I'm already a sucker for this genre, but it's always nice to see an author doing something a little bit different too. More please, thank you!

It seems that every time I read a manga that is even tangentially related to the idol industry in Japan, my reaction is always "that is so messed up."

That is so messed up.

It's pretty rare that you see a Dom-M and a Sub-S. I guess that makes for a gap.

Yeah a lot of fat free products are actually just code for “we swapped the fat content for sugar content” and it’s sometimes less healthy to go for the low fat/no fat options. Plus it won’t keep you full for as long

I'm told that this isn't quite as much of a problem in Japan, as they don't have the same food culture of putting sugar in everything. I recall people visiting from Japan commenting on how everything in the US is so overly sweet that it was sometimes hard to deal with.

There are still plenty of candies and desserts, but supposedly not so much sugar in everything else.

last edited at Nov 6, 2021 1:13PM

I knew these two reminded me of something, but I only just now figured it out. They remind me a little of the characters from 'Pocha Climb!'

Oatmeal is kinda crazy for calorie counts. One could eat a whole bowl of oatmeal for fewer calories than a handful of candies. (Same with lots of other hot cereals like Buckwheat.)

The two of them making up so quickly was a surprise, but a welcome one.

The whole "I hurt you because I like you," angle on this is pretty upsetting though. Shion is mad at Kiki for not noticing her feelings when she was actively trying to hide them, and that's supposed to make sense?

I was starting to feel some sympathy for Shion in the last chapter, but this chapter brings that feeling back to square one. Shion was the one who pushed Kiki away, so hopefully by the final chapter, she can learn to live without being by Kiki's side anymore.

Giving someone a weird gift that looks like them is just the most adorable, wholesome revenge possible.

I take issue with this manga. It's got one huge glaring problem that I just can't overlook and it is driving me nuts. It needs to have a faster release schedule, I mean come on! :P

Seriously though, the character dynamics are really interesting. A lot of stories will pick one point of view and have everything revolve around it like that person is the center of the universe, but here, each character feels like the protagonist of their own story. It might not be a good story structure for a movie, but think it works brilliantly here.

At first I was mad at Shion, but now I'm feeling bad for her. She really messed up big time, and is lucky Toribami showed up, or her plan would have been a total disaster. If Kiki and Shion had talked it over in the first place, then it wouldn't have been so bad, but now I feel like her best outcome can be only bittersweet.

In what world is Haruma "physically masculine"?? Just because she's tall??

You said it! Tall or short, all of the dancers are going to be physically fit to a baseline degree. Toribami is someone who knows she needs to act in order to get what she wants, but Kiki is the one who is steadfast in following her dream.

This makes me feel torn. On one hand, I want to see Sugiura and Yokoe get together and have a happy ending, but on the other hand, I want the story to take Sugiura's "it's weird," seriously and not just pretend it was never said.

This is a case where she considers the emotional support friend to be a romantic rival, though. There's an issue with her believing she understands Asahi's feelings better than Asahi herself, even if it's presented as true in the text, but being insecure to the tune of feeling second best isn't a good foundation at all. I think she was pretty mature to walk away.

From the perspective of the omniscient audience, I can definitely understand her walking away and feel sympathy for Fuuka, but I also think she was pretty reckless with Asahi's feelings by picking her up and then dumping her in a way that puts all the blame on her. It was practically Asahi's first time. Fuuka wanted it to be perfect, it could have ended as merely mediocre, but instead it became something full of shame and guilt for Asahi.

The more I think about it, the more I think I would be furious at Fuuka if I were Subaru.

I also wonder if maybe part of the problem is that Fuuka was in love with the idea of Asahi, rather than the woman herself.

Bless this series. I've read it so many times already both in digital and print. Even if it's another series that ends with their confession, I'll always cherish it.

Is the ending available in spoilers somewhere? I'm thinking of picking up a physical copy, but I'm worried there's going to be a bad end...

A daily intake of 1200 kCals??? Isn't the recommended daily intake for an adult woman like 2000 kCal? 1200 would be enough for like a 12-year old

The first chapter already established that her BMR+exercise is 1800 kCals per day. Removing 600 kCal is like skipping one out of three meals a day, and I know multiple people who skip breakfast every day and are just fine.

Certainly way healthier than some dieting plans I've seen people do, including one local guy who took up smoking as an appetite suppressant.

Frist things first, her "friends" are pieces of shit for not supporting her and subhumans for mocking her, she should start by losing them before the flabby tummy.

I agree. That's a horrible thing to do to someone who is on a diet. Not cute or funny at all.

But I feel like delving too deeply into the real-world academics of relationships is kind of burying the lede. This is a story. And what we should probably be doing is trying to determine if the twist makes sense in the narrative.

I think it's just a function of my own background that I think about stories like this. Part of the reason why I love this story and am invested enough in it to delve into the comments section is because it feels so authentic and true to my own experiences.

If it were just another phoned-in romance where the author leans on the same tired old tropes, I'd just roll my eyes and move along.

That being said, I pretty much agree with most of what you're saying.

When Subaru tells Hinako that she hopes she'll be the one, it does seem to imply that there were others before her that she's given up hope on.

It is heavily implied that what went wrong in all her other relationships is that she was carrying an unspoken torch for Asahi the whole time.

I did think that was the implication at first, but this most recent chapter makes me think that it's maybe not the only reason. Now it also feels like Fuuka has been so afraid of failure, that she's setting herself up to fail in a way where she can say "oh, it's not my fault, it just couldn't be helped," rather than take the risk.

"Having similarities" is not inevitably the basis of a relationship--it can be, but having complementary differences is probably even more important.

I understand that the "complementarity hypothesis," is a commonly held belief, but it is demonstrably false. Researchers have conducted hundreds of rigorous, peer reviewed studies about it, and the overwhelming result is that opposites do not attract.[1]

When it comes to similarities or differences that people don't hold strongly, or care about strongly as central to themselves, it tends to not matter one way or another. But when it comes to qualities and believes that people think are important, the idea that people should look for someone who complements their traits is pure fiction. Not only do people seek partners that are similar, but over time, relationships where people are highly opposite are much more likely to break up. [2] [3]

1. A meta-analytic investigation of the processes underlying the similarity-attraction effect. R. Matthew Montoya, Robert S. Horton. 2012
2. Interpersonal attraction and personality: What is attractive--self similarity, ideal similarity, complementarity or attachment security? Klohnen, E. C., & Luo, S. 2003
3. Similarity in Relationships as Niche Construction: Choice, Stability, and Influence Within Dyads in a Free Choice Environment. Angela Bahns, Chris Crandall. 2016

And if you think Subaru is expressing "displeasure" with her banter with Fuuka, I don't think we actually are reading the same series.

As I said, Subaru is written as an honest person. And who is, by Japanese standards, uncommonly direct. Foe-shipping is very common in fandoms, and that's fine, but in real life it makes little sense.

...I'm not sure we've been reading the same series here. Aside from how much the two bounce off and understand each other, a reminder that Fuuka's just about helped change Subaru's diapers back in the day.

I remember seeing them bounce off each other like oil and water, with Subaru repeatedly expressing her displeasure with Fuuka, and for good reason. While it is true that people tend to prefer what is familiar to them as opposed to what is unfamiliar, knowing someone isn't the same as having similarities.

While I know that some of this is me filling in the blanks, Subaru is written as someone who is honest, hardworking, and faces her problems head on. When she sees something she likes, like her sister getting along with someone new, she immediately starts pushing them together and talks to said new person openly about it. Outgoing and upfront.

Conversey, Fuuka is written as someone who hides her feelings, runs away from her problems, and abandons relationships at the first sign of trouble rather than putting in the effort needed to make things work. That's not even taking into account the age gap.

From my perspective, it seems like it would be a difficult relationship if it were in real life.

There's also the wording Fuuka used when describing what she "expected" from Asahi if they were "going out": "When you're suffering, I want you to rely on me the most." There was a reason Fuuka put that first. The thing that pushed her into confessing and asking Asahi out on this date in the first place was when Asahi "ran away from home" because of her argument with Subaru. And whom did she rely on when she was suffering then? Hinako! Finding out that Asahi also relied on that same person to help her look good for their date, even though she "didn't tell her it was a date" (like that worked), pretty much started the date off with confirmation that it was a lost cause.

I'm not saying that Fuuka's decision to give up was necessarily wrong. If she can intuit all of that from the limited information she has without any of the behind the scenes knowledge that we have as an omniscient audience, she's more astute than I am.

But I feel like she has some unrealistic expectations for a relationship, and it makes me wonder if that's also part of what went wrong in all of her other relationships. I know plenty of people who get emotional support from their friends rather than their lover/spouse. I can't count the number of times I've found myself at a restaurant or a bar listening to a friend's tale of woe instead of their significant other, and they're roughly 50/50 still together like the statistial average.

It honestly feels like Fuuka is self-handicapping for some reason.

last edited at Aug 29, 2021 9:18AM

I wasn't even rooting for Fuuka and Asahi, but it's still sad. Of course I feel bad for Fuuka, but I also feel like she's giving up way too soon after hanging on for years? But I suppose it's maybe in character for her, who is said to go into and out of relationships quickly.

More than feeling bad for Fuuka though, I feel bad for Asahi. I feel like I've been in Asahi's position before, feeling lonely, and thinking maybe it really would be nice to fall in love, but still not being able to. It's an awful feeling, wondering what's wrong with one's self, to be unable to make someone happy, or even step up to the starting line without stumbling.

Maybe it's hopeless from the start, or maybe what Asahi needs is some patience to let her grow accustomed to letting someone else in? Not saying that Fuuka needs to feel responsible for unpacking Asahi's baggage, but it's there, and it's not going away after a single date.

(Also: I won't be surprised if Fuuka and Subaru end up together, but I honestly hope they don't. It feels like it'd be way too much of a plot convenience in a story that has been otherwise pretty relatable and grounded. As far as I can tell, the only thing they have in common is that they care about Asahi, which is pretty weak chemistry for a relationship.)

last edited at Aug 29, 2021 2:27AM

@chapter 20
Where does Ms. Friend get off calling Wakana a dummy and saying "took you long enough," when she didn't say anything either? What is the basis of this double standard?

That moment when your girlfriend asks if you're interested in a threesome, but you haven't even kissed yet. Disaster narrowly averted.

I feel like this is maybe relatable to people who are in certain kinds of aces relationships. Even if they know they'll never be able to have a completely physically intimate relationship, that's not always a deal breaker.

The wholesomest... ;_;

I hope everyone out there can find someone who likes them for them.

It's nice to see her friend is still supporting her dream, but she still should have talked about it up front.

Yuni probably wants assurance before she can begin to voice her concerns.

There certainly doesn't seem to be a lot of trust in the relationship. If it were a real life relationship, I certainly wouldn't expect it to last if they can't even be a little bit honest with each other.

But she's being incredibly unfair to Yuni by making promises to her and breaking them

This is true, but Yuni ought not to tell her she's okay with it when she's not okay with it. Imagine thinking that someone is supporting you and your dream behind the scenes, only to find out later they've been trash talking you instead.

last edited at Jul 22, 2021 4:04PM

Honestly, I feel like Nanase deserves better. Knowing how these things go, I'm sure we'll get a chapter where we see that she's awful in some way too, or whatever. But right now, even without any cheating, her girlfriend lies to her face and constantly belittles her behind her back when she trusts said lies.

People in relationships are allowed to have interests outside of said relationship. They ought to be able to have friends, or hold a job, without having to worry about a jealous lover who can't accept them spending any time for anything else.

Is there a name for romance dramas where all of the characters are purposefully unlikeable?

last edited at Jul 22, 2021 2:50PM

There's more right? Right?! That can't be all of it...

Huh! I think this is the first isekai I've read where the reincarnate co-exists with her host. It's usually a sorta 'overwrite' thing.

I know of two others at least.

Isekai Soudouki has a samurai and a modern otaku act as the cheerleading squad for the main character, who is the native soul of the body and is in control (aside from the samurai occasionally taking over for stronger enemies).

There is also Two As One Princess, in which the protagonist is possessing a girl and they basically travel around the world doing isekai stuff. It's marked as gender bender and shoujo ai, but given that there is only one body and one of the two is a sexless ghost (uses female mannerisms early on to reassure the little girl he possesses, not sure about after that cuz I stopped reading after a while).

Haunted Duke's Daughter is possibly a third. though I'm not sure what the actual deal is, as far as I've seen translated. Sakura (possible reincarted/transmigrated entity, possible Japanese schoolgirl) seems to live inside the mind of Lilia (Villainess who met the Downfall, but avoided the standard consequences). Sakura does not seem to have the ability to take over Lilia's body (or at least, she hasn't used it to the point I've read), only to share her senses, and offer teaching and advice.

"I Won't Become a Villainess. I'm Just a Normal Duke's Daugher!" also has the reincarnate co-existing with her host. Although at first the original soul is hiding away, the part where they agree to work together is super heartfelt.

Oof, this one hits close to home. Sexism is so normalized sometimes that one really has to emphasize it to even get a reaction. Most of the time, people don't even blink at the most ridiculous of bikini armor.

I like the way Laplace's dialogue is written in the translation. I don't know if she uses an unusual mode of speaking in the original text, but her speech kinda reminds me of Greg from Over the Garden Wall. It's like a mishmash of various old-timey dialects but without any over-complex parts.

Also, I wonder... does Laplace know the causal outcome of every future event? Arguably it's worse than being able to violate the second law of thermodynamics like Maxwell, simply because even if you know the causal outcome of every future event, you're necessarily unable to change the course of events at that point. :D (I sincerely hope other people know what I'm talking about.)