I don't know why, I have a real problem trying to understand what is going on, both visually and story-wise, I find it really confusing. Perhaps it's because I don't know the Touhou universe and characters pretty well, or perhaps I'm not reading it in the best conditions... It looks good and interesting though.

You'd need to have some familiarity with SA, UFO, TD, and DDC characters and events. Maybe ISC too. Most of the story is about ideas added on by the author, stories connected to amanojaku, so without that base it's even easier to get lost. The author doesn't go out of their way to make things extremely obvious but by the end I think it's clear what's been happening.

Something about the art's distinct, I haven't figured out what yet. Just the overall style, and something about the lines?

I got worried at the rape-y-ish scene, but it didn't bother me after it was clear that was just in Hoshikawa's imagination. She's kneeling when she's describing that, so not a threat at all. Not quite as funny as it could be. I've got high standards for comedy though lol in terms of how much it makes me laugh.

Subscribed anyway. Looks interesting.

I liked it. Page 147 I wish there had been a better transition to "but I already love you", because that part just felt too syrupy sweet, but Satoko's desire and Yumi's mature responses throughout helped the story feel real. Enough for me to keep my suspension of disbelief. Although I do wonder what happened to Yumi's apartment.

There is a dream-like quality to all of it. If I look a bit too closely, pieces will slide out of place. But something always re-orients them thematically, and so I think the story is a bit disjointed, but the single thread connecting everything is solid. Reminds me somewhat of my own writing.

Surely irl a glasses case would be too sturdy to be broken by a pile of paper (unless it's a pile so large it couldn't be randomly carried by someone) ...

He took it out of the case.

I don't know if I should be angry or impressed. At least that explains the flatness behind the 'revelation'. I want to fucking punch Mishio though. And that's not a good thing.

This I consider to be worse writing than if the author had played every cliche straight. To use shock value as the driving force of a story, and mental health of all things, and purposefully misleading foreshadowing - I understand playing with readers using preconceptions, but not in this stupidly heavy-handed way. It's pulling the rug out from underneath because you can and not because there's any point to it. Honestly what is the point of this story?

last edited at Feb 3, 2018 4:51AM

Something else which stuck out to me was Touko saying she had made a selfish request publicly, to everyone involved. Another big change.

I expect to see the play happen. Because I expect that during the play, the "script" will change. Or even if nothing big like that happens, there must be meaning behind the premise for it to be worth spending time showing. Touko's parents being highlighted, and Nara-sensei being introduced likely bring together everyone connected to Mio.

The father I see as another character in need of healing/redemption from the past or (hopefully not) someone to find Yuu and Nanami kissing to provoke more typical yuri drama.

No offense but I think both of those scenarios are tropes that this story has never given any evidence to merit believing would happen. I take his statement that he's not upset at face value. The father's clearly worried about Touko. Chapter 19, he's the one telling her she doesn't need to follow Mio's footsteps. I feel there's an element of grief too, in this chapter, but it's sadness for Touko more than Mio. Like that sort of weird sadness where someone's doing something which might not be the best for them, and you understand why, though maybe not fully, and you get they think they have to do it, but you also don't want them to do it, and so you do what you can knowing it may be futile. And on top of that, what the other person is doing is a result of and tied to a painful memory. And it is your child this is happening too. A parent seeing their child react negatively to a new step-parent is the first example I think of. But the impetus isn't the new step-parent, so much as it is the child's pain underlying it. Seeing that, the parent may grieve too. And so Touko's father's grief is tied to the past and the present and centered on somebody who he has not been able to reach. It's a lot more logically laid out in my head but I don't want to bother spending more time organizing my thought process here.

Oh and back to Touko talking about making a selfish request, her ending statement on page 15 is one of the most honest and heartfelt things she's said to other people, as reflective of what she feels as well as indicative of her sense of community. Her abashed reaction to Sayaka's teasing supports that.

Well, I suspect that's a kiss happening in panel 4 of page 17.

I'd say it's highly unlikely. There's no way Yuu would do that in public, first of all, and second Touko wouldn't just go "right!" on the next page if that had happened.

Yuu has only ever initiated touching Touko when she feels the strongest and wants to impart that intensity to Touko. From what I can remember, chapter 22 is the first time she ever touches Touko (disregarding that time she tests Touko in chapter 3, during the election picture taking); she takes Touko's hand and moves closer. Touko's pretty surprised then too. Chapter 24, similar, Yuu leads her by the hand, and she's surprised. Chapter 28, my favorite one, Yuu clasping her hands as if she's the most precious thing there is. And now, this newest chapter, Yuu goes for the shoulders. :p The visible indicator of Yuu's growing care, willingness to act, and desire to be close.

The moment I read page 16, I thought about chapter 6 and Yuu sneakily asking Touko to come outside with her. What a vast difference there is, from then and now. From saying she did it because anybody would after seeing how fragile Touko was, to throwing all pretenses aside, naked concern in her words and her actions. The way she rushes towards Touko, the way she immediately says in quick succession, if she's okay, and then to calm down - that urge to comfort. I love it.

I guess my question being was Yuu telling her she isn't alone what she needed to hear at that moment or not.

I say it wasn't. But that didn't matter, because these were Yuu's selfish feelings. God I can't get over how much I love how worked up Yuu is. Everything she says on page 16 lacks all of the subtlety which might have been expected from her before, and for that reason, they are not what Touko needs to hear exactly, but they come from a place of love which Touko needs to realize exists. It's funny seeing how frantic she is. Maybe cause of how obvious she is.

If anybody random had said those things to Touko, she wouldn't have been convinced. But because it's Yuu, she believes her. Hence her "...Right!"

Then Touko runs off, Yuu watching her, and it is completely different from the last time something similar happened. First moment that comes to mind is chapter 5's last page. Very nice parallel. Yuu's head is practically tilted at the same angle.

I would sacrifice a kidney to have Nakatani's ability to write choices, actions, expressions of a character that are true to them and as unexpected as real humans' are. I still haven't figured out how she does it, but it's impossible to say, "I know what this person's going to do next." Some authors keep things moving by keeping things about a character hidden and slowly dribbling out information. The same uncertainty and feeling of suspense and surprise exists in those stories, but not on re-read in my opinion. But this story is different because these characters defy expectation over and over yet feel completely cohesive. We have everything we could ever need to know about them up to each present point, yet it's still not possible to know how they'll react in the future. Fan-worshipping!!!

Okay I'm done. This chapter is the definite turnaround point of upwards momentum. Like when v > 0 on a parabolic curve for speed. And chapter 28 was when a > 0. I'm satisfied with it.

AHHHHHHH EXCITEMENT.

Even though it was a tease and I thought it was starting. Archivally reading, I think it is good pacing so I'll endure the torturous wait.

But I love how far we've come, that for the first time it's possible to entertain the possibility Touko will be okay with failure or being less than perfect. Sayaka continues to earn my respect.

... Well, that was an unexpected turn from light-hearted to serious drama.

BTW, how do you distinguish between "official manga" and "unofficial doujinshi" when it comes to Touhou?

Everything is unofficial doujinshi except the ones whose author is ZUN.

last edited at Jan 30, 2018 2:58PM

Chapter 5 and onwards redeemed the story for me. Now I'm expecting that it won't fall into a pure lover-saves-depressed-person trope. Greatly commend the explicit depiction of self harm. That's not common in any form of media. Loved chapter 6's poetic metaphor. Still feel like pieces are missing, however, even after reading chapter 7. Character motivations not clearly laid out. Specifically Mishio's. Going to have to draw a parallel between this and YagaKime. Seriously they're so similar. Because of stuff, these types of stories always make me contemplative.

...

There isn't quite as much complexity. They're relatively straightforward, and I don't know for example, how Ena's ambivalence will be resolved specifically, but I guess after the suicide revelation shock value wore off, I mentally rewrote my ideas of the characters into a new, but still predictable, form. Maybe that's not a fair evaluation. Somehow the more I think about them, the blanker they become. Rika-sensei killed herself, Mishio now has abandonment issues on top of her prior isolation, Ena has been challenged to figure out what love is; so what? What is the purpose of all this? Why should I care? It's like digging one layer deeper and hitting bedrock. Like that's it? They don't feel real. Darn. Guess I take back what I said about it defying my expectations. Feels very unsatisfying after the novelty wears off.

I'm enjoying this and can't wait for more chapters.

Positive that earning the heart of the girl is not figurative in any sense. Waiting for "aiming for false love" to be clarified, pretty sure it's something to do with the game's way of earning people's hearts. I quite like this premise. Not 100% sure past and present twin-ponytail girls are the same person, but probably. The ranking system has to be explained at some point. It seems to have something to do with a person's availability.

I like how turning somebody into a blank, emotionless wall could be detrimental to their emotional well being. Who knew. Waiting to see what comes of the last four panels. Seems pigtail girl has her heart, or locked it at least. Latter seems more likely based on game rules. Principle of the universe related to feeling pain and love? Willingness to feel them ie. openness? And freeing her is to free her from that principle of humanness. Someone who had lost their heart for real would either be a priceless, unclearable treasure or an glitchy, invalid target.

And wth is up with the black sun/hole? What happens if the overriding principle is forced to terminate? That's pretty creepy, to have programmed what amounts to a firewall into or over another person's being.

I'm looking forward to a deconstruction of the idea of love in romance games.

https://bookwalker.jp/dea22ada9b-2162-4787-a838-cdc92b536dcd/
Let's buy it

この作品は、日本国内のみでの販売となります。
購入後は海外でもダウンロードが可能です。

Based on google translate, the second sentence talks about how after being bought it can be downloaded overseas? But still only available within Japan? Think something was lost in translation. Just based on kanji I thought the second sentence might say it could be bought overseas.

last edited at Jan 29, 2018 5:07PM

I'm thinking this chapter might actually occur the next day. They wear the same uniforms / bags so it's not like clothes would change. And the lady said when school ends is when she's most busy, so that means the time is then. Although, those kids aren't wearing the South High uniform. Nevermind, I have no idea. One possibility is that it is still the same day, and the call is when Qiu Tong first talks to Sun Jing and Sun Jing tells her she got caught up in "business". But whatever.

I love sweet potatoes, this strip makes me hungry.

Also, isn't 斤 half a kilogram? Because 公斤 is kilogram? I'm trying to think of an instance where I heard people use 斤 as a shorthand for 公斤 and can't come up with any.

I have to be impressed with how after all the hijinks and exaggerated slack-jawed disbelief, the last page still ends on a touching note. Like I got feels from seeing Marisa and Reimu striding forward. And all the little "End"s from the side-stories, really reminds me of Gintama, which is one of the best things a thing could ever be.

It's canon though. Sakuya doesn't want to become immortal.

Never read any Love Live but the title drew me in. It's good. Can't judge canonicity but great buildup.

Awwwwww it was cute and that's enough for me. I think I'm just glad there was a happy ending, and what looks like a good relationship to come out of it.

I thought the butterflies were going to show up again.

Except Alice isn't a human lol.

It's not bad. Not sure if it was too-direct translations or original phrasing but wording seemed a bit awkward. This one is unique for letting Marisa become a magician. Unexpected but welcome addition of other Gensokyo residents besides the main couple.

Don't really have any more thoughts. They're not my favorite pairing but this was well-written. And every character was undeniably themselves, which can't be said of every doujin. I'm not sure if this Marisa and Reimu fit my head canon, but I respect them as the extensions of canon that the author envisioned. It's always interesting seeing what people imagine of future Gensokyo. Would Gensokyo be more boring? Would the immortal residents not be able to forget their past companions? I don't know, but it's so easy in Touhou to touch on loss.

I will say that becoming immortal as a result of feeling lonely seems like a shitty solution. I know what it's intended to mean here, as a desire for Reimu to look at her, but one can easily look to Mokou to see what immortality can do. Plus Marisa's interest in immortality seems to be more out of curiosity, as fitting of a good magician, than emotional distress, but whatever.

I give satisfying-ending props to the author for name dropping the title at the very end.

This manga is not receiving as much as reception as it deserves, it is so amazing.

I don't know how it could get more, I've read (cba to check it up) that it's the most popular yuri work at the moment and everybody praises it left and right.

A yagakimi anime would be nice, but I'm not sure if this type of manga would do well in anime format, I feel it wouldn't fit much, especially due to the pacing and the fact it's not over yet.

Citrus isn't over either. I don't think the pacing would necessarily be an issue, they would just have to be very careful with keeping all the moments of character development intact. So not much deviation from original would be possible.

This series is really good at keeping me guessing. I hope it'll have the same element of suspense even when rereading the completed work.

I was thinking about why this chapter hit home, and realized it's because Akira's been assuming Pure is some form of delusional, though genuinely enthusiastic, stalker, and dismissing her feelings. But now she can't ignore that those feelings are real. I really like how there's a natural follow-through between the knowledge that we've seen Pure swear utter devotion to Akira but still played her excitement for laughs, to this inevitable consequence, where she's hurt and trying to not be hurt. It's fantastic when authors treat their characters as people.

Anyone has good touhou comedy authors recomendation?

Pagaretta without a doubt.

A common pattern of Gensokyo characters being afflicted with boredom, a desire for stimulation, and immersion in the thrill and/or senselessness of violence. I think it's the curse of having too much power, or having nothing left to attain, that sort of empty feeling, something which the author often connects as inherent to being a Touhou protagonist, their curse. Hmm. They all have great atmosphere, I definitely feel the savage senselessness and despair in every doujin, but maybe that's why I only came closest to liking Beautiful World and Gungnir. They're too dark AND too senseless, and while "senselessness" is a key part of Gensokyo, one of its foundational truths... every character is not like 'this', the specific way they're all portrayed by Stripe Pattern, and it's, not, Gensokyo enough. It's just not. These are something else, not the underlying themes of Touhou. Too much despair I would say, in these depictions, too much despair that's not there.

Well, it's nice to read their afterwords. They put a lot of heart and work and thought into every doujin (geez just look at that art) and they do intend to tell a type of complete story. It's nice maybe to keep them in the back of the head, to think about them at the darkest times. ...or maybe not. I have to say they do use some interesting storytelling techniques, like the two timelines here which violently intersect, cutting off Sanae's "redundant" section. Ah and they really like using repetition, of a single phrase or a single concept throughout an entire work, building on that one idea minutely towards the end.

Blasphemy! Why is Cirno not there despite its title?

Haha I thought the same. Looking at the title, I thought Stripe Pattern was finally going to have a more lighthearted piece, but nope.

last edited at Jan 16, 2018 6:12PM

I'll admit I don't quite understand what's being expressed. Does she believe that she is strong or that she isn't? I guess not, since she doesn't truly want to fly alone and does want to/is part of a group? I get an immense sense of loneliness out of this piece, but the exact nature of it I'm not sure of. The text in red box on pg 11 also confuses me, can only make sense of it as being about not wanting to be alone, or of wanting to be strong enough to say "that's detestable". Can't say for the sure what the desire is. Also some disconnect between relating being alone and the world being beautiful.

I sort of understand enough to have a feeling of it, but the author's depiction really isn't clear enough to allow for full analysis.

This is still going on my favorites list though, because of the artwork. This is the most beautiful art I've seen from Stripe Pattern so far. The pictures are the best, they look like classical oil paintings. And there's such excellent use of light and shadow, framework composition, and dynamic postures. Full color's absolutely necessary and not wasted. I seriously want to know if they drew references from any particular painting because those snapshots are fucking gorgeous.

Back to analysis, I'm still confused. I've reread all the text five times now. It's a bit confusing because what's being said about her aloneness seems slightly contradictory. I don't know what she truly believes or what she wants to believe. I do get this feeling of her being chained, in one form or another. End feeling is that it's something like Aya wants to participate in the world with others, but she can only through her pictures of people being together and when she says that line to Reimu, it is as part of a claim that she belongs. And then when Reimu beats her and moves on, Aya knows that's what being truly alone (truly free) means, and it is something she can't reach. Sort of trapped between both worlds, both of which are beautiful, but in between, where she is, is nowhere. Ah I see. I think that makes more sense now.

Also it's nice seeing Aya take legitimate pictures of memorable moments, not just embarrassing gossip ones. :p

last edited at Jan 14, 2018 10:52PM

Looks like there's a running theme of people being unable to stand the world in these pre-EOSD works... And that Gensokyo is a paradise which accepts all. Interesting but mixed feelings? Find it hard to believe in this Patchy.