This pretense of being baffled about what I was getting at is fascinating; rainbow8 had no trouble at all. Readers of Citrus+ didn’t necessarily expect explicit on-panel sex scenes (although obviously some did), but they did expect, as they had every reason to do, a yuri romance manga that built on the MCs’ prior relationship from the original series rather than an arbitrary regression and a substantially rebooted characterization of one of the two protagonists.

I find it genuinely difficult to understand when you're being sarcastic and interjecting into a conversation with unrelated points. A straightforward response would have been much clearer—most of your replies have been the opposite. You also tend to be consistently sarcastic, short, indirect, and rude. That communication style causes regular miscommunications, as I’ve seen. Regarding the "some obviously did" comment about expecting sex, yes, I was specifically referring to those individuals who expect sex. So, once again, I’m not sure why we’re generalizing as though I said everyone expects sex.

And the idea that “for all we know, Yuzu and Mei might be having sex off-panel” is a bizarre violation of the most fundamental principles of understanding narrative. Certainly some actions are always assumed to take place outside a story’s representation (we don’t see every meal, bath, or bathroom break a character makes), but when the story itself makes a major point of the characters giving each other kisses on the cheek, the notion that sex may be taking place off-panel because it’s not thematically important is quite preposterous.

Once again, you're responding in an overly dramatic way. I wasn’t making an argument about whether they had sex off-screen—I mentioned it briefly as part of a question to gauge someone else’s reaction. The point was, I didn't remember if the series had hinted at their having a sexual life off-screen, so I was wondering out loud before maybe rereading for myself. I said: "It wouldn't surprise me if they do have sex off-screen, but I don't remember if the series has said anything one way or the other." Yes, if they have a sexual life Sabu doesn't want to show, I would expect the series to hint at or communicate that in some way. I didn't remember. I don't know how that comment turns into "bizarre violations of the most fundamental principles of understanding narrative."

It’s long been obvious that the series as a whole has backed off considerably from its fairly racy beginnings, but the depiction of the MCs on the covers and in associated marketing images still emphasizes a degree of romantic connection and physical intimacy that the actual story rarely even remotely approaches.

That’s a fair and accurate point, but I was talking about whether it implies an expectation of sex for those who do expect it—especially since the other comment suggested that sex was essentially promised. They apparently are part of that group. So once again, this is completely unrelated to the conversation I was having with someone else.

last edited at May 24, 2025 9:43AM

Prince Moon is one of the 4 runaways they have to catch and she seems very suspicious and might have already caught on. I'm a bit worried about what she wants from this private meeting, especially after that look. Still love the energy of this series! Sal is great.

last edited at May 24, 2025 8:47AM

The covers become less horny and more dramatic as the series progresses tho

I know, I did specify early covers in my wording for that reason. The initial covers were meant to be very alluring and it set certain expectations for people at that time.

You're right about the early covers and your point was appreciated before things got derailed. I hadn't thought about them until you mentioned it. I also didn't realize the Citrus+ cover was a direct callback to volume 1 (but fully clothed with wedding rings, smiles and a loving grab rather than all that mental anguish and skin).

last edited at May 24, 2025 7:54AM

Expectation for something the series basically promised. Also, most people complaining are not actually demanding explicit X-rated scenes; your "expectation for sex" words are what provoked Blastaar's response. What we expected was any sign of physical affection or chemistry, not to mention emotional affection.

Blastaars original response was this:

"This has been discussed innumerable times here. The "readers only complain because they just want to see Mei & Yuzu fuck" canard has been refuted so many times and in such specific detail that to assert it again amounts to trolling."

Which had nothing to do with anything being discussed and certainly wasn't anything I'd ever said or implied.

The whole focus on sex was just a side comment that someone made, which me and another commenter start talking about our feelings about sex in Citrus, casually. No one said anything about sex being the reason for disliking Citrus. I'm not sure what Blastaar even jumped in to say, honestly. It was completely unrelated.

Citrus was quite sexy early on, including Mei nearly forcing herself onto Yuzu. And yeah, very sexy covers. And by the end, they're engaged and sharing a bed.

Yeah, I already addressed in my earlier comment. I said that it was sexual earlier on largely as a result of Mei's mental state and the situation they were in but it never crossed the lines it set. Sexuality was present but nothing promising or implying sex. As the series progressed it became more and more clear it was focused on their interpersonal drama and not much else. So by the time we were onto Citrus+, years after Citrus, I didn't get the expectation still being there for some.

As for my saying "expectations for sex," yeah some people do have that expectation or desire. You yourself said you felt the series even promised it. So I'm not sure what you mean there.

last edited at May 23, 2025 9:20PM

inb4 the scanlators stop to "support" the American publishers, like the good boys they are.

I'm sure you'll all enjoy the wait of one or two years.

What was the point of this message?

I guess they think wanting to support the artist is funny. The publisher gets something out of it too, so I guess we're being duped or something, gullible, yada yada.

last edited at May 23, 2025 8:51PM

Ah, so she meant the climax of the current arc. Thanks

I don't think she meant of this arc specifically. I think she meant a major event is about to happen in the story that will affect how it moves forward. So a climax for everything we've been building to but not a climax to the entire story.

last edited at May 23, 2025 8:01PM

Good marketing in at least ability to get people to check the series out, though awkward when they find out the series isn't what the early covers suggest lol

It worked out for her though but yeah. The series was a bit "risque" at first anyway so I think people got what they wanted. Well we know they did since the series took off. I mentioned the anime earlier but even getting an anime as an unambiguous yuri series back then was a feat.

last edited at May 23, 2025 7:58PM

Right, I‘m confused. Lol.

Citrus has always been “Teenage Premarital Lesbian Bed Death.” Anyone who expected anything else is just being delusional.

...Sure? Genuinely not sure what you're doing. Is this a bit? More sarcasm? Not very useful.

Where it's funny when I show friends Citrus covers next to covers for more wholesome Yuri series where the couple has a sex life, and my friends always think I'm messing with them when I ask guess which couple has a sex life?

Yeah, those covers can be funny and good marketing lol. I could see that. It's just once you actually read it, the series is pretty standard when it comes to actual sexual expression. Maybe we'll get that date once this busy period is over though. You think they don't have a sex life? Has the series communicated that? It wouldn't surprise me if they do have sex off screen but I don't remember if the series has said anything one way or the other.

last edited at May 23, 2025 7:04PM

As for people's expectations, I think Citrus at least early on was commonly thought of as this spicy taboo romance that would go places a lot of more fluffy romance wouldn't. That it would be more along the lines of Flowerchild's works maybe. Also perfectly fine if you don't agree with that impression, it's just the impression I got back in the day and some of what I saw people expecting when the original series first started. I sometimes still see social media treating Citrus like the most unholy and taboo of all lesbian romance because of the "incest", which feels like a joke to me but somehow people are serious.

Agreed. That perception was there, and it always didn't make sense. A lot of that came from the anime and reactions to the story's start, but the manga never went beyond its opening. People seemed to run away with "incest" and "sex". It's just never been that kind of story, and the series rationalized the opening sexual situations as part of Mei's coping with her life at that time. It was always just a moment. I wouldn't be against a sex scene eventually. I agree that it can be impactful. It just doesn't seem like Sabu cares for that. Maybe if she can find a narrative purpose for it (like there was in Bloom into You).

This has been discussed innumerable times here. The "readers only complain because they just want to see Mei & Yuzu fuck" canard has been refuted so many times and in such specific detail that to assert it again amounts to trolling.

Point me to the person who said or even implied that in this recent conversation? The topic was mentioned as part of a different talk. I think you're confused about what's being discussed.

last edited at May 23, 2025 5:38PM

You have a point and I assume is related with the weird fixation the fandom has for seeing Yuzu and Mei fucking. I mean sure, it would be nice but I don't think that is something that would add something meaningful to the story as a whole.

I don't care if they have sex or not, though I do think sex in a romance story can be a meaningful act due to it being a way to progress physical intimacy, even if it's off camera. For some it's an important part of a relationship.

Also Citrus tends to be very sterile in general so I don't blame people for wanting more.

Personally, it's exactly because it's not a sexual series that I never understood the expectation for sex. The desire to see it? Sure. But there seemed to be an expectation for something the series never was or tried to be. If this were "Asumi-chan," then yeah.

The series is definitely meant to end in their wedding so I believe it will end when Sabu feels she doesn't have anything more to add to Yuzu and Mei's story.

For some reason I don't expect us to reach the wedding in any real sense. A time jump, maybe but I can't see us actually showing the wedding in more detail.

last edited at May 23, 2025 3:50PM

Nekotarou posted some cryptic tweets while asking people to vote for the series on a popularity poll.

You can vote until noon tomorrow! Please support this work as the story moves towards its climax...!
https://x.com/nekotarou0721/status/1925134646452564409
We've started to get to the heart of the matter, but it's not over yet...!! Don't worry about that...!! The real story begins once we understand the heart of the matter...!!
https://x.com/nekotarou0721/status/1925136380478582839

So we're reaching the climax, but the story is just beginning?

What

We're reaching a major point of the story but she wanted to clarify since it sounded as though the series was ending based on the wording of her first tweet. The second tweet is a clarification of the first.

last edited at May 23, 2025 3:41PM

I'm curious how this site categorizes a series as "dropped." I'm read this over on mangadex and it has up to chapter 47.5 now, so it's clearly still being translated. So why can't those chapters come over here?

I believe it was dropped by the group who was working on it here. I'm not sure who was working on it on Mangadex. They're not necessarily the same people.

last edited at May 23, 2025 2:59PM

And at least from the Spanish-speaking side of the fandom, the breaks are the biggest issue people have with the series, weirdly, they don't seem to have an issue with Mahoako, Semalparous or Watayuri's hiatus despite having gone longer without new chapters by this point.

Well Citrus and Citrus+ has more popularity and demand than those series, so naturally a break would be felt more. The schedule is also more irregular--breaks aren't consistent. Those breaks are mostly what I see discussed across the board as well. I don't think the direction has been much of a tangible issue overall outside of some forum complaints (tangible meaning objective measures like sales, circulation, etc.). Here, it's mostly the same people posting, who knows what the silent masses have to say.

Because that's intentional. Arata was introduced as a way to make Yuzu feel truly jealous, and she was just acting out because she didn't know how to deal with those feelings. I'd argue that if the underlying theme in the original story was Mei's personal growth spurred by Yuzu's presence in her life, citrus+ is all about moving Yuzu's character forward.

What do you think will happen with Arata moving forward? I'm also interested in when this series will end. I'm assuming once this project is over but I could see it going beyond that. Sabu seems to have the freedom from the publication to extend this (or delay this) as long as she wants.

last edited at May 23, 2025 3:02PM

Welp, what Kase is saying to Yamada is correct and valid in isolation. But at the same time, she is probably the last person to be morally justified for complaining about her girlfriend neglecting their relationship to please a third party, given her, uh, track record with that.

except neglecting their relationship isn't the main thing Kase is complaining about. Like, of course she's upset that Yamada misses the race but what she really gets on her case about how she's running herself ragged for a part-time job and neglecting her health.

She says "Don't bother coming" but what she means is "It's hot here, you're exhausted, go rest instead."

Very true—it can mean that at a literal level. But in a relationship, “Don’t bother” is kind of a rhetorical hammer, as compared to “You don’t need to” or “I’m worried you’ll be too hot,” etc.

Not that either of them are expert communicators . . .

Yeah, I think she meant both things at once (based on her behaviour in the chapter).

She wants Yamada to take care of herself but she also was upset that Yamada would choose something else over her race and that emotion made her act rude here.

The tone of that "don't bother," felt laced with more than just care for Yamada's health and I also didn't appreciate it much considering her own much more disruptive history.

She even hung up the phone on her. That wasn't just from concern, especially when she twitched and said "I might've done better if you were here." That's more than just worry about health. "Health" is just an easier, less debatable, argument for her to lead with.

last edited at May 23, 2025 9:47AM

Yay we got a good ending. Naoko is one of the goats of yuri manga I reckon.

Could this have been more fleshed out? Yes but I think this is actually more her style I mean she writes so many stories and leaving the details to the readers imagination just fits within this manga's vibes.

I also I think that taking a break is totally understandable, a person should be able to get their life back on track and feeling good about themselves before seeing other people. Like timing matters a lot.

Also, running into each other after a year or so in a city is not at all unbelievable and I can't understand the idea that it would be. The only thing special is marriage being legalized around the same time but that's part of the fun and is such a small thing in the grand scheme--its a story after all. I also enjoyed the ending. She got enough time to settle her affairs but what I liked the most is she truly did it for herself--she never thought they'd run into each other again.

last edited at May 22, 2025 8:34AM

Isn't this that manga where they joke about killing a lesbian couple off screen? Because, even if they're evil, that isn't right.

Or, could be thinking of a different assassin yuri, but can't recall.

There are lesbians everywhere and killing nearly every chapter, so in some ways yes. But I agree with the poster above me.

I find that the relationship between Yuzu and Mei is not really a backward development, but rather a forward, maturing development. When Mei told Matsuri about starting over to respect Yuzu, she did exactly that. For us who used to see the lovey dovey scenes in Citrus, the interaction between Mei and Yuzu feels cold or odd or "business like". But it is a book separation between personal and non personal (business) lives.

We're mostly in agreement there. I find their relationship now has matured beyond the physicality they shower earlier in the series. That physicality was largely dramatic and fueled by heightened, less than ideal circumstances. Now it seems they've relaxed into a certain calmer stage (and at least from Mei's POV, more confident stage) of their relationship and Mei's current workload obviously affects their current intimacy. Once that major project is settled they'll be fine (and are fine since we know where this goes).

The last panel of Oct 27 I find it very interesting. I have NEVER seen Mei smiles like that. No blushing, This is a smile of someone who is deeply deeply in love. Very significant if you think about it, including the whole panel. "Strength".

Yeah that was a lovely final panel.

I think Arata is a very important character in C+.

He's definitely important since he ties together what Citrus+ has primarily wanted to focus on up to now (apparently to the distaste of some) and he seems to act as an observer of Mei and Yuzu's relationship. I don't think he understands that they're dating yet though. I guess we'll see.

I imagine his major action will be both related to their relationship (in a positive observational way) and to this project. I consider him like a child being "raised" by Mei and Yuzu. I expect we'll see what he "grows up to be," and that will be a reflection of Yuzu and Mei's relationship. This recent chapter was just another example of how they're positively affecting him and how that reflects on their love and personalities. That seems to be his main purpose.

The last panel of Oct 27 I find it very interesting. I have NEVER seen Mei smiles like that. No blushing, This is a smile of someone who is deeply deeply in love. Very significant if you think about it, including the whole panel. "Strength".

She's very much in love, yeah. That seems to be part of her issues with some of Yuzu's actions and insecurities. From Mei's POV they are confidently and securely in love and essentially already married, with little reason to worry or fret about anything else. But that's their personalities anyway.

last edited at May 21, 2025 8:21AM

Well, that was a nice surprise... ^_^

And I still have no idea how she can still think she hasn't already lost that bet a long time ago.

Even more so now that she's acknowledged her friends' relationship.

It's a kink at this point, but I also think it's meant to highlight how much of an unreliable narrator and tsundere she's been since chapter 1. She's been down bad since near the start. Now it just gets to be more obvious and comedic because its even less subtle than before (and it wasn't subtle then either).

last edited at May 19, 2025 1:53PM

Everyday I come here hoping there's a new chapter TT.TT
I really love this story, it's so cute and the art style is freaking amazing!! It really shows all the effort that was put into every chapter

It's cute but [warning] it's some of the worst bait I've seen recently and I don't use that word regularly. It's also finished elsewhere if you want to read it.

last edited at May 18, 2025 8:21PM

This is one of those anime I feel so conflicted about. I know some people find it hilarious and that's fine, for me though a lot of comedy is just so incredibly mean spirited. Spoiler talk, There's a background pairing that are quickly murdered by the main duo, and you get an extra bit where you learn how they wanted a happy life (and I think marriage?) together after an episode. There is a lesbian couple in the series...but it's hard to tell if they're going to survive long, and I don't know how sincere the series is about the relationship. Which brings me to the main duo that this art depicts, they often have an uneven and mean spirited dynamic between them, and I genuinely can't tell if the series is only playing up the potential "Yuri" between them as a joke. There's some entertaining things about the show overall and cute designs, but again I'm very conflicted.

The author has said this is a yuri series and the other couple is part of the main cast. I don't see them going anywhere. It does have a lot of dark humor though, but that's the main style of it. It's primarily a comedy with romance scattered and slowly building as we go along. Kind of like Grand Blue (not a yuri series). Wild comedy first, potential romance second. Some of the jokes are mean though but every character is an asshole (except for Yuri, no coincidence there).

last edited at May 16, 2025 9:53PM

God, the author really has succeeded in making Yuni just the absolute worst. Hmmm, my lover is clearly distraught, and is shaking... guess I'll just leave her with this woman she clearly doesn't want to be around ¯_(ツ)_/¯.

Also, is that Jesus imagery for Fuuko here https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/my_girlfriends_not_here_today_ch31#15 ? Wild.

Yuni is an asshole that sees Fuuko as her savior. I think she was overwhelmed by the idea that someone like Fuuko could be in a position like that. Most of the imagery we see of Fuuko from Yuni's mind is of a beautiful woman that feels almost like an angel. Distorting that idea of Fuuko with how she looked in that moment probably caused Yuni to bail.

As a selfish and self centered person she seeks comfort rather than providing any comfort herself. On top of that she acts very distant when a person breaks the perception she has of them. Yuni felt like Nanase was pushing her away so she cheated. Now that Nanase is trying to be a better gf Yuni's views of her just being a gf that doesn't care about her is ruined, which leads to her growing distant from Nanase. I feel like the same thing happened here. Her belief of what Fuuko should act like is different from how she was acting here, which lead to Yuni pushing her away.

Her being self centered was also showcased. One of the main things that pushed her and Nanase apart was the idea that Nanase spends her time with others. That they get to see sides of her that Yuni doesn't. I think with this new woman it might be the same case. Yuni at the end might be missed that it's someone else that can make Fuuko break down so easily. That it's someone else that was her first partner. It takes away from Yuni's idea of Fuuko being her savior, and in Yuni's mind makes her just another sex partner. Even worse a sex partner that isn't able to see sides of Fuuko that the new woman was able to see. Similar to how she views Nanase and how she interacts with her teammates.

I think that's exactly it. She saw a side of Fuuko she didn't think was possible and it shook her. The strong dominating Fuuko was now groveling at the feet of another woman. The author made sure to focus on how Fuuko gingerly grabbed her jacket and meekly asked her to stop because that was what Yuni was noticing the most. I don't think Yuni fully understood the situation or believed Fuuko (considering their background).

She seemed so taken back by Fuuko's "out of character" behavior that nothing else registered before she was too overwhelmed or embarrassed to stay. What'll determine their future is how she reacts once she rationalizes and accepts this new information and also how Fuuko handles this woman (although the imagery doesn't make it seem like Fuuko can save herself). I'm interested in Nanase's role here too.

last edited at May 16, 2025 9:48PM

Good news. At the end of volume 8 she said her editor informed her things are going well enough to end the series as originally planned with volume 9.

In the latest raws she says she’s overflowing the end of the story into a 4 chapter volume 10 now. Instead of ending at volume 9. All due to current support levels and how the ending is working out.

Yeah another Chinese yuri series did that recently--had a final "season" that was just 5-7 extra chapters to help finish off what they intended to tell. That series needed those chapters, this one could work without them based on what's been happening but I will not complain!

last edited at May 16, 2025 7:10PM

Another banger chapter--this time with a lot of great lore. Also looks like Naori will make some big decisions soon.

"Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!?" got here. People can get very hostile very quickly, even for otherwise very good and very popular yuri series. Give it and the author a little bit of grace.

that's funny you mention that series cuz i remember that someone said this series had over 100 chapters and the two female leads still hasn't progressed romantically.

They'd be wrong and that series has a lot of couples but that's the kind of thing people would say, which is why I mentioned it. A very popular and long running yuri series got a similar reception to this one with very few chapters TLd and for similarish reasons (which is partly why the TL said they dropped it). At least that one has an ongoing official release.

last edited at May 16, 2025 4:51PM

I also don't think there have been weird vibes either besides that in this series she's apparently supposed to be a problem solver and is running into various problems to solve.

Did you miss that the "problem solver" role was foisted on her because she's routinely slut shamed at her workplace? Or the part where a bunch of students cornered her and accused her of all sorts of shit because someone spread rumors about her and that male teacher?

This manga seems to be about an ostensibly queer woman forced to manage the relationships of straight people at her workplace, while getting nothing but disrespect and humiliation in return. That is a pretty fucked up situation, and while it would be a premise brimming with potential on paper, this manga does not seem to treat it with any weight.

In other words, this manga depicts a grossly misogynistic and hostile workplace, but with the tone of a slice-of-life series. You really don't think that's weird?

It’s been 3 chapters. That's a lot to say so early into a series and I don't really agree. I'd hope this series doesn't get the same odd treatment "Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!?" got here. People can get very hostile very quickly, even for otherwise very good and very popular yuri series. Give it and the author a little bit of grace.

last edited at May 15, 2025 2:55PM