I know this isn't the first and not the last story to do it, but does this happen? Do people just get up to other people and grab them? And if so how often does that happen?

Naur this shit absolutely does not happen. It's just an overused plot device to create conflict cause human brains enjoy plot structure and we need our characters to experience challenges that make the rewards feel earned. Authors understand that so they add some external conflict in order to push the two characters together. It's a practical solution since it makes one character look good and makes their romance feel like it has a structural reason to progress to the next step (kind of like when the main character saves a cat in the beginning of the story or help an old lady across the street to establish they're a good person. They're all plot solutions using external problems)....

Not saying it's a good technique. It's incredibly cliché, feels out of place, and introduces useless characters that make the worldbuilding feel shallow. Most importantly, it has nothing to do with character conflict/desire/need. It's like fast food in writing techniques.

last edited at Apr 30, 2023 2:02AM

Haha I like to imagine that Kikuri's eyes were always swirls, even pre-alcoholism. They're so hypnotic

Clumsy storytelling, but I adore its earnest effort. Bocchi and Nijika are always welcome in my books!

I kind of miss the braids on MC....she looked so cute...now she just looks really stereotypical

Love this gag comedy. I get it’s not serious but simple comedy relies on clear character motivations and a basic understanding of what information a character has… and I’m super confused about what each character Knows right now. Like, does MC and Dude know Rival likes MC???? How can they not after Rival confessed to MC like 40 times. What exactly did Rival take away from MC going “I wanna become someone who can say I love you”, did she think MC confessed to Dude??? I thought MC was under the impression Rival heard her confession, so why is she not operating under that logic at all? I want an interior monologue from all three characters telling me what knowledge they possess right now cause the logic is getting murky.

I’m happy people convinced me to pick up this work. It’s SO cute. Kiruma’s pining and jealousy, eventually realizing she’s been self-centered and avoidant to Hiyama which is kind of awful of her (as opposed to Dude being so stable and secure and a good friend). She likes Hiyama so much it hurts.

last edited at Apr 28, 2023 9:30AM

This should've been a tragedy smh. Short haired girl had no development and should not have been able to make the right choice.

What the heck is NTR-face

uncensored feet? NSFW, ecchi, lots of sex

can never have enough luz and amity

Darn this got axed? I really enjoy this story…the senpai is so stupid I love her.

Pomu jumpscare cause I did NOT see her in the thumbnail

Classic. Perfect pair. OG

There's something trippy about seeing an adorable chocolate-exchange kiss and looking up to see the tag of "Blackmail". Lol.
How far it came from that initial premise.

Author be like "Blackmail!
...Now that I have your attention, can I interest you in some disgustingly sweet fluff?"

(Apart from the mom arc. That was a dud.)

"Now that I have your attention, may I interest you in perfectly healthy wholesome romantic relationships?"

Me: ARGGGGGH THE NINE YEAR OLD'S LOVE IS BEING TAKEN LEGITAMATELY AND AS A LOVE WORTHY OF CONSIDERATION DESPITE HER BEING NINE. EVERY CHARACTER CONSIDERS PEDOPHELIA A VALID OPTION.
Me: Okay, moral outrage over. Let's continue and immerse into the writing
Page 12
Me: ARGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

This is probably my favorite series out right now...Strong progression, strong comedy, strong main characters, and a compelling mystery? Plus seeing Aizawa going possessive over Kurotori is so satisfying and cute. AND the art is good. BARK BARK BARK BARK

It's so pretty but the story is so empty

Yeah I've seen the raws. I know the actual order since my interest was in finding out the subtext of the original Japanese translations and sharing it with those who are curious how confirmed gay gay Bocchi is. The first part was a joke about the way the English translations can be read, because I think it symbolizes the (alleged, according to my friend) Twitter battles that happened over this over whether or not this panel makes Bocchi sapphic or not. I hope Bocchi is sapphic, canon and undisputed, but I don't mind if she's not. Kita is already gay as fuck for Ryo and it's not even trying to play it off. In the end, I think any headcanon is a fun time and hurts no one, and I like to imagine that Bocchi is gay af.

I have a personal theory that the author is queer and indulgently weaves instances of Bocchi being fruity into the story. Still, it's anime and Japanese culture (apparently) has the Class S "it's not gay until they fuck", so it seems like the typical yuri fanservice we get when the authors aren't ready to commit to making a character gay gay.

last edited at Apr 8, 2023 12:05AM

Choose your character:
-> "Aren't I a genius? I can become a pro gamer...get a sponsorship...a cosplayer girlfriend..."
-> "Aren't I a genius? I can become a pro gamer...a cosplayer girlfriend...get a sponsorship..."

I'm super behind on twitter and discussions around Bocchi so forgive me if everyone already knows this, but my head blew up when I found this panel. Apparently my Japanese friend says that the lines are "I could be a pro gamer..." "Ad revenue" "Cosplayer girlfriend...", so it's "ambiguous enough to suggest that bocchi MIGHT be sapphic, or that she's simply projecting onto a stereotypical pro gamer (typically male) with a cosplayer for a girlfriend". I like to believe Bocchi is aligning herself with the idea of a pro gamer but ALSO really digging the idea of a cosplayer girlfriend. It seems very open to interpretation.

Edit: I get the sense that linking "I could be a pro gamer..." "Ad revenue" "Cosplayer girlfriend..." together with verbs to form "get a cosplayer girlfriend" or "become a cosplayer girlfriend" is an accidental translation thing, and it's meant to be single phrases one after the other.

last edited at Apr 7, 2023 11:14PM

I’ve been seeing this here and there and I’m wondering if I should pick it up, but I’m worried this manga isn’t more than [Protag wants her male crush’s attention and tries something] -> [Rival saying something threatening and demeaning] -> [Punchline where rival is actually super into the Protag]. Is there real development?

Psychologically accurate version

This is the first time it occurred to me that the way this author writes some relationships kind of structurally pisses me off. No one is ever active. No one strives for change. All of them are shackled by their flaws and continue to act in a way that exasperated them instead of choosing to act opposite to them. Everyone is unlikeable because no one has good qualities. No one is allowed to have more than a neutral expression. Every other pair feels the same cause they all have this structure and dynamic.

It’s like, the world the characters live in don’t push them out of their comfort zone and perform actions that are New. They aren’t allowed to be anything but stagnant.

I get that they’re “just like me frfr”, or the author just wants to write stagnant people thinking the entire chapter away, unable to overcome their fatal flaw and find themselves in the love, but also like. Reading about the teacher lowkey annoyed me. The storytelling doesn’t make me hope she finds love, it makes hope she finds a therapy dog and a friend or a hobby. Anything to make her a character that is able to pull my emotions.

And I feel like that’s what it boils down to. Some of these characters are never under any threat to change anything. The twin tailed girl and the delinquent were really cool until they stopped challenging and pushing each other to be a better person. The mangaka and the manager were really cool until they got together and (honestly I can’t remember much of this story anymore I just remember being unmoved by the writing, in any direction). They just… peter out.

Also a bit nitpicky but so many of the romances default to the punchline as “actually I’m totally not on the same wavelength as you about your romance” whether it be manager’s reaction after sex (“I’m seriously reconsidering our future as a couple” bitch. After having good sex for a whole two days? Set your boundaries), Main Character straight up not caring about delinquent girl’s feelings… twin tailed girl and delinquent girl 2’s whole dog thing. But at this point this is me not liking the thesis of this story…

I guess I’ve been following this story for a while and never really thought about it until now.

I've always found the way the author handles labels and romance to be fascinating, mainly how many of her characters--Kasumi and Koruri being the two big ones--aren't internally driven to them at all. They're fine with leaving things unspoken but intimate and only consider the label 'girlfriend' when the people they're close with push for it. It makes me wonder if the author's own experience with romance has been similar, and that's why she depicts love this way.

Moca strives for labels. She places meaning in them, so that if "one day she disappears" someone will mourn for her. This is how she validates her existence.

Sakurako was okay with not defining her relationship with Kasumi because they had a balanced give and take together, until she was challenged in a way that made her to want to secure her place in Kasumi’s life. The idea Kasumi could just...be without her and let her go (Special 3) pushed her to try to change their relationship into of explicit romance.

Kasumi, is the ultimate loner. She neither seeks labels, nor needs them, and doesn't need people in her life nor the assurance of her own permanence in their lives. She fundamentally lacks the fear of "disappearing" like Moca, or not mattering, because she's the epitome of self-sufficiency. No part of her is dependent on another human to define herself or fulfill her needs. However, there's a twist. Somehow living with Sakurako for seven years has been the right balance of "not too much but not too little" (ch 65.3). Somehow, she hasn't gotten sick of Sakurako despite how bothersome it can be for her (who is lazy and chooses the path of least resistance) to live with a whole other person.

This story is a really cute slice of life, but the author also places different forms of connection against each other. This story was never about the Romance! It's about how we navigate the relationship we have with someone we want to be with for the rest of our lives. When Koruri finally accepted being Moca's girlfriend, finally accepting that label of girlfriend, she was using romance as the Vehicle, a Means to secure Moca in her life. We never get a deep psychological dissection of what romantic love means for her. It doesn't matter. What matters is the conflict between them (Koruri fearing Moca may leave one day without saying a word, both sating their need for companionship) and how they compromised to keep each other in their lives (Koruri accepting being Moca's girlfriend). This story is different variations exploring the fundamental intimacy between people who live together, who share A Room For Two, and how different people choose to define it using the means they have.

I'm sure the other different pairings like Seri and her roommate, or Sakurako's sister and her roommate, all have their own flavors and nuances. I just can't remember them after following this series for so many years lol.

last edited at Apr 1, 2023 7:43PM

That was hilarious. Thank you translation team for this meta comedy combining the author, community, and our horniness for Elsa and Yvonne to bang each other. Hard.

NANAO LETS GET SOMEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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