I really love that relationship. This is fast becoming a favorite. They have such an effortless chemistry and the manga has really painted interesting and sometimes subtle characterizations (and desires) for each of them. Sara has a lot of work to do in order to improve Natalia's mental well being but she's doing well so far. I feel a long road ahead though, especially since the Mangaka is being so detail oriented with their characters emotions. So far it seems they can be trusted not to take too many shortcuts even if it might become uncomfortable.

last edited at Mar 26, 2023 3:25PM

Really love this series. Handles a lot of the smaller moments well. They're going through some troubles but that's life and they're making the best of it. This is fully showing what it can be like after you get together. Making a life together is often like this, it's not just walking into the sunset.

I love that they argue sometimes, make-up, struggle to make decisions, disagree and do it all together. It's stressful and there's always a layer of anxiety but there's also always the quiet (and not quiet) happy moments thrown in there all around and that's how it is sometimes. Just gotta choose where to focus and that "where to focus" can say a lot about perspectives. They're honestly living a really interesting life right now that not many could even imagine.

Looking forward to what comes next and I wonder if we'll get a time skip to after the year at some point. I imagine they'll want to show some of the long distance situation though, since we need to see how they navigate that.

last edited at Mar 25, 2023 9:06AM

You're right, she says it at the end of chapter 1. I also forgot their names, so it was worth revisiting for that too

Yeah for long-running series it can be a hassle to go through and find quotes and scenes to explain things (which creates issues sometimes). This series is short enough at the moment though. I agree about the forgetting! They say each other's names rarely so it's easy to forget them, for sure.

I thought it made sense not to bring up that the sword was a fake because the Princess would be unlikely believe it. The Sister has no proof as far as we know, so I think she might also be trying to earn the trust of the Princess so she will be most likely to consider trying to pull the sword out of her. The fake sword being broken also might help convince her to try. I would say the Great Sylph could also vouch for the Sister, but these types of ancient spirits don't tend to be forthcoming

You're right. The manga told us that earlier. The nun says that in the first chapter after witnessing how emotionally dependent the princess is with the sword. Part of her goal seems to be getting close enough to the princess so that she gains her trust and provides emotional support. The princess seems very standoffish, especially right at the start. It's very difficult to separate people who are so dependent on items for emotional support.

last edited at Mar 24, 2023 5:35PM

This is a dramatic setup at it's core. Telling the princess the truth, in her state, would not prevent drama it would drastically increase it (and likely end the series).

I'm not sure. The root of her problems stem from the sword and her not being to feel its power. If she were told about and given the real sword, I think her self-doubts would vanish.

EDIT: same opinion as above.

The root of the issue isn't being unable to feel the sword's power. It's a connection to her family, who all are likely dead and that imagined connection seems to be all that keeps her wanting to live (if only barely). The princess is not in her right mind, so the Nun is being cautious about how she treats the situation. We do not know how she will take this sudden news; and finding out that the sword, which connects you to your dead family through heritage, has been a fake this whole time might not be an uplifting moment for an already beaten and mentally unstable person. It's not just self-doubt, she is heavily depressed about being left alone in the world. As she says early in the first chapter, "it is a pillar of my heart...when I hold it, I feel as though my family is with me." What will happen when she is told that they've never actually been with her? Remember what happened when she thought the Nun stole the sword? She grabbed her arm and whimpered for her family (then the Nun verbalizes how difficult it might be to discuss this issue when the princess is so emotionally dependent on it). Shes unpredictable and the Nun is acting in real time trying to make these judgments on her own as the princess glides from one thing to the other.

last edited at Mar 24, 2023 5:26PM

It was a good chapter, but I don't understand its title. "Japanese Rowan"? What is that?

The credits have an explanation.
Meanwhile, at this point is there some reason she didn't just TELL her the broken sword was a fake?

But how would they have drama otherwise? You can't just have people behave like reasonable adults, there is no content in that.

She's explains (and the manga has shown) that the princess is in a terrible mental state and depends on that sword to keep her somewhat mentally stable. "Somewhat," yet she still hasn't been eating, barely sleeping and is so unhealthy and weak that she faints regularly. She could barely complete basic magic because of her state. She is clearly, dangerously depressed (with little care for herself) and there's no knowing what she would do if she found out that the sword, which she thinks holds the memories of her family within it and her only current purpose in life, were fake.

It's reasonable for an adult to tread lightly and the Nun has said on multiple occasions that she's trying to find a safe time to tell her. But first she is trying to talk the princess "off the ledge," so that she's in a more manageable mental state and can handle such potentially devastating news. That purpose is actually a large part of why the Nun has even been visiting the princess to regularly at all (and so part of the set up of the manga).

That's not forced drama, instead that's how you'd handle the situation in any reasonable setting. Even then the Nun almost tells the princess the truth once the sword breaks (as the Nun assumes there was no other way, then) but the princess is still so mentally unstable and in denial that she assumed the real sword's breaking is her fault (very self-healing). The fact that the princess's thoughts even work that way shows how seriously unhealthily her mind is operating.

This is a dramatic setup at it's core. Telling the princess the truth, in her state, would not prevent drama it would drastically increase it (and likely end the series).

last edited at Mar 24, 2023 2:49PM

That cat meant business. Reminds me of the cat from "She is Also Cute Today." I honestly didn't notice Shen's catlike face but this chapter made that connection very clear (even before the cat finally appeared).

last edited at Mar 23, 2023 6:47AM

I'm not sure why people are complaining, since this looks like the change citrus needed. Its been years since we last saw progress on Mei's actual plans and now we finally get to see it in action, and now we get to know how Arata came to be invited to Yuzu and Mei's wedding. He looks like a good guy and I don't think he'll screw with their relationship.

Oh it's great. And I actually forgot he went to the wedding!

This chapter cannot be criticized, because it is simply the beginning of a new arc and until I see how it develops, I will not be able to say if it has been worth it or not.

Yes, definitely better not to overreact based on what might happen. Being dramatic while upset about dramatics can be funny though.

Having said this, this entire chapter can be summed up in the words of MEI "it is the first time I have met a person in my same situation" (referring to arata) and this is something that saboruota has done before, making characters with similar situations interact, or common problems to make them develop, two clear examples yuzu and sayaka Or harumin and kana, and this is what he is going to do with arata and MEI

I'm looking forward to exactly that. Also, we potentially have some forward momentum and direction again that goes beyond just romantic relationships dynamics. It'll be interesting to see how Mei is able to work around these school issues and what effect her and Yuzu will have on Arata.

I doubt that a love triangle will form

Yeah that's not happening. That would require Mei to fall for this person. There's never actually been a love triangle in this series. There's just been bad communication, Mei's worry about the future and Yuzu's anxiety. Mei has never really loved anyone else (the "closest" was with the sisters but even that was connected to Yuzu). This guy might end up liking Mei but she will not like him romantically. Like in this chapter, Yuzu might just worry.

last edited at Mar 22, 2023 6:54AM

Guess it all comes down to whether one goes into each new chapter as someone who enjoys the manga overall vs someone who doesn’t.

I'm a big fan of this manga. No, "No True Scotsmans," here. It's also not a big issue. The school focus just left for a while and is now seemingly, finally back. I did enjoy this chapter.

last edited at Mar 21, 2023 9:33PM

And what if she finally does explore all that during this arc?

She might but I think the point they're making is that many of these questions could (and maybe should) have been answered already, considering how late into the series we are (the second series at that). The cell phone point is especially interesting, but I imagine she just operates in an old fashioned way and is dealing with old fashioned people. That wouldn't seem out of character, just like Kaguya from Kaguya-sama (who shares Mei's archetype, though that show deconstructs them for laughs). I guess Kaguya at least had an extremely old phone though.

last edited at Mar 21, 2023 9:01PM

I think if the chapter stopped before the conversation between the boy and his father, I would have disliked it a lot. I think that conversation changes everything though. I think the new guy is being honest in his convictions and this will renew the plot around the academy's future. He'll certainly come across the 'reason Mei changed' (Yuzu) during all of this, which sounds fun.

Yeah it's still not certain whether he admires Mei for their similar upbringing or whether he admires her romantically (or both). The phone number could just be proper business habits or a nervous boy with a crush. I agree, the conversation at the end makes it more ambiguous for now.

I could swear it was Yuzu who cluelessly got his number. If at all, it's Mei's turn to be jealous now for once.

It was Yuzu yes but it wasn't clueless. Seems she felt he was trying connect with Mei, so Yuzu took the initiative to stand in his way. He's happy to get her number as well but that could be because she's Mei's "sister" to him and it's common to settle for a connection to your crush's family.

Wow, this is like a throwback to the good old days, when we discussed the inner workings of the Aihara Academy, and how the inheritance laws worked, and stuff like that—remember? Late 2017 or so, maybe? Good times, good times

I agree. It adds some more direction too, as long as the focus doesn't veer completely into another jealousy arc. The school has been in the background when that was such a large part of Mei's desires, so it's nice to get back into that if only for a bit.

last edited at Mar 21, 2023 7:37PM

I am given to understand that any such notions of “quality” are actually just pretentious (because they presume to pass critical judgment on the author’s intentions), subjective opinions based on “feelings” and “preferences” about the character and are definitively refuted by the popularity of the series among its intended Japanese audience.

My word.

Aww, but I was having fun. Oh well.

Yeah but people get agitated and start making snarky comments so. I'm still somewhat replying though.

@ ManuTheBloodedge

This is what I meant when I said its just starting to get snarky and snippy. So yeah maybe next time!

last edited at Mar 21, 2023 3:31PM

At the end of the day, whether consciously or subconsciously our brains attach more to negative things than to positive.

Yes, think many studies suggest that's the case; though, I wouldn't say "negative" but "challenging," which can be taken negatively, positively or neutrally (subjectively). Challenging stories, people, events, characters, or plots require more mental work to resolve the challenge (to our morals, interests, worldview, literary senses etc) and people will generally demand/desire to resolve that gap differently, using various explanations. So, I wouldn't say it's just that drama sells. Plenty of dramatic works don't sell and drama is not a negative word (though sometimes here it seems it's become synonymous with "here we go again"). There's a few dramatic works that do become successful though and for a variety of reasons (and even those that do sell aren't equally successful). There's something unique about what each of them are doing writing wise and for their audience. Anyway I agree, the earlier story wasn't challenging in any real sense and thus had a more limited appeal or draw (which can be fine). That's part of why I'm really interested in what the anime does. The (western) anime community is not the same as the manga community or even the community on here. With the way MagiRevo has succeeded and also the Witch from Mercury, I'm interested in how some of these others end up. Based on "drama sells," I guess we predict "Yuri is My Job" to best them all if it gets enough episodes.

last edited at Mar 21, 2023 8:05AM

Aww, but I was having fun. Oh well.

Yeah but people get agitated and start making snarky comments so. I'm still somewhat replying though.

That's one way of measurement amongst many, yes. Remember I'm not arguing that I think this is well written.

Sorry, now I am a little lost. What were you even arguing then? You seemed to deny the claim that the way Shiho is presented in the story versus the way she actually is acting is very inconsistent, which is all I really argued for, all philosophy aside. Whether this inconsistency makes the story good, bad, and if the author intendet it that way can all be topics for future debate. But I don't think we ever established if you even agree or disagree with that assesment.

You came in late. You can go through my comments from the 20th on to see what I was arguing and what I was initially contesting. You could quote something and ask me what I meant if you want. If I did waid into the battle about "quality" the most I said was that the series is better off or improved for having moved in this direction and that some of the other arguments were at their core subjective (*but still valuable), despite the protestations of others. I've however said on multiple occasions that the writing is not nearly perfect, to me. But I wouldn't call my opinions on writing objective. My first comment and main argument earlier was that this shift to Shiho and Ako happened such a long time ago, so I was confused why it still seemed like a fresh wound to some and was still being treated like an arc that would pass. I also talked about how this shift was received by it's core Japanese audience and how that has a lot of worth when discussing writing decisions.

People jumped in and the discussion started shifting and it became clear we'd need a lot more to make sense of it all, which I'm honestly not that interested in. The recent comments from today are about the prevalence of the character type of Shiho in manga and the prevalence of the communal guilt concept in a lot of Asian writing etc. But even that is just going to create more tangents-- some not comfortable with discussing cultural differences and how they might affect what you consider quality or successful writing choices (that's a whole other discussion again and the little I tried to broach the topic it seems I got snark in return?). Would be easier in conversation but this is a lot of typing in between work.

last edited at Mar 20, 2023 6:18PM

Series: does a lot of fluff
Ppl: "ugh I wish smth was happening in this plot"
Series: does literally anything that's not fluff
The same fckng ppl: "why's there suddenly stuff happening, where's my fluff"
Series:

It's (mostly) different pockets of people. But that gif was actually hilariously placed! I had to comment on that one lol.

last edited at Mar 20, 2023 4:33PM

Aki would not apologize for that. She'd apologize for not being attentive enough to notice Shiho's suffering. I guess you'll bristle at the word suffering? But that's how it could be perceived.

Quite the opposite I love stories about people that face the suffering in their lives and as a result become wiser and stronger like zuko from avatar, I'm not a big fan of characters that justify their actions and bad decisions in life and get rewarded after a slap on the wrist (sometimes not even that) just because some perceived offense

Yeah, we agree there. By "bristle" I meant at the idea that Shiho has actually suffered or could be perceived by some to have suffered from a failure of some sort.

As for Avatar, I'm an Azula fan so maybe that explains my innate, apparent lust for terrible writing and abrasive characters.

last edited at Mar 20, 2023 4:12PM

As I said, I've mostly seen the convoluted assumption of indirect guilt as a trope in Asian fiction...

Yes, and why do you think that is?

Probably because I read and watch a lot of Asian fiction.

But I would have thought that was obvious.

Did you really not understand what I was asking or was that meant to be snarky? I'm asking, earnestly.

last edited at Mar 20, 2023 3:42PM

I said what she would do in my response. She'll likely do it in the manga (apologize for not noticing etc.) but we'll see. Nurture does not imply dating. Don't understand that extreme.

Shiho made it pretty clear that if aki didn't loved her back she didn't want anything to do with her, I'm not exaggerating when I say that the only option aki had to stop shiho from leaving the band was to date her out of obligation, that's not me making a strawman that literally came from shiho s mouth

Aki would not apologize for that. She'd apologize for not being attentive enough to notice Shiho's suffering. I guess you'll bristle at the word suffering? But that's how it could be perceived.

This is part of that "this author is pleasing their target [Japanese] audience so your criticism is invalid" argument.

Not at all but you're free to take it that way. Subjective is not invalid, but I guess I haven't made that clear enough.

As I said, I've mostly seen the convoluted assumption of indirect guilt as a trope in Asian fiction...

Yes, and why do you think that is?

last edited at Mar 20, 2023 3:04PM

The thought that she had a (culturally debatable) responsibiiity to nurture that relationship as the leader of the band (community) and failed to truly notice her fellow community member's feelings.

Again what exactly was she supposed to do, was she supposed to sacrifice her own love just to prevent shiho from being hurt? Is that what Takeshima eku is implying?

I said what she would do in my response. She'll likely do it in the manga (apologize for not noticing etc.) but we'll see. Nurture does not imply dating. Don't understand that extreme.

I don't buy for a second that blaming yourself for band breaking up in some convoluted way because of falling in love has anything to do with any kind of collectivism. People in real life blame themselves for things they shouldn't all the time (sometimes they even know perfectly well it's illogical and it doesn't make them feel any better), and I'm really surprised that of all things, this is something you guys want to chalk up to cultural differences (which in general I feel like it's often a very overused explanation, as if Japan is some kind of place populated by aliens from outer space).

This, I really don't understand. Yes, no one experiences anything exclusively. Cultural differences are about intensity and frequency, not monopoly. We'll have to agree to disagree on that.

last edited at Mar 20, 2023 2:18PM

What train of thought would lead her to assume it was her fault and that she had a way of preventing this whole mess

The thought that she had a (culturally debatable) responsibiiity to nurture that relationship as the leader of the band (community) and failed to truly notice her fellow community member's feelings; therefore, "failing" as an attentive group member.

Anyway Aki is only taking on her assumed responsibility from a distance. She's not really being blamed, she's blaming herself and maybe a Japanese audience would understand that difference better (and find such more relatable).

Also waiting for that Bloom into You season 2 announcement any day now...

last edited at Mar 20, 2023 1:56PM

I'll feel empty when this is finally done.

I don't understand the complains. A flashback arc using time travel as plot device is just fine. It's not like anything will change between Evy and Elsa. This arc's actual purpose is to learn about Evy and Elsa's past. Remember that it was foreshadowed since way back that they had met as kids and Evy just couldn't remember? Now we're getting to see that.

I see no problems with this.

It's the age old battle.

last edited at Mar 20, 2023 12:11PM

It's because Japanese culture is built on top of collectivism, a belief anyone who is part of any group has joint responsability to ensure it remains well and harmonious. And this "group" can be anything, from your class at school to your club to your entire country.
So what does this means for the situation of this manga? Well, Shiho disrupted the band's work for personal reasons, and that's bad. On the flip side, her bandmates were part of the same group as her and thus were also responsible for keeping it harmonious. That means stopping Shiho from descending into negativity and disrupting their work was part of their jobs. They failed to prevent that, so they share some guilt. Thus Aki's reasoning: "If I had noticed Shiho was in love with me, I could have prevented her from leaving and we would still be happily playing in the same band. Since I didn't, it's my fault we are all feeling bad now".

Basically, yeah. Kudos to you for addressing that a bit as a way of explaining why this happens so often in these stories. This is partly why Shiho types come up so regularly and are resolved in similar fashion (with little issue from what I'd consider the core audience). These are still made primarily for a Japanese reader. This is just one of those sensibilities that runs counter to the general independent western bent, so it's interesting when it comes up like this (and predictably will always be hard to swallow culturally). I'm american but have always sympathized with a more community based approach which likely affects how I view these situations. Maybe because I'm from an immigrant family. Would be an interesting experiment to tease out how replicable that would be.

I just read "The Flagrant Flower Blooms With You" (not Yuri) and that's an example of something that deals with the same issues but in a more "mature" way. But the collectivism is clearly still a heavy component (though that story has other themes and issues it's dealing with).

Quite so. Of course, the fact that the story starts by establishing Iori as the cool lone wolf who only deigns to play with the rest of the group on her own terms sets up a rather different, or at least modified, value system for this particular series.

I saw Iori after having just read the recent Grand Blue chapter and had a brain fart.

last edited at Mar 20, 2023 12:13PM

Interesting that they showed some of the happy moments she had with her husband. Narrative has shown a lot of depth to it so far. Really enjoying this.

Grandma has clearly been interested in women far longer than she realizes.

Yeah definitely.

personally i just thought the arc at the orphanage was really boring

Yeah I agree with that. Not boring (it was still cute and a purposeful reprieve/lulling of the audience and characters) but if I had to say anything was "spinning the wheels" that would be it. This seems like we're back on track dealing with the plot of the system, memory loss and Elsa issues (she's already back in the story).

BTW: Did we know that Elsa came from such a barren background before? Maybe I forgot that?

last edited at Mar 20, 2023 9:12AM