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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.

i agree, like i said i was just commenting on a different possible reading of the literal text given the conversation we'\d been having.

OK, this is purely me playing devil’s advocate (I was an early adopter of the “Yundou is into Xiaoen” theory, and still hold to it), but was there anything more explicit in this chapter to support that premise than we’ve seen before?

There certainly was more of the same—statements with implied subtext, significant expressions, meaningful framing and cuts from panel to panel, etc. Is it the quantity of suggestions/focus on Yundou’s feelings that sealed the deal for previous doubters?

they were both speaking somewhat elliptically so i wouldn't say you're wrong but at the same time i think what the author means for us to infer is much clearer now.

Just to clarify, I'm very interested in the signals that authors use to indicate indirectly what kind of story they're telling and where the story is likely to go. (Not that those signals can't be interpreted incorrectly or that the author can't change their mind over the course of telling the story.)

I've always thought, as I put it before, that "the visual text suggests that there is more to her feelings about Xiaoen than just the standard concern of a long-time best friend," and "the overall text [i.e., words + visuals] suggests that Yundou has something to say to Xiaoen that she isn’t quite saying, at least not yet."

And I throughly agree that we now have a much better idea of what it is Yundou would want to say, even though she's still not quite saying it.

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.

OK, this is purely me playing devil’s advocate (I was an early adopter of the “Yundou is into Xiaoen” theory, and still hold to it), but was there anything more explicit in this chapter to support that premise than we’ve seen before?

There certainly was more of the same—statements with implied subtext, significant expressions, meaningful framing and cuts from panel to panel, etc. Is it the quantity of suggestions/focus on Yundou’s feelings that sealed the deal for previous doubters?

they were both speaking somewhat elliptically so i wouldn't say you're wrong but at the same time i think what the author means for us to infer is much clearer now.

yes, we definitely need fewer otome game isekais and more soulslike isekais

hero is the nurse for letting the phys ed teacher have this one

i knew the story was going this way as soon they made the archbishop homophobic. narratively it's only there to soften rose eventually siding with the fascists.

narita-kun, as always, know's what's up. for some reason reading this i was vividly reminded of how we all reacted to him when he first showed up. admittedly he was a bit of a jerk(face) to begin with but man we have come a long way

"keep the horrible status quo, it's fine as long as we recognise how bad it is and how much we exploit others. and be cool with queer people on an individual basis."

truly the priest represents liberalism.

well, good point to both of you!

as the action is picking up the politics of this story are getting much less interesting, but honestly that's a tradeoff i'm happy to make

last edited at Aug 9, 2023 6:47PM

ok someone probably asked this already but why are hibai and gina working together so closely again? like, before their interests were kinda aligned but it really doesn't seem like they are anymore?

since mayoi is a history nerd do we think she went with kaokao as a three kingdoms reference?

Wowzers, Makino’s mother is so scummy that she somehow makes Makino look like an angel by comparison. On the bright side, those two assholes are probably going to wind up dying old and alone, having destroyed their relationship with both their children, and with their company, at best, falling into the hands of some random adult they “adopted” for the sole reason of keeping their oh-so-precious company “in the family.”

Also, I initially misread “sparrows” as “swallows” in the author’s note, and was ready to express my condolences to the author. Those little monsters are aggressive when they’re nesting.

the first time it actually does say swallows!

thought i was completely missing a joke or something at the end but thankfully ayano confirms miyoshi just makes no sense

also good to know nobody else in the class is surprised it was ayano

damn, hibai is so obviously an agent that i almost think it's got to be a double bluff...and i'm just thinking in circles at this point

i've always found those series where one person transforms into a weapon for the other to use unsettling. like, sure objectification is bad but man, the idea of literal objectification is kinda horrifying to me

last edited at Jun 14, 2023 11:52PM

while it's true that it feels like this villainess setup is now even more of a cliche than the thing it's parodying, at least her identity was revealed straight away as i was a bit worried there would be a long and equally cliche misunderstanding plot. overall it was quite well done and the cross-dressing is a new wrinkle, so i'll definitely see where this goes!

I love the incredibly dense room full of spies for this Father - daughter-in-law chitchat. With the father only having been marked because the Assassination agency cannot for the life of them get documents on Rose.

i know! it was so well done, too, the cut to the awkward pause had excellent comic timing (if a comic can be said to have that)

ngl this is getting a little silly for my taste

now i'm wondering if the priest has some covert history. it seems like he might have some knowledge of tradecraft. maybe he even worked for the same organisation and the whole religion thing is his way of doing penance?

very cute

mizuki the mvp as usual

Though it's understated (it'll be hard to beat this chapter's lack of ghosts record) I love Dorothy's varied approaches to horror. Even these silly drawings come with tense anticipation and letting your imagination run wild with the ghosts' actual appearance. The blood and sounds of the cat in particular must be nasty, but the man is practically deformed beyond recognition; he's like something out of Otherside Picnic. This manga's making a strong example case for the shared elements in writing comedy and horror.

yknow i was just thinking it would be a funny gag if those drawings are actually exactly how the ghosts appear to sayaka. she is in the calligraphy club after all

damn, this is excellent so far, the latest chapter really turned it up. i always suspected the government was running the hitmen but now i'm almost certain.

i've never read a manga that felt remotely so politically timely and vital before (possibly excluding lgbt issues), it's very refreshing.

here we go again people think everything is american politics lol

here from were I live in EU there is jack of politics not the same way US seemns to boil every time the president forget’s were he is, or the talking orange ex-president says something and twitter boils over

i honestly can't fully understand the point you're trying to make, but i am actually also from europe and issues of refugees, government power and the place of religion between those two are all very relevant here at the moment where i live.

in fact just a few days ago we had a literal archbishop speaking in parliament against an extremely draconian government immigration policy.

damn, this is excellent so far, the latest chapter really turned it up. i always suspected the government was running the hitmen but now i'm almost certain.

i've never read a manga that felt remotely so politically timely and vital before (possibly excluding lgbt issues), it's very refreshing.

Oh come on you clearly love each other just kiss already!

I'm fairly sure there's a misdirection going on.
Satsuki's overwhelming guilt leaves her feeling responsible even for those minor connections. We know she's been obsessively saving people for years yet it's the first time with Komachi which is most important. Which leads me to believe fate isn't truly responsible for the ultimate tragedy; that's a direct result of Satsuki's own actions. There's no evidence of fate literally demanding a death for every life Satsuki saves, despite Kai's superstitions.

this is a very good point, actually. to be specific about re-reading ch 1, the future-satsuki narrating it clearly seems to believe she doomed everyone by saving komachi, but as you say it's also clear she has been saving people for some time (it's how she became usotsuki after all!) presumably without breaking fate