re: Credits page. The people are indeed clamoring for more enemies-to-lovers, but Shiori x Miro is pure crack ship. ^^;

Chapter 30 is up on MD. Man, the prince has just upgraded himself from a regular douchebag to a terminate-with-extreme-prejudice-when-spotted in my book...

last edited at Mar 27, 2023 3:49AM

Chapter 14 has been reuploaded? Has the translation been updated?

Shen's tsun-tsun makes so much sense when she grew up with a narcissist that she's somehow still attracted to. And to be fair to her, Jiang is a lovable narcissist. She's still very human and their interactions are pretty cute.

I don't think that she's a narcissist, so much as she doesn't understand the emotional component of ... just about anything related to other people.

I get the impression she might be on the spectrum.

Or just severely alexithymic (not that any of those are mutually exclusive).

Even though things went swimmingly this chapter... And can't fucking get ride of this sense of anxiety and dread.
I need fluff.

I feel the same way, and I think a big part of the dread we feel is all the fluff from the early chapters. By frontloading the happiness the main girls have had, the author has raised the stakes incredibly high for their success. I do not think we the readers would feel the same amount of existential anxiety as the main characters, had we not seen how happy they were at the start. This manga is not about fluff, but about perseverance and making tough choices for the sake of the one you love -- however, it wouldn't work narratively without the fluff at the start. This is very good storytelling.

Can we please stop discussing Fate here? This thread is a Looking Up to Magical Girls discussion, where I'd like to discuss Looking Up to Magical Girls.

I have been eagerly anticipating Vena eating shit for like three arcs now, I'm so ready.

We've all been scarred by Kyubey haven't we?

Nah, he's just clearly been a conniving little shit since... actually, I think I've been waiting for him to get his since the start, actually.

Which basically proves their point, doesn't it? :D I think ever since Madoka, the reasonable suspicion about the motives of any non-human entity granting superhuman powers to children before putting them in life-threatening situations has become a genre staple, especially in subversive works like this one.

last edited at Mar 25, 2023 7:29AM

I love how quickly Satsuki became invested in eating bugs

Satsuki is gullible AF, but in this case, she just got swept along by the Bug Girl's genuine passion. If it weren't for the systemic cultural stigma against bugs (which Satsuki, pure as she is, doesn't even realize is there), the whole class would have gotten swept up by that passion.

My guess is that Satsuki has a spare EpiPen in that backpack of hers, so the Bug Girl gets to see another day.

We're only getting half the story here. This doesn't explain Lord's feelings.

I don't know, that ice pick confession was pretty convincing.... Who wouldn't fall for her?

It must be understood that Lord was a very vulnerable headspace at that moment, too. She has just lost everything, from her entire organization to her ability to walk. Berserga has nursed her back to health and then informed her how much she needed her in her life. The combination of spending a lot of time with someone, natural gratitude (as soon as her suspicions had been cleared), and a desire to be wanted (especially strong since the loss of her previous position) has created a very strong feeling of affection, which Utena is currently helping to turn into outright love.

This was an authentic portrayal of a cat.

I really hope they don't execute her...

I am pretty sure that every evil deed Baiser announces is meant to be an invitation towards heroic magical girls to foil her. This is how it's always been and that's how Utena likes it. If there is one character trait (except being a top-level domme) that Utena has never strayed from, it's her love for genuine magical girls and what they do.

That deep lore dump in the translator notes was kind of like reading the wiki after finishing a fantasy book.

I bothered this time, but if people want to stay ignorant (or do it themselves) it'll save me the trouble.

I feel like their comment was an approving/good-natured one.

It was. :-)

Aoi was a favorite? Nope. From the pols on twitter it was always Louko.

Aoi is a complex, flawed, and well-written character. Luoko is a living national treasure of Japan. I rest my case.

last edited at Mar 19, 2023 5:34AM

They are so aware of each other, but at the same time SO UNAWARE, HINOKA, C'MON

Oh, I think Hinoka is fully aware of what she’s doing. She’s switched to attack mode. May God have mercy of poor Tsukushi’s heart.

She has taken her mom's advice to heart and going for raw sex appeal at every opportunity she perceives.

Totally agree. Aoi is yet another example of what I’ve called the Tomolo character (“The Other, More Overtly Lesbian One”).

Oh, that's a great find and a cool name for the archetype, which I am definitely using from now on. I myself have noticed that a lot of yuri mangas feature same-sex couples who are further along the relationship track than the MCs and thus can mentor them in a way, but they tend to be much less contentions because they are "safe", as far as love triangle drama is concerned. A Tomolo is more impactful on the MCs' relationship, and hence can get much more hate, but she is also, like you've said, pure catnip for some readers.

last edited at Mar 18, 2023 6:04AM

That deep lore dump in the translator notes was kind of like reading the wiki after finishing a fantasy book.

No sleep for Nanami.

This is the Way.

It's ironic how Aoi kinda became everyone's favourite, but she's also the only character without a happy ever after/hopeful bright future.
Ngl, kinda hurts to see her situation. Maybe, idk.
Not Pog at least.

I wouldn't say she is everyone's favorite, but she definitely the most controversial so far. You are right that she won't get a happy ending, but she also knows her flaws and owns them. That juxtaposition of flaws and self-confidence is what makes her interesting, while, to me at least, her ability to back off before her Player tendencies cause real problems makes her sympathetic.

The afterword finally explained the massive focus that Aoi was given in this manga: Ohsawa-sensei liked a side character she came up with so much, she wanted to write a spin-off about her, but instead rolled it into her main series as a tangent arc instead. Not complaining though, Aoi is still my favorite character here. :-)

last edited at Mar 17, 2023 4:05AM

maybe her parents were right

Her parents are, from what we can tell, useless parents

Tangentially related: If two useless lesbians have a kid, will they automatically be useless parents?

I think we're getting an adaptation!

https://twitter.com/onnkakhr/status/1636019432576405510

This better be an OVA release, 'cause I'm pretty sure they won't be allowed to show 2/3 of the manga's content on TV. :D

This was surprisingly wholesome and lewd at the same time. It confuses me.

A laid-back epilogue for a relatively laid-back series. :-) I would still like to get that Louko-focused spinoff, tho...

I don't know how to do spoiler tags so I won't elaborate here, but I'm so annoyed.

Just place a == before the spoiler and another at the end.

The last page hit me in the feels. Nothing like your gremlin kid leaving the house to remind you of your own parents, too.