!!!<3 love and hype <3!!!

Aromanticism and the asexual spectrum is a complex topic because it's, well, a spectrum.

Either I don't agree with folding asexuality and aromanticism together period, or I don't agree Aromanticism can be a 'spectrum' per say, since a spectrum only has a single axis. Since, on the one hand, if you're saying that aromanticism is strictly speaking a single thing, then it can't possibly be asexuality since asexuals can be very romantic and sexuals can be very nonromantic. On the other hand, if you're saying that romance is several things in terms of aromanticism, (including sexuality) then aromanticism can't be like homosexuality, which can at least be partially modeled by a 1 dimensional Kinsey scale, but instead it must be a collection of different axes, with perhaps no necessity of them having anything essential to do with one another. In this case, its not just complex because it's a spectrum, it's also complex because it's a collection of spectrums which are essentially distinct.

You're right in pointing out that attraction has several parts, such as sexual, romantic, and aesthetic, but generally asexual or aromantic people simply are not capable of feeling such forms of attraction.

This is the part I don't get. Like, say that there's a person who is asexual/aromantic in every way that they could be. Do they not find things cute? Do they not find things beautiful? Do they not feel emotional comfort? I would guess they do, but they don't feel them "romantically"? But idk what differentiates those feelings when felt romantically with those feelings when felt non-romantically. They feel the same to me. That's why the only thing that seemed like it could make the concept of aromanticism non-conflationary would be that the differentiating factor is 'attraction' itself (which I identified with emotional desperation, longing is probably a better word). Without that, I don't understand how aromanticism could be a single thing, rather than multiple related things conflated together through the term, or a tendency to not feel those certain emotions (cute, beauty, etc) in a culturally romantic context, which I don't believe is the claim, but I guess it could be.

Like, in regard to the story, what's the added thing that Yoriko needs before her feelings for Matoi are romantic? She already finds Matoi cute, is physically affectionate towards her, is lonely by her absence, sympathizes with her, admires her, finds her soul beautiful (through Matoi's music), and enjoys being with her. Why does this not count as romantic already? What is missing?

I tried looking up aromantic and it doesn't seem like a perfectly descriptive term... Like it seems to describe people not having the emotional desperation (i.e. passion) found in crushes, but a lot of romantic love doesn't have that either... The problem seems to be with the term romance itself, "romantic" love is usually composed of like 1 to 3 different types of love out of like 4 or so distinct types of romantic love, it often doesn't contain any emotional desperation (if the couple is safely established for instance). So it ends up that aromantic people can be romantically in love? Maybe there just isn't a better term or maybe I'm wrong about what being aromantic is? idk.

Eh, likin the plot so I'm sticking around regardless lol

This chapter seemed more promising theme/plot/romance-wise (contrast of restrained nice v assertive nice, and Matoi fully knowing and trying to get her fill while she can, which I think actually is rare/interesting for her situation). Still mostly reading for the attitude and ambience, which I've liked throughout (I feel something's a bit off about them actually, but in a way that makes them more enticing).

Methinks, actually, that the scars might play into a potential sex scene of sorts

I'd be shocked if something like that didn't happen (or at least is alluded to in some way). It's a plot I've seen a few times before, and heard referenced dozens of times (which is the standard for the things that feel the most cliché). I don't always dislike clichés by any means but I've never really liked this one.

is pretty fresh.

This actually reads to me as going really fast and kinda cliche. Yuriko has practically already admitted her love for Matoi. Matoi basically acknowledged that she had a crush on Yuriko the first chapter only for it to be apparently(?) half forgotten and dragged out later on.
The whole aro-ace thing so far feels like a psuedo-conflict. They thought they were, they weren't, the end. The scar thing seems like it'll be a way of turning into a real conflict by making Yuriko's aversion to sex a hang-up rather than disinterest.

Actually... is it bad I kinda like them?

Burn scars are often drawn in a beautiful/appealing way. They're not too disgusting irl from what I've looked up on google images, but it's hard for me to see them as anything but off-putting. If you even like those... Just don't be a chaser and you'll be fine lol.

I wasn't trying to agree with the implication (if it was intended) that she's poorly written, I just agree that she's not realistic.

Idk how a modern kid not being conservative about making out in public is "too exhibitionist to be realistic".

Not that, but the poses she makes to her sister while lightly taunting her for not being sexual enough seem really flirty/sexually charged. Hard to imagine among siblings except as an over-the-top joke.

My age gap story that this reminds me of is Hoshikawa Ginza District 4
Age gap+ pseudo-incest parental relationship, personalities aren't the same though.

The main characters actually feel realistic enough that they remind me of various people I know irl more than characters from other manga. They also feel cliché at the same time though, which is a bizarre combination (I guess the irl people are cliché?).
They're both characters that are emotionally closed off, but I've usually seen romance where one closed off person is opened by a more open person. It's quite beautiful to see two closed off people opening up into each other instead.

I'm also a sucker for relationships that have some project extending beyond themselves, art and the like.

I liked it lol. It definitely should have a rape tag though. I think the ending is bad if its genuinely trying to be sweet, but if its trying to be edgy then I like it.

Otaku here obviously only supports them cause he thinks yuri is hot

I think he's just supposed to find it cute? I'm not great with sussing out sexual writing though. He definitely rubs me the wrong way, but that's more because I find his enjoyment ingenuine (like he's forcing it) than anything else.

I'm tired of yuri manga being consumed mostly by men and not sapphic women

Isn't it like 50/50?

Sincerely, as a lesbian, I'm really tired of of you fetishizing us.

You could call it fetishization, but I don't think the worst aspects of guys being obnoxious about lesbians comes from sexualization. The obnoxiousness is more like meme-ification. People (I'd guess it's mostly guys, but I doubt it's them entirely) enjoy gushing about things that they like, but are unable or too lazy to communicate what they really like about it, so they pick one aspect of yuri (lesbianism) and gush about it. There's a disgusting feeling when people praise lesbianism since it feels and is forced. It's 'fetishistic' in the sense that it is mistaking a relatively unimportant aspect (imo) for what's actually important (romance, good story telling, even more 'low culture' wants like cuteness or even arousal itself). Gushing also tends towards simplicity since it's easier to get people to go along with it if it's simple (and simple things tend to be more encompassing), which makes the problem worse.

Wait, I'm not allowed to like yuri because I'm a man?

Please don't take someone's argument/position in the worst possible light that you can. I'd guess she doesn't really have such a strong position, but by making the conversation more adversarial she's likely to make a caricature of her own position, or at least make the conversation more aggressive and angry going foreword.
Bakatare also shouldn't have posted in the bitter, and at best unclear way she did. But it's still not clear that she was actually meaning to imply that men shouldn't read or comment on yuri.

Seeing most of the stuff Kodama Naoko puts out and what kind of yuri she tends to be interested in, I always imagine that she’s kind of bored drawing this kind of manga.

She talked a little bit about this in the first part of an interview she did somewhat recently. Two quotes that I think give a decent picture:
"After A World Without Freedom, I let loose a bunch of darker works, so now I’ve started wanting to write lighter things again"
"The ratio between “I want to express my own feelings,” and “I want everyone to enjoy reading” has changed from about 8:2 to 3:7."

I really love dark Kodama, but we probably won't be seeing much of her for a while. Light Kodama is great too, so it's not too bad.

I couldn't link the interview without the filter accusing me of spamming, but googling the quotes should work.

Kodama-sama once again proves that she is the single best yuri mangaka!

For all those who are mad, you're not supposed to be mad at her "manipulative" characters, you're supposed to be manipulated by them.

The bi women in her works aren't meant to be some depraved whores lying and cheating for the sake of it, they find themselves in love and then manipulate/cheat to get the person who they love. The fact that all of her bi characters have some association of infidelity or impurity isn't cause she hates bi people or something, it's because there's no reason for her to make some woman bi unless there is at least a threat of her being with a guy. Kodama's works are meant to give a sense of tortured longing, usually longing mixed with guilt, and infidelity is one of the things she uses to this effect.

last edited at Feb 24, 2019 4:03AM