• Vowrune
• Bulletproof Candy
• Rainbow!

The last 3 I'd recommend are "Vowrune," "Bulletproof Candy" and "Rainbow!".

Btw, if I am allowed to do some shameless self-advertising, I have a webtoon of my own. It is super small and I am still learning, it's called: Not her Again sorry for the offtopic, lol.

I'll be perusing your wares.

I recently binged this and I must say Morinaga Milk has grown a lot with her writing. The first story I read and loved by her was obviously Girlfriends. I was a young adult then. And I just love how this manga is so mature, when I have grown older now too and appreciate exactly this kind of story more. There's so much psychological tension, but the couple life is so sweet. I also love how it is such a "normal" yuri story. Like they are a couple and who cares that it's two women. I enjoy that the drama is not at all about the yuri, but about the character's feelings. This comic is just a really nice couple life drama story.

Agreed. Her stories have an effortless quality to them. Love your comment about the narrative being about them as people too. They're allowed to be imperfect in flawed ways. Lots of manga characters are "imperfect" in acceptable ways.

last edited at May 28, 2024 6:56AM

^As it stands I agree, but it could easily become NTR if it had more chapters, and the story focused somewhat on showing the het couple being loveydovey and the guy being sweet, but she keeps cheating on him just for the hot sex.
Im kinda assuming that is the future the author has in mind, assuming they tagged it ntr. If she dumps him right away for the new girl, it really wouldnt want an ntr tag.

Netori is because it's from the POV of our MC. It wouldn't become NTR unless we took the POV of the man, which wouldn't happen. I doubt Sal Jiang labeled this anything of the sort though. NVM: she did.

Not always in fact- tho im not a huge NTR fan ive played some NTR games ive liked that were entirely from the woman's perspective. And some switch between her and the guy. So while you might normally play or be from the guys perspective you can do NTR just fine from the womans as she falls or is pressured into temptation.

To be Netori it needs to be from the perspective of the villian guy stealing the girl away.

Yes that's what I meant. Our "villain" is the woman here.

One thing I've noticed is that Takeshima Eku had been retweeting the first 5 episodes posts with the first two having celebration arts, but after ep 6 they just stopped completely LOL

She's always erratic with her posting habits. If she doesn't post again for the rest of the run then maybe we come back and gossip. By post I mean retweets since that's all that pops up on my notifications.

last edited at May 26, 2024 5:37PM

Isn't the title more about her own beginnings? Do we think she's going viral from this? I didn't really get that from the chapter, though I see where everyone else is coming from.

What is the point of having a through-the-lens shot of a video of Mitsuki playing taken by a stranger if not for the video to be posted somewhere?

There are many reasons for a shot like that. For one, it could be part of the setting. It's natural for "street" performers to be recorded like this and Sumiko might have wanted to represent that real world excitement and atmosphere, while also creating an interesting panel composition.

Again, I wouldn't be surprised if this did lead to a viral hit. That would work too and I'm not against the idea. She also mentioned "wanting to be up there too, etc." which would compliment the idea. It just didn't cross my mind when reading the chapter.

last edited at May 26, 2024 6:09PM

Isn't the title more about her own beginnings? Do we think she's going viral from this? I didn't really get that from the chapter, though I see where everyone else is coming from.

last edited at May 26, 2024 1:11PM

^As it stands I agree, but it could easily become NTR if it had more chapters, and the story focused somewhat on showing the het couple being loveydovey and the guy being sweet, but she keeps cheating on him just for the hot sex.
Im kinda assuming that is the future the author has in mind, assuming they tagged it ntr. If she dumps him right away for the new girl, it really wouldnt want an ntr tag.

Netori is because it's from the POV of our MC. It wouldn't become NTR unless we took the POV of the man, which wouldn't happen. I doubt Sal Jiang labeled this anything of the sort though. NVM: she did.

last edited at May 26, 2024 10:20AM

The "tonight" makes it a bit weird - does she expect to stay together with him after this?

I wouldn't look into that too much. She wouldn't suddenly break up with him right there in front of everyone and in that atmosphere anyway, so "tonight" is what she'd say just to getaway. She could break up once things have calmed down. We'll never know, but that's what I'm leaning towards.

last edited at May 26, 2024 8:43AM

When Beniko said "awful person", I wanted to know the reasons she said so.

Whenever I'm reading romance manga, I always need to keep reminding myself that the whole "going against societal and familial expectations to pursue your own desires" thing reads much differently and much more powerfully in Japanese culture than in the US (and elsewhere). Of course, that's always been a common theme of romance stories worldwide, but the whole "individual vs. society" issue was especially relevant in Taisho-era Japan.

In this case, Beniko already starts out feeling guilty and responsible for the two girls who committed suicide, and she thinks of herself as an "awful person" because of her desire to (from society's point of view) completely ruin the life prospects of this innocent girl and cut her off from her remaining family.

All that being said, your post motivated me to re-read this whole series and reminded me that it may be my top "inject this stuff directly into my veins" yuri series of all time. I could watch these two flirt and cuddle forever.

I miss Nagori Yu. One-shots, fragments of series, whatever--I'd take it.

She's still got ongoing work, just not translated it seems.

last edited at May 26, 2024 8:37AM

There's the question of... would we rather have one season where it ends abruptly and then "never" get a second season to continue the rest of the story just like a lot of other yuri anime, or would we prefer having them rush the adaptation to fit that major key point of the manga (AkiShiho's reconciliation) in this one and only season?

If done well, I'd rather the latter. It's just they normally don't do that well and instead cut things without proper considerations. I'd love if more shows consulted the author for a script that reworks and condenses the same material into a 12 episode format, rather than what seems to be done. But we'll see!

last edited at May 26, 2024 8:36AM

Seems like that dude dodged a bullet, given the speed of flip-flopping. Lol.

She said "oh wait, you were actually an option? Yeah I made a mistake and I'll be going home with you tonight!"

last edited at May 26, 2024 8:38AM

Regarding the adaptation: Quality issues aside, it's way too rushed. They'll adapt five chapters (an entire volume, basically) in the next episode (up to Chapter 25), for example.

It's kind of funny, since I originally thought they were going to adapt only Himari and Yori's Arc (with Shiho's introduction as a cliffhanger), then, after the first couple of episodes, up to the bet between Aki and Shiho (which will happen in the next episode), and then up to the Summer Festival (Chapters 31/32). But if they go beyond that point (which seems likely now), I guess they might adapt the whole Arc, which I hope won't happen, as that would be very unsatisfying.

Yeah I figured they'd really want to get to Shiho and Aki's stuff, since everything picks up from there and a lot of interest comes from that situation. I always thought the anime would be split, 6 episodes on YoriHima and 6 on AkiShiho. I just don't know how they'll handle the ending.

If they do intend to squeeze the entire arc into the last 6, I think the pacing would be a mess unless they have a real creative vision. There's fat they could cut but most of the time series will just skip events with seemingly no real consideration or thought.

last edited at May 25, 2024 8:31PM

Nice finale of the fight; that two page spread was awesome.

Right? Love this series.

I feel like if this series were on a strictly online platform, it would fair better. It feels like most of the Korean series I read are long running and mostly all exclusively hosted on online services. I've seen more manga move in this direction as well. The move to Fanbox is similar but without the marketing and website traffic. I wonder about this stuff but haven't looked into it enough.

Yeah physical media seems to restrict access and sales at least a bit, especially when it's the go to determination of success or failure. I think digital is good for getting media to a bigger audience, though I also wish physical didn't seem to be dying entirely. I still love to own series in print, physical movies/shows/video games.

Consider the many thriving and financially stable Patreon's from girls love writers (among others) whose work gains popularity on Webtoon or Tapas--not to mention whatever money is gotten through contracts, etc. I strongly believe writers like Kamejiro would be able to garner a similar sustainable audience if she were given the same opportunity, rather than having a series axed for good.

Adding on: I imagine something like this published on Tapas, for example, would do really well. Those sites aren't perfect by any means though. I do agree with you about wanting physical to stay but it's difficult. Still, some of the more popular online releases will get physicals eventually rather than depending on physical sales to exist at all.

last edited at May 23, 2024 2:19PM

i'm so thankful there are plans to continue and i hope the author can get all the support they need. the feeling i get from this that's been pretty consistent with cancellations i've seen is that unless your yuri story fits into very defined and conventional molds it is always at risk of being axed. publishers and often the general public want safe and familiar comfort media so when something unique pops up its met with more caution and criticism.
and as always capitalism is the death of art and what have you

A lot of Yuri media is at risk of being axed in general, it doesn't have the reach Het or Yaoi series do. Though a lot of series get the axe in general, even for as hugely popular as Naruto still is the creator's series after Naruto was axed. Though and getting a little off topic here, I'm still more so worried about the consolidation of almost all American media under very few umbrellas. Take even just game companies, if you get bought out by Microsoft there's a pretty good chance your studio is going to bite the dust unless you're one of the biggest devs, and there's other buyouts that are a mess. So it goes, getting back on topic though, at least the mangaka here still has control of the series, and can self publish + receive reader donations. That's at least still a better outcome than a lot of creators/media get.

Edit: Also I'm still waiting on Yuri anime to get 2nd seasons in general, Yagakami genuinely deserves a complete adaption imo. I wish to live in a world where Princess of Sylph, comfort Yuri, and so fourth can all coexist and get anime adaptions with a good budget that adapt the entire story.

The issue seems to be with the dependence on physical sales. I feel like if this series were on a strictly online platform, it would fair better. It feels like most of the Korean series I read are long running and mostly all exclusively hosted on online services. I've seen more manga move in this direction as well. The move to Fanbox is similar but without the marketing and website traffic. I wonder about this stuff but haven't looked into it enough.

last edited at May 23, 2024 2:10PM

If we're moving into a new arc and we have to center one of the two, I'd much rather we focus on Yamada. I'd rather Yamada's story not be wholly centered around reacting to Kase's struggles this time. Maybe I'm forgetting but I feel like we've been leaning more into Kase for a bit now.

last edited at May 23, 2024 2:22PM

Can someone tell me how this Fanbox works and how to do it? I'm gonna throw some money at the author because this is one of my favorites

If you're familiar with Patreon it's similar to that. She's also working to have an English version as well.

last edited at May 23, 2024 4:21AM

I really don't like the vibe of that guy, I can't seem to bring myself to give a fuck about him

He seems fine but I suspect there's another purpose to him for this arc and maybe that lingering uncertainty is what you're picking up on?

last edited at May 22, 2024 3:22PM

Is it me, or do a lot of these yuri manga series always use the love triangle trope. I find it annoying that this trope is constantly used as a tool to entice conflict in these stories. It's overused and a waste of time, considering we already know who the MC would get with in the end. Why not change it up a bit and let them all have their happy ending? Or, better yet, not use the trope.

I feel bad for Jun, even if she seems to be okay with it.

its unfortunately a problem with the romance genre as a whole.

I feel like I haven't experienced the same things from most Korean (and Chinese) series I've read. In my experience, they tend to have other dramatic elements pushing the narrative; and even if a triangle is involved at some point, there's variety in how it's handled. For me, it's not just having a fake love triangle that can be an issue, it's that in a good amount of the manga the fake love triangle is played exactly the same way nearly every time, from start to finish.

last edited at May 22, 2024 7:22AM

I guess some are forgetting she was introduced earlier, along with her crush, which isn't what's new at all. I'm pretty sure that chapter was discussed here too. It has been a while, though. It was this and one other teased relationship if I remember correctly.

last edited at May 22, 2024 7:10AM

zanpakutoman posted:

With the way this story's been going I feel like the Idiot couple and Lots of kissing tags should be added.

Nah, the idiot_couple tag is for stuff like Kase-san to Yamada or Strawberry Shake Sweet. These 2 may behave idiotically, but they're not an "idiot_couple"

You might have a point with the lots_of_kissing tag, tho....

"She's kissing my stomach and getting jealous when I talk to other girls...if only she didn't hate me!" - Wakaba, an idiot

She's definitely funny. Her friend seems to know Wakaba has some feelings for Komaki. She's known them since they were kids so she might know the game.

The overall vibe of this one reminds me of Arioto in the best way possible, and speaking of which, apparently Arioto's manga has ended now?

It was always set to only cover volume 1 of the LN. The LNs are at about 8 now and the two are still going strong.

last edited at May 21, 2024 6:45PM

Your lack of surprise at Mei’s personality is neither here nor there. Mei now reads as even colder and more distant when interacting with Yuzu than she has in the past, and certainly more so than in the original series.

I don't agree that she's acting much differently. While working on this major personal project, Mei is stressed and constantly busy throughout much of Citrus+ and Yuzu can be quite a handful. That is enough to explain a lot of her behavior. Even then, she has not been much colder to me and has made attempts to reassure Yuzu on numerous occasions. This period is just hectic for her. I can't say much more than that. Again, I don't think we'll see eye-to-eye on this one. Some certainly don't like this stretch--it's more focused on Mei's personal goal, rather than "sweet moments," etc.--but others do appreciate it.

Speaking of Yuzu wanting to help Mei, did I hallucinate or Yuzu has said she's aiming to be a teacher now?

I feel like she mentioned that but I haven't reread it.

last edited at May 22, 2024 6:59AM

But in idiomatic English, the phrase "don't concern yourself with" (as opposed to "don't worry about," say) almost always implies "butt out

Yeah, that's what I was referring to as "offensive," meaning the phrase can seem offensive. It can cause an offense. I said I thought the phrase was "inoffensive," because of her word choices that differentiate what she said from the common offensive phrase--also considering the context of the scene. So we're repeating ourselves. We just disagree on how that scene reads, which is fine. As I said, everyone won't read these scenes the same. But I wasn't surprised when the translator explained the intent because their intent is what I already got out of the scene.

The fact is that Yuzu has been very explicit that her newfound academic diligence is all about equipping herself to help Mei in her work.

In 2 earlier responses, I briefly touched on my issues with this line of thinking from her. I disagree with how she's interpreting what supporting Mei should look like and Mei seems to feel the same.

and her "Would it be all right to consider this matter resolved, then?" is perfect managerial-speak when dismissing an employee with an insignificant problem.

The rest of Mei's response is a predictable part of her personality. I'm not surprised by her personality after all this time. She has her quirks but it's noticeable when she's attempting to be "softer." For someone else that might be dry but for her it reads a bit different. She'll always be like that. I can understand not liking that character type though. It's fine for me.

last edited at May 21, 2024 3:31PM

Yuzu trying to get any affection out of Mei is like squeezing blood from a stone.

I'm not sure the author quite realizes how Mei's statement "I would rather you not feel as though you need concern yourself with supporting my work" actually sounds in this context.

I'm guessing it's supposed to be something like, "I don't want you to worry about me," but it reads more like, "I don't need your help."

True, I skim this every now and then and I'm sick of Mei. I don't need to be reminded of real life in an unserious manga like this...

Maybe it’s just a quirk of the translation, but in English the formulation “you need not concern yourself with” has big “mind your own business” vibes.

The vibe I was going for was more "I don't want you to worry about me," and I wanted to be careful to avoid making it sound like "leave me alone, I don't need your help." That's exactly why I made a point to include the "I would rather you not feel as though you need to concern yourself" rather than just "I would rather you not concern yourself with supporting my work," in hopes of putting more emphasis on Mei's concern for Yuzu's feelings. I considered going a step further and making it "I would rather you not feel pressured to concern yourself with supporting my work" in order to make the intention clearer, but I ultimately decided that that strayed a bit too far from what was actually on the page. Sorry for the confusion!

For what's it's worth, I thought the phrase was inoffensive. The addition of "I would rather," and "feel as though you need to" did soften it enough. It's much different and less direct then the common "you don't need to concern yourself with [insert issue]." And even that phrase is all about it's delivery and context.

Considering the context of this scene, it feels clear Mei is managing her words and worrying about Yuzu. I didn't get involved in that particular discussion because it's a bit too specific. You can't please everyone though, so I agree with not twisting it too much for that purpose.

last edited at May 21, 2024 2:08PM

I'm okay with love triangles unless they're like... SUPER ambiguous. Like... the type where the cover of the manga for all volumes is 3 characters (not 2 like this one), and the protagonist waffles back and forth between the two so frequently you think a poly ending is actually possible (but it still almost never is). Lots of good examples of this but they're almost all manhwa (well, South Korean webtoons).

Even then I can read it and enjoy it, but I have to read the ending first, and then go back and read the series. Reading the ending lets me brace myself emotionally for the correct route, so I'm not going to end up super pissed or angsty about not getting the ending "I wanted" because of a natural reading order.

Anyway, this manga is not that. The relationship was very clearly signposted in about 20 different ways, so while it sucks to be Jun, she'll grow up and find somebody else (probably somebody better, since that seems to be a pretty low bar).

You and I are on the same wavelength, checking the endings and all.

Very rarely is there a real love triangle. This series is more of the same. It's almost always 1 unrequited crush and an actual, developing couple (with the promotional material making it even more obvious). I don't call those love triangles, the dynamics are nowhere near the same.

last edited at May 21, 2024 11:41AM

i really hope it’s just bait plz be normal miki
if it’s really incest well…it’s gonna be awkward…i will not like it but i think i can handle it cuz it’s pretty obvious they won’t have a thing

The fact that, that's obvious is the main reason I'd at least initially be skeptical of the decision. The author has already stated her main couples and main interests moving forward are AkiShiho + YoriHima, and Aki won't suddenly do a 180. So it's not a secret it would have nowhere to go, especially with Miki's potential partner properly introduced. Another reason I'm leaning against there being anything romantic, though I could see Miki's feeling disgruntled. Execution is what matters at the end of the day though, so we'll see.

last edited at May 20, 2024 9:42PM