One thing that hasn't been mentioned is it's now clear that Sendai's student has a crush on her. And it seems that Sendai has picked up on this crush.

I wonder how this will come into play in future chapters. Will Miyagi somehow find out about this? Will the student(Kikyo?) continue to try to find ways to spend time with Sendai? Will Sendai have to let Kikyo know that she's more than just "roommates" with Miyagi so Kikyo knows she has no shot at romance with her.

I wouldn't call it a crush. She is just someone she is looking up to and admire. Not denying her potential feelings, but that's not how I read it.

I am curious if there is some kind of relevance to the moon and the clover maybe being related to their names? Like sharing a kanji or something maybe? It seemed to read that way. Hopefully someone with some Japanese knowledge can fill us in on that.

In the former Japanese calender, 葉月 Hazuki was just the Japanese name for August, it was later changed to 8月 (which just mean the 8th month of the year) but it's a popular name for girls, especially born in August.

As for the significance of the necklaces, Hazuki is written with the kanji for leaf (ha 葉) and moon (tsuki 月).

I don't know is there is a particular significance for the clover as a leaf though.

last edited at Aug 15, 2024 8:35PM

but it might just skip ahead to the next day instead if the author wants to be a jerk and keep dragging out eeeevery possible bit of progress.

That is to be expected. I'm pretty much sure that even if Sendai will say she loves her, Miyagi just won't believe her and call her a liar :p

Edit: And they've mentioned "group date" several times, including this chapter. Is this like a mixer or something else?

Yeah, that's exactly that, those group date that university students often go to meet other people (from the opposite sex).

None of them are interested in that obviously, but it was mentioned a few times to test the water and see how the other would react.

I've only vaguely been aware of this and kind of mentally wrote this off as Miyagi's abandonment issues from her mother being projected onto Sendai. I'll add it to the list of subtle things I missed when reading the MTL.

She also has abandonment issue from her father, who promised her again and again that they would do stuff together while failing to fulfill those promises. That's why she doesn't trust Sendai when she does promises (also because for her, it's a very strong commitment while Sendai uses that word more lightly).

Also, damn, Miyagi really can't live down the running away accusations, huh? Can those who are caught up to the MTL not agree that she has grown past that, and very much demonstrated to Sendai that she has grown past that as well? Guess that one really stuck a nerve with y'all.

She has grown indeed. But that's why it's not the only thing that I mentioned. She is constantly denying what Sendai is saying with stuff like "liar", "don't make promises", "I don't trust you". She is showing again and again that she doesn't trust her intentions and actions.

And yeah, Sendai is pushy for sure, not denying that. But if she wasn't there wouldn't be any story to tell at this point :p

In the MTL it's also really easy to tell when a phrase that doesn't have a 1-to-1 direct English meaning gets used. Like when Miyagi tells Sendai that they are no longer roommates but they are "living in something important." You can tell that it's an upgrade from roommates and that's it's basically "we're important to each other but it's not a committed relationship," but it's so awkward to read. I had to stop and stare at it for a while to make it make sense because an English-speaker would never use words that way to describe a relationship.

To be fair, I read the novel in Japanese, and the Japanese itself is quite convoluted. It's not something that someone would normally tell in Japanese as well. I have no idea how I would translate that in a none awkward way as the Japanese itself if awkward.

And she is not even saying that they are important to each other. 大事なものに住んでる人 would translate more to "the person that lives in a place that is important". In reference to Sendai saying that the apartment is an important place to her (because it's the place where Miyagi is).

Miyagi is just so precious to me. She is definitely of my favorite characters in a story. She deserves someone who will tell her that she is loved and cherished, and she deserves someone to tell her that they want to be with her forever, but unfortunately she is stuck with Sendai.

While I do love both characters, I would definitely think the other way around, given how much time, thought and affection and much more Sendai is giving to Miyagi compare to the other way around. Again, I do like both characters, but Miyagi is sure a pain in the ass. They have been living together for more than a year at this point, and only now, she have just made her mind about doing a nice gesture to Sendai, to show her her affection. And even then, she is a pain about it.

You have to love her as she is, but I'd personally would never be able to put up with that for so long. Sendai is a saint x) Love is a verb, and in that sense, Sendai is showing her love to Miyagi all the time. She is just not expressing herself verbally.

It was in another thread, so I don't remember it exactly but someone was saying that Sendai was a coward for not expressing verbally her love to Miyagi. But I would argue that Miyagi is even more of a coward as she is not even able to admit to herself that she is in love. And I don't buy the "she hasn't sort out her feelings". In my view, she is actively trying not to sort her feelings, she is putting energy into NOT doing that. In that way she is a coward. And while Sendai could have confessed by now, I also want to insist on the fact that not only Miyagi has run away once, but more than than, she never trusts Sendai's word when she makes a promise or is showing her affection. Tbh, it must be hard to confess to that kind of girl...

Btw, this is not a rent towards Miyagi as well. I do love them both. I'm just surprised to see people "siding" more on Miyagi's side.

Regardless, I think we can all agree on the way the author is now calling the WN on twitter: "面倒くさい女の子×面倒くさい女の子の共依存百合です". "A co-dependence Yuri of an annoying girl x an annoying girl".

last edited at Aug 5, 2024 7:53PM

Not even gonna bother addressing the person thinking Koto wasn't being abusive in that moment, I think Aya running away from her is enough to say that that's how she read the situation, even if she did water it down in summarizing it later with Erika.

Well, you just did. To have an abusive behavior, you need a clear intend to harm. It is just not the case. Her trauma makes her say irrational and hurtful things, that doesn't mean it was the intent. Two actions can have the same results while being different.

Not even Aya reads the situation as being abusive. She is running away because she is unable to confront Koto seing her as a child, this is clearly express afterward. Nothing is showing that she thinks she was a victim of abuse.

Except it wasn't physical, which makes all the difference. To call Koto's behavior abusive, in my own definition, it would need to be a repetitive behavior. As a one time thing, it's out of line and not acceptable, especially with the age difference. But an isolated incident is not an abusive behavior, at least for me. And in terms of storytelling, the point of that scene was to show us her breaking point, not to show her becoming an abusive person. With this story, I feel like people are too quick to call behaviors as toxic, abusive or crossing a line.

Without going into details about my personal life (not interesting anyway), the reason I'd like to see the Aya/Koto relationship works is because I once was in Koto's shoes. Some past trauma made me possessive and jealous, to an extent it wasn't healthy. And the same as Koto, I wasn't aware of my own trauma.

The reason I was able to get past it, understand my own trauma and work on it was because I met someone that loved me enough to put up with my shit and see through it. If it wasn't for that person, who stucked with me while I was processing all of that, I don't think I would have been able to even be aware of my issues. Funny enough, I was around the same age as Koto as well when it happened (and that person was a bit younger as well, not as much though).

And while Aya is young, I definitely think she can be that person for Koto, while Koto supports her while we can finish her study and becoming a proper adult in society's eye. If they can make it work, it could end up being a strong and lasting relationship.

Erika on the other end doesn't seem fit for that role. She is too focused on her own feelings to be able to give the help or even just the push Koto needs. I don't hate the character though. Overall, she is still doing a lot for Aya, and while she does have ulterior motives, which makes her feels pathetic and like a bad person, she is still doing a lot for her regardless. If it wasn't for those flashbacks, and being able to read her thoughts, I don't think anyone would think badly of her. I don't see any of her behavior as actively trying to sabotage Aya/Koto's relationship either. That's what she hopes, but not how she behaves. Even asking the question "do you really love present Koto" is legitimate. Aya never questioned her feelings for Koto, and it's definitely necessary for their relationship to work properly. And yes, I know it's not what Erika is wishing for, but it doesn't mean the question is out of line/crossing a line.

tl:dr
While not behaving at their best, I think all characters's behaviors are relatable and understandable. This whole story seems to be written to allow those characters to go past their own flaw and trauma, in order to become better persons. That's the way I see it.

she's actually a nuanced character that puts a lot of thought into her relationship with Adachi.

Agreed but I'd add that...

she's actually a nuanced character that puts a lot of thought into [ nearly every aspect of her life ].

She's one of the most thoughtful MCs I've read and not over simple topics either. Very introspective and questioning. She really wants to define herself at every opportunity and feels uncomfortable when she can't do so. That makes her "slow" because she takes time to think things through first or to wonder about her experiences. That's largely why she gets misunderstood at times.

I do agree and for me that's the biggest selling point of AdaShima. But to be fair, being that thoughtful is not healthy. Instead of living in the present, it almost feels like she is an external character to the story, analysing what is happening. But this is what makes the character unique and what makes me want to see her evolve past that. The spontaneity of Adachi is certainly helping her in that regard.

I don't think there's anything unhealthy about it and she has no real issues in her life that would necessitate a change. Maybe we just use the word "unhealthy" differently. But I agree: her and Adachi definitely do balance each other out for sure.

Unhealthy was a poor choice of word indeed. But to be in a proper relationship she needs to learn to be more spontaneous and to be more in phase with her/other people's feelings. At the current time, she often Cannot react to Adachi's actions because she needs to process them first. Which in a way is good, but it kills the spontaneity and the magic a bit.

she's actually a nuanced character that puts a lot of thought into her relationship with Adachi.

Agreed but I'd add that...

she's actually a nuanced character that puts a lot of thought into [ nearly every aspect of her life ].

She's one of the most thoughtful MCs I've read and not over simple topics either. Very introspective and questioning. She really wants to define herself at every opportunity and feels uncomfortable when she can't do so. That makes her "slow" because she takes time to think things through first or to wonder about her experiences. That's largely why she gets misunderstood at times.

I do agree and for me that's the biggest selling point of AdaShima. But to be fair, being that thoughtful is not healthy. Instead of living in the present, it almost feels like she is an external character to the story, analysing what is happening. But this is what makes the character unique and what makes me want to see her evolve past that. The spontaneity of Adachi is certainly helping her in that regard.

Honestly, I've seen people hating on both Erika and Koto and being obsessed with convincing other people how horrible people they are. It's indeed not that kind of story, and while I do enjoy the debate and the passionate discussions happening around that title, I can't help but think that people hating so much some flawed but understandable characters must have problem(s) themselves... That much hate is definitely not healthy and and doesn't look good on them...

That being said, a while ago, Kabocha posted a drawing on their Pixiv fanbox, and the comment was interesting.

They said, about Aya, on the drawing:
"The line drawing was posted on twitter previously, and when my editor saw it, he said "the reason she has her hand tucked into her pocket might be because there are so many thing she is hiding". I thought it was a good setting, so I went with it. "

I think so far the story is a bit unbalanced, as we are seeing Aya struggling from her situation, but not really suffering or being traumatized by her situation like Erika and Koto are. She might be hiding something herself, though so far, we have no sign of that.

Can't wait to see what future chapters are holding! The manga was on pause during July, so publication will resume next week. The schedule also changed, as Kabocha was mentally drained, so it will be 2/3 of a chapter per month (instead of one chapter per month). Slower progress, but as long as they stay healthy, I'm happy with that.

This chapter felt a bit redundant? Sure, Nekomori backstory was a bit expanded but I think we got the gist of it already, and the rest of the chapter is just her overhearing the argument that alreaedy started in previous chapters :P

I agree. Knowing this is the last volume and that the ending is a bit rushed (not bad just rushed), I'm a bit sad a better editor wasn't able to do a better job guiding the mangaka through the last chapters.

Mitsuki is definitely super cool in this chapter and I'm glad she is able to show her real self in public, but I'm a bit upset as well that she doesn't let Aya knows that she's fine. Aya have probably been worried sick, to the point were she wonder if she did well getting angry and yet she is being completely let down by Mitsuki.

It's been like that for quite some time already. Aya seems more like a supporting character rather that being part of the main cast and the last panel makes me think she feels that way...

I would enjoy it way more if one of the MC wasn't looking like an 8 year old kid... I understand that some people look way younger that their real age, but I can't help but feel sickened when it is that extreme.Too bad, the story is entertaining, but I guess I'll start reading the novel instead.

I don't like when half chapters are released. They feel obviously incomplete (because they are, of course). I'd prefer it if they released a full chapter every two months, or shorter but complete chapters each month.

And before anyone jumps in to say this, I will be reading it every two months regardless, if this continues to be the case. I just think they're ruining the pace and make the series less enjoyable by doing this, so I'm not sure if this is a good call on the publisher's side.

It's a pretty common practice for monthly chapter being released on the internet. The other manga I'm reading that way either have really short chapter or have long chapter being divided into 2/3 parts.

I actually do prefer chapter when they are longer, even if they are being released in multiple parts. It allows for more development because have a story being contained in a few pages can feel suffocating in the long run. The thing is in this case, the cut is way too obvious. Generally speaking, they managed to cut at a place where is does feel more natural. In this case, they could have just cut at the page where Miyagi says "I'll buy you for 5000 yens" and it would have been fine.

Huh. I think this is the first time I've seen hookah portrayed in manga... Maybe it's not that popular in Japan?
I can confirm such lounges are good for drawn out conversations, both casual and serious

Same never seen hookah in any manga before and I'm just as surprised there aren't people in the comments freaking out about smoking tobacco. I've done it a handful of times in college while it was a fad and I only have fond memories of it while hanging out with friends.

There is quite a few hookah bar in Tokyo as least, but the one I've tried were not really good. Like they do not know how to properly make the tabacco. But I do like it from time to time to hang out with friends in a chill environment. Restaurants can be noisy and and limited in time, while hookah bar tend to be more relax, calm and we can stay much longer.

last edited at Jul 22, 2024 3:05AM

This is a sad story for the main character but at one point, one must also learn to protect themselves... So much red flags, starting by the fact that she already got scammed once by her...

The style is nice, but given how everything is happening so fast, I have trouble getting really engaged by the story. I'll still read the second part though, I'm intrigued by how is the author will conclude it.

last edited at Jul 22, 2024 12:25AM

Please kiss, I can't take it anymore

Neither can they.

Come on Tsukushi, weren't you naturally gifted at academics etc? You gotta be more confident xd

What? 2025?! Surely you jape

I was memeing about the message at the end of extra chap, but ofc we're still getting the individual chapters in the meantime.
Not sure about possible delays tho with that date in mind

Not sure exactly what happened to Hijiki, but both of her series have been on hold for a few months. This chapter was supposed to be released in April but got delayed until now. Contract sister's new chapter will be published in August, this is also several months without publication. I hope she is ok, and that she is taking care of herself. It's easy to get burn out when working this industry...

All in all, ShuuKura is probably my favorite yuri story right now. And that's saying something because 95% of what I read is yuri/GL.

I've never met anyone that was only reading yuri (I would guess there are other readers like that here though). It's also the case for me, and it's also the reason I got a decent level of Japanese. It was the only thing that motivated enough to get myself to learn how to read. There are other stuff I'd like to read, but there are so many yuri novel/manga I haven't read yet that I don't feel like starting anything not yuri related.

Also, I find the point about pitying Sendai in the previous post interesting. Honestly, I go through times of frustration with both characters as I read. At this point, though, I think I pity Miyagi far more than Sendai. Sendai has been much too scared about actually defining what she wants their relationship to be to Miyagi, leaving things all on Miyagi, who doesn't know and/or is in denial about how serious she wants the relationship to be. (And even if she did know, she has her self-esteem and abandonment issues to reckon with.) Sendai justifies being cowardly by making assumptions about how Miyagi is going to react, which is just kind of shitty (and maybe even a little manipulative) in my opinion.

That's a a valid point, I never thought of this this way. I guess because Sendai have been more active in the relationship, I was mostly seeing her side, but she does act a bit cowardly in that regard indeed. But it is understandable to an extend.

I would prefer to see Sendai confess though. I think it will be the final blow that makes Miyagi realize her own feeling. I wish she would come to term on her own, but I really think she needs the extra push, and a confession from Sendai could be that (after running away for a few days though, it's Miyagi after all). Maybe the present will make Sendai emotional enough so she will confess out of the blue!

Something I do regret is that they are not talking more honestly with their friends, though. The extra characters, while not being uninteresting, are just there as device plot and doesn't feel real enough to me compare to the main characters. I understand it's not the focus of the story, but that would be nice to have a little extra on that side.

Btw, I wonder how many people noticed that all family names in shuukura are region, prefecture or city of Japan. Miyagi is a prefecture, which capital is Sendai. Utsunomiya is a city. Noto is a region (Noto peninsula, where the big earthquake happened this year …). We don't know the family name of Mio though (or I don't remember), but I bet it will be the same.

last edited at Jul 3, 2024 8:48AM

(Also like the horror is well done and presented even better than I'd imagined based on the novel)

I thought it would have been a difficult scene to adapt, as the transition from being physically present to being lost in thoughts can be difficult to represent in drawing, but the mangaka really nailed it once again.

I'd like to comment more about UraPi, especially so it would get more recognition but at the same time, except saying how good the manga is compared to the novel, I don't really know that to say. For me it's definitely, and by far, the best novel adaptation I've ever read.

Here is my piece about it. Not comparing it to Arioto though. I don't think the comparaison is that interesting, but I do enjoy talking about the novel though.

I started reading the light novel when volume 1 was released in Japan, like a year and half ago and I was really into it (I even talked about it in a thread a year ago). Then, when I finally catched up with the web novel, I really started to lose interest in it. Still do read the weekly release though.

I don't mind the slow burn but here I feel like it's dragged out to the point of stupidity. The relationship is also a bit too unbalanced for my taste, and I started to pity Sendai a while ago, as she has to bottle up her feelings constantly. Miyagi is only conceding the smallest amount of thing just to keep their relationship afloat, to the point where it's becoming ridiculous. Is it kind of toxic in a way. When she finally admitted that they weren't just roommate, it was just to have the stupidest advancement in a relationship ever...

The thing is I understand that she has to come out of her shell and process/address her abandonnement issues. But they never talk about it, and it doesn't even seem the author is planning on having Miyagi process that one way or another. Not really surprising knowing how therapy is almost non existent in Japan, but it's really frustrating. I wish they were also communicating on a deeper level. Most of their interactions are very limited, it's a lot of guessing and stuff not being said, but it's part of the issue Miyagi is having. But after years of knowing each other, I'd wish to see more advancement on that part.

The sexy scenes are well written and I do enjoy (re)reading them, but are so spaced in time that is looks like they aren't at all on the same libido level at all. Not that I want to have more sexy scenes written up, I just would like to see them on the same level. Sendai is always waiting for Miyagi to catch up. She honestly deserves for Miyagi to better herself.

I'm complaining a lot, but I used to be really into it. My reading speed in Japanese is pretty slow and it took me about 7/8 months to catch up on the WN and I felt like my life was really rhythmed by those two characters, it was really enjoyable. I started to lose interest after seeing very little progress, which become even more apparent when I catched up with the WB and started reading the weekly release.

While before I really enjoyed seeing the character evolving and understanding their motivation and each other, now I feel like I'm seeing the author writing the character more than I can feel the characters being real (at least, since around chapter 200). I see them dragging the narrative more than necessary. The reason I feel that way, is because at the beginning, maybe up to around chapter 200, their progression was organic and felt natural. Not it feels like it's being slow down just to drag the slow burn.

I know that with the last chapters we are waiting for Miyagi to do something soon, but depending on what/how it happens, I'll probably stop reading the WN for a while. Maybe reading multiple chapters at the same time will help to feel a better sense of progression.

They can't adapt the internal rants of a LN in manga form. The format is totally different.

You can have a lot of introspection in a LN, but the heart of manga is dialogues. Too much exposition and tldr; and the manga gets axed.

Sure you can, just look at Otherside Picnic. It's just kinda hard to make internal monologues in a manga not boring when they're not on a situation with more intensity than "this bitch gave me money and won't take it back >:/" lol. Otherside Picnic uses it's monologues to convey the feeling of experiencing alien, otherwise unknowable dramatic situations, like actually getting a girlfriend from Canada instead of having to make one up

Adachi to Shimamura is another good example as well of good internal monologue in a manga.

Understanding those characters from their internal monologue is half the fun of this WN. It's also when characters are being honest (to the extend of the character being honest with themselves though). So missing on that is missing some of the most important parts imo.

last edited at Jun 30, 2024 9:00AM