She actually has a cute autobiographical one shot on this site. It's about her and a few of the other yuri manga artist going to a strip club.

Where can I find this. it doesn't seem to be on Inui Aya's profile page directly.

last edited at Apr 12, 2020 4:14PM

So, I just noticed that in Japan the novels got released on a fairly frequent schedule from 2013-2016, but then there was almost a 3 year gap before the 8th volume in 2019. Anyone knows what is up with that?

At least for part of that time the author was writing the Bloom Into You side-story novels

OH MY GOD HE REALLY IS THE SAME AUTHOR. I didn't even notice until now. That's such a perfect coincidence. Or not coincidence, match-up.

Story's continuing to move in a great direction. Shimamura's changing slowly, becoming softer. Her uncharacteristic concern and reflection on Adachi's outburst was pleasant to see. The way she mulled over that in confusion, even wondering if she did something wrong, and considering ignoring it but knowing it could bite her in the ass was glorious. Same for the softness she feels for her dogs. And that swimsuit picture - how smooth Shimamura is should be illegal.

This one looks interesting. Somebody please confirm when/if a happy or at least fitting ending happens. XD

I started this series before without finishing it. It ended up turning out a lot sweeter than I thought it would, with some real if saccharine feelings developing in there. It's so slapstick yet it still ends up having very real feelings and development in there which takes skill. Enjoyable comedy read!

Kudos to the joke translator for not spoiling the ending!

It is really nice they didn't spoil the ending. I thought the idea was sweet.

But the way they act though, some of dialogue and pacing did still feel creepy. Or maybe it's more the artwork? The more I re-read it, the less creepy it feels, so it might be the artwork. The joke translation didn't help with making it feel less absurd.

The meticulous copying is still slightly creepy even after multiple re-reads though. That is somewhat unsettling maybe because I could never imagine myself doing something like that or would see somebody else doing that as creepy. Same for how they just flat out state they were both watching each other as strangers without any embarrassment. Like that brutal honesty is cool, but it's also mildly creepy? Guess it just goes to show how in sync they are.

On another note, I liked how aspects of the story felt much more modern/realistic than other works, like the natural use of technology and drawing people on their phones/messing around doing whatever on page 61. Putting in attention to detail to draw those mundane acts lent it a feeling of realism.

Ugh, what a squicky context. Could have lived without knowing that was the intention behind this 2koma.

Edit: Went back to this because I was curious about what the tag "#lesbian rape" actually looks like on Pixiv. I can't read any of the Japanese, but it doesn't look like a serious tag ?

Like nothing on there looks like actual rape. Only one that looks like it's more seriously used is this one which I say because Google translate says they're bullying her and she's crying in the panels.

Well whatever. I think this can be chalked up to unclear authorial intentions if we don't know what that tag means to the creators.

last edited at May 14, 2020 6:49PM

Ohhh I read some chapters of this ages ago, did not know it was by Arata Iri. I've got a new favorite author now.

This is one of my favorite mangas, I love the humor, all the cute pairings, the characters are super likable... I also think the concern Kanna has about her future and not having a real passion for anything is really relatable and sets this story appart from other romantic comedies (at least for me). But after reading it a second time ... did that ever get resolved? It's like at some point the author forgot about that very important problem the mc has and focused only on the shipping, which is a shame.
I really liked Yuu's subplot with her sisters and how that affected her personality, it's just a shame the main character didn't get anything like it.
Overall.... I'm still in love with this story and all its characters, I'm just frustrated at the lost potential there.

As the author's notes show, she only had one volume (volume three) to finish the story. There definitely were too many characters introduced and the more serious themes weren't resolved. I thought it was a shame the original stooges were pushed to the side somewhat when the student council was introduced, but I think it's pretty amazing how much she accomplished with so little in the end.

I'd love to see a proper continuation, a re-do of the story starting from volume three. Volume three and the extras were fun for lack of a better word, but that did come at the expense of the character building that was more focused on in the first two volumes.

Extremely funny though, and I was laughing throughout.

Exhibit 9726489 for "Your favorite authors did Touhou doujinshi before they drew their own series."

I swear that its some sort of requirement at this point. Not that I mind but it still blew my mind when I learned the authors of Bloom Into You also drew Touhou manga at some point.

Haha oh yes she did. I think it's more because Touhou is so big, and there's so much yuri shipping potential in it, so authors on Dynasty Scan who do yuri had to have started somewhere right. A few might even have became interested in yuri through Touhou.

As for this collection of stories, as disjointed as they all were, I liked them? There are four main stories, and four days of Flandre throwing a tantrum over her bear, but I'm not sure how they're connected at all. I don't think they are. The Flandre at the beginning is pretty different from the Flandre with Alice though.

Strange story, turned out a lot better than what I'd usually expect with the "player" tag. This was great though. Not a very cathartic ending for one involving crying, more akin to ending with a whimper than a bang. I think that's part of its charm.

I have run out of bruh moments.

so have i ! .

^^^

All right, I've been giving Ito a lot of slack here, but c'mon.

Yeah I agree. What she did in this chapter was one of the most assholery things possible. Straight up saying the most hurtful thing possible, without even a flimsy "I don't deserve you" type of reasoning. Sumika's being vulnerable and sharing her feelings and Ito shuts her down in the most brutal way possible. I'm speechless.

I was going to give her credit for apologizing and then she goes and does that. I thought that when Ito was thinking "Sumika", the idealized version, didn't exist, she was moving towards accepting the actual, flawed Sumika. But guess her ideal role model complex or whatever the fuck that is won't be resolved that quickly.

Very nice, though the speech bubble placement threw me off quite a bit when it kept jumping back and forth between reading 'Right to Left' then 'Left to Right'

Same, that was confusing.

Pacing also jumped in places, but overall it was a cute story. Enjoyed the rare crossover setting. Liked that the story did draw out their competitive, "pushing each other to be better" natures.

I was a little eh on how they just escalated to sex, but at the same time, the moments throughout it and after were really powerful too. Like Nozomi wishing Mizore would just hate her, Mizore still expressing her love, and the panel where Nozomi is caught by her own chains. Powerful moments for sure.

last edited at Feb 14, 2020 3:46AM

Ooh, this one really fits Alice. This is exactly like something she'd do. I don't remember her having a pet monster though.

I agree with @shadesofgreymoon describing teens. Teens are a mess dealing with emtions like jealousy even without hinting at some sort of romantic/sexual awakening.

I feel like that's a broad generalization which doesn't hold up if you look at how different cultures have dealt with children/teens. And then if you consider that plenty of adults aren't any better at dealing with those emotions, it's not necessarily about age at that point.

They surely will need someone to talk to. As far as the story goes, both Shima and Adachi are surrounded by adults who seemingly can't be trusted about this stuff and are insensitive to existential needs of young ones. They are navigating waters on their own.

Yeah that is true though that they have no trustworthy adults around to talk to. I don't think the thought would have ever crossed their minds.

I think it’s possible Adachi has multiple personality disorder. In the beginning of the novel she was calm towards Adachi. It seems as time has gone on Adachi has became more attached to Shimamira. I’m guessing Adachi seeing Shimamira with that girl at the festival caused some sort of psychotic break.

Personally I really don't think it's necessary to pathologize Adachi. All characters in this series are slight exaggerations (or perhaps not even that) of personalities certain types of people will have. Their interactions become even more illuminating and polarized as a result. And Adachi and Shimamura are like textbook examples of people who are anxious/insecure and distant respectively, which is a notorious combo for furthering each party's inherent tendencies to draw closer/move further away.

Although you know, on the topic of disorders and personality changes, it has been said that love is a disease.

I just realized the first chapter was released in 2015... 2015?? What has happened to my perception of time?? It's just non-existent apparently

Wow it was really released that long ago? I started reading halfway through the series, so it's been two plus years. Holy shit.

Lackluster story, I don't feel any heart in it. Plot threads are thrown together and then unravel into obscurity within the same chapter.

Tarumi's affection is so different from Adachi's. She is not possessive, and seems to really want Shimamura to be happy. She is the safest choice, not too bothersome. Knowing Shimamura's personality, it was natural to believe that she'd choose her over Adachi as the latter is too high maintenance. But we all know that she will go for Adachi so I'm really excited to see why and how it happened.

Thanks again team for this. Looking forward to next chapter hundred times than usual. So wanna see how their relationship will be after this.

In fairness, we only barely know Tarumi compared to Adachi, so saying she's clearly the healthier option might be tempting fate a bit, lol.

But we KNOW Adachi and the way she is now, definitely not the healthier option. Lol.

I thought about that too, like Tarumi seems like the way better option right now in terms of emotional stability. And if Shimamura does end up choosing Adachi, how would that even come to be and what would the story say that says about Shimamura? The emotionally insecure and emotionally distant pairing is a pretty common real-life dynamic and it'll be interesting how it plays out here.

I'm sure though that Tarumi stands no chance. And I believe that she's actually not that different from Adachi. She has the same manner of fishing for compliments/comments, the same barely restrained jealousy at Shimamura's sister and another unknown person tagging along, the same randomly asking Shimamura to do weird shit like sit in the sun for three hours to get a portrait painted. She's not really any "healthier" of an option.

This really doesn't read like a proper happy ending. They're not together. All the last page indicated is that they'll remain friends and at least Arisa won't have to hide her feelings anymore. The earrings became a symbol of her feelings, and by hiding them in the jewelry box, she attempted to hide those feelings. When she says that she's going to get a new jewelry box without a key, all that means is she can have a new chance at her friendship with Arisa, one where she can be more open about her feelings. In an even more optimistic reading, it means she would potentially move onto, naturally love somebody else and find a new "jewelry box".

After realizing what the ending is about, I still feel like it's a good story. But it's definitely a bittersweet one, and not meant to be a happy yuri one. Also Arisa doesn't come off as being the most sympathetic character here, given how she maliciously hides the earrings and feels no regret later. She's quite selfish here, and I don't think she deserved Fuwako. Even Fuwako forgiving and then helping her out so fast is a bit cringey and personally not to my tastes, although inevitable given the context of Fuwako's character.

That was, amazingly torturous. I have never seen a rant that goes on for seven straight pages with no interruptions before. And I've also never seen the emotional turmoil of jealousy and insecurity portrayed with such vivid, heartrending colors. I felt the moment Shimamura's words cut through her fervor, turned her to ice, and I could feel that moment in my heart.

Good stuff.

Now to see what Shimamura does. I'm glad the novel continued staying true to both characters and their damning imperfections. Adachi has no sense of self-regulation and Shimamura just can't be bothered with anything bothersome. They're such huge jerks to each other right now. Not intentionally, but what a beautiful clash of human fallibility.

I don't have high hopes for a Mochi story to have a truly emotionally engaging story, but I hope that when Ookumi finally finds out she's a girl, it'll be a more satisfying result than an empty "it's okay, I'll still love you anyway".

This series has been my obsession for who knows how long now, ever since I first laid my eyes on it. No other manga I was subscribed to on this site could get me as excited and agitated the moment I saw a new chapter appear in my email alerts. It is, as many others have said already, what I would consider a work of art. And with its ending finalized, the promise of its potential fulfilled, I think it really is time for it to be canonized as one of the classics of the genre.

I would ramble on for another fourty paragraphs about the last chapter but I already subjected my partner to that torture so I'll spare the forum. I will just say that I greatly appreciated all the little nods to various characters and that the full color ending pages were perfectly, heart-rendingly placed.

I love this series, and I would like to think that it has taught me something about what love could be and how fallible humans are. But above all, it is of course a story about Touko and Yuu, two characters with a dynamic I heavily relate to, and if I could say anything to Nakatani directly ever, I would have to say thank you for having given life to them in the first place and told their story with such mastery.

This is a nostalgic moment for me, seeing the series end (minus bonus chapters), and I'm very moved right now. It'll be a long time before another series can capture me so, but until then, Yagakime will be the shining pinnacle of storytelling for me to aspire towards.

Can someone explain why so many of the character bios in these manga mention the character's blood type? I assume there's some cultural significance, but I dunno what it is.

Basically this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type_personality_theory

I can't believe I've been reading manga for slightly less than a decade, seeing those blood types show up, and never knew about this. Thank you for unveiling a new piece of knowledge. XD I thought it was just a random fact about the character, like the three sizes or favorite food or whatever.

I am so moved by this series. Pacing is spot-on and I feel like my feelings are being expertly manipulated with each chapter.

Maekawa's lying and deflection in the beginning is disconcerting though lol.