lost opportunities with solid dialogue and a beautifully airy art that adds to the angsty atmosphere. Really solid short read (15 chapters).

TL DR: Everything besides the two mains is underdeveloped and even for the two mains, given our ending that in itself did not have development towards it either. Did the author run out of steam? No longer had an interest in continuing? Certainly possible scenarios but this is what has been written and given to us. Potential that was mostly unfulfilled for me.

Also Reiichi is either a real dick or a dopey idiot (ironically given his portrayal, this comes off pretty in-character) if he didn't think far enough to realise that the net pain he would inflict upon Kaoru knowing that:
a) He doesn't love Kaoru as a romantic partner and would be unable to give her the affection a romantic partner should provide.
b) He would be causing pain himself by not being able to be with Risako to the point when given the chance, he would immediately jump onto spending time with Risako, while neglecting his wife.
c) He won't be even able to provide an ounce of substantial emotional support that is sort of the bare requirement for not even a lover but a friend (given how he bumbles through points of emotional strife).

Gosh, thinking about it more and more makes me awfully angry, especially considering his intentions. He hears Kaoru's mother's desire to have had Kaoru and himself be together right before she dies. He goes and proposes to Kaoru (while still going out with Risako) out of nowhere at her most down point. A surface level examination might make it seem like he was some sort of saviour to Kaoru, by granting one of her deepest desires at her worst time, but it comes off ridiculously selfish. He basically did it only to relieve himself of the guilt that was indirectly placed upon him by Kaoru's mother, with absolutely no regard of the following consequences (listed above) or rather unknowing of the following consequences considering what a dumbass he is. A guilt that is probably not great to carry, but one that definitely should have been acted upon given how minor all things considered. Rant over.

last edited at Oct 26, 2024 2:22PM

Yo, is there a word limit on comments? I wanted to write my thoughts in a certain discussion but it seems it has been marked as spam (probably because of how long it is and the lack of comments to my name). Is there a way to go about this?

Kodama Naoko

Writing trashy characters for the sake of having trashy characters

Name a better combo.

Oh man how i love this manga! hope it gets an anime at some point!

If only a studio was brave enough to adapt something like this. But if they did... boy would that be a glorious day.

Otherwise another great chapter, which seems like it's setting up for some shenanigans probably with the Enormeeta girls pairing off with each of the Magia girls. Sad it's a monthly but it's probably due to the fact that it's a monthly that we get these top-notch chapters.

100% she just sung to them the Disappearance of Hatsune Miku. It fits thematically and it even matches the PV from Project Diva.

That would be the weirdest experience if that was the first song you ever heard.

That's what I thought as well. At least it's one heck of a jam.

If you only read this chapter with no knowledge of any other parts, you would be forgiven for almost mistaking it for a typical wholesome series. I do have to say that this series has ramped up the spice with each coming chapter and I'm interested where Hina and Airi end up once their money dries up (which would eventually happen).

Not to rain on everyone's parade, but I kinda fail to see why should we get any progress after 80-something chapters, when they both behave pretty much the same way as in the first ones :P The series is like 100% innuendos and I bet it will stay that way until the end.

Unlucky to have posted this right before this chapter dropped with that last page.