Forum › Posts by RadiosAreObsolete

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joined Mar 6, 2021

I honestly have never [interacted with] a human person and gone "Wow, she's just like a cat." Or "He reminds me of a puppy!" But I see this all the time in manga. Maybe all these manga characters have more imagination than me...

Why does your own statement have editorial brackets?

Because it wasn't my own statement. I modified what a previous commenter said.

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joined Mar 6, 2021

Perhaps it's a cultural thing.

Japan is indeed passionate about it. More recently, they mapped personality types - especially that of your partner - to animals (a cat person, a dog-like boyfriend, etc.), and before that there was categorizing facial features specifically (e.g. dog-faced). Telling somebody they're like a certain animal can also just mean they're cute.

Worldwide, you can compare somebody's behaviour to that of some animal (mad as a hornet, a dog in the manger. lazy as a bear, eat or look like a pig), be given a pet name after a shared trait or vague resemblance (puppy, tiger, chipmunk, conejito, chaton, Mausebär), offend by calling somebody an animal that has negative traits associated with it (in English you can even verb animals: chicken, rat, leech, ape, bug...), and notice similarities between pets and their owners.

I think it's a bit much to claim that it happens "worldwide", unless you've actually studied on this?

The reason I specifically used "pet" rather than "animal" in my comment was because in my country I've only heard of people being compared to animals in a derogatory way (pig, chicken etc.), as you and others mentioned. If I heard someone talking about dog or cat energy I'd think they've probably been influenced by US (or Japanese) media.

Also, it does seem like animal comparisons in English are usually more particular. It’s not “you’re just like a dog,” but something like, “you’re as loyal as a dog.” We note the feature we want to highlight first to avoid accidentally making any unflattering remarks.

To me "you're as loyal as a dog" also seems insulting lol. It would sound to me like they're calling me a blindly obedient. I'm not sure if it's personal or cultural in this case, but, for the record, most of my family agreed.

last edited at Mar 25, 2024 9:39AM

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joined Mar 6, 2021

I honestly have never looked at a human person and gone "Wow, she's just like a cat." Or "He reminds me of a puppy!" But I see this all the time in manga. Maybe all these manga characters have more imagination than me...

really? ive been called a puppy half my life lol

Yeah, its typically an energy and personality thing.

I honestly have never [interacted with] a human person and gone "Wow, she's just like a cat." Or "He reminds me of a puppy!" But I see this all the time in manga. Maybe all these manga characters have more imagination than me...

Perhaps it's a cultural thing. Personally, I've never heard anyone compare a person with pets in my life.

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joined Mar 6, 2021

That's why many series that continue after the main romantic plot concludes often have additional dramatic focuses running alongside the romance [...]

Yes. And, unfortunately, oftentimes they fail and the story feels very weak after they get together compared to before. I understand wanting to see more of the couple's life together, but personally, I don't care about seeing random side characters or external drama that appears out of nowhere, just so that the author can prolong a story that seems to have already reached its conclusion.

That can happen too, but I meant series that aren't strictly romance. Mage and Demon Queen for example. It doesn't randomly introduce new dramatic elements--those elements were always part of the story and always part of the focus. Another example: My Food Looks Very Cute, or even Vampeerz. It's not that those series introduce random drama after the couples get together, it's that they were always dealing with more than just romance and the audience always understood and was interested in that; so satisfying the romance plot doesn't satisfy all the other plots being developed. This way the author can get the main couple together without worrying about losing readers or losing narrative momentum.

You're right, I misread a part of what you wrote and thought you were referring to series that introduce different dramatic elements after the romance has concluded in the part that I quoted. I agree when it comes to series where the romance was a subplot (though I have to say I didn't really like the last season of Mage and Demon Queen, but that's another story). What I was trying to say was that in series like this one, where getting together is the whole story, it often feels forced when they try to continue it afterwards, even if they shift the focus to other characters or new problems they have to face (so it was more in answer to the OP rather than you, I guess).

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joined Mar 6, 2021

That's why many series that continue after the main romantic plot concludes often have additional dramatic focuses running alongside the romance [...]

Yes. And, unfortunately, oftentimes they fail and the story feels very weak after they get together compared to before. I understand wanting to see more of the couple's life together, but personally, I don't care about seeing random side characters or external drama that appears out of nowhere, just so that the author can prolong a story that seems to have already reached its conclusion.

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joined Mar 6, 2021

The soda analysis is slightly longer in the novel. Wakaba wants to compromise and suggests a blend that would taste good but it's rejected because Komaki specifically wants to ruin her food. She also wonders if it means Komaki wants to be what she eats.

Interesting. Now it totally makes sense, probably.

I will agree with the person who commented that this story seems to be taking itself a bit too seriously for something with such a ridiculous premise.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

I've been trying to figure out why their faces in profile sometimes seem a bit weird in this comic, kind of like ancient Greek drawings. And I've finally realized; it's their eyelashes. They're often drawn facing towards the back of the head instead of extending forward. It resembles the way eyelashes look from a front rather than a profile view.

That being said, I love this development. And I also absolutely adore when artists completely omit the mouth line, the way Shen looks in the third panel here. It's so cute.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

I kinda can’t wait to see what Erika is going to do next Tanabata.

Oh my god, I hadn't considered this. She's a dangerous one lol

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

Yeah, while I don't recognize all the names mentioned, I think claiming that Kodama Naoko is realistic is a bit absurd.

Realism is in the setting and the context, not in the melodramatic love story of the mcs. If it's about people in real life, with real problems, it's realistic. Try this one, it's very good.

I thought realism is also about the characters behaving in a way that real people would. In my opinion, Kodama Naoko doesn't even attempt to depict real life accurately and her characters often act in ways that serve the contrived drama of the story, rather than reflect real people's bahaviours. That being said, I'm no expert in literary terms, so I might be wrong in my assessment.

Regardless, I wasn't trying to say that her works are bad (not all of them at least). I think we sometimes use "realistic" as synonymus to "high quality", but a work doesn't need to be realistic in order to be enjoyable or meaningful. And it also doesn't need to be (overly) dramatic in order to be realistic.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

Realism. I love it so terribly. There's only so much cgdct you can take before reaching the point of oversaturation. Even more so since the people who cultivate the cute 'n moe genre tend to think that cutesy antics can replace plot (hint: it doesn't).

Thanks the heavens for Flowerchild, Akiyama Haru, Uozumi Ami, Kodama Naoko, Iwami Kiyoko and all the other great ladies ot realistic psychological drama. And all the Chinese and Korean authors too, of course.

[...]

And contrariwise, I'm pretty sure at least one or two of the authors you mention are not known for realism, but rather for trainwreck-for-its-own-sake. Which is fine--not my cup of tea, it is some people's, but that's all good. But what bugs me is when people who are into stories about people being ridiculously dysfunctional, where the co-incidences always twist the plot towards more twisted, where everyone is basically all self-destructive all the time . . . go around claiming that's "realistic". Gritty is not the same as realistic; lots of gritty things either just don't really happen in real life, or maybe happen but are incredibly rare, much rarer than either real-life saccharine sweetness or real-life kind-of-averageness with bits of good and bits of dysfunction. Melodrama of trainwreck stories are not "realistic" any more than "A Series of Unfortunate Events" is and I wish people would stop claiming they are.

Yeah, while I don't recognize all the names mentioned, I think claiming that Kodama Naoko is realistic is a bit absurd. She herself recognizes that her stories are basically soap opera drama. I'm not sure if I'd call Flowerchild's Detached Relationship realistic either, though it's been some time since I last read it. Stories with toxic people in horrible relationships can be fun to read and a nice break from sweet slice of life stuff, but that doesn't make them any more realistic than cgdct; they're both about fictional people behaving in ways you'd very rarely encounter in real life.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

kiku’s a really good character too but ive already written so much its cringe

No, write more!

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

i dont really get it, tbh

it’s quite simple! just another women falling for a straight women and she gets married

Who said she was marrying a man? ;)

Japanese laws lol

Unless something has changed since the last time I checked.
(On that note, I'm happy to announce that same-sex marriage and adoption for same-sex couples were finally legalized in my country!)

This was a nice one shot. I can see why some people felt disappointed by the ending, but I thought it was the most believable way for things to go. Besides, there never seemed to be any romantic interest from the older girl's side. From their interactions she seemed to see the protagonists as this cute younger girl that she happened to meet at the library (cute in the same way that children can be cute).

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

I love the art in this one!
Ema's mischievous expressions are so seductive, though I'm not sure if she's aware of the effect she's having on Takara (and us). I like that the characters' designs convey their age: I would have guessed that Takara was in her early thirties even without any mention of it.
Also, how are their eyebrows so cute! I absolutely adore the way they're drawn, and the effect is even stronger on Ema with her black hair. Insantly added to my list.

I'm looking forward to the continuation. It seems that Ema doesn't care much about her marriage, since she decided to get married as a way to get out of her family home. I do wonder if she's come to care for her husband, but she doesn't seem to be in love with him (or to ever have been). It seems to me that she was also in love (and possibly still is) with Takara when they were teens, but she remains a bit of a mystery. I do think it could be an interesting story even if Takara's feelings were one-sided, though I'm obviously hoping they're not.

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joined Mar 6, 2021

I finally got around to reading this one and... it kind of felt like a waste of time to be honest.

I'd like to first address my issue with the tags. I should mention that my main reason for starting this was the Glasses and it didn't disappoint in that regard. However, regardless of some comments arguing that this is considered Yuri in Japan, I think we should acknowledge that this tag comes with at least some kind of expectations, which were not met in this manga. This is not so much about what the manga is categorised as by the original publisher, as it is about what the audience here on Dynasty considers Yuri. I think that, in Dynasty terms, this falls under the Subtext category, if anything.
Now would this work be particularly enjoyable if it was tagged properly...? Not really, but at least a lot of readers would be saved from the extra disappointment that comes from it not meeting false expectations.

Moving on to the problems I had with the manga itself:
The writing was subpar and the plot seemed to be a bit all over the place. It started off with two supposedly suicidal characters, yet this was never properly addressed. Then we had the whole "mystery" about the father, but the resolution was very underwhelming. A lot of what was happening regarding the family and the company seemed rather nonsensical to me (though it might have been partly due to my lack of engagement). And all of this might have been fine, if I could attribute it to the manga being a comedy, but to me it failed in that regard as well. It was very goofy in a lot of moments, but it was never actually funny.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

I really don't understand the deep admiration you people have for Erika. She is kind of creepy in my book. I mean move on. Koto has not even once looked in your direction. At least Koto tried, unsuccessfully, to move on and meet new people.

She only wished Aya back so that she can finally get, what she considers her birthright apparently, Koto. She has been completely indifferent to Aya. She was not happy she was back. She was only happy that Koto will finally get her closure so that she can get her obsession. Who is not even remotely interested in her. Get a life Erika.

I mean your childhood friend returns after 7 years. She is scared and lost. But your only thought is that now you can finally get Koto. That makes Erika self-centered to the extreme. Her love is more akin to an obsession. It has been 7 years Erika. Move on. At least Koto and Aya had something going on once.

But really no one really cares about Aya. Even Koto is acting all weird for someone who supposedly believes that Aya was her great love. Her soulmate. Or something like that.

It seems some people are this passionate about Erika because they are conflating her with Sayaka from Bloom into You (side note: I didn't care much about her either, so perhaps I just don't particularly like the second friend character). I wouldn't call Erika creepy, but I agree that she's self-centered. I don't really get why she's so hung up on Koto either, but perhaps Aya's disappearance affected her in a similar way it affected Koto and they're both stuck in place.

I think it's interesting that Erika seems to be the catalyst for Aya coming back. We still don't have have enough information to conclude if she was "responsible" for her disappearance though. I do believe that she probably played a part in it, but I don't think she was the only factor.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

So what exactly should Erika do? Just disappear?

Yes :)

This is a joke, of course, but I do believe that Erika is being a hypocrite. I really hope she won't be endgame, regardless of whether the other two stay together or not.

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joined Mar 6, 2021

Ok- so ive never had to use a crutch- but dosn't it go under the arm on the side with your bad leg?

Nop~ It goes under the arm of the side of the good leg. Last week people corrected the author. So in the post after this chapter the author said sorry and thanks for the correction.

You can google it or even better ask someone with better info but is not exactly a "repleacement of the leg" but more like a help for balance without alter the natural movement in walking, and it helps so that the half of the weight goes to the crutch.

But doesn't that apply to cases where you are actually using your injured leg, thus needing the support for balance? Here she isn't using her injured leg at all (in which case I'd imagine she would benefit more from a pair of crutches rather than just the one?).

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joined Mar 6, 2021

Pro tip don't actually cut bread fresh out of the oven, wait for it to cool! Hot bread is still a little, how would you say it, gooey? so the texture isn't the fluffy one we all know and love and eating it isn't as pleasant an experience

I can't believe you just said that eating bread fresh out of the oven isn't as pleasant an experience. I am always so excited if I happen to get freshly baked bread from the bakery and make sure to eat a chunk while it's still hot.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

I refuse to accept "friendly" as a descriptor for a wasp.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

I'm starting to wonder if we're going to follow these characters until they come out to their friends/parents, get married, have kids, grow old, and die.

Nah, at the rate this is going we'll be dead long before they are.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

@nestor This made me sad and frustrated because you make some very good points. As a new reader that was first introduced to the SV I didn't notice these problems (except for the Snake princess, kidnapping/sexual assault scene, that one was jarring), because I didn't have a frame of reference.

I think I would have to reread both versions to really be able to say much in response to what you've shared, but one thing I did notice as I was reading the TV was the more serious tone, as you mentioned. It does seem like they're trying to push a lot more jokes in the SV, and while I didn't mind it when I was reading it, I can see now how that affects Natalia's character in particular. Because, as you said, while reading the SV, I found myself thinking, how I the world were the people of the kingdom so blind as to not see how unwell Natalia is, when she's literally falling on trees every other second. It takes away from her character and makes the rest seem unbelievably stupid or cruel.

I am sort of expecting/hoping that the more lighthearted tone here is intentional by the author (and not forced by the editorial department), so that it will contrast the events that will come later, when the wall really starts failing.

I can also see how Sara was more... interesting in the TV. She was a lot more obscure, to the point were I found myself questioning her motives, even though I already knew that she was unequivocally on Natalia's side, having read the SV. Perhaps the decision to change the way she was portrayed was partly because old fans would already know the truth, and they wanted to try a different approach.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

This scene reminded me of the Otherside Picnic opening scene.

I absolutely love witches (can't say if it is related to being a lesbian), so I hope it wasn't used only as a device to get the character in a different world. That being said, I'm kind of confused as to why Rosé was so fascinated with the clothing. It doesn't seem that different to what people in her old life wore and she's dressed like she came from another high school.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

Look it's not like I'm trying to be the bad guy here, but she just told this girl, who is supposedly her best friend and who she has been living with for a year, that she had a girlfriend this whole time and she never said a word because she was scared she would treat her like a creep. That's just mean.

I repeat: when was it ever implied that Fukami was Kaze's best friend?

It wasn't really implied, Kase says so herself. And people have been commenting on it, because I don't think any one of the readers saw them as best friends? So it's a bit ironic to have Kase randomly say that, while not having shown them act as friends at all.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

[...]
you know, i looked over it again and i think it's far less clear than i thought. based on the text it's completely possible that yunduo is upset because she feels like xiaoen didn't trust her or that she's been a bad friend for not supporting her or something. maybe she's even been trying to set xiaoen up with guys for years. i still think my original interpretation is probably the right one but this was an interesting lesson in how much you can bring to a text.

I really doubt the possibility of her trying to set Mu Xiaoen with guys, considering how she seemed to think of it as a burden when it came from her father. I think that with all that we've been shown so far, her being in love with Mu Xiaoen is the most plausible explanation. But we'll probably see more on this in the next chapter.

RadiosAreObsolete
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joined Mar 6, 2021

[...] This was a lovely little one-shot!

How did I not realise this was a one-shot until this moment?
I guess it's a good thing I decided to read the comments because I would actually be waiting for the continuation...