Hm...I like the art and the characters are cute, but the story seems a bit pointless to me. Why take revenge if the people who burned witches lived hundreds of years ago?

According to some feminist scholars, the European witch hunts were a symptom and a manifestation of the new capitalist and nationalist societal order's drive to re-subjugate women and to confine them to the homemaker role that was viewed by this new order as necessary to support the man as bread-winner. (Of course, history showed that this idea fell apart as soon as the demands of the growing industry forced women (and children) to work alongside men, but even then, they were still expected to pull a double shift at work and as homemakers.) Anyway, this subjugation was carried out using terror tactics, such as public executions of the most educated and thus powerful women of society, referred as "wise women" or "witches", and when they ran out of those, they continued with random girls until European women were effectively beaten into silence and submission (for a while, at least).

With this in mind, it would be interesting to see if the "revenge" the teachers speak of in this manga is actually aimed at upending the modern nation-states and the global capitalist elite, both of whom ended up profiting the most from witch-burning. The fact that the witches' surreptitious survival is explicitly linked to them entering the service of future nation states gives me some hope, but then again, I don't really expect a Japanese manga artist to express a radical left agenda in a story about magical lesbians

Isn't any story with homosexual heros inherently supporting a leftist agenda? After all portraying homosexuality as normal is a blow to the right's bigotry and homophobe. Also lesbians strikes at the heart of the right's patriarchal views of family.

Edit: That is why the religious fanatics fought so hard against the "give Elsa a princess" campaign for Frozen 2.

last edited at Dec 8, 2019 4:23AM

I've seen that bit about a witch losing her powers when she falls in love bofore. Is that just a coincidence, or is that part of some witch folklore? Like a vampire's compulsion to stop and count spilt salt grains.

last edited at Dec 8, 2019 3:17AM

Honda is clearly asking Sakurai for a quid pro quo. At least she didn't have Sakurai persuade the student council to start an investigation into Joe Biden.
Joking aside. This looks like Hino-san no Baka with more set up and less charm. Seriously forced yuri isn't funny. I'll give this a few more chapters. However if there isn't any clear signs that a real relationship might come out of this, I'm out.

What's going to bug me the most about this is Mai taking advantage of (if not predating upon) Nanoha's kindness, and the fact that it's probably going to have a big negative impact on Nanoha when this all blows up.
I realize manipulators are a pretty common trope for a series, but they just always pinch a nerve for me especially.

The thing about Mai's behavior is that, while she certainly is being manipulative, there's no sign that she's being dishonest. Her breakdown in front of Nanoha in chapter 60 wasn't just a performance; she genuinely feels adrift and alone. Also, her manipulation so far has been pretty harmless. She wants to spend more time with Nanoha, so she pulls on Nanoha's emotions in a way that will make her spend more time with her. But if she had just come out and said that she needed her to be there for her, Nanoha would've said yes.

What are you basing your assertion of Mai's sincerity on? We don't really know anything about her, other than she was a close friend of Nanoha in middle school, and that she has declared her intention to steal Nanoha from Chiski. You're right Mai might really feel alone and adrift, but it could an act to get Nanoha to feel sorry for her. At this point we don't know.
My guess would be it is a little from column A and a little from column B. After all it looks like she is going to be the "villain" of the next story arch. However I can't imagine this kind of story having completely unsympathetic character

last edited at Dec 2, 2019 5:05AM

Scenes like the the second half of ch.56 are what I read yuri for. I have no idea why anyone would prefer a frustratingly ambiguous friendship yuri when they could have sweet cute scenes with two girls in love.

last edited at Dec 2, 2019 2:41AM

^^It looks to me like she always wanted AND enjoyed their groping sessions. While it embarrasses her, she isn't at all against it - and misses it when they dont.

You are right ofcourse that Harumi wants MORE than that and she comes to more and more dislike that Chiaki only seems into her boobs and not her- but that does NOT mean she doesn't still like their groping time.

And Chiaki isnt taking advantage of her- because she both is clueless about Harumi's feelings, and because Harumi has never told her she doesn't want it. Chiaki is guilty at most of being clueless about her feelings for Harumi- and not realising why hers are the only boobs she wants nowadays.

@ninehell I thought it was clear that Harumi at least, has ALWAYS known her feelings. Chiaki is the usles lesbian who is only just starting to get a clue.

That's pretty much what I said. I just put a more anti-Chiaki spin on it.

It's molestation because Harumi has been pushed into the whole.

That may have been the case the very first times - although even then it was something Chiaki suggested she could do as thanks for the umbrella and she could have easily refused - but throughout most of the series Harumi has not only been a willing participant, but also the one actually recognizing her own growing feelings towards Chiaki.

Harumi's feelings for Chiski are the problem. She was giving Chiski reluctant consent, because she had feelings for the boob obsessed jerk, but Harumi wasn't comfortable with it, because she knew it didn't mean the same thing to Chiski as it did to her. Sense then, Harumi has taken more proactive role in this weird boob groping game. However it doesn't change the fact that Chiski unwillingly (I meant unwittingly.) took advantage of Harumi's feelings to get at them boobs.
I don't actually believe Chiski guilty of anything other than being an insensitive jerk. Which the last time I checked isn't a crime. However I'm not above using hyperbole to make my point seem more meaningful.

Edit: Harumi's feelings might have started after the gropings. The story has been running a while, and I am not good at remembering details long term. However I do clearly remember Harumi thinking of stopping the boob game because Chiski was only into Harumi's boobs and not her.

last edited at Dec 1, 2019 2:29AM

35 chapters in, and I still can't decide if I like this story or hate it. It's kind of cute, but something about non-sexual sexual molestation really irritates me.

Well, I wouldn't call it molesting since they are both allowing it- but wording aside, Im pretty positive it IS sexual too- they just haven't twigged yet. They are only interested in each others boobs- and there is no way they are enjoying it only in some tactile sense without any feelings.

It's molestation because Harumi has been pushed into the whole.

Okay that was cute, but it needed to be longer.

15 days? Dose that number mean something, or did she just pull it out of her ass?

If manga are to be believed, women are even more obsessed with boobs then men.

35 chapters in, and I still can't decide if I like this story or hate it. It's kind of cute, but something about non-sexual sexual molestation really irritates me.

last edited at Nov 28, 2019 1:16AM

I'm glad I read this first. I'm going to need some cheering up after this one.

I'm sure the attraction, even on a sexual level, has always been there, but they've just never been able to admit it to each other before. I do agree that in a sense this was a moment of awakening, though, especially for Chidori. It certainly may be a realization of real love, but less for her own feelings and more the full recognition that Nanoha truly does love her the way she loves Nanoha, and she's not going to pretend it's nothing like her Senpai did.

Actually I don't disagree with anything you just said. I think we just see the same thing, and describe it differently. I've always felt a hesitation in Chidori and Nanoha's relationship. If you look back over this discussion I've gotten into a few, lets say disagreements over it. So that has colored my view of this plot thread. You obviously didn't sense that (Not wrongly. I can't stress that enough.) So, you have a different point of view.

I’m delighted to see that you’re recovered from what seemed to be a rather serious case of yuri-skepticism.

May your good health continue, my friend!

Not so fast there. I still have a massive case of yuri-skepticism. It's my defence mechanism to protect me from my over sensative yuri-goggles. You're bound for endless disappointment, if you see yuri in every girl/girl interaction.

I'm sure the attraction, even on a sexual level, has always been there, but they've just never been able to admit it to each other before. I do agree that in a sense this was a moment of awakening, though, especially for Chidori. It certainly may be a realization of real love, but less for her own feelings and more the full recognition that Nanoha truly does love her the way she loves Nanoha, and she's not going to pretend it's nothing like her Senpai did.

Actually I don't disagree with anything you just said. I think we just see the same thing, and describe it differently. I've always felt a hesitation in Chidori and Nanoha's relationship. If you look back over this discussion I've gotten into a few, lets say disagreements over it. So that has colored my view of this plot thread. You obviously didn't sense that (Not wrongly. I can't stress that enough.) So, you have a different point of view.

^Eh, I wouldn't go that far. The love has always been genuine, but Chidori's previous bad experience has constantly been weighing her down, to the extent that she's always held herself back from telling Nanoha that she loves her, even if the latter has repeatedly been trying to trick her into doing that. Not only was this their first actual kiss, but also the first time Chidori actually said this out loud, even when Nanoha accidentally confessed and they started going out, she only replied with "me too". After Senpai's visit and Nanoha coming to her help, Chidori has finally been mostly released from these subconscious worries, leading to her surprising even herself by taking action at the fireworks.

Redo: I think you misunderstand. Of course their love is real. I think love game is a bit of a misnomer. It implies that the people involved know it's just a game. I don't think that's true for the most part. It's just inexperienced girls mistaking admiration and close friendship for love. A mistake of youth, in manga speak.
This is just the realisation that holy crap this is REAL real love. Maybe also the moment where it dawns on Chidori and Nanoha that they might want to move into a more... um... physical relationship.

last edited at Nov 26, 2019 5:59AM

Ha. I knew it. Chidori and Nanoha have been hovering between a love game and the real thing this whole time. That kiss tipped the scales. they're a little freaked, but it's the good kind of freaked, where they realised they truly are in love. Now the real fireworks will fly.

Wow! Ch 39 is like the message boards for this site, only in manga form.

last edited at Nov 22, 2019 2:00AM

Wait. isn't it only a yuri story if the reader is a girl?

Wow! Talk about a slow burn romance. There better be a big boom at the end of this agonizingly long fuse.

Fire in the sky. Can't you see that all my castles are burning.

-Ozzy Osbourne

So, you're saying it's going to be the yuri manga equivalent of the Simpsons? A series that was culturally relevant 30 years ago, but now just stays funny enough to a avoid the Fox chopping block.

You don't really see yuri manga use the word "lesbian." It's like the L-words (Please don't sue me, Showtime.) is a bad word, or something.

I tend to think of the "Do they fuck? Will they ever?" question as more of a narrative/authorial issue than a character-driven one.

Yukiko-sensei is upfront about the two overt lovers (blanking on the names, and I'm off to work this morning), indicating to me that the ambiguous physical aspect of the MC's relationship amounts to a form of gentle trolling--as I've said before, "How deeply and thoroughly intertwined can I make these two as a couple and still have some people ask, 'Are they dating?'"

But I could be wrong.

like I said, it was just a stray question that popped up while reading the chapter. The two are cute together, either way. Although I sometimes wonder. If building to a sexual relationship isn't the climax of the story, then what's yukiko's exit strategy, for the series.

Even after 59+ chapters, I am still not entirely sure about the nature of Sakurako and Kasumi's relationship.

They're life partners.

Yeah I get that, but what kind of life partners. They come in many flavors, you know.
It really wasn't a serious question, though. Just a stray musing I had while I read the chapter. I thought it would be cute if the couple got a little lovey dovey in Kasumi's childhood room. (I know a total cliche, but I'm a sucker for the classics) Then I realised that I don't know if they have a sexual relationship. ( just a statement of fact. Not a complaint.)