Well, other people maybe. But this is Aya.
A ridiculous 14 yo who has an incredible strong heart. Since she never gives up on anything, nor does she ever even consider it, l will tend to believe that's not the case.

She did want to escape it though, considering her relief when she found out that he had died. If anything I'd say that for her the Koto that didn't change was some sort of "sign" she could always come back to, her safeplace, but wasn't necessarily chained to it like she is now, kind of like a stray cat.
She went from being chained to waiting for her mother to finding her place (free to be herself, on the same level as the others and capable of understanding them, quite the opposite of how it was before her resolve to understand and look at the present Koto) and then back to being chained and not an equal with the others.

I really like this chapter. Despite Aya being more or less the main character we didn't actually know much about her, so it's great to finally get a chapter that focuses on her past and how it made her the way she is now. Moreover, I think the major theme of the story is finally coming into view: perhaps as should have been obvious, it's time, the inevitability of change, and the various maladaptive ways people have of reacting to that inevitability. Thinking about it, I feel like Koto kind of represents the "past," Aya the "present," and Erika the "future." Let me explain.

And yeah I agree with this and yes one could say I'm too insistent on the idea that she values freedom, but isn't that what the present is about? All the opportunities we have and the actions we can take now rather than depending on a nebulous future that may never come at all or seeking for refuge in the past?
Of course, Aya is naive, she couldn't have expected Koto to be this unhealthy but that is because she too was stuck on her idea of Koto, someone who would love her no matter what and would never change... Someone she could go back to despite everything. If she didn't value being free and an equal, she would have accepted being completely dependent on Koto because that, other than their relationship, was the main thing at stake.

And could not that place she wants to belong to be one where she is an equal and not chained to things she doesn't want to be? Her fear of change is connected to her fear of abandonment I'd say.

For Aya, everything is constantly in flux, including herself, so someone who (to her) was honest and sincere enough to always stay the same would naturally stand out to her.

Quoting this because I think it describes her well.

last edited at Sep 8, 2024 4:31AM

Her glistening sweat is dazzling.

Thank you! for explaining it so clearly. I used to think that trans girls in futa-type doujins were depicted as females with both a penis and testicles, while futa girls either grew one from their vagina or had a penis without testicles.

No problem! Just keep in mind that like anything else there will be works that have a different approach to those themes and may go a bit deeper into the gender part of it. For a character to be transfem, if we follow how it works in reality, she must have been camab at some point in her life, doesn't matter if perisex or intersex, and that's why the intent and overall writing can help figure it out.
And it's not like all trans girls have a penis, you don't see it much either sadly, but for those characters that have had vaginoplasty people will draw two scars along the sides of the vulva or they show that she's trans through other means if she doesn't say it explicitly.

Ok so a more clear example would be... imagine a character that was camab that thanks to a mysterious power turned into a woman with breasts and both a penis and a vagina that are fully functional and is much happier like that. In that context, she's transfem but with an unusual genital set that some people would call "futanari" in the context of porn, but within that setting she'd fit our idea of trans, not because of her genitals, but because of what she was forced to be before reaching that point.
Then we have another character in a setting like, idk, omegaverse, where it's normal for people to have a secondary sex, that was cafab and is fine with her identity of a woman yet she has a penis alongside a scrotum and a vagina. She's not a trans girl, just what people would call a futa and cis going by our definition because she did not stray from what she was assigned as.

Now with a character like Kalinda from hopeless junction who was camab and then later in her life went through HRT... that's a trans girl and depending on the social circle and your intentions, it will be very disrespectful to reduce her to a futa and such because futanari itself, a porn term, is not equal with trans woman and can be very unsavoury when directed at a demographic that's extremely vulnerable and sexualized. Like many other things it will depend on if the individual is ok with being called that that and who is saying that term and why.

For the sake of keeping the peace, I'll just point out that the 両性具有 on the cover does translate to "hermaphrodite" and leave it at that.

And oh okay I completely missed that on the cover LOL

If we consider the fact that many people don't really follow the actual definition of futanari: Intention, I'd say.

So it goes back to this. Intention and writing, the rest is what people call headcanon.

last edited at Sep 7, 2024 7:28AM

I think this might be trans instead of futa

I have a question, and I hope this doesn't come across as rude. How can I distinguish between manga featuring futanari characters and those with transgender characters.

If we consider the fact that many people don't really follow the actual definition of futanari: Intention, I'd say. Two examples I can think of with explicitly trans girls are malcatras' maiden (steam) and hopeless junction by Nadia Nova which feature non-op trans girls. Have in mind that there's sexual content in both VNs. Those are characters intentionally written to be trans and not what is often nothing more than a porn category. Well, not that the way trans girls are treated is good and that's actually how they're seen and treated by most people... A porn category.

Futanari is a girl (rarely a boy) with a hermaphrodite body, so featuring both a functional (she produces gametes) penis and vulva, with variations also featuring a scrotum alongside them. There are few works where it isn't sexual in nature like this touhou doujin.
The genre itself is broad and the subject may not have been born with a penis by default but grew it out later, be it by supernatural means or medicinal means... Or whatever else people may think of that could result in the alteration of one's reproductive system, such as the transfur genre where species change is involved and sometimes sex change too.
Personally, I see it as an extreme exaggeration of the idea of how an intersex (cis or trans) body works rather than a perisex trans one.

I agree on this being a non-op trans girl.

Very cute!

Also, that laughter by the queen in ch2 was kinda sus. At least the way it sounded in my head when I read it was. Is the queen secretly part of the calamity? Is that the plot-twist here?[...]

For me she just seemed like she was happy that her supposedly 'useless' daughter isn't actually 'useless' and simply needed something to help unleash her power, so it makes sense why she'd be excited about it... Similar to how the other character, Miko, is.
I don't think there's any malice behind, her happy expression, blushing too... but also the atmosphere seemed a bit imposing (Well, she is the queen and seeing her act casually like that could be surprising for Miko, I guess?) with the black lines and somewhat intense writing, so I can see why you read it like that.
I hope that doesn't end up as a plot-twist though because it'd feel a bit weak imo

This was a nice read

I agree with the message this image is sending

Maybe it’s a dark pink?

I hope so, because otherwise it feels like such a waste not to make her pubes pink T_T

The genes for pubic hair colour and all other hair colour are actually not the same, interestingly enough.

Huh, had no idea about that, I was aware that it could be a different shade but not that it was because of them having different genes. Time to look that up in more detail

If her hair is pink, why are her pubes black?

Her branchia are so vulnerable it's a bit disturbing to think of it, unless they are more akin to dents that don't really go anywhere inside her body and are covered by some sort of skin flap... and that would still make cleaning a bit of a bother.

I am sorry to all the catgirls who died when I brought real physics into a fantasy manga, but I am supremely peeved by sloppy worldbuiding from an author pitched to me as a "fantasy genius".

Don't worry, the catgirls are alive, well and incestuous.

My apologies for another long post, within the same page even, but I really want to talk about this somewhere. It is also a bit spoilery regarding their personalities, so please be careful!

I love the thing Terra and Diode have going between them.
「ダイさんダイさんほらあれあれ！」
「見えてます、邪魔です、おっぱいどけて」

It's not like there isn't any conflict, a small as it is, between the two of them. Terra is a somewhat anxious girl that gets a little too into (for others, it's painful when she starts rambling so happily about something and everyone looks at her like "wat"...) the things she's interested in, and Diode the sort that often is too embarrassed to be honest about her own feelings. She's more serious in nature compared to Terra, who often has trouble standing her ground and is the kind of individual who will say "thank you" to someone who kept her caged after they free her, but Diode is there to make sure that she's not so amicable towards those that don't deserve it when Terra doesn't really catch the negative implications behind what is being said or happening towards them both, while still respecting Terra's good-natured personality and allowing her to indulge in acts she herself usually wouldn't, for the sake of her partner.
This doesn't mean that Terra is dumb or completely unaware of the intentions some of the characters have, she is quite aware actually and sometimes will notice exactly what is happening before Diode herself does, the thing is how she still treats many that don't deserve it... a little too well for Diode's taste and that's what makes her angry — because really, why would she enjoy seeing her partner get unfairly humiliated and stepped on by those who are unworthy of her? She can't keep quiet about it and that side of hers has already been shown in chapter 8.

Without spoiling anything, this is a good example of what I mean:
申し訳なさそうにうなだれる。そんな泣き顔の演技が彼女にはできないことを、ダイオードは知っている。話は噓に決まっていたが、こんな流れにされたら問い詰められなかった。聞いたらそれこそ、話が痴話げんかに縮退してしまう。
　おそるおそる女が訊く。
「あの……納得してもらえました？」
　──するわけがないでしょうこの超銀河級ごまかしヘタクソ天然爆弾女さん。
「ええ、まあ」
　問答を終わらせるためだけの返事をすると、女が顔を輝かせた。

A little bit of a conflict happens and Diode knows that what Terra said is a lie, but because she is aware of her nature and how she wouldn't be able to put up an act to trick her, and also because Terra is a little bit of what some may call an "airhead"... she doesn't press further so it doesn't escalate into an actual conflict and leaves her be.

Diode too has fears and one of them is that of being abandoned and left completely alone. Again, she has trouble being open about certain feelings and that's where Terra can help her, by giving her an opening to be honest with her and herself:
手首をもって吊るし上げた、眼前の少女に深緑の瞳を据えて、テラは言い聞かせる。
「大丈夫です」
「はいっ？」
「大丈夫です、ダイさん。何も謝ることも、怖がることもないです。──今でも怖いんでしょう？　一人になってしまうことが」
「そ……」
ダイオードが首をすくめる。テラはゆっくりとうなずく。
This tension though doesn't come from them demanding the impossible from the other but rather their own worries and needing a bit of a push to address them more openly like they usually do with other things that aren't ailing them as much on an individual level. They're in this together and they know it.
Diode can be cold, harsh and mean sometimes, even towards Terra, who will shrink when Diode looks at her with cold eyes, that often happens when they're discussing their plans and Diode is set on on doing what she desires and not being chained down or when Terra says something absurd, only to soften up later on whenever they're having their moments. This contrasts nicely with how clingy she gets when it comes to Terra, and a bit prickly when it comes to strangers — I'd say because she doesn't really seem to enjoy the amount of socialization Terra doesn't have much problem with — or even towards Terra herself as I've mentioned in my other the part where she says that she does want to be by herself sometimes and Terra has compared her many times before to the animal known as ノラネコ... stray cat.... she's seen in historical records because of how easily she slips away and comes back whenever she's in the mood for it.
So really they're quite compatible with each other and despite everything know what to prioritize the most, their goal is to stay together and they are going to work towards it together and find something that works for both of them when they have wants and needs they can not sacrifice. Terra can be quite sensitive and Diode quite dry at times (Well she is a bit of a tsuntsun), but they get along well and care deeply for the other.

Their height gap and difference in body structure is really hot BY THE WAY. Skelly short girl x 'Mature' tall girl. Diode's height is either 148cm or 149cm, I forgot but I'll check it later when I reread the novels. Diode despite loving boobs is very respectful about it so I appreciate that. (Corrected something here because I misremembered...) It also makes her really happy how Terra is attracted to her. She looked at Diode and her first thought was "Woah. What a pretty girl..." She immediately gayed out!!! I don't think that it ever specified Terra's height, only that she's tall.
Their entire thing very healthy with Diode being really patient with Terra and willing to guide her and stop if she's too scared and, despite her usual embarrassment, talking explicitly about relationship stuff since despite her age she does have a bit more experience and knowledge when it comes to that. She may find Terra's imagination a bit too much sometimes too but ultimately respects it and recognizes its value instead of dismissing her as "Tell-Tale Terra" and really it's just nice.

Sadly the thing I want to talk the most about along some comments and complaints that goes more in depth about marriage and what comes after, sexism and such within this work and this one huge thing regarding the two of them, the implications that come from it and the possibilities when it comes to how it works and the things that the author can write about (if he plans to write more) are a massive spoiler from Volume 3 and it will take years for the manga to reach that point, assuming it doesn't get cancelled before then.
So for those that can read it... I really recommend giving it a try, if I don't end up having a moment and translating it myself despite never done so before... I hope that more people get interested in it so a proper group translates at least some of it.

Sometimes misogyny in a society in a story can be way over the top, but I usually buy it in a colonization Sci-Fi setting like this.

When you have a limited number of ships and a limited number of resources, it does make sense that many social norms would be discarded (often too many). I imagine they have very strict regulations on population control, for example.

Agree with this, it sucks for the gays that live in there, but also opens the door to questioning the importance of marriage and if it really is necessary for a couple to be married, the novel does explore Terra's thoughts on marriage and what is it that she really wants later on

I really want to know what all of you think about it! So I'm looking forward for more chapters of the manga so that everyone can discuss more about it and its fun setting of fish in a gas giant called Fat Beach Ball ^__^
That's something that I can't talk about even superficially because for now in the manga it is a complete mystery how Besshu work, but we'll get to see cool creatures and I'm excited for the artist's take on the design of a certain one!
Or really everything else that happens in the novel... It's so good!
So good!!

Also Terra is blonde
軽くひっつめにしたＧ型恒星色の髪

last edited at Apr 6, 2025 9:47AM

Woof woof

Most disappointing series or oneshot you've read?

Sakura Nadeshiko, "women are stupid and couldn't possibly know what a penis is": the manga

The first yuri work I ever saw was of those two back when there was a considerable amount of smut doujin on youtube lol so it's neat to stumble upon them again

^ the trend is that korean women and japanese women should start dating each other bc of the misogyny of men in their culture. if you look up 日韓百合 on twitter you'll see a lot of this kind of fan art

LOL, as if dating women is different XD women have a way of bullying other women for being a women in a way that ain’t called misogyny, don’t have to time to write an essay here about the subject but it’s kinda ironic.

Big coming from you, who said this:

i hate thous type of stories, i just checked the comments to see if it’s worth reading, i will just jump from first chapter to the last and read from there, cuz i’m not wasting time on an story that tries to hard to send a message, let’s see how much the author is gonna hand-fist the sexism in this story.

In the thread of a manga about two girls trying to survive in a society riddled with sexism, without even reading the novel or putting the time into learning about its setting but the mere mention of misogyny as one of the main themes was enough to make you diminish its worth.
Nothing 'ironic' about women also being misogynistic when we live in a world where it's acceptable and even incentivized to be. Have you ever lived as a woman? Or plan to live as one? Have you ever stopped to read about the reality of women in countries other than yours?

Or do you think this understanding between women from multiple countries, joking about their own oppression, come out of nowhere?
Someone being part of a demographic doesn't mean that they never partake in violence against it. Never seen homophobic gays?

It seems that you have missed the entire point of this trend and, as yourself said, only see its worth being the explicit Yuri it will provide for you. The background is meaningless for you.

Anyway I really liked this one and I love it when an innocent word means something "malicious" in another language LOL

How do we suggest images? Is done through the discord server or can we use the upload request page?

Upload request page.

Okay! Thank you

How do we suggest images? Is done through the discord server or can we use the upload request page?

Amazing

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

I love this. Qualé zé

BARBIE?!

@FluffyCow Oh don't worry that wasn't directed at you only! But this is the second time I've seen someone use Butch incorrectly, it should be used to very masculine lesbians (mostly when it comes to style) and not like the body structure itself because it is also a type of identity

That's not butch! She's still clearly feminine (VERY feminine) and you can be both butch and trans fem, for butch think of someone with very short hair and a very masculine dressing style and preferably fat and/or muscular. Now with that image of a masculine lesbian in your head, you are free to imagine a long-haired butch, but this is not it!