Wow, did not expect the prez to go on the offensive like that.

I'm filled with warm feelings right now!

I think it's interesting that the faces of the kids around her were not distorted until after the monster eating the flower incident.
The last thing the boy says really doesn't make sense to me.

Actually I revise my theory ( above ) The boy is probably the fiance.

I think the "you cant even get something as simple as that" refers to childbearing.
If we look closely, big booby-chan is the one that does all the chores and the cooking.
I think that guy meant that she couldn't do any wifey thing correctly. And not even something simple like giving birth.
So he took that opportunity to dump him.

So that's why she's still crying and can't forgive her mom. She was at her weakest and she told her to "toughen up" and stop crying.

A lot of women harbor guilt about their miscarriages and she still seems to not be over it.

sexist.

Me?

I think it's interesting that the faces of the kids around her were not distorted until after the monster eating the flower incident.
The last thing the boy says really doesn't make sense to me.

Actually I revise my theory ( above ) The boy is probably the fiance.

I think the "you cant even get something as simple as that" refers to childbearing.
If we look closely, big booby-chan is the one that does all the chores and the cooking.
I think that guy meant that she couldn't do any wifey thing correctly. And not even something simple like giving birth.
So he took that opportunity to dump him.

So that's why she's still crying and can't forgive her mom. She was at her weakest and she told her to "toughen up" and stop crying.

A lot of women harbor guilt about their miscarriages and she still seems to not be over it.

last edited at Mar 8, 2014 3:02PM

-The boy eventually left her (the guy did not knew she was pregnant and when she told him, he broke off with her and acted like her mother (die you stupid guy! burn in hell with the mother!)

Everything else seems to be the case (as far as fever dream symbolism interpretation can go), but I took this differently. I feel like she wasn't all that concerned with the "boy" (whether he represents her fiance, men/sex, or attempting to conceive) who she beat the seeds out of, until she needed the seeds again. But when she tried to get pregnant again, it didn't work no matter how hard she tried (the first time it took one hit, but now she's basically crushed his head), which goes with the idea that she can't get pregnant anymore.

After that point, it really depends on what you take the boy to mean. If he's the fiance, then he could have been an asshole and left her or what happened and the emotional aftermath might have just drove a wedge between them. If he's men/sex then she stopped dating them. Or, if he's the idea of getting pregnant, she stopped trying.

Yeah the mother was the truly important part of the dream. That betrayal from a family member has to sting much more than an asshole boyfriend. You can always find a better one ( not that it's that easy but you get the meaning ). That mother looked like she was always a bad parent though.

Im still thinking that the abortion/miscarriage/whathaveyoudrama isnt related to the recent fiance.

Unless... he got fianced ( shotgun marriage ) just because he got her pregnant and her miscarrying gave him the opportunity to dump her.

(Also glad to see that the NSFW tag got removed, that'll save some people in the future)

Or get them in trouble...

Anyway, next chapter is really interesting. I don't even feel bad saying that, given how hyper-charged the translation has been.

I also like the sometimes weird tempo. It should be frustrating beyond belief for anyone eagerly awaiting chapters, but in retrospect, the stretching-to-plot ratio is very nice.

I've seen it as well, will be interesting to see what is actually being said in it.

That last panel of chapter 12...

Karma's a Bitch, ain't it?

Man another chapter!

S stands for service. That customer... he's a bro.

sorry i missed the abortion part where was it? -.-

So far it's 100% based on sempai looking at her stomach one morning, at least from what I can see here in the comments. Because that's the main reason a woman would look at her stomach, right?

I'd prefer if the story didn't go there, but even if it does I'll keep on reading. After all, I ain't the one tellin' it.

So I'm not the only one lost thinking from where the abortion thing came out, I'm okay reading speculations but I'm amazed of what you guys build up with so little.

Well, there's a few reasons why a woman would look at her stomach, but not the way it portrayed by the artist here.

1- She thinks she's fat/gained weight -
Usually the girl will pinch her love handles, this is the "go to" way of portraying that. Plus she's lean and not fat at all.

This reason is doubtful.

2 - Period cramps - Usually the women will do some form of momentary relief via applying pressure. There's also the fact it wasn't mentioned previously in the chapter.

3 - SHIT HIT THE FAN IN YURIDOM - The way she put her hands on her belly is how most "oh baby stuff" is drawn or shown, even on TV or other medium.

There's also the ".........." ( does this have a term? ) and more than lengthy pondering by her which suggest something a lot more impactful than having a few pounds or cramps.

She also stated that was sexually active in her teenage years. This may turn out to be a lie, but right now we'll assume what she say is true.

The most compelling reason to me though is the fact thatthis manga does it's revelations in subtlety, never overtly. Like the father's alleged death. We catch small glimpse of their darker moments. So the whole stomach thing in chapter 5 is in alignment with other sinister happenings of this work.

last edited at Mar 6, 2014 2:02PM

That's a really disturbing attitude to have in it's own right.

Oh, but Nezchan seems to be looking for a fight with this sadist shaming attitude. I can be masochist for this fight if you want. I quite like strikes to the side of my ribcage and the safe word is "hazukashii".

Having been in the BDSM community a while back, I've known a few sadists. They're pretty cool. See, a good sadist knows they also have responsibility and need to have some empathy and understanding of the masochist. They don't pick random victims, and they don't partake in random cruelty.

But what you describe, enjoying watching others unhappy or distressed for pleasure without an ounce of empathy, doesn't sound like any sadist I've met. That sounds closer to sociopath.

You ought to revise your sociopath theory, unless you're saying everyone is a sociopath.

Everyone has their schadenfreude moments once in a while.

Man they are so loveable this main couple.

So many fun moments in these chapters

That guy "I just look at the cover I Swear!".

He's accepting of the MCs relationship too, considering where he comes from that's pretty cool. But he looks like the type of guy that doesn't take life too seriously, I think it balances her wife which is more serious. Obviously he needs to be careful not to anger his wife she can get quite feisty haha!

I have to say though, that whole getting dressed up for a phone call... Do people know anyone who does that?

But I have to say... about that meeting, wearing good clothes so they don't pull a fast one on you. Definitely counterintuitive when you first think about it, but then it makes a lot of sense.

It's also amazing how insecure she is though, I wouldn't want to let go of her ever, still she doubts her value.

Maybe it's me but I think Tomo-san might have a crush on her step-mom. Don't ask me why, I can't really explain it, it's just this feeling I get from that smidgen of interaction between them.

It could be, if she does indeed have a crush on her... well the stepmom obviously knows about it... she looks well versed in all things social. What I mean by that, she looks like she probably was the queen in all the "girl" cliques she was ever in. She does give me that feeling. The overly fake smiles, the small talk... Lying about being surprised that tomo had a friend ( she already had 2 cups of coffee ready ).

More importantly, there's something REALLY sinister in this chapter...
The looks that we're exchanged between Tomo and her stemom in the middle of page 11... Tomo looks very wary, and the stepmom's smile plus eyes ( this may just the mangaka screwing them up... but something is looks very off here ).

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but...

Romance with the stepmother, WHERE? The child is also an enigma

Lesbian affair with your step-mother... man that's quite the forbidden fruit, delicious.

I don't know why the child would be an "enigma" he's just the little brother.

It's quite clear that she called her ex-boyfriend, to try to patch things up between them. The first chapter kind of shows that the break up is more her fault than his, and I guess Mizuho/Ena's problems made her realise that relationships are more complicated than she first thought.

Aside from that, I really liked this manga. It felt more like adult relationship problems, solved in a realistic way. I appreciated the whole "love is not enough to make relationships work" part as well. And while this was cut short, it pretty much told the story it wanted to tell. In fact, it felt more like a one-shot that lasted 6 chapters than a series.

However, I still don't get the "she either loves me or hates me" dichotomy (which is also used by a lot of other stories). I mean, hatred is a pretty violent sentiment, and you don't need to "hate" someone to break up with them. For the japanese speakers here, has the original expression some nuance or alternate meaning that doesn't translate well in english?

I felt for the guy, I don't think losing a phone strap warrants such violence. I mean she swung that school bag with strong force, if heavy books were in it... It could of been a potentially very dangerous blow.

But yeah, her outburst must of felt so petty after what she witnessed between her sister and her lover.

I agree with the whole love or hate me, it didn't really make sense.
"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." - Eli Wiesel
The quote pretty much sums it up, she believed her lover didn't care at all because she wouldn't object to her running away nor said anything when she'd come back.

Props and best wishes to the main couple! They're damn cute!

I also hope that Kana and her ex-boyfriend to have a future WITHOUT each other ^_^

Heh heh no um disregard that last part

I'll leave now

I'd rather her get a new guy instead of her old one actually, a girl would be nice but not really realistic. That's just me though

I also hope that, for his sake. I know that if a person would treat me like she did, I would want to discard that person out of my life. He should make the right choice.

who makes the covers of rakuen? i like them

Good question. I saw an answer to your post, but I wanted to reiterate that. Also, did you check the answer you were given to know if they truly make the covers? Please reply back, although, no rush, k.

http://www.mangaupdates.com/authors.html?id=4043

This really isn't too bad if you pretend the yuri tag isn't there at all. But then, the same applied for 99% of the first volume of Girl Friends too. I just hope it doesn't end up all one-sided feelings like Secret Recipe.

It is interesting they covered as complex an issue as ongoing effects after a criminal has been punished though, and what it takes to give closure to a victim.

I would of still been extremely cautious if I were the guy in this situation.I know that a lot of places have updated their restraining order to reflect the current digital era.

I don't know all the clause of a restraining order in Japan but this possibly could of been a breach. Not too sure though, because he didn't contact with any of his devices.

< Do I look like the type to go to mixers ? Yeah I'd rather spend my money and time on manga and anime, game, novel. Fangirl stuff ya know. > is what I'd say to Chi-chan hahahah X"D
Oh and a college yuri manga covered in smoke ? Dang ! quite a rare sight. I'm in.
But well do college students in anywhere else party and smoke like a chimney like that ?
Personally I don't like smoking but anyway, this is a manga, and I enjoy it's plot. I'm in the same team as Chi-san though, what a hassle you have to interact with people you don't care abt.

Yeah I don't like smoking either, but it obviously plays a central role in this story.
Japan actually has a pretty big rate of smokers. It used to be an even bigger deal before social pressure happened.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_cigarette_consumption_per_capita

To be fair, it's not an true indicative of women smoking though. Since they are looked down upon more than men when it comes down to smoking.
I still dislike the tendency to portray femme fatale/independent woman (insert all other "strong" women stereotypes ) in manga as smokers. I guess it's sort of "I'm going against the norm, look how I don't give a shit" kind of appeal.

That moment in page 31 was pretty hot. Not as hot as Black Lagoon's Rock X Revy equivalent though. That's still has the #1 spot for this particular "smoke kiss" action.

Are married Japanese men afflicted by some unknown disease to me? It looks to me that they seemingly cannot procure their own sustenance. This isn't the first time I've seen a woman call her husband "did you forget to eat?"

This is pretty cute, but can't help being a little bit bummed out that she's luring her lover and feeding her addiction that could lead her to an early demise.

I guess that's a pretty un-japanese opinion considering that they're the 17th highest consumers of cigarettes per capita, but I just can't help myself.

Page 11 dat derrière

Why did the author have to make her smile? Ruined her character.

I love this series, even if it makes me confused....Tomboy ****-san was your "first love," Hidesuke? No fooling?

Man she's definitely gorgeous even when she was a tomboy.

Yeah, dat Hidesuke should calm his tits! But you know, i like Maya, she's so sexy, even as a tomboy she was sexy.

His timing is pretty bad, I mean she already rejected him once and then he tries to claw his way in with what can only be described as pity sex. His dreams are crashing down and the future is uncertain and he's asking for her help.

I don't think she's going to say yes this time either. I know she's conflicted because she's not in a romantic relationship right now, and she must be getting older. She must be in her late 20s or early 30s. But I feel like she's comfortable in her sort of pseudo-family thing she has going on with her ex-lover.

And she has that "motherly" thing going on to her, she can't seem to leave MIchiru alone, because quite frankly she's a big mess without her.

She's going to have to think about what is her happiness.

I like this series a lot so far, firstly because it's very cute and soothing but because rarely ( I can't remember any series on the top of my head ) do you ever see possible love interests of different sex.

The only thing that comes remotely close to this is in Yaoi where the ex-girlfriend / or ex-wife of the one of the main couple comes back, but usually she's quickly tossed aside in favor of the main homosexual relationship.

Just gave this a read. I have a friend who went through some serious bullying when he was younger, and through high school as well. Eventually some of those that bullied came back to him and asked him to forgive them for bullying him when he was younger, others my friend forgave them on his own. He had a bunch of anger issues after high school but overcame them to forgive, never forget but he definitely forgave some of them. I look forward to what's next.

I also have to say chapter 5 was really good.

I...like this, in a strange kind of way. At least I did when I saw the end of this manga. It was kinda sad up until then but the end made it for me

How many chapters was it?

It initially was just a oneshot. It also took awhile for her to even get it published. Guess they don't really like it when you point out their social issues ( this is the mean reason why social changes are ever so slow in Japan ) .

From Manga updates:

Even though her one-shot Koe no Katachi won critical acclaim, it took a longsome law suit to get a magazine to publish it because of its socio-critical theme. Eventually, it was featured in the February edition of Bessatsu Shounen Magazin, where it placed first, and later in the 12th edition of the 2013 Weekly Shounen Magazine.

I feel this one's close to an ending, i beg to be ALL WRONG! I love this series, it's so nice to have a story with no high schoolers for a change <3 i need moar. Lililicious, thank you very much!

Not even close, Chapter 7 8 and 8.5 is from Rakuen's Le Paradis Vol 5 and as of Volume 12 this series is still running.

You'll have plenty of mismatched couple antics in the future.

no, wait! you cant end it nao! I want to know what happens next!!

Pretty sure everyone knows what is going to happen, you don't need to actually see.

If ever Suga Atsushi is given another opportunity to write a yuri series, I will be able to die happy.

Best afterword. Possibly ever.

All those extras were all good, props to the author.

And of course that ending... What can I say, it's so awesome.

We got to see the parents to both the girls, a funny bunch indeed.

the covers of le paradis really bother me....

That's Shigisawa Kaya for you.