Poor Alex-san.

One day, a chapter for this manga will come out with the yuri tag on it. And that's the day everyone will flip their sh*t

Nope. This manga will somehow manage to get the "lots of sex" tag on the same chapter as the "subtext" tag. Mark my words.

Girl Friends is an even slower burn than YagaKimi for sure. And those two were much denser than our protagonists here.

I mean, it's only 5 volumes, so it's empirically not a slower burn. ;p

Pacing my friend. Girl Friends took 6 chapters to even get slightly beyond pure friendship. There was quite a bit of build-up just to reach subtext.
Density of actual developements and events is just not comparable. YagaKimi reached the first confession in more or less chapter 1 and the first kiss in chapter 2 lol

And by five volumes the primary conflicts were all resolved and they were in a happy, committed relationship and I believe had banged? It's been awhile since I read it.

You can also argue as to whether the confession and kiss in the first few chapters really represent that much development when the other character didn't get the courage to vocalize -her- feelings until Chapter 34. :p

My point is, at some stage we have to average things out and look at the overall trend. For SCIENCE.

Girl Friends is an even slower burn than YagaKimi for sure. And those two were much denser than our protagonists here.

I mean, it's only 5 volumes, so it's empirically not a slower burn. ;p

I need help. Perhaps someone could either agree with how I feel or help me understand my confusion.

On page 18, I'm a little confused and frustrated with Touko's words.

"I can't answer Yuu's feelings."

The way I'm reading this puts Touko in a bad light. She's already told Yuu that she loves her. I don't think she's incapable of returning love. I think she's incapable of accepting love. Otherwise, I have to believe that Touko was lying and abusing Yuu for her own selfish emotional needs. I mean, just look a couple panels above and you see Touko in a dominant sexual position over Yuu. If what everyone says here about the author's visual clues are true then I would perceive Touko's thoughts as acknowledgement of her using Yuu for her intimate desires with no strings attached.

I don't want to have ill feelings toward Touko so, I would have rather it said,

"I can't accept Yuu's feelings."

It would make more sense to me, and I would have a little more sympathy for Touko.

This is what I was talking about with idioms a couple pages back.

To "answer someones feelings" is a common way in japanese to refer to responding to a confession. She's literally saying that she doesn't know how to respond, and because she doesn't know how to respond, explaining the misunderstanding could end up being cruel in itself.

Why do I have a feeling this is gonna have a troll Touko x Sayaka ending and Yuu x Forever alone ending?

Because you're a cynic, I imagine. ;p

ooh boy... wow, so it seems (to me) that they both have given up on the relationship... even though it wasn't a "real" relationship to begin with.... and now they are both dealing with the backlash of something they kept denying. Well, I have no sympathy for them.... at least I'm trying not to... sniff sniff... you can't play at love.

One thing that bothers me (possibly just me) is that only Sayaka has come out to someone. She knows who she is. She has someone to talk to. Yuu and Touko don't. Is this what the title of this chapter implies? I'm really not sure.

Well, she has someone to confide in. Yuu and Touko both have support networks that will be there for them, but they don't know they can be open about it.

Yuu knows she has Maki, so if she were to seek advice, it'll probably be from him, although he probably isn't ideal because she knows he's ace and can't really relate. Her biggest ally is her sister, but she doesn't know that yet, and Koyomi is sharp enough to know something is wrong, and Akari could empathise with her heartbreak. Hell, even her friend from the softball team could probably offer solace. Yuu may not be officially "out" to any of them, but I also can't see any of them as being unsympathetic if she decides to confide in them.

Touko, on the other hand, well, she has Sayaka, and Sayaka is also in love with her, so that's a mess waiting to happen. Her parents -might- be open minded, but we don't have any knowledge of that. She might find allies at the troupe. Nara-sensei could maybe offer some sage advice, but those are connections that haven't been built up. Actually, Yuu's sister might end up giving Touko advice. We know they have each other's contact info. (That might be kind of interesting, actually. Yuu's sister is probably pretty close to the age that Touko's older sister would be now, it'd be interesting if she stepped into the role of "big sister" for her.)

The translation made a mistake here. In the raw after Touko says she wants things to remain as always , Yuu was about to back down and not confess , trying to convince herself that keeping the status quo is fine and that Touko will keep changing so that someday... someday what? That's when Yuu jumps towards Touko and decides to confess. She wanted to run away, but in the end she decides not to, so I think she did not think about rejection since everything was too sudden, and when she was "rejected" it just hit her too hard.

Eh, I addressed this "mistake" at the time (page 129 of this thread) And I disagree with that interpretation of the original Japanese.

And in general, I get pretty antsy when people start talking about "translation mistakes". It usually ends up feeling pretty Dunning-Kruger to me when people start going "Well, they literally said -this-, so the person that translated it must have screwed up."

Speaking of translation mistakes, I noticed a fairly significant difference between two translations of one of Ichigaya's lines in Chapter 21(Page 11), in response to Touko protesting that Mio wasn't like the person she remembers. In the translation on this site, Ichigaya says "Maybe (Mio) was just putting on an act to look cool in front of her little sister," but in the localization, he says "In a way, you may have surpassed your sister because of that." The latter is fairly consistent with Ichigaya's point that Touko is a better student council president than Mio, but if the former's true, it could paint Touko's relationship with Mio in a new light- we don't know much about that apart from that Touko admires Mio.

Language is complicated. It's full of idioms and opposite meanings and things that a casual translator in another language wouldn't understand or pick up on. Things like "I'm sorry" being a standard rejection to a confession, or the word "Bad" often having positive connotations in English. Or the way the words "hot" and "cool" can have similar meanings despite being opposites in literal definitions.

I haven't looked at the raws for that scene, but often when there's a difference in translation between fan and official localizations, there's an idiom at play that one of the translators missed.

Thing is, Touko doesn't know what she wants to do.

This part is especially hard on Touko because she’s previously been someone who knows exactly what she wants to do—imitate her dead sister, be in love with Yuu, have Yuu be her campaign manager, put on the play, etc. Her main moment of crisis wasn’t about choosing among several different concrete possibilities, but when she couldn’t see what came next—what would happen after the play was performed.

Touko kept control all those years by keeping herself locked down emotionally and stubbornly sticking to the single principle of being “perfect” on the (supposed) model of her sister. Now she’s broken out her self-imposed constraints, and she’s both more free and more vulnerable than ever.

Yuu, in the meantime, is depressed and hurt. She was afraid of rejection, but she got past her fear by reassuring herself that she wouldn't be rejected, not by accepting the consequences that would come if she was.

Did Yuu really take Touko’s acceptance for granted, though? I thought it was more like she just couldn’t keep going on the way she was. (That “I may be about to do something stupid, but I just don’t have any other choice” feeling was painfully familiar to me.)

I don't mean she took it for granted, I mean she quelled her fears by assuring herself they were unfounded.

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/bloom_into_you_ch34#15

"It'll be okay. I'll still be by her side..."

She never let herself actually think through "What do I do if she rejects me outright?" I mean, she couldn't. It'd be paralyzing if she did. All she could do was steel herself, hope for the best, and act.

This all stuff hurt me but I hope they'll gat a room and do what they should do in the end.

ಠ_ಠ

It really annoys the crap out of me when all somebody can think about with regards to romance is "are they gonna fuck already?" Like put it back in your pants for two goddamn seconds.

True and I kind of realized that after I made the post, so thank you for your thought as well. I also came to see a possibility where part of why Touko followed was a bit out of habit and I doubt she ever expected that Yuu would essentially send her away. Rough time for both most certainly.

I do think Touko could have clarified her apology so I don't think she has nothing she could have said. And opening up the opportunity to talk is a big step too. Though the timing may have been a bit off.

Eh, the thing is she isn't ready to return her feelings, either, and she doesn't know if she ever will. So imagine she does just what you're saying. "Hey, when I said I'm sorry, I didn't mean to reject you, I meant I'm sorry I didn't notice your feelings and made you feel like you had to lie to me. (Yuu's hopes go up) ...but I'm not ready to be with you, so now I'm -actually- rejecting you."

Thing is, Touko doesn't know what she wants to do. And until she decides she wants to be with Yuu anyway, it is honestly better for her to let the misunderstanding stand. There is nothing she can do right now that won't just make it hurt more except to accept her own feelings so they can actually move forward together.

Yeah, Sayaka has developed quite a bit since the comments I recall, and she even spoke to Yuu frankly and fairly about her feelings for Touko later. Yuu and Sayaka aren't exactly in competition either as would be in other manga. And very true.

I wasn't thinking of callous being part of Sayaka's possible attempt exclusively though.

I wouldn't completely rule out Sayaka trying to make a move on Touko, but her being Touko's best friend would probably led to her giving up on trying something once she realizes Touko's in love.

Sayaka might confess in the process of all this for the sake of her own closure, but I can't see her actively getting in the way of Touko and Yuu. Especially if she sees how much this is tearing up Touko.

I think a lot of solid points have already been made. When Touko says Yuu isn't special to her anymore, she means it in the context that she isn't her one sole sanctuary of self-realization. Yuu isn't the only way that Touko can be herself anymore, and so she doesn't know what Yuu is to her now. But she knows she misses her, she knows she wants to be with her. She follows her without thinking, she is entirely preoccupied with thoughts of her. She is definitely still in love with her, but she has never actually understood what that means.

Yuu, in the meantime, is depressed and hurt. She was afraid of rejection, but she got past her fear by reassuring herself that she wouldn't be rejected, not by accepting the consequences that would come if she was. So she doesn't know how to process any of it. She just feels pain and emptiness and sorrow, and above it all, self-recrimination and regret. It is kinda painful how much I relate.

GIMME

(finished reading) MY POOR BABIES NUUUU

last edited at Sep 30, 2018 5:08PM

Maybe not escalate this further, everyone?

That would be lovely.

Can I stick my tongue out at them and make funny faces?

last edited at Sep 25, 2018 10:13PM

Not sure if anyone's talked about it already but have y'all noticed Sun Jing getting significantly more masculine-looking over time? She'd always earned the tomboy tag and was more facially boyish looking than the other female characters from the beginning but wow she looks like a guy now.
I'm sure it's right up a lot of people's alleys but it's not my thing at all and has lowered my enjoyment.
Has it made a difference to anybody else, or even been noticable?

I wanted to comment on this before responding to the post below: this is a fair statement, because it's entirely about your personal preference and you don't make any broad statements about how girls -should- look or what yuri should be.

Honestly, her design hasn't changed that much, but when the author jumps into the future, she's got a short haircut that changes the framing of her features a lot, so that's probably what you're noticing. If you look at the way Tan Jiu actually draws guys for the most part, she's still pretty far away from that.

Yeah, also noticed that she's slowly looking more like a he. This is why I particularly loathes the tomboy trope nowadays, which is luckily being reduced in comparison to the days of old but it's still there. Just make up your mind already, either make a yuri or a het romance series. If it's yuri then perhaps at least make that so called tomboy a bit more feminine? She's still supposed to be a girl in the end.

Sooo, I don't want to start a big flame war in these comments, but there is a lot about this that really rubs me the wrong way.

It is really crappy of you to suggest that someone isn't a girl, or that the author should make a "het romance series" just because one of the characters looks boyish.

It is REALLY crappy of you to suggest that a girl isn't a girl just because they look boyish.

Sun Jing is a girl, and she has a girlfriend. This is yuri. This is a cute comic about a cute queer relationship between two lovable chinese dorks. If you don't like Sun Jing's look when the author jumps forward for a post-haircut strip here and there, then, well, deal with it. Sun Jing and Tan Jiu don't owe you anything.

last edited at Sep 25, 2018 10:14AM

what happen after the story "Their Story: 22/12/2017 update" when Mo Xiaonan stop Sun Jin to meet Qui Tong, and Mo Xiaonan cry in front of her..

p.s. I've been following this story for almost 4years

All we know is that sometime after that, Sun Jing showed up to meet QT and was sad about something. Later we saw Mo shoot a grumpy look at SJ in class. Not much we can really say for sure beyond that. The author decided to move on from it, apparently.

Saeko actually kinda -does- want to think about love, she just gets easily distracted by hotness. ;p

(sigh) Guys, you're both right, and you're both wrong, and you both need to listen to what the other is saying.

as i said you are lucky or you are not! eliminate any sources of stress! yeah that easy to say! but there always IS a source of stress. sell the house and move away? good for you you have enouth f*cking money to do that! my family wasn't rich enough to do that. and you'r "important factor" didn't really change a think. i can understand that doctors try to confort families this way but the fact is here it didn't change ANYTHING for all the member of my family who got cancer all is based on luc. actually my godfather is dying from cancer. doctors just lied to him telling him he's going to be fine because he don't want to depress him. and you know what? you f*cking "important factor" don't change a thing. in contraries he's getting more and more sicker by days. what you're "important factor" can do for that? stop telling bullshit to you're patients especialy when you know there isn't hope all is luck and that's all if you're lucky enough then you survive. if life screw you then that's it.

Listen, I get how you feel, but that isn't "it". Human beings are complicated, and yes, luck is a big factor in cancer diagnoses. I lost my mom at a younger age than I should've. I get that you're hurting right now. But you need to understand that yes, outlook -does- change the prognosis. The research that shows that optimistic outlooks help is -real- and there are probably chemical and biological foundations for why it helps. Yeah, you can do everything right and fight as hard as possible and still lose to the dice of fate. But an optimistic outlook and will to fight has also been -proven- to improve your chances. That's how everything in life is, even though people are shitty at accepting that. You can do everything right and lose. That doesn't mean doing your best is pointless.

As we all know, scientific studies and clinical experience count for shit, it is down to "luck". If only I learned that in college, unfortunately, Luck In Treating Cancer was not a registered subject in my time. You are wasting your breath, Nev, some people are just stupid, and that is all there is to it. When one of my friend's (also a doctor) father (also a doctor) got cancer, from which he eventually died, his son bought entire books on how to motivate cancer patients, and was frantic and desperate about it because his father was a natural-born pessimist. It was so important to him to somehow get his father to be optimistic, what a fool. If only there was a moron such as yourself present to tell him to stop wasting time, since his father will either have luck, or he will not. Anyway, I am done with this.

Edit: Also, while my example was indeed somewhat tied to my class, you do not need to be rich to at least minimise stress. Emotional stances can be, to a degree, controlled. I never did anything as extreme as getting rid of my property to avoid stress, I just took the old-fashioned approach of avoiding to think about things that cause me stress. But I mean, I only successfully combated cancer twice and have a degree in medicine, not like I would know anything about it. It was probably just luck. But I am again taking the bait after saying I would stop, so this time enough for real. Gods, do people like you irk me something terrible...

YOU need to step back and remind yourself that this person is dealing with the fact that someone they love is CURRENTLY in a deteriorating state. You're talking to someone who is in pain and is currently dealing with the helplessness and hopelessness of watching a loved one cope with a dangerous and debilitating disease that they can't do anything to help with. They're lashing out. Lashing back isn't going to help anything.

last edited at Sep 21, 2018 6:46AM

Even if there wasn't a oneshot (and people in the comments) to spoil what MIGHT happen in future chapters, the title of the manga gives away the uncertain state of their relationship.
So far, I think Saeko just want to jump and have sex ...But In Miwa's shoes I would try to make things work too.

Edit: I didn't read the oneshot but we're 2 chapters in and people keep saying "it's the same" and makes me wonder just how fucking long was that oneshot? lol I mean from what I've read they met, start dating, get awkward, there's a problem, they break up, they met other people and continue as friend and all that in just an oneshot?? o.O?

The one-shot is about their breakup. The way they met and started dating is described briefly in flashback, and is similar but not exactly the same as this.

besides half the characters in "happy end" romance stories probably broke up off-camera eventually after their series ended anyway
people change, feelings change, people move on, etc etc etc

NO! NO! NO! THEY MOVE IN TOGETHER, GET HERS AND HERS TOWELS! THEN ADOPT A COUPLE OF CATS, NAMED SIR FLUFFY BOTTOM, AND MADAM BLACK SOX! THEY LIVE HAPPILY UNTIL A RIPE OLD AGE, WHERE THEY DIE PEACEFULLY IN THEIR SLEEP KNOWING THEY SPENT A LONG AND FULFILLING LIFE WITH THEIR ONE AND ONLY TRUE LOVE! THE END! They leave that crappy real life drama and angst stuff, to bittersweet one shots, and country and western music.

You know, my life would've been a lot less miserable if I DIDN'T convince my 14-year old self that this is how the world works and that failure to meet that standard makes you a failure as a person.

Just sayin'.

last edited at Sep 21, 2018 6:04AM

So I hope they fired whoever put the sign on the front of their building.

Is it me or after the kiss the whole story became kinda dull and boring? (
Guess it's just me... г__г

Sure, by all means, let’s bring back Other Girl Who We Know Almost Nothing About for a meaningless love triangle.

Or maybe QT Gets Bullied For No Reason.

Or perhaps Another Thrilling Basketball Game With A Bunch of Stupid Guys.

On second thought—no.

Meh, I'm sorry, but I don't think that's fair.

This comic has always had lots of light fluff and great humor, including throughout the storyline with everybody playing basketball, but it has generally had a clear narrative behind the fluff. Things happened, and they had consequences, and we had things that were foreshadowed and conflicts that got built up and resolved and then...suddenly everything that was going on with Mo Xiaonan got kind of abruptly dropped or skipped over. Some of us were -interested- in what was going to happen with Mo, and it's just kind of odd the way it was hopped over without resolution. Did Mo confess? How did Sun Jing respond? Did she respond? More so because it kind of happened more than once. The author kept alluding to it like it was about to come back up, but every time it just recedes back under the surface. It's like...a -tease- of drama, without any actual resolution. I get that some people on this site dislike drama, but surely that's worse than just having it come up, get resolved, and -then- move on to the WAFF? I was kind of okay with the bit of jumping ahead to take a break from the heavy stuff, but then when we came back to the timeline, we came back -after- the whole thing was over.

Tan Jiu has always jumped in and out of different points in the timeline, but it was always clear when we left and when we came back, and things weren't just left unresolved like that before. It makes it a little harder to invest in the events of the story whenever I'm reminded of it.

I'm enjoying the cute story about the cute girlfriends flirting on their amusement park trip, but there's still a cloud over everything that wasn't there before.

Ok. Thanks... So it seems that Kabedon has a high correlation with "Dick Move"? I mean, kabedon is meant to entrap someone for what captor is going to do or say to captive without their permission... What do you think? Some of the tags take time understanding what they mean (thank goodness for comments in tag section).

Kabedon involves physically cornering a woman against a wall by putting your hand on the wall behind them, and is one of those moves that...like, if she's into it, you're fine, but if she's not, then it's at least harassment? So it is a mainstay among jerks, hence high correlation with rapey situations. But some women (at least in fiction, I don't have polling data to back this up) like the idea of being the aggressor (subverting society's expectations of them) or being the receiver (having someone aggressively show interest in them) so it's not like kabedon always correlates to problematic situations.

Well, that was brutal.

(scratching neck frantically) H-hey, guys, Is it c-cold in here? I feel itchy...Does anybody have some more Bloom into You? No? I mean, th-that's cool. You sure? Look, I need it man! I NEED IT. Please, man, I'll do anything!!!

No? (gets the shakes) I....shit man....shit shit....What about like, some Citrus or something? Just to take the edge off...(starts screaming about spiders)

If you view it as Mizuki having an unrequited crush on Nami, it makes sense as to why she doesn't feel she can call her on the phone all the time.

That was how I started off reading it, but Nami wrote ad copy that is literally a love letter addressed to Mizuki. That is a grand public gesture of affection, there's just no way Nami isn't into Mizuki.

last edited at Sep 9, 2018 6:29PM

okay, insert random cheating into story...

Eh, it's only cheating if it's against their rules, and we don't know what their rules are. Their relationship is pretty vague and Tae seems to have hangups about taking it seriously because it's not "normal".