Chapter 6.5 was rather cute, looking forward to more middle school Tokiko and Natsuki

last edited at May 17, 2022 2:09AM

Doesn't this guy kinda look like a fish?

At first I was kinda creeped out by the creator spying on and actively interfering with their sex life, but then I remembered our smartphones exist

Well, at least smartphones don't actively interfere (I hope)

Cute! This is really a "see the glass half-empty or half-full" situation. Ngl if it were me I would also react like glasses girl and assume someone was purposely messing with me rather than think they were hitting on me lmao

I think one would need to have quite the imagination to think someone is hitting on them by stealing their umbrella, honestly XD

This was fun, loved it!
(What the hell was wrong with that dude though? Taking the umbrella without saying anything...)

I really just cannot differentiate all these bland S-class couples that all have basically the exact same dynamic.

I"m glad it's not just me. I'd probably understand if I re-read it from the start, but following along with the releases I honestly have no idea who any of the characters are other than mc and gyaru, they all blend together.

You've hit one of the basic snags of Marimite and the like: all the soeurs couples have the same dynamics, problems, conflicts and reconciliations. The author keeps introducing new characters and pairings but it's repetitive, always the same thing. Not touching, not kissing, only spiritual feelings. Always hovering on the verge of gay without ever crossing the line.

The fact that there's no touching or kissing, as you said, doesn't automatically make the dynamics the same though, just as having those doesn't necessarily mean that the couples would not have the same dynamics. While I can understand why it may have seemed uninteresting to you, I think that's a bit of an unfair accusation. The characters' relationships were indeed based on "spiritual feelings", but those weren't expressed in the same way between all couples, which meant that the conflicts they had to face also weren't the same (for the most part at least). So yeah, I get the frustration towards the "almost-gay-but-not-really" part, but I disagree with the notion that the platonic nature of the relationships somehow made them all the same.

I agree that the sisters shown here are pretty bland, however (though I have to say that I didn't find it that hard to differentiate them, since there are literally, like, 6 more people other than the leads—they just weren't all that interesting).

Still think this ruins the absolutely perfect ending of the series, but eh
It's okay as a standalone, I guess.

gonna be honest it's a little distracting that these girls clothes are several levels more detailed than their bodies and faces but whatever, it's still enjoyable enough

I suppose the artist likes drawing clothing lol. I have to say I was impressed by the skirts though.

There were two mangas I remember where one girl bites off a piece of the other's ear... one was historical and about a girl being married off, the other was about a girl wanting to get her girlfriend to pierce her ears? I can't find them :(

The first one:
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/on_the_other_side_of_the_two_mountains

And the second one:
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/cat_piercing

Regarding being clueless about sex, are lesbians just naturally excellent at sex?

What? They're not?!
I've been living a lie...

I can assure you, our sex lifes are generally as average as yours. Disappointing, I know :-P

Truly disappointing, indeed... And I had such high hopes for myself too

(I'm joking of course)

Regarding being clueless about sex, are lesbians just naturally excellent at sex?

What? They're not?!
I've been living a lie...

If that's the case, then WTF are there so many posts about Rio? It seems like, to the readers, many of whom don't understand the concept of the relationship between Yuriko and Matoi and think Matoi should have gotten together with Rio, someone she NEVER expressed any romantic interest in, Rio was one of the main characters...

And it doesn't matter anyway, because Matoi makes a romantic confession to Yuriko, who gives that confession due consideration before answering her and also telling Matoi that she loves her, but not in a romantic way, but she still wants to stay by her side if she'll have her.

I'm not sure if I was misunderstood, or if I'm not getting right what you're saying, but I never meant that this was not yuri, I was only saying that it is yuri because of Matoi and not because of Rio (which in the end proved to be my misunderstanding regarding the use of the tags anyway, but that's been cleared up by now.)

I totally get what you're saying about Rio though. So many people kept saying that she deserved better (which isn't exactly wrong, her last appearance was a bit sad) or that Matoi should have gotten together with her, but I bet not one person would complain if we had a male character in the exact same position. And really, the story was never about her anyway. People always latch onto the secondary characters, sometimes even forgetting that they're supposed to have nothing more than a supporting role in the story it seems, but only when they're women who have expressed some sort of interest in other women. And if a guy even dares to make an appearance—let alone confess to one of the leads—they almost always get a wave of insults and undeserved hate.

Edit: For the record, I am not a straight guy. Just to avoid having anyone thinking that's why I'm complaining.

last edited at May 5, 2022 4:38AM

My point is that in terms of Dynasty tags your point is completely irrelevant. Side character or not is meaningless. You, of course, are free to restrict your personal definition of yuri to only MCs or whatever else suits your fancy. I repeat, that’s not how it’s usually done around here.

I cited Rio because she in herself meets the standards for minimum active yuri ingredient for a Dynasty tag, so the dithering upstream about whether the MCs count as yuri is entirely beside the point—Dynasty has a standard, Rio meets that standard, and all the rest (which I agree is more than considerable) is excess to that standard.

EDIT: The fact that the author calls the story “yuri” would itself earn a Dynasty tag with as much woman to woman attraction as is found in Chapter 1 alone.

I realise I was mistaken about the tagging system, seeing how 14-sai no Koi, for example, is actually tagged as yuri, so that was my misconception. Thank you for your time and have a good day.

Re: tags. Rio is into Matoi that way. By Dynasty’s standards that alone makes it yuri, full stop.

I don't think that applies here, since Rio is only a side character. Of course it would add to the argument that this still stands as a yuri work (as would the appearance of the lesbian couple), even if there is no conventional romance between the main leads, but it wouldn't define it as such. (The same way having a female side character crushing on the main female lead of a het romance wouldn't make that work yuri).

I personally don’t give much of an . . . anything whether a work is “really yuri” or not—those discussions are basically meaningless to me.

But traditionally on Dynasty the presence of one female-identified person who likes another such person “that way” and who knows it, and especially if the other person is aware of it, qualifies a series for the yuri tag.

I’m sure there may well be exceptions, but that is the way it usually works around here (and I think that is a very sensible attitude). [...]

This isn't really an answer to what I said though. My point was that Rio is a side character. She doesn't define the genre of the work, because her role in it is quite limited —heck, the author didn't even give her a proper conclusion.

So a story where a character is like, “I want to do it with you, if you’re up for it” is yuri.

A story where one of the main characters feels that way, yes. A story where a secondary character feels that way? No, not necessarily. My counterexample remains the same: having a secondary female character who likes the female lead in a het romance, obviously doesn't make the whole work yuri.

This manga seems very much yuri to me —and would classify as such by Dynasty standards— but not because of Rio; rather, because of the strong bond between the two female leads and Matoi's feelings for Yuriko (which fall exactly into the category of female-identified person liking another such person “that way” and knowing it, with the other person also being aware of it).

last edited at Apr 30, 2022 10:32AM

Re: tags. Rio is into Matoi that way. By Dynasty’s standards that alone makes it yuri, full stop.

I don't think that applies here, since Rio is only a side character. Of course it would add to the argument that this still stands as a yuri work (as would the appearance of the lesbian couple), even if there is no conventional romance between the main leads, but it wouldn't define it as such. (The same way having a female side character crushing on the main female lead of a het romance wouldn't make that work yuri).

This ending feels unsatisfying.

I actually liked that the annoying kouhai and younger sister ended up marrying each other (patting myself on the back for predicting that). But since I though the story was about Yuriko developing romantic feeling for Matoi, the way things ended with them being close but still not living together feels weird.

I think it would have been fine if Yuriko at least thought she was romantically interested in Matoi and later discovered it wasn't the case, but it just seemed like she had done some self-reflection we didn't get to see.

But we did get to see her self-reflection. What about the times she wondered if her care for Matoi might be love? Or the time she thought she ought to offer herself to satisfy Matoi's wants? (what she thought Matoi wanted, anyway). And in the end she realized that she couldn't reciprocate her feelings and clearly communicated that. If you decided on your own that it was a story about Yuriko developing romantic feelings, then you were setting yourself up for disappointment. And seeing as there were readers who expected that, I suppose the "not living together, but right next door to each other", really was the best choice on the author's part to show that they were not, in fact, in a romantic relationship, and never would be.

Though how the hell did the sister get with that guy???? That's a story that needs to be told too.... or maybe not, honestly, I'd probably find it annoying lol

Lol true, I don't think I really want to see that either.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this story. In the end they remain close friends it seems? (Could something like this be considered QPR or not? I seriously have no idea XD)

I liked this bit of dialogue:

"Since you're a friend..."
"Huh? I thought I counted as family!"
"Well, who knows?"

It was cute. And, well, if they don't really know themselves I guess it's pointless for me to try to put a name to their relationship haha

The Romance tag definitely needs to go, though I'd keep Yuri.

Edit:

I think both yuri and romance are still appropriate for this series. It's a story about a romantic relationship between two women. Aro people can be in relationships just fine, it's all about finding a comfortable distance. This ending makes perfect sense for this series.

It is not a romantic relationship though. Even if an aromantic person can be in a romantic relationship, as you say, neither of the two see their relationship as romantic.

last edited at Apr 29, 2022 5:34PM

there are other 3 girls, just saying.

How the mind of a yuri shipper works XD

Even though I can understand the frustration, I find it sad that so many people dismiss this show as "yuri bait", 'cause it's a lot more than that. It's actually grown to be one of my favourite shows, especially thanks to the second arc of season 2 and the music, which I really enjoyed.

I can't really get mad at Hibike, because it was actually what led me to discover yuri. I was still pretty new to anime when I first watched it, so I wasn't familiar with this kind of fanservice(?) and I legitimately thought they would get together... So I was rather shocked by the revelation of Reina's crush. Well, realizing that my "just kiss already!", which I had thought multiple times throughout season 1, would probably never happen, I went ahead and searched "anime where girls kiss", or something of the sort, and ended up finding Sakura Trick (which sure quenched my desire for kissing lol).

For the record, I don't think that the fact that they don't get together makes Kumiko and Reina's relationship insignificant, or "bait", but I think @schuyguy's post above explains it better than I could.

And @Pulsar, how can you judge a show you haven't even watched?? This is exactly what saddens me about all this "yuri bait" talk: people criticizing a show (and sometimes even the whole studio), based on only one part of it and often without even having watched it themselves.

The pacing felt too quick at times, but I think that had more to do with how many characters they were jumping between compared to how many episodes they had in which to do everything. I hope they keep it a bit more focused in S2, though I'm not sure how they'd do that without just bumping some characters off.

Overall though? Very good show. The animation and voice acting were superb. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't watched already.

I watched Arcane quite recently as well. I agree that some things felt a bit rushed/jumbled and, surprisingly, I didn't care much about Vi and Caitlyn's relationship, but the animation was indeed exceptionally good, both in regards to body movement and facial expressions (especially the latter was way beyond my expectations). The character designs and backgrounds were quite interesting and the direction and shot composition was also notable.

If I have one complaint, it's that the opening should have been longer, cause it was way too cool (both song and visuals). That, and the amount of screentime that annoying Jayce got.

I think what confuses me most about queen-platonic relationships is how they're described as different from romantic ones, but how exactly are romantic relationships supposed to be defined? If we separate the sexual aspect (which I do understand and agree with), then what is it that sets QPR apart from a romantic relationship? I get that it's supposed to be something "in-between", but in-between of what exactly? When there are no strict lines, and when each person experiences love in their own way, how can it be said that it's not "romantic love"?

I'm kind of trying to understand it somewhat through this story and all the people that have shared their own thoughts on it, but I'm not quite there yet, I feel. This might actually have been the first time I came across the term, so I'd say I've made some progress at least XD

As for the manga itself, I've been enjoying it a lot so far, it has a very nice tranquil atmosphere that I don't come across often. And I do appreciate the fact that the characters were presented as ace and aro/ace throughout, even if I can't say I completely understand what their relationship is supposed to be.

Edit: I think reading @riskins comment may be what really helped me settle some things in my mind. I don't know what your feelings or your relationships with those people were (obviously), but perhaps the term itself can help liberate people who don't fit into societal expectations regarding relationships; and that's enough.

last edited at Apr 28, 2022 3:58PM

The popsicle was a metaphor for cock, no cocks on my lesbian manga

Yeah, I had thought that joke was a bit misplaced too, glad they changed it to be honest

Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar and a popsicle just a popsicle.

Tsukushi was just embarrassed because, gasp, shock, "Indirect kiss with Hinoka!" In this kind of pure and wholesome manga, that's enough to make a girl fluster and flutter.

You're not wrong, and it very well could have been completely unintentional, but it still brought that to my mind, and I found it a bit awkward/uncomfortable to read in a yuri story. And seeing as I wasn't the only one who had taken it as such, I think it's quite likely they changed it precisely because it brought that image to mind, even supposing it wasn't intentional on the author's part.

Also, I never meant that Tsukushi had thought anything of the sort regarding the popsicle, only that it was a (distasteful) joke directed to the reader.

I have to agree that Hinoka literally shoving the popsicle into her mouth was funnier than only bringing the ice cream cone to her face though.

Where's the smoking in this one? I've read it three times and still can't seem to find anything.

The smoking is happening in the extras!

Aaahhh I kinda missed those...
And I was wondering why they were tagged as delinquents just because the had an accent XD
Thanks for answering, there was some nice artwork in there.

Also, I really wish they kept the popsicle and her reaction to it getting shoved into her mouth than just presenting the ice cream to her face.. It was really hot..

The popsicle was a metaphor for cock, no cocks on my lesbian manga

Yeah, I had thought that joke was a bit misplaced too, glad they changed it to be honest

Where's the smoking in this one? I've read it three times and still can't seem to find anything.

None of the characters in A Tropical Fish Yearns For Snow were actually presented as lesbians

I dunno—I thought Kaede and her partner Glasses-chan were totally versions of (ur-cartoon-lesbians) Peppermint Patty and Marcie. (Although Glasses-chan never called Kaede “sir.”)

(I don't get the reference, no idea who those Peppermint and Marcie people are, but) who is the Glasses-chan you're referring to? I don't remember her at all.

Regardless, I suppose I could change the "none of the characters" to "neither of the main leads", since they were the ones I had in mind when I was writing this anyway.

Sorry, just a joke—they are characters from the comic strip Peanuts, one of the most famous and widely distributed comics in the world. Like Kaede, Peppermint Patty is an outgoing tomboy (she’s even sometimes mistaken for a boy); she is joined at the hip with Marcie, a nerdy girl with opaque glasses. (They’re not explicitly gay, obviously, but they’ve been adopted as lesbian role models by queer girls in many parts of the globe.)

Right, now that I looked them up I vaguely recognize them by appearance. The comic/TV show is quite famous in my country too, though I've never watched it (and my guess is that the same is true for most people my age here)

Here’s Kaede and her (apparently) life-partner gal-pal:

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/nettaigyo_wa_yuki_ni_kogareru_ch08#19

Ahhh, I can see why I didn't remember her, the author was very subtle with those hints... Lol

None of the characters in A Tropical Fish Yearns For Snow were actually presented as lesbians

I dunno—I thought Kaede and her partner Glasses-chan were totally versions of (ur-cartoon-lesbians) Peppermint Patty and Marcie. (Although Glasses-chan never called Kaede “sir.”)

(I don't get the reference, no idea who those Peppermint and Marcie people are, but) who is the Glasses-chan you're referring to? I don't remember her at all.

Regardless, I suppose I could change the "none of the characters" to "neither of the main leads", since they were the ones I had in mind when I was writing this anyway.