But the "END" and not "To be Continued in ..." sort of makes me go like: is this some sort of weird 2 shot?

This I can safely say does not mean anything. Not only did chapter 1 say "END" at the end as well, but pretty much every chapter by every artist in Hirari ends that way regardless of whether it's a series. Also, this end strongly implies a continuation. So while I don't know Morinaga's plans for an absolute fact. I am confidant that she plans to continue this story.

ps. She mentions this chapter in her recent blog post; when I take the time to read it properly, I may find out for sure.

And of course, Happy new year.

last edited at Jan 1, 2014 4:03PM

And once more, on checking, chapter 11 of School Police was published in mid September in Comic High. In her blog post she mentions chapter 12 is out, so it would have come out in the January issue in mid December. So I really am blowing up nothing at all.

I am sorry to bother everyone over nothing at all. I am ashamed. (This time I really am, not tong in cheek.)

Edit: I sure wish I new how to get a hold of the doujins that she mentions in her blog.

last edited at Jan 1, 2014 2:06PM

I'd rather believe that she's actually having a love affair with

allegedly-lesbian supermodel Freja Beha

Because Morinaga-sensei must get all the women, right?

That makes perfect sense to me. Besides, the blog post I just mentioned hopefully proves I'm wrong.

Edit: Here is the image from the blog.

And re-edit: If I'm reading the blog correctly, this post was 12/29 and the previous post was 8/6. I had already notice the lack of posts and lack of new material, so I was already worried and predisposed to make this mistake. Sorry about that.

last edited at Jan 1, 2014 1:45PM

I just looked at her blog http://milmilm.blog32.fc2.com/. While there hadn't been any entry since August 11, there is now a new entry dated December 31. It shows a picture of something called "2013 Winter Myao" with her name under the title.

Phew! I'm just worrying over nothing. This really isn't like tracing. Anyone who reads Japanese more quickly and fluently than me is invited to tell us what she is saying.

last edited at Jan 1, 2014 1:26PM

The pose is different, but the details of the outfit are nearly identical. Morinaga-sensei did not appear in the most recent issue of Hirari; I don't have the most recent Comic High yet (monthly, School Police), but she hasn't appeared in the three or four issues before that. This is not like tracing, right? This couldn't have anything to do with her not contributing anything recently, right?

Does anyone know of anything Morinaga-sensei has published in the last three or four months?

last edited at Jan 1, 2014 1:14PM

@csx
Well, I get where you are coming from, though I can't agree. I've said my piece in full.

I'll say this: your arguments have made me think more deeply about where I am coming from, as well as about your position. Thanks for the thought provoking discussion, but I'm going to leave it off here. Beside, I've already started my next project, and don't want to take too much time on the forums.

Sex association is even stronger (far stronger) than name association.

Also, she said boyfriend at the bottom of page 26, and has been thinking of her in general like that (as a male replacement) since 18.

last edited at Dec 31, 2013 11:49AM

Ok, this is part of human nature. Once you start thinking of, or referring to, someone one way, you tend to keep doing so regardless of the changing situation, especially when you are not consciously thinking about it. Have you ever known someone who changed their name? Even with people consciously trying to use the new name, they will still often be called by the old name for quite some time. The person themselves will accidentally use the old name sometimes years later. When it's something that you are not consciously trying to change, it is even worse. That is what happens in a case like this. "Boyfriend" is already set in the mind and not readily levered out.

You may have missed the caps I added to the quote of myself. I'll repeat it here. That tells me that AT THE TIME THEY FIRST SAID IT, that neither one was thinking of it as an actual romantic relationship.

What I mean is that when she STARTS thinking of Fujiwara as a boyfriend, she is not AT THAT TIME harboring any romantic feeling for her.

Edit: By this argument, Kaori, having been thinking of Fujiwara as a potential boyfriend for a long time, might indeed have ended up by now developing deeper romantic feelings. But probably not, since girls school or no, most of the girls would be straight.

last edited at Dec 31, 2013 11:25AM

The next page. As I just said. Actually, that's two pages after.

I will acknowledge that a girl might conceivably think of a girl as a boyfriend while still desiring a fully intimate relationship from the beginning, but that does not seem to be the case here.

last edited at Dec 31, 2013 11:11AM

And yes, I think it's a huge point that both Miu and Kaori say they want Fujiwara as their BOYFRIEND. That tells me that AT THE TIME THEY FIRST SAID IT, that neither one was thinking of it as an actual romantic relationship, even though Kaori clearly believes that is what she is after. This even though Kaori was crying.

On page 26 of chapter one. At this point, she is, and has been, thinking of Fujiwara as a boyfriend. At this point, she is also difinitely not thinking of a romantic relationship. Deeper feelings may be starting to stir around this time, but she has not yet added them into what she is thinking at least for another page. Also, the story implies she started thinking of Fujiwara as a boyfriend back on page 18 of chapter one. At that point she most definitely did not harbor any romantic feelings.

last edited at Dec 31, 2013 11:00AM

Kaede claims she's in love with Fujiwara

I hope this isn't nit-picky, but I've seen a couple or so times so far in the discussion. The name of Miu's (possibly ex) friend is Kaori, not Kaede. This makes no difference at all to what anyone has said about her. It just jars me a little.

They also keep saying "boyfriend"

And yes, I think it's a huge point that both Miu and Kaori say they want Fujiwara as their BOYFRIEND. That tells me that at the time they first said it, that neither one was thinking of it as an actual romantic relationship, even though Kaori clearly believes that is what she is after. This even though Kaori was crying.

Sorry I hadn't read the forth page of the discussion yet when I posted this. Reading it now.

last edited at Dec 31, 2013 10:40AM

out of curiosity, how often do these types of flair-ups occur?

I only keep track of a few threads from time to time (the ones that interest me), but this is only the second time I've seen something this bad.

does the views counter for each release reset to 0 every 7 days

I'm not a power that be, but I think that the count for 8 days ago drops out of the total. For instance on 7 consecutive day, a chapter gets 5000, 2500, 1500, 1000, 800, 700, 500 for a total of 12,000. On the eight day the 5000 drop off and another 300 hits add up giving 7,300. Then on the ninth day the 2500 drops out and another 200 hits add up giving 5000.

I think that's how it works from watching occasionally.

I know that there isn't much that can be done, but it's really distressing when there is a knock down drag out going on in one of the threads (The Princess's Mirror discussion) and nobody else can post much. I've seen worse, and the participants are still (sometimes) making valid points, but it has pretty much hijacked the thread. I'm sure putting a guidelines of internet debate of guidelines of forum usage sticky thread up wouldn't have any effect, but I thought I would mention it anyway. Certainly nothing I could post would help.

Note: I'm not asking for the discussion to be purged.

last edited at Dec 30, 2013 8:11AM

I'm back after a good sleep; I feel much better now.

OK completely off topic, how did you end up as a scanlator?

I learned enough Japanese that with some time and effort I could understand a manga in Japanese, Then I bought a manga that I couldn't find a translation for (Her World) and it didn't seem like there would be one. Then I got some old software that was capable of doing the editing and I started experimenting with it; the rest is history. Thanks for asking ciega. Also, the more I translate, the faster and better I get at reading Japanese.

I want to be able to share my thoughts and opinions without them being labeled unpleasant >w>

I love thoughts and opinions as long as they are about the manga. Thanks for a good post.

last edited at Dec 29, 2013 11:18PM

As I said, I was just pointing out a few things, not specifically responding to the conversation.

This was simply part of how I personally responded to the story. Other people may respond completely differently, as is made clear by the conversation. I won't tell either of you how to respond, nor will I tell any other reader how to respond.

I personally like the story and the characters, that is all. Otherwise I would be searching for another scanlation group to take it off my hands. (Actually, I wouldn't have started it in the first place if I didn't like it.) But I do like it so I'll keep doing it myself.

Thought I would point out a couple of things.

First: It is clear that Miu does consider herself to be Fujiwara's friend. Of course, she is also using her, a fact that is openly acknowledged between them. It's now also acknowledged that Fujiwara is using her.

Second: Miu never once said or implied, or apparently even thought, that she would tell anyone that Fujiwara broke the vase. She did, however, pick up on Fujiwara's desperation offer to "do anything."

Despite the arrangement between them, from the first we see both of these people trying to protect and help each other. They are not bad people. Oh, I guess that was three things.

page 10: what's "your right" ? ' ^'

your right -> You're right. I'll fix it. Thanks for pointing that out. Edit: Fixed.

i waited for this for so long! all of morinaga sensei is really awesome! wish that this not take another 6 months before the next chapter again.

The next chapter has not been published in Japan yet; Morinaga sensei did not put anything in Hirari 12. I hope it doesn't take too long also.

last edited at Dec 29, 2013 9:49AM

The forum for the first chapter (“The Princess’s Mirror”) is at:
http://dynasty-scans.com/forum/topics/1514-the-princess-s-mirror-discussion

I have to say, even though I am the scanlater, I really liked how Fujiwara-sensei handled the Karaoke incident. I could get to like the girl. But, oh, her taste in movies is hard to handle.

It's the day before Christmas, and all through the... Wait, I mean I'm not going to make that schedule. I apologize for the repeated delays. I do, however, have the scanlation rolling again, and am close to finishing it. There is no reason to think I won't get it out this weekend. Please look forward to it.

I was noticing that President and Vice-President by Hakamada Mera is tagged as completed on the reader. However, none of the volume extras (including a six page special story) have been posted.

I was wondering if it would be OK if I added this to may scanlation schedule? It wouldn't take me that long, and I would be happy to do it. Alternatively, I could scan it and send it to someone at dynasty for them to do at their leisure. Which would be better?

By the way, I do have my scanlations rolling again, and my next chapter will be out this weekend. Yes, it's doubly late.

This is 10 years old. This was long before Kisses and Girl Friends, when she was still doing mostly doujins and hentai. What happened is that she mellowed out and made enough of a name so she doesn't have to cater to the fetish of the week.

"Even if We're not Friends," the first and most famous chapter of Kisses, was published in Yuri Shimai vol 1 in mid 2003.
Ten years ago. It was contemporary with Mare.

Still, I take your point. A lot of her older stuff was kind of hard core like this, and since she started getting published by the better magazines and anthologies, Morinaga Sensei's work has gotten a lot less hard core and a lot better. Maybe her more recent work is the kind of thing she wanted to do all along.

I think Mare may have been close to the last of that earlier type of material she did, and it was probably completed before she did "Even if We're not Friends."

Edit: I just checked. Chapters 1 to 9 came out in 1998 and 1999. Chapter 10 came out with the book in 2003.

last edited at Dec 23, 2013 6:11PM

The last few chapters with Yurika fully using her seduction skills were not that interesting. I hope this is just building up to a better development in the future.

Just thought I'd toss this in: There are still four more volumes of this manga. Glancing at them, it looks like the story will be fully developed with a lot of interesting material.

I am a Morinaga fan, so I read this a while back on another reader. That section shut my emotions down to zero (or I couldn't have read it).

I am a Morinaga fan, so I've read it since, but I carefully skipped over that section without looking at it.

Edit: No matter what her manga idea required, how did she manage to draw that part in the first place?!

last edited at Dec 21, 2013 8:34PM

Vol. 3 was released in Japan three days ago. I Just looked in vol. 40 of Yuri Hime, and that chapter (chapter 14 on special paper) is explicitly labeled as the final chapter.

last edited at Dec 21, 2013 2:19AM