schuyguy posted:

好き！
私も！

I guess it might be a little too literal, maybe "I love you too" would be better. But the "me too" answer isn't uncommon in English. I've heard people speak like that, and I'm sure I've said that myself, though it can definitely seem awkward when you think about it.

Edit: though now that I think about it, Chidori's awkwardness in answering might make "me too" a more accurate translation in this case.... I'll just give myself the benefit of the doubt and assume that's what I was going for when I wrote this down.

It happens in English but usually only from fairly socially awkward people or when someone is responding to someone saying "I love you" when they're not paying attention or when it totally catches them off-guard. You do have a good point about it not necessarily being out of place in this specific scene but I feel it's far too common in scanlations for it to simply be a matter of people actually frequently saying it in most cases.

I'm by no means an expert in Japanese but a quick Google translate gives "Like!" or "I like!" as the most viable translations for the first one (with "Love!" or "I like it!" being the other valid ones) which would suggest to me it's not quite as straightforward as a a literal translation. An addon I have for Firefox suggests that while "me too!" might be valid as a literal translation it actually misses nuances that may be there in Japanese. It actually seems to be a phrase used in a sort of self-inclusive reflection of whatever it's being used in response to. So while "me too!" would be the literal translation I think that "I love you too" would actually be a more natural translation and would likely be closer to what the author intended.

Thanks for posting the Japanese dialogue. That definitely helped me see where it comes from.

Thanks for pointing this out, I thought it was correct since English isn't my first language

The response "me too" may seem awkward to "I love you", but it isn't really and no, not because only fairly socially awkward people say it. It works as an informal response such that the person is saying "me as well" to the statement "I love you" which has been generalized. So, even though they're saying "me too" they're actually meaning "I love you as well".

The following case would be awkward because "you" specifically refers to Martha and can't be changed, so Martha is
saying "I love me too".

Rose: "I love you, Martha"
Martha: "Me too"

The following case works because the "you" is specific only to Martha since Rose is speaking to Martha. Otherwise, "you" can be anyone depending on those involved. So, Martha is agreeing with the general statement of "I love you", but since she's responding to Rose saying "I love you", Martha is essentially saying "I love you too"

Rose: "I love you"
Martha: "Me too. I love you"

yeah... that's English for you. Funny though, this doesn’t work if someone says they hate you.

That said, I feel bad for Senpai.

last edited at Nov 4, 2018 4:13AM

Considering Sayaka has a spin-off scheduled which hopefully gives her a happy ending,

That makes me incredibly happy and hopeful if true because I like Sayaka. Where did you read this? That said, Sayaka can still have an optimistic if not happy ending in this series as well. I don't think happiness needs to be defined by her having a romantic partner.

I really like Sayaka, and I'm afraid for her. From Nakatani's other works, I find her stories not be waltzes in the valley of daisies and eternal sunshine.

Aside from a few doujin, her official works haven't been tragic as far as I know. And if Sayaka suffered any serious physical injuries, especially death or even a close call could do it, Touko may regress to an even worse state than she was in before meeting Yuu. It would also be the third time Nakatani used a car related accident in her stories.

As for Sayaka crossing the street, and given how much symbolism is used in this story, it may be foreshadowing Sayaka's choice or only option to take a different path in life apart from Touko. Sayaka has believed with conviction that she'll always be by Touko's side, but learning that Touko loves Yuu, which is likely, she'll have to rethink things.

The play may have foreshadowed that Touko will have to decide if she can continue loving Yuu even if Yuu is seemingly different. Can she love Yuu if Yuu is no longer the person she thought her to be? And I think that if anything horrible happens to Sayaka, Touko would likely be unable to focus on recovering from that while working things out with Yuu.

That said, Yuu and Touko may not be a sure thing anyway, there's that optimistic clause in the romance genre. If Yuu and Touko learn important lessons, share their love for each other and part amicably, that's still a romance. There are many things I like about Bloom into You, and one of those is that the story gives no presumable absolutes beyond a tragic ending if it truly is a romance.

last edited at Nov 3, 2018 11:48PM

Does anyone else feel the mangaka just kinda gave up on drama after seeing all the backlash it got and decided to go back to fluff? Because the tone changed real fast and suddenly.

Isn’t it wonderful how some readers feel they can dictate what an author can and can not do with their own work?

So blonde girl agreed with black hair girl about it being strange to date girls.

I took the situation as Miyu (Black haired girl) questioning Ao (Blond haired girl) to get an understanding of her motivations. Passive aggressive yet innocent enough in the moment, the issue began when Ao's reply was interrupted by apparent friends of hers, and that even with this interruption, Miyu still expected an honest answer. Even a hetero couple would feel awkward and likely not give an honest answer in that moment, so a subtle irony in this scene is that it ends with having less to do with homosexuality and more to do to with romance in general.

To me, Miyu comes across as a person that has very high expectations of others and then cries foul when those high expectations are not immediately met. Ao certainly could have said something different, but I feel that Miyu would find fault in anything other than essentially a public confession. Even if Ao said "Let's talk about this later", I believe Miyu's response would be negative.

After this, Miyu begins the process of self-victimization by unfairly blaming others and lashing out. The author appears to make an attempt at balancing out Miyu's behavior with a bullying scene, but I think that only victimizes Miyu more because there's no precedence; Ao says "There's never been that kind of mess in our class. Are you done already?". The scene comes across as this forced attempt to create sympathy by distracting the reader from Miyu's behavior. Yes, she was hurt and as an audience we should respect that, but don't force our emotions. Let us see and experience the characters for who they are and why they are. I can only appreciate this scene because it helps fortify Ao's ability to stand up for others, but not for herself.

All said, Ao is also harming herself by taking on all the blame, and her personality is so meek with herself that while she can stand up for others, I don't think she can stand up for herself. It's a sort of self-sacrifice for all the wrong reasons and that likely only fuels the rumor of her being a suck up. Someone that doesn't speak up for themselves and seemingly just smiles along with the whims of others will appear that way, right or wrong, to others.

Sadly, for both of them and for the audience, the story ends in a situation where Ao is just enabling Miyu. I think the only silver linings are that Ao recognizes that Miyu is only expressing her pain while Miyu herself understands what she's doing. Miyu also knows Ao's answer from before wasn't genuine, so there is room for discussion.

Whether or not that discussion will be constructive and healthy is another question. Ao will need to stop being so hard on herself and to stand up for herself a bit, while Miyu will have to lower her exceedingly high expectations. It is good that Ao is patient, but in way for the wrong reasons.

To me, this is a sad story where a romantic ending isn't the focus, so in that light, the ending isn't vague. The clear ending I see is that both Ao and Miyu will have to come to terms with themselves before they can even attempt to reconcile with each other, let alone start a healthy romantic relationship. The vagueness is if they'll be able to do so.

This is one of those stories where I feel the best ending is where the characters don't end up together, but learn important lessons instead.

last edited at Oct 15, 2018 1:26PM

Can't help but feel a tiny bit disappointed. It was the most likely way for this to go, but I would have been more interested if her secret was more significant than "I'm a girl". Oh well, maybe the extra bit she isn't revealing will be something important.

Also, hello there Simple-Misunderstanding-That-Would-Be-Fixed-By-Just-Talking.™ It's been a while since I last saw you around here!

...I wonder how long it'll be til it gets resolved. The manga has been playing it pretty safe so far, so I'd guess somewhere around 9 or 10 chapters.

It is true that often times misunderstandings are perpetuated or "milked" for sake of drawing out a story, but often times in real life misunderstandings continue due to miscommunication or complete lack of communication. That said, the misunderstanding quite literally just happened in the story while incorporating a cliff hanger no less. Due to this, we can assume but not say with certainty that the characters won't talk this through.

The significance isn't just that he's actually a she, but also that she feels that she can not be the girl she sees herself as due to social pressures and self perception of personal image. And that has not only significant importance to but significant impact on the character herself and on others. The misunderstanding in the story, as can at least be believed at the moment, is the potential that Miuu believes Kano is being receptive to a boys feelings. After all, both left during the middle of a mixer only to be found having an enjoyable conversation that involves physical contact. Touching a girl's hair is a big deal, especially in Japan.

last edited at Oct 10, 2018 9:34PM

Episode 1 was good. Aside from some questionable POV shots, the whole thing was really beauitful and well done. I especially liked some of the eye-transitions and subtle motions they put in.
Still have to get used to Yuu's voice though. Her voice actress is great, but she sounds too cute/innocent to be honest. I always imagined Yuu with more of an edge or slightly deeper voice.

I think they made good choices with voice actresses for Yuu, Touko, and Sayaka.

I find that Yuu is rather innocent with her view of love that starts as reliant on shojo-manga. And in how she is timid with her emotions and a bit submissive to others. Sayak's voice has just a touch of mostly controlled ego with the subtle "Hime" voice. And Touko's matches her use of pleasantries.

I'm not sure which questionable POV shots you mean

We always knew this relationship was messed up. The only reason it worked more or less was because Yuu is someone who lets herself get taken advantage of easily. If she was even a tiny bit more selfish this would have broken apart around chapter 3. lol

Messed up has such a negative and "crazy" connotation to it so i disagree there and that Yuu is letting herself be taken advantage of. Touko certainly is taking advantage of Yuu's feelings and kindness, at least to start though not maliciously, but Yuu has also been a willing and enabling participant. I see it as more that both are not certain of their emotions, uncertain how to interact healthfully with each other, and are having to take the time to learn of each other and of themselves before being able to move forward properly. Certainly they are having their troubles, their relationships hasn't been the best, but they have helped each other.

I do agree that Yuu is a bit selfless, but if she had a better understanding of love then I don't think she would have enabled Touko for so long. The stories theme, blooming, is an act of coming into one's full self. I used to think that "Bloom into You" meant the buildup of the relationships, but I think now that "Bloom into You" means possibly that mostly it is Touko and Yuu talking to themselves. They are blooming into their own full selves.

It's not the best relationship ever, but when are they ever? They do genuinely love each other, even if mistaken, and are not trying not wanting to hurt one another.

last edited at Oct 5, 2018 9:31PM

re Nya-chan:

"You're a girl, act like it!"

Uuh... how about she acts the way she feels more comfortable with?

Chidori, why you so controlling?

I got the as a girl bit, but I didn't care for this delivery either. Hoping to be able to wipe this from my mind. :/

I didn't see it as Chidori being controlling. Nanoha appeared uncomfortable with how others treated her as a prince, as a male surrogate, but Chidori reassured her that she's every bit the girl she views and feels herself to be. The scene did feel a bit forceful, but I don't think that was the intent. I feel that Chidori felt it was just ridiculous for Nanoha not to view herself as the girl she is and feels to be.

I appreciate the moment for that it also seems to say that just because Nanoha is athletic that doesn't mean she's boyish (the wrongful assumption that sports are only for boys). I also appreciate the chapter because it accepts that part of Chidori's attraction towards Nanoha, and Nanoha's attraction towards Chidori, is in part because they are both girls. There seemed to be a growing "gender doesn't matter" trend in Yuri which is true for some, but not for everyone. Not for me anyway.

last edited at Oct 2, 2018 1:40AM

Eh, the thing is she isn't ready to return her feelings, either, and she doesn't know if she ever will. So imagine she does just what you're saying. "Hey, when I said I'm sorry, I didn't mean to reject you, I meant I'm sorry I didn't notice your feelings and made you feel like you had to lie to me. (Yuu's hopes go up) ...but I'm not ready to be with you, so now I'm -actually- rejecting you."

Thing is, Touko doesn't know what she wants to do. And until she decides she wants to be with Yuu anyway, it is honestly better for her to let the misunderstanding stand. There is nothing she can do right now that won't just make it hurt more except to accept her own feelings so they can actually move forward together.

Probably why I'm forever alone... I'm bad at timing with these things even if my heart is in the right place... -_-II And yeah, hearing a vague reply would likely make Yuu hurt more and much more depending on the end as you say. I'm only thinking that Yuu's concept of love seems rather black and white... though a third party is likely better to show her the nuances.

Sayaka might confess in the process of all this for the sake of her own closure, but I can't see her actively getting in the way of Touko and Yuu. Especially if she sees how much this is tearing up Touko.

I think a lot of solid points have already been made. When Touko says Yuu isn't special to her anymore, she means it in the context that she isn't her one sole sanctuary of self-realization. Yuu isn't the only way that Touko can be herself anymore, and so she doesn't know what Yuu is to her now. But she knows she misses her, she knows she wants to be with her. She follows her without thinking, she is entirely preoccupied with thoughts of her. She is definitely still in love with her, but she has never actually understood what that means.

Yuu, in the meantime, is depressed and hurt. She was afraid of rejection, but she got past her fear by reassuring herself that she wouldn't be rejected, not by accepting the consequences that would come if she was. So she doesn't know how to process any of it. She just feels pain and emptiness and sorrow, and above it all, self-recrimination and regret. It is kinda painful how much I relate.

Mm, great points and I agree with them. I don't think I explained well though maybe part of me thought Sayaka may be a bit forceful, but that gets explained away with her development. In the end I wasn't thinking that Sayaka may step in with a malicious intent against Yuu, but would see it as her chance to be the one next to Touko instead of Yuu.

My question right now is whether Sayaka will help Touko or use this troubled time as an opportunity for herself? I like Sayaka and like to think she wouldn't, but some of her prior comments earlier in the manga are a little concerning.

I don't think she would do something like that, besides, this isn't a story where tropes like that happen. I think that Sayaka would be reluctant to help at first, but the lady that works at the coffee shop might tell her that even if she likes her, she has to help her friend out, even if it means she would push her to someone else. Or maybe she just helps her out, but i do think Sayaka would get involved in this whole thing one way or another. We need to see the resolution to her one-sided feelings after all.

Yeah, Sayaka has developed quite a bit since the comments I recall, and she even spoke to Yuu frankly and fairly about her feelings for Touko later. Yuu and Sayaka aren't exactly in competition either as would be in other manga. And very true.

I wasn't thinking of callous being part of Sayaka's possible attempt exclusively though.

Side issue #1: Touko didn’t “try to talk to Yuu”—she created the opportunity for a talk, but then realized she had nothing to say that could fix things (at the moment).

True and I kind of realized that after I made the post, so thank you for your thought as well. I also came to see a possibility where part of why Touko followed was a bit out of habit and I doubt she ever expected that Yuu would essentially send her away. Rough time for both most certainly.

I do think Touko could have clarified her apology so I don't think she has nothing she could have said. And opening up the opportunity to talk is a big step too. Though the timing may have been a bit off.

My question right now is whether Sayaka will help Touko or use this troubled time as an opportunity for herself? I like Sayaka and like to think she wouldn't, but some of her prior comments earlier in the manga are a little concerning.

last edited at Sep 30, 2018 3:08PM

"What is love?"

Well, you see this feeling of being slapped in the face, punched in the stomach and completely numb to pain after a rejection? That's what love is. No real surprise in this chap, only the fact that Touko would have rejected Yuu either way, making the initial misunderstanding a bit awkward, narratively speaking.

There's starting to be some backlash on other sites too, haha. X) It does feel like your typical romantic third act. But I still like the chapter's atmosphere; makes you share the characters' feelings beautifully.

The characters are certainly being naturally awkward, but I don't think the narrative is negatively awkward. Yuu and others built herself up for nothing but a "yes" from Touko so anything other than yes, even painful honesty, would be devastating for her. The relationship between the two of them has been good but based on assumptions and enabling assurances. Good for friends maybe, a Senpai/Kohai relationship as well, but not for a healthy romantic relationship.

I'm not surprised by the chapter as I don't think there was any other way, any other logical way, for the story to go based on how it has gone thus far.

[Below] Really? she wants to discard Yuu just like that?

Not at all. Touko greatly misses Yuu, she just doesn't know what to do next. To her their entire relationship was suddenly redefined by things she herself admittedly didn't realize or at least didn't want to accept. Touko, in my view, simply doesn't know what to do or of how to feel for Yuu. Lost, scared even, but not discarding.

last edited at Sep 30, 2018 11:46AM

I don't believe that the ending is going to be sour. It may be bittersweet but the story itself is a romance, which for a story to be defined as part of the romance genre, the story must have a happy or at least optimistic ending. Either they start dating or they reconcile, acknowledge how each loved each other differently, learn a positive life lesson and move on from each other amicably. Those are truly the only two options for the story to remain a romance. Otherwise, drama alone would define the entire story.

The writer I think is doing something genius with the story. At the end of the play the big question for Sayaka's character was if she could continue loving Touko's character, even if she wasn't the "same" as the girl Sayaka fell for. Outside the play, Touko is now having to ask herself that same question; if she still loves, and can still love, a Yuu different from her original and projected understanding of Yuu. The Yuu that Touko did love.

If we follow that line of thinking then it is possible that Yuu and Touko will start over without any preconceived or assumed views on how each other are supposed to be, and learn to love each other for who they are; the mixed bag that usually makes up a person.

I feel bad when users say they hate Touko now or with another saying how Yuu and Touko deserve something bad happening to them for some arbitrary and subjective reason -- please note that I'm not conflating the comments though -- and even to that end I don't think anyone ever deserves anything. There are only natural ends to behaviors. Though that is my own opinion.

To be clear, as Touko says in this chapter, her "I'm sorry" wasn't a rejection, but an apology for her severe selfishness that forced Yuu to keep her emotions in. However, Yuu actively enabled Touko to believe that Yuu herself would never fall in love with Touko. The confession, as viewed by Touko, would have been like a rogue wave and she's responding as such. And if we look at Yuu's actions, she built herself up to believe that the only answer Touko could give her was a "yes". To Yuu, love is and has always been something simple and sweet, something straight out of a shojo-manga.

In this moment both Yuu and Touko have been blindsided by each other. Neither are acting malicious nor hateful, both are just in need of a little direction. I'm not blaming Yuu, but I do feel that it is important to note that Touko did try to talk to her in this chapter. Only for Yuu, understandably, to turn her away.

last edited at Sep 30, 2018 11:35AM

I’m starting to wonder if the “secretly dating” line in each chapter is meant to be ironic.

I have a feeling this is a gag by the scanlators and even if so, why can’t Kaoru be sexually interested? It’s normal yet people are freaking out as if she’s “too pure” or some nonsense like that.

Given that the entire series has been centered on Kaoru's extraordinary "purity," a characteristic explicitly mentioned several times in the text, calling it "nonsense" is the nonsense.

The story has been centered around a developing relationship and character trials, not Kaoru’s sexual interests and behaviors. I call the concept of purity used in the style common to Yuri discussions nonsense.

The manga does show sexual interest on her part, just that the time wasn’t right and she wasn’t ready.

last edited at Sep 1, 2018 11:13AM

I have a feeling this is a gag by the scanlators and even if not, why can’t Kaoru be sexually interested? It’s normal yet people are freaking out as if she’s “too pure” or some nonsense like that.

last edited at Sep 1, 2018 11:07AM

mmm... as of today 700 yen are equivalent to 6-7 USD

How the hell is that a lot a money?

Non-amerifats don't get a lot of money. My allowance back in highschool was equivalent to only 2 US dollars a day. That's already a lot for us kids. We belonged to a family of doctors so we were far from poor but our father wants us to be disciplined with money.
I did get an increase of an equivalent of 56 US dollars a week in college though.

As someone from the United States, my allowance started at $5 a week, and then it was increased to $10 a week at the start of junior high school. When I was old enough to work (16) my allowance was stopped and I haven't received any since.

last edited at Aug 21, 2018 3:35PM

I’m understanding the story just fine, but the accent makes like a quarter of what she says incoherent.

Dinner: The new first base

last edited at Aug 18, 2018 6:56PM

And I must also say: my theory way back in February that Mei was just being insecure and simply needed Yuzu to step up and be firm about wanting to be with her turned out to be true. She needed a "grandiose demonstration" of love. Problems were all in her head.

Ah, yes my dear. As a woman all of your horrid problems were merely a figment of your imagination. Now, do not fret as it was none of your fault, but that of the cycles of the moon and tides of the sea.

I do not assume that is how you meant it, but saying it was all in her head reminded me of this. That said, Mei's problems were hardly "all in her head". Her life and even Yuzu didn't make is easy for her to speak up. And often times both moved to silence her. I once defended Citrus, and I do think there may be some good qualities worth discussing though no longer to defend, but I will say that it does paint a clear picture of why Mei was the way she was and why she had such a hard time trusting and believing others. None of her problems were simply in her head.

last edited at Aug 18, 2018 11:40AM

Cut diamonds on those abs. Glorious.

I love how the artist draws eyes, especially for D.Va. The way her face scrunches up is adorable while her eyes are fierce. That size gap though, D. Va = One leg.

last edited at Aug 14, 2018 2:24AM

Not liking this much. Yes, the friend shouldn’t have said what she did, but Nanaki was the main person fostering and promoting that treatment of Kurosawa. I like snotty characters when they’re dead right about something. A character rightfully getting on a high horse is a beautiful thing to me so long as it doesn’t go too far. Nanaki doesn’t do that, she just shouts out and does whatever fits her needs in the moment without consideration of her own actions and the feelings as well as situations of other.

That said, I do think the story will go in a direction where she’ll get a big moral and personal lesson for her poor behavior. It is crappy that Kurosawa’s “friends” just dump her, but I can understand it in this situation; as much as I understand why Nanaki’s friend said what she had.

This story has a certain vibe to it where it feels like the end was part of Ruby’s master plan. She really is an angel that can control the weather and made it so hot that no one would want to hug Kanan.

Showing a guy ripping his pants off at the end of a yuri manga whilst a female character from said yuri manga is blushing over him taking his pants off... kinda ticks me off.

last edited at Aug 1, 2018 2:37AM

I’m just a little disappointed because I expected a little more understanding from Yuu.

It's her first time confessing, girl thought she jumped the gun there. Remember that Yuu has been expecting rejection more so than acceptance from Touko so Touko saying "I'm sorry" comes off as an answer to her. Classic misunderstanding.

Not to mention the fact that she just broke her long standing promise to Touko. It's understandable that she freaked out and ran.

Yeah like I acknowledge that i thought it was Yuu that said she was sorry in that moment, not Nanami. But let’s ignore the course of discussion.