I don’t really have the vocabulary to describe how ableist Rinne is being but wow, I really hate her

"Hey! You can't use my sister's disability to feel better about yourself! That's my job!"

Their relationship has clearly - to both of them - been almost all take and no give the entire time.

I mean...yeah.

Jeongwon getting and enjoying the sex doesn't change the fact that Hwayeon was using her for her money, her home and her body. Jeongwon flat out says that she wanted more out of the relationship, despite believing it was impossible; because, again, she knew Hwayeon didn't love her. She allowed things to get like that against her own better judgement, and because she caught feelings despite herself.

In your example, it sounds like Bud Bundy was specifically looking to have meaningless sex with a bunch of girls; Jeongwon isn't after that at all, she wants a girlfriend, so I don't really see how they're similar.

last edited at Jul 3, 2022 3:47PM

Does she have some kind of romantic trauma? Was she just that attached to not feeling committed? Why would she feel that way when she so clearly wants commitment, and is easily able to admit that to herself?

Hwayeon is a liar and a manipulator, who has a lot of trouble with honesty and emotional vulnerability. She literally met Jeongwon by inadvertently tricking the latter into paying for money that Hwayeon really did steal. And after that, she kept on manipulating and mooching off Jeongwon to the point of even sleeping with her just to see what it would be like. (that's her own words) It wasn't until later that she realized she'd actually caught feelings...and then it was too late.

Their relationship has clearly - to both of them - been almost all take and no give the entire time. The only reason it lasted so long is that Jeongwon, against her own better judgement, had developed feelings she knew were doomed. Yeah, Hwayeon could probably have done things differently if she'd been more honest with Jeongwon about her feelings...but that would have required Hwayeon to be honest at all, which is clearly something she's got huge difficulty doing.

I feel like Miyako has had a crush on "Onee-san" for a while, and this is her finally realizing it. Her saying it out loud there comes across less like a confession, and more like a thought voiced out loud. She doesn't seem like the type to angst much over it, so I'm betting the next volume is going to be her going on the offensive to win Suga's affections (with adorable and hilarious results).

Meanwhile, I don't think Asako is at that point yet. She clearly really cares about Miyako, but it's more of a protective and affection kind of caring, rather than romantic. It's likely that she's still burned from her last relationship, as well as all the logical reasons why Miyako might seem "off-limits." (she's younger and less mature, she's in a position of authority as her landlady, she's a former idol so there's a gap there, and - the big one - Asako probably assumes she's straight) I think it will take a little while before Asako starts to fall for Miyako that way, and likely even longer before she'll allow herself to admit it.

Is anyone really reading this and not expecting Zhang to be gay/bi? It's a yuri romcom; it's the whole point. It's like popping in Jurassic Park and wondering why all these big lizards keep showing up.

EDIT: And for what it's worth, I agree with the analysis that Zhang is nursing a crush on Dai Yi. Whether she realizes it or not, she's clearly preoccupied with her in a way that goes beyond just senior-junior dynamics.

last edited at Jun 26, 2022 7:41PM

Oh dang, this is the direction I really hoped it go, but wasn't sure...I think a...confession(?) like this fits in very well with the themes of this manga. And Yamashita's character.

Aaaaaaand the penny drops! Cookies for the people guessing it was a lavender marriage all along, though I guess the question still is, "does Zhang Guo know that?"

So, I think we're finally getting a hint at why Zhang Guo is going ahead with her "Fruitless Betrothal"....

It seems like she probably needs money so that her grandmother can continue to be cared for in the nursing facility, and Mr. Childhood Friend is willing to help pay for it. Not that it's necessarily a gold-digger or transaction thing, she probably just thinks that a marriage is the only way to do it and he's someone she's close enough to. I think the vibe from her earlier was that she might not be really aware of LGBTQ+ identity despite being drawn to Dai Yi.

Also, I don't really like JiaoJiao's actions here. It feels like she's trying to push Dai Yi back in the closet, or to "get over" being a lesbian. At best, she thinks Dai Yi shouldn't burn bridges she doesn't have to, but it really seems more like she's mad Dai Yi isn't giving up on her own sexuality, as if it was only ever about Zhang Guo rather than Dai Yi just...being gay. She comes across as a lot less of a supportive friend and ally here than she seemed before.

last edited at Jun 10, 2022 3:56PM

No no, you don't get it, when it's cheating in favour of yuri it's fine

I've seen a variant of the argument pop up several times recently, in response to several different situations, and I'm finding it increasingly frustrating and, potentially, homophobic.

I'm not accusing you, or anyone else really, of being homophobic (hell, you might be being sarcastic here), but I feel like the idea that you can dismiss people's likes, dislikes and perspectives on relationship topics by basically saying, "Well, you refuse to recognize toxic behavior if it's between two women" comes dangerously close to how gay/lesbian/bisexual/poly people in the real world are often treated as being inherently more promiscuous, "loose" or likely to cheat, just by virtue of not being straight.

As if we're so blinded by yuri that we can't possibly be objective, rather than people just having different perspectives and ideas. (and I'm not even defending the characters in the comic; I dislike cheating stories and am being pretty wary about this as it goes forward)

Again, I'm not trying to call out anyone or accuse anyone of anything specific. It's just that, since I've seen this multiple times recently (from different people), I felt like I wanted to say something, because it's making me uncomfortable.

I want to say thank you so much to princess_daphie for translating this wonderful series! While I'm sad that we won't get to see more of Ai and Misumi being adorable together, it's soooo satisfying to see them walk off, hand-in-hand, still doing what they love- geeking out about manga together. <3

Yvonne: "I can't admit that I'm in love with Elsa, because I believe that the physical laws of this reality make us being together a literal impossibility, yet I still struggle with letting go of those feelings because I'm human."

Readers: Still think Evie is just "dense."

Y'all. She knows that Elsa likes her, and she realizes that her own feelings are very much in the same vein. But she's so traumatized by the Villainess System (which, as people have pointed out, has included such directives as "push Elsa to her probable death" and, apparently, "stab Elsa with the knife she just gifted you") that she believes it's impossible for them to be together. And if that's true, then allowing herself to be in love with Elsa will only make things so much harder for both of them.

Elsa isn't safe around Evie, the Villainess System could strike at any time. The only ways to avoid it are for Yvonne to stay away from her (she tried that, and Elsa tracked her down), or have Elsa fulfil her story purpose and get together with a real love interest (which, she was literally created to do). Then, Yvonne's story purpose will presumably be fulfilled as well, ending the Villainess System and allowing her to be around Elsa without endangering her. And it's clear that Evie doesn't think "the heroine and the villainess get together" will count for that win condition. (whether she's correct about that assumption is obviously still up in the air, and I'm betting she's not)

I actually really, really like the psychology that's going on in this story, even if it's sometimes subtle. I loved Elsa's pained musing that maybe she should just accept "rejection," and I love that Garth is here to shake up the status quo. I also love how Evie went from "I just need to get away from her," to "I just need to get her together with someone, anyone," to "I need to make sure she gets together with someone good for her," to "I'm going to pick the person literally closest to actually being with me possible, in the hopes that will work." Despite how much she believes their relationship is doomed, she still can't help but want to be closer and closer with Elsa.

my impression was that chaeyeon did recognise the flirting in some way (even yuri protagonists are usually only that dense for a gag), but interpreted it as a continuation of the (perceived) picking on from when they were young, rather than sincere. this is why she got quite so flustered, and also why seungha's revelation has a profound effect on her, it completely recontextualises a lot of her behaviour up to this point.

Yeah, I loved how you could see Chaeyeon going into standby mode as she clearly reviews all of their recent interactions, only with the knowledge that Seungha's (very aggressive) flirting was 100% sincere and not meant to make fun of her.

I really like how quickly this is moving! Obviously, it's likely there's going to be some slowdown for Hijinks, but the fact that Chapter 1 had her realize her feelings and Chapter 2 ended with her determined to go for it is promising, since so many series wait until nearly the end before they get to even the first one.

Tanned-Gyaru-Ojiou-sama Blessed combo.

Boobies.

It's not a combination I'd considered, but it's actually really fun? I think it'd be a pretty good premise for a full series, with the gyaru dealing with typical ojou-sama situations like fancy dinners and parental demands while the maid tries to smooth things over. Also, they kiss!

As for this one-shot, it's super nice. I was hoping to get an imagine spot from the lady, too, just to hammer home (and other places...) that they're both feeling the same things for each other. But I do like that the maid doesn't seem to feel bad about fantasizing about her mistress like a lot of maid characters do, good to avoid that "we're different stations!" angst sometimes.

I'm just gonna flat out say, I think Kenji was a creep. Not, like, to unforgivable levels, but I feel like it was made pretty clear from the very start that Saho wasn't taking his approaches seriously, and yet he (and, honestly, everyone else, even Tamaki) basically saw it as guaranteed that Saho would eventually say yes to him. Even her gossipy coworkers just saw it as this cute love story, rather than paying attention to what Saho actually said or felt. It was very uncomfortable to me, in how it seemed to illustrate the "dogged nice guy" trope where a man is seen as entitled to a woman simply because A) she hasn't flatly said no, and B) because he's put a lot of time into pursuing her...and frequently the former will slide. He really stunk of cishet male privilege.

Like, Saho was nice to him - because she's nice to everyone. And the only one she showed any special interested or attention toward was Tamaki. Whether Saho is bi or a lesbian, I think the subtext is that she was attracted to Tamaki from the very start, even if she didn't realize it, while she never was interested in Kenji beyond him being a "friendly" regular customer. While it's easy to say, "Well, she should have clearly shut him down," it's also implied that she's got some self-image issues that would lead her to assume any flirting is non-serious or that she shouldn't assume he meant it.

He's not evil, but that's sort of the problem. His behavior is so normalized that nobody even bats an eye at it, despite it actually being kind of creepy and troubling. I'm glad Tamaki was there, not just because she had a chance to confess as well, but because I would worry that, absent her giving Saho motivation, Saho might have been pressured into doing something she clearly didn't want just to get out of that moment. Or Kenji might not have been even as "graceful" a loser as he was. Did he really seem like the type to take "no" for answer? I'd see him as the sort who just assumes that means he has to try harder.

I think it’s interesting how Yuna uses sex as both a carrot and a stick in this relationship. Rena is just horny.

She thinks it's the only thing she has to offer Rena, which is related to her barely-hidden self-worth issues. At least, that's how I remember it, along with Yuna feeling guilty for wanting sex on her own, because then it somehow doesn't "count" as her giving something for Rena's sake. Or something like that.

And that kinda feeds into her irrational worry that Rena is going to cheat on her, because Yuna assumes that if she's not around Rena constantly, Rena will realize how "worthless" Yuna is and leave her. Whereas Rena has been pretty clear, both in what she's said to Yuna and what we've seen of her internal thoughts, that she loves Yuna a lot and already feels very fulfilled in their relationship.

It's definitely getting pretty dramatic with Yuna's slow-motion breakdown and Rena's obliviousness to it (not that I'm blaming her for not noticing, since Rena is actively hiding her own insecurities and doubts), but bad communication and one partner being blissful while the other is freaking out is pretty much a Morinaga signature, so it's not unexpected.

I hate it when people speak for others without their knowledge. It’s such a self serving thing to do.

Yeah, the irony is that the sister is doing exactly what she's accusing Saki of doing - using her relationship with her sister to feel better about herself because she's "protecting" her, despite Kanon neither needing nor, likely, wanting that help. Especially when it involves harassing Kanon's closest friend. You get the feeling that the "heart reading" bit is just a self-serving lie, and she'd be like this no matter who Kanon was spending time with.

I always hate this character archetype, because it exists to basically only serve as an obstacle and rarely tells us much about the main characters. Except that Saki feels guilty about her feelings for Kanon, which we pretty much knew already, so meh. Maybe the next chapters will bring it around and provide an opportunity for them to get closer. (I do like Kanon just flat out shutting Saki's attempt to slink away down, since it's obvious Saki didn't really want to do this. Guess that "heart reading" B.S. works both ways, huh Imouto-chan?)

This manga could basically be called "Hiyama-san Can't Communicate!" I do like that she has an almost supernatural ability to always initially act the exact opposite of what's she's feeling.

the author was obviously unwilling (for perhaps obvious reasons) to have Yuriko and Matoi clash over their differing desires for their relationship.

Yeah, I think this is an important point. Something that kept occurring to me after seeing cast page and Yuriko being explicitly labelled as "aro/ace," while Matoi was just "ace," was wondering if there was going to be an issue there. Because Matoi isn't aromantic, which leaves me feeling that this nice ending of And They Were Neighbors is pretty damn unfair to her, if the implication is supposed to be that things continue like this for a long time. (Matoi asks Yuriko if she wants to move back home, implying that they plan to stay "together" for the foreseeable future)

Like, Yuriko gets her close relationship with someone she loves (platonically), while Matoi just kinda...gets to have an unrequited crush on her forever? If Yuriko's aromantic-ness is real and to be respected - and it is - then it seems like Matoi should also be allowed to have someone who reciprocates her romantic feelings. Right?

Like, I spent the last few pages if we were going to see that Matoi actually had a girlfriend now - someone who wasn't Yuriko, possibly even Rio, who just kind of disappears from the story - with the point being that she can still love and cherish Yuriko in her own way while also getting a romantic relationship. Instead it's just kind of implied that Matoi is satisfied with what they have now, which just feels very unsatisfying for anyone except Yuriko. But I may just think that because I'm not aro/ace? I dunno.

I’d be interested to hear from ace/aroace readers if they resonated with this story or were pleased with the ending. I can’t help but feel a little unsatisfied, but I’m pretty distinctly neither aro nor ace, so it might just be a disconnect along those lines

Yeah, I'm sorta in the same boat. I very unapologetically want "yuri" to be story of explicitly romantic and sexual relationships between women. Other stories about women's relationships, including this one, are definitely valid and deserve to be read and enjoyed by people, but it's not something I'd ever seek out on my own. So there's a strong "I can recognize how this is a good story, but it doesn't appeal to me at all" feel to this ending.

I don't hate this series so far, but I really do hope we get to the part where they're actually interacting, because chapter after chapter of "here's how my life has been ruined!" is getting really uncomfortable.

And I really hope Miss Vlogger is going to get a nice apology, because everything bad that's happened to her so far has been the fault of the kid taking advantage of her, and the mom being so wrapped up in her own problems that she ruined someone else's career without thinking. They seriously never even contacted her? I'm glad they at least realize how their refusal to talk might have led to this latest situation, but yeesh. I don't blame her for trying to strike back (I mean, it sucks, because the real cause of all of this is stupid celebrity culture, but still), though I guess that's going to be what sets up the fake(?) dating plot. (the manager mentions how "this might be a good thing")

Wow they managed to make me feel bad for Hwayeon.
The anxiety of suspecting your lover is drifting to another person, and then someone texts you that they have been seen together rn this night, and you are desperately waiting for her to return to talk things out and try to save your relationship but the hours go by and she doesn't return...

The thing is...they're not really lovers? I mean, in a relationship sense, they've obviously had sex. But Jeongwon clearly doesn't think of them as "together," and can't put a name to their relationship when pressed. (though, she does admit it's more than friends)

Hwayeon is clearly obsessed with and in love with Jeongwon, but prefers to use manipulation and isolation to keep them "together" rather than just confessing her feelings and risk getting hurt. She treats Jeongwon more like a possession to be defended than a partner; it's no wonder there's no trust there, because she knows that the only things keeping Jeongwon from pursuing Jisoo were a bunch of lies and threats.

I certainly can emphasize with her, because she's clearly got some issues that lead to all the aforementioned manipulation and difficulty with emotional honesty, but I still think any problems she's feeling now are largely her own fault.

Y'know, people are acting like this is a huge moment, but I kinda assumed that they've been dating all along? In a very low-key way. I'm pretty sure they sleep in the same bed, they're clearly comfortable with being naked around each other, this is far from the first time Kouhai has expressed a love for cute girls (I don't know if she draws outright yuri, but she was going gaga over all the women at the industry party a few chapters ago).

There's also stuff like Senpai buying her that dinosaur pencil at the museum, and then it being show that Kouhai is using it in later chapters. I got the read that there's definitely a relationship here, but since it's not the focus of the manga it's just left as subtext. And the reason Kouhai is embarrassed here isn't that it's outing her crush, but that she basically was fantasizing about "her ideal girl" and it turned out to be her roommate/girlfriend, and that she did this live in front of an audience (who could also clearly see Senpai was the inspiration).

But I could be wrong! Either way, if this is a more yuri-filled direction for the series, I'm all for it!

It feels weird that Succubi have something akin to biological marriage after all of the talk about how the natural succubus lifestyle is supposed to involve so much sleeping around. I know the tattoo has been trope forever, but it feels more like an omegaverse mating bite in this context

I'm sure it's just there to be a) sexy and b) a source of Drama, but it kinda makes sense if you think of it as varying survival strategies. Succubi, at least this version of them, are basically parasites that feed off humans. And you can either go for a wide strategy of feeding from as many people as possible, which reduces your reliance on any single source at the cost of taking more work and time; or you can "settle down" with a single human and feed just from them, which is theoretically more stable and provides better results over the long term. And the tattoo thing is a way of both increasing the efficiency and warding off competitors.

Obviously, the bottom line is just "ecchi comic about Teens having Feelings," so I dunno if it was written that way, but it's interesting to think about! (...at least, to me it is...)

Um. Naori picking up Hinata's chain in that imagine spot? Might be one of the most romantic things I've ever seen.