Wasn't Citrus + mean to be more laid back than Citrus and be Mei/Yuzu wholesome everyday life ?

Can I get a source on that? I recall it being advertised as a spin-off/continuation, never anything about being “wholesome and laid-back”

I think Sayaka is an interesting character. She's definitely not the most original, i.e. Girl who thinks lesbians are impossible so she tries to ruin a lesbian relationship, but I do want to know why she thinks that way. Either because of a traumatic past or just the Class S environment that Aihara Academy was before Yuzu came along.

I'm of course looking forward to her getting shut down by Yuzu and Mei's love, which may or may not open her eyes to her own feelings for Miyabi. I sincerely hope this conflict is handled in a civil manner and doesn't go full drama, keeping Citrus+ grounded and relaxed like it has been so far.

Although, I would LOVE to see Sayaka jump up on a pedestal and "expose" Yuzu and Mei in front of the whole school, only to have everyone be like "Yeah, we know. We don't give a shit. I'm actually dating this girl right next to me!"

First actually good chapter so far

It's been too long

What about Chapter 6?

I can't decide if this or Chapter 6 is my favorite of Citrus+ so far. Chapter 6 was great for Mei's character progression, but this chapter gave us some much needed downtime for our lovely couple.

That being said, I absolutely adore everything about this chapter. Mei is trying so hard to be more open about her emotions, which after repressing them for nearly 5 years, probably isn't an easy thing to do. Yuzu's obviously frustrated, especially after Mei promised to say "I love you" once a day, but she's willing to let it go because she knows how Mei feels. Do I wish she could have actually said it? Of course. But I'm glad Saburouta is keeping Mei a flawed character. If she was able to be so open after just one little promise, it would've felt a little rushed.

I also loved Mei's little diary. Granted, we've never seen it before, but we never saw much of Mei's personal life or hobbies in Citrus anyway, since the focus was on Yuzu. I'm glad she decided to immediately tell Yuzu about her encounter with Sayaka, and their conversation that followed was fantastic. Mei is growing. She's not just changing her life for Yuzu anymore, but for herself and others around her.

Alright, now time to discuss the uwu kawaii stuff... OUT-OF-THE-SHOWER MEI! PUPPY YUZU! MEI PLAYING WITH HER HAIR JUST LIKE IN CHAPTER 16! AAAAAHHHHH!!! YEEEEESSS!!!

And to top it all off, to make up for not saying "I love you" like she promised, Mei gives Yuzu a little goodnight kiss. This chapter has officially solidified Mei as my favorite character in Citrus. Good goddesses of Yuri, I love this series with all my heart!

Why are people so upset about the misunderstanding in this manga? It's not even the focus. 90% of the story so far is the fluffy developing relationship between these two and Kanda realizing she might be (totally is) gay.
As for Kanda's constant repetition of "we're both girls"... are y'all just forgetting that gay marriage still isn't legal in Japan? Even if Ookuma is okay with it, Kanda is clearly suffering from some internalized homophobia, hence why she tenses up and stops herself whenever she feels something for Ookuma.
Also, as for any potential "forced drama" between these two, does that really sound like Mochi's style? Anyone?

I know this genre isn't particularly up their alley, but I could totally see Studio Trigger or Gainax animating this. Especially the "hard-boiled" scenes >_<

If Tatsubon is really having Kirigaya crush on Nikaidou, Tadokoro, and her best friend all at once (in other words, she's attracted to numerous girls and not just one single girl), then she's probably the most realistic lesbian in this entire manga.

Nikaido-san might want to learn from a certain model from a certain visual novel who wanted to show off her lover's beauty but regretted it in the end. Though the damage has been done and said lover's beauty created an impact albeit shown for a day only. Rumor has it that the model has been reaping the consequences of her action up until now.

Is that a motherf*ckin' SONO HANABIRA reference?! XD

Which one? I want to play it now! I played until the nurse/student (maybe it was a teacher? I don't remember that well) 5 years ago, and I kind of want to look through them again.

It's from the 2nd and 4th SonoHana games. The ones featuring Kadeem and Sara, "My Dear Prince" and "Beloved Photograph." ^_^

Nikaido-san might want to learn from a certain model from a certain visual novel who wanted to show off her lover's beauty but regretted it in the end. Though the damage has been done and said lover's beauty created an impact albeit shown for a day only. Rumor has it that the model has been reaping the consequences of her action up until now.

Is that a motherf*ckin' SONO HANABIRA reference?! XD

The monster-to-pussycat makeover was actually something of a Citrus specialty, including the sociopath Matsuri becoming the voice of reason; Harumin’s big-sis student-council-president-from-Hell turned siscon, and Shirapon—who once looked liked a quasi-supernatural threat to reveal the MCs secret romance—became the keeper of wacky yakuza henchmen.

Not to mention Grandpa . . .

To be fair, Matsuri already was kind of a voice of reason when she was first introduced. She hammered into Yuzu the idea that step-sisters dating would never be accepted, and we saw her helping her friend recover from a breakup when she first appeared (even though she wasn't being genuine XD). I think her (arguably) quick turnaround is due to the fact that, despite her devious nature, she actually did care about Yuzu. And when Yuzu gave her that snap-back-to-reality talk about love, she realized that, knowing Yuzu loves someone else now, the best way she can show her love for Yuzu is by supporting her all the way.

The others, however, I can agree out of the blue. Especially Grandpa and Mitsu... ko... wait, she's a siscon? Isn't she supposed to be involved with Maruta? Kowalski, Analysis!

last edited at Oct 20, 2019 11:28PM

I agree with this point. A lot of the characters only came off as romantic rivals or other ways to develop Yuzu and Mei, help facilitate their relationship, and ended up coming off as extras once their introductory arcs were done. By comparison, Bloom Into You had only one "rival"- Sayaka- who came off as an actual three-dimensional character, rather than a plot device.

Some may disagree, but I found Sayaka to be the only 3-dimensional character in Bloom Into You. Everyone else, from Doujima, Maki and even Koyomi were no more "developed" than any of the other less-significant characters in Citrus. But that's the thing. They don't need to be. They're side characters. They stay in the background and do their own thing, occasionally interacting with our main cast and getting some moments to shine. Like side characters are supposed to do.

Also, why is everyone sleeping on mah gurl Himeko? She had some great development over the course of the story! Not to mention her role as a "love rival" lasted less than a chapter and was never really taken seriously by either Mei or Yuzu.

And Matsuri's transition from manipulative and devilish gremlin to the voice of reason who genuinely cares about Yuzu and Mei's relationship... she's unquestionably best girl!

If you ask me, the majority of Citrus' cast (besides the twins, Shirapon and Mitsuko) are far from plot devices.

But while Citrus was never a sophisticated work of narrative art, it started out being, in its own way, pretty much fun, and if readers are still having fun watching Yuzu and Mei blush at each other from across the room, well, more power to them.

Thank you, Blastaar. While I may not agree with everything you say about this series, I at least respect you for giving logical and well thought-out reasons for why you have disdain for it. As opposed to a lot of the others on here who are just like "lolz no scissoring? Saburouta must be lynched!"

I'll admit, maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I am one of those people who still squeals everytime Mei blushes at Yuzu being cutesy and lovey. It may get repetitive, but it just makes me smile for some reason. With the way Chapter 6 and 7 played out, I have full confidence that Saburouta is going to bring them closer eventually, and I'm willing to wait however long it takes. Because in the end, after all this conflict and struggle, it's going to feel all the more rewarding.

last edited at Oct 20, 2019 6:29PM

I seriously think Saburuta doesn't allow them to kiss or do more solely to keep the interest of the readers, because besides that, there's nothing else to look forward to the story. The new characters are just an excuse to keep the story going.

That's a bit of a harsh generalization. I'm so firmly attached to and in love with these characters that I could watche them in any number of situations and be entertained. And the new characters seem to have potential. Hopefully their motivations will be explored and they'll become welcome additions to the cast, unlike say the twins or Shirapon.

Also keep in mind, this is only Volume 2 out of of who knows how many. And the manga's popularity is still as high as ever. There's still plenty of room to explore Yuzu and Mei's relationship as well as the other characters.

You're free to have your own opinion and dislike this work, as all of your points are valid. But contrary to what this discussion may have you believe, some people, like myself, still love this story and these characters. Please don't invalidate that.

last edited at Oct 20, 2019 1:01AM

Thank you all for your answers. I understand your opinions wholeheartedly. I can see how Mei seemingly regressing throughout the story could be frustrating. I, however, don’t see it that way.

Mei clearly knew she was treating Yuzu terribly throughout the second half of Citrus, as she was basically leading her on he entire time they were together. Then, in Volume 10, the two were essentially broken up without any explanation, which caused Yuzu immense pain. However, she was willing to forgive Mei and get engaged to her in he blink of an eye. A plot point which, I think we can all agree, was rushed.

Mei, however, seems to know this and wants to make up for basically lying to Yuzu the entire time by taking their relationship slow and steady, and giving Yuzu the proper love she deserves. Of course, this is complicated since she has to balance being lovey-dovey with being a strict and upstanding Student Council President, and eventually the Chairwoman of the board.

Thankfully, this chapter finally acknowledged that their time as youths isn’t going to last forever, and now it seems like this arc is going to revolve around Mei learning to put Yuzu before her responsibilities, if that’s even possible. (It’ll be interesting to see how Sayaka plays into this all this...)

All in all, I understand everyone’s frustration with Mei being built up, then falling back to square one and having to essentially start over again, but given how she feels that she never treated Yuzu fairly to begin with, this path seems perfectly natural for her. Or maybe I’ve just been blessed with endless patience or something XD

This forum could honestly work as a “We Hate Citrus” subreddit.

I’m not here to change anyone’s opinion, as many of the points made here are valid. However, I feel like I have to bring his to the table:

If you all genuinely hate this manga so much, why are you still reading it? Wouldn’t it be easier to drop it if you feel it’s such a waste of time?

I’m not attacking anyone, but as someone who genuinely enjoys this manga (and thinks it greatly makes up for the rushed ending of Volume 10), I’d really like you all to enlighten me on this.

And don’t dance around the subject either. If you honestly just read this manga because you enjoy hating it, tearing it apart and berating Saburouta, just say so upfront.

It’s nice to see Mei feel conflicted, but in a good way. She wants to do stuff with Yuzu but knows that there are times when she has to maintain somewhat of a stern upstanding as basically the owner of the school.

I wasn't too keen on new characters being introduced, but I like how they're being handled. Maybe she could try to out them but everyone ends up being supportive? That'd be awesome!

Also revealed Mei promised to say “I love you” daily, and showed emotional conflict. And hardcore blushing Mei gives me so much life! I adore how she's gone from a massive prick to a precious bean. All that with Himeko, Nene, Matsuri and Harumin, In my opinion, I’d say it was worth the wait. Hopefully Saburouta acknowledging her own... ahem, shortcomings will result in further developments in the future.

I love this manga so much, despite its flaws. ^_^ <3

me finishing this chapter

Awww... that was a cute chapter! The art and facial expressions are always so soft, and I love how the author consistently shows that the two are sexually interested in one another. You don't see that too often in manga. It makes me sad that Kase and Yamada are always apart now that they're in college. Hopefully they can live together someday like Kase suggested that one time.
Alright, now let's see what other people thought of it!

checks the discussion

Um...... the hell did I just walk in on?

To put it simply, Citrus was about Mei entering a faux relationship with Yuzu to repay her for all the kindness she showed her, but in the process ended up actually falling in love with her.

This really seems to contradict volume 4. Mei was genuinely very hurt that Yuzu rejected her. And wanted someone to care about her, which is why she agreed to date Sara.

Yuzu chased after Mei and confessed her true feelings at last. Mei was very happy at the confession. And the fact that Mei was carrying around the bear that Yuzu gave to her (fixed for her in the anime) was a sign that she was thinking about Yuzu the entire time.

So while unsure of her own feelings, Mei agreed to date Yuzu because she wanted to, not out of any sense of repaying her. I think even the letter Mei left to Yuzu said how scared she was of the feelings Yuzu gave her.

That's a valid interpretation, but I always saw it as Mei getting annoyed with Yuzu for being so immature about her feelings (how ironic). She even says before Yuzu's confession "this is getting annoying." I believe Mei didn't think Yuzu was serious about being with her, and what you called happiness towards Yuzu's confession was actually shock at how heartleft and serious she was. Her indecisiveness towards kissing Yuzu after that was her feeling guilty for not taking Yuzu seriously.

I do think Mei legitimately fell in love with Yuzu eventually, but at this point it was more about Mei wanting Yuzu to be there for her. Keep in mind, Aihara Academy was notorious for having girls enter faux relationships before they got married off, so that's probably what Mei saw her relationship with Yuzu as; a passing phase that she would enjoy for the time being, but eventually forget about once she got married.

This is what she tried to communicate in the letter in Chapter 36; they may not be able to be lovers, but at least they'd always have their bond as sisters. Of course, we all know that's not what Mei truly wanted at all.

If you would actually read the Dynasty forums on this series and on the original series you would know that this statement is completely and utterly false. Between the two forums there are literally dozens of posts saying exactly the thing you claim that people never say.

I apologize if I came off a little harsh and ranty in my last post. It was mostly in an angry response to the people I saw criticizing chapter 6, which I thought was the best chapter yet. I've gone back and read previous parts of the discussion, and you're correct, there are some positive analyses out there. My mistake.

By the time this series came out, quite a few readers who had been huge fans at first, and others who liked many things about it and saw considerable potential in it (like me), had become quite disgusted with the inept, aimless story structure and the laughably rushed ending. Your lecture is entirely out of place—by this time we know very well what Saburouta is as a storyteller.

In fact, before that botched ending there were extensive discussions about the very subject of this chapter—speculations about how the Aihara Academy bureaucratic structure worked, and how Mei might find a way to convince them to let her take over, including lemon-squeezing analysis of Japanese inheritance procedures, etc.

If we had been given a few more substantive chapters like this in the appropriate place in the story instead of, for example, several chapters of people wandering around the fireworks festival, those previously sympathetic readers would be much more willing to cut the author a break now.

I'm in complete agreement with the fact that the ending was rushed (though knowing how the manga industry works I doubt it was entirely Saburouta's fault). In fact, I consider Volume 10 to be the worst volume of Citrus by a landslide. However, what I don't agree with is the idea that Citrus+ is nothing but damage control. To me, that's people saying that they don't want Citrus to improve or make up for it's shortcomings. I sincerely hope that Citrus+ ends up being better than Citrus, because I love the idea of Mei finally showing us how much she's grown, and Chapter 6 gives me faith that this will end up being the case.

To put it simply, Citrus was about Mei entering a faux relationship with Yuzu to repay her for all the kindness she showed her, but in the process ended up actually falling in love with her. Citrus+ is about Mei's guilt over how horribly she treated Yuzu and her finally gaining the confidence to be in a true, committed relationship with her. At least, that's how I see it, and I understand if you don't agree with me.

So... let me get this straight. People give Mei shit being apprehensive towards her relationship with Yuzu, feeling guilty for all she put her through. Now in chapter 6, she's open about her relationship with Yuzu, proudly declares that she's going to take over the academy by herself, and people are still giving her shit? WTF I'm so lost.

Also, for those saying it's unrealistic that the board had no reaction to their love declaration, are y'all just forgetting that Aihara Academy is notorious for having girls being in relationships with each other? Do you really think they'd be fazed by something like this?

And to take it a step further, Saburouta said that Citrus+ would focus on interactions between characters and essentially be devoid of over-the-top drama, which people were relieved about. And now people are saying they want a plot point that would essentially create more drama? What do you people want out of this series?!

Citrus was 41 chapters long, and Citrus+ is only on 6. It's probably not gonna end for awhile. Knowing how this chapter ties into the kiss scene in chapter 41, Yuzu and Mei are likely going to spend the rest of the series developing a closer and healthier relationship, making up for the faux relationship they had throughout the entirety of Citrus, leading all the way up to their marriage.

I'm not gonna act like Citrus is the perfect Yuri story, but does it have to be? This forum is completely black and white, people either say "Citrus is perfect i luv it" or "Citrus is garbage we need to lynch Saburouta." Is there no such thing as "Citrus is good, but it has some flaws"? Saburouta clearly likes to take time developing her stories and characters. If you don't have the patience for that, this probably isn't the manga for you. Just don't come into the discussion and go out of your way to tell all the people who enjoy it "um AKSHUALLY tHiS iS tRaSh!!"

Seems like these comments are split between people who are good thinkers and people who don't think at all. I don't think some of y'all realize that people don't change overnight. God forbid the author take time to develop the characters. Y'all know the manga isn't over yet, right? I mean, we're less than 15 chapters in. Have some patience.

As for Kurokawa, I'm loving her progress so far. She's clearly been a social outcast ever since she came to this school, and she was picked on constantly by the gyarus. Making one friend isn't going to clear away years of a built-up inferiority complex in a matter of days. However, the fact that she's been showing signs of opening up to Fujishiro, mainly wanting her to be the only person who calls her by her surname, is a welcome step in the right direction.

Also, I'm pretty sure we can all agree that Iro-chan is an audience surrogate, right?

How about y'all wait for the manga (that literally JUST began) to finish before you trash it?

That’s ridiculous—we’ve had dozens and dozens of chapters, all supposedly devoted to Mei and Yuzu coming to terms with their feelings for each other. (The “assaultive” Mei was gone by the end of Volume 2.)

The two of them were intensely attracted to each other, and Mei’s overriding problem was what seemed like the impossibility of reconciling her feelings toward Yuzu with what she had defined as her duty to her family. The main series ended with that problem disappearing entirely.

Whatever the title given to the different series, the idea that the story of Mei and Yuzu is “just beginning” is preposterous.

Apologies for my choice of words. I was referring only to Citrus+, not Citrus as a whole. Still, it might not be as preposterous as you think. When you get down to it, Citrus wasn't solely about Mei and Yuzu's growing relationship. That was PART of it, but it was more about Yuzu trying to set Mei free from a life she thought she had no escape from.

This relationship is basically first love for both of them, but Yuzu develops a better understanding of romance because she actually tried (and probably read a couple romance manga here and there). Mei, on the other hand, spent most of their supposed relationship leading Yuzu on knowing full well she was already enagaged. My belief is that she initially did this to "repay" Yuzu for all the kindness she'd shown her, but along the way, she developed genuine feelings for Yuzu as well, and thus her guilt became overwhelming.

Mei's biggest mistake came when she left Yuzu with only the breakup letter. I believe she did this because she thought such an improper and disrespectful goodbye would cause Yuzu to hate her. Of course, as we know, that didn't happen.

If you look back on most of the scenes between Yuzu and Mei, most of them, with a few exceptions, involved Yuzu throwing herself at Mei and Mei subsequently trying to distance herself. Now that Mei is finally free, she realizes what a terrible girlfriend she had been to Yuzu and doesn't think she deserves her. The way she sees it, everything that happened between them before their "breakup" has been rendered meaningless. But now, thanks to Himeko's advice and Yuzu's reaction at the end of Chapter 6, Saburouta only plans to take their relationship up from here.

Keep in mind, the two are still in high school. They're probably going to wait until after they graduate to actually get married. That's more than two years, plus however many years they decide to wait after that. We don't know how long Saburouta plans Citrus+ to be. It could be shorter or longer than the original Citrus. I say there's still plenty of time for Mei to redeem herself and form a healthy relationship with Yuzu, as long as Saburouta does a good job handling the direction she's taking them now.

I seem to recall a time when people criticized Mei for being guilty of sexual assault towards Yuzu, and they were right. Mei was a terrible person with a lot of emotional baggage. The difference now is that Mei has realized she was a terrible person and doesn't want to treat Yuzu so horribly anymore.
But wait... now people are complaining that Mei isn't making sexual advances on Yuzu anymore? WTF do you people want? Do you want Mei to go back to being an emotionally manipulative bitch?
I think a lot of people have forgotten that Yuzu and Mei have been together for just a little over a year. People in real life don't become perfect in that time. Or ever for that matter! Mei still has a lot of room to grow, and that's clearly what Saburouta is trying to do with Citrus+. Remember the way she was smiling during their wedding at the end of Chapter 41? Don't you want to see what happened between the two that made her so happy to be with Yuzu forever?
How about y'all wait for the manga (that literally JUST began) to finish before you trash it?

P.S. NTR is the worst yuri manga in existence and Kodama taking over would've been a loathsome, disgusting shit heap of a decision. Period.

Anyone know how often this manga updates? If we're caught up to the raws, how long would it be before we can expect a new chapter?