Give the raw chapters a like if you can.

The start of a new season!
The way I see things, with THAT girl's debut at the end of volume 5 we've reached the turning point... But the truth is I can't tell how many chapters are left until I draw them. All the characters have so many things left to explore... I have to at least try to keep the manga going until I cover what I have in mind—I'll do my best!
- Odoroo Dorothy

After half a year we're finally back. The delay can partially be explained by Dorothy's other manga, Banpu-sensei ending. She wanted to put extra focus on it so it ended well. But she's also been talking about Aizawa-san's return as a "new season" for a while. With that likely came a lot of planning. Interestingly if Aizawa-san were ever animated this is likely where a break in seasons would happen too.

Dorothy is a big planner. More than typical, these volumes are written to be read as complete stories rather than individual chapters. The old magazine, Comic Valkyrie was an... unusual fit for Aizawa-san (mostly publishing gratuitous ecchi and isekai with a handful of token yuri series that also leaned sexual, ie Hitozuma to JK) and there was likely an expectation volume releases reached a different and primary audience.

What that means is Dorothy has always been a strong adherent to the first chapter setting up all a volume's plotlines. Here we have

• Michi wanting to tell Sayaka about her powers
• Kasumi not knowing what's happening now that she sees Aizawa
• Sayaka going out of her way to protect everyone and starting to grapple with her powers
• Aizawa being scared of herself
• Mini Michi acting more independently but also weakening
• Karasuma being everyone's lifeline
• Nagi on the offensive

So starting at the bottom...

Nagi
Nagi out of nowhere is somehow one of the most unsettling pages. Why is she at school? Come to test the barrier? Or to be near Aizawa. Either way, she recognizes Sayaka. Sayaka's the whole reason she was kicked out last time. If Sayaka didn't refresh the AAA mark now Nagi might have been able to break in. Remember how I said Nagi might do irredeemable things? I've been worried for Sayaka ever since we learned she has powerful blood but only if she bleeds. Her nature leads her to self-sacrifice—something Mini Michi commented on. There's a few flags this chapter that don't bode well: Michi worrying she's putting Sayaka in danger, being the messenger for Mini Michi's call for help, and wondering about the nature of what she sees only to get confronted by one of the worst.

But most major is Michi wanting to tell Sayaka about Aizawa. Ch30 strongly suggested it's Kasumi Michi will talk to instead. The narrative is looking to accomplish 3 things: establish Nagi as a threat, confront Sayaka with the otherworldly, and give reason for Michi to confide in Kasumi. You get all 3 by taking Sayaka out. Now I'm not saying she's going to die (c'mon you can't kill someone at the start of a new season) but the strangleghost is in stranglerange.

Sayaka + Mini Michi
Dorothy called this the beginning of the & arc and it's a safe assumption it's theirs. I really thought Sayaka was just pretending not to know about ghosts, like the inverse of Michi. If you treat ghosts like normal, maybe they don't freak out. But nope, the supernatural world is so pervasive in her eyes she can't tell it from grounded reality. And maybe hanging around those who share her sight helps normalize it, like Karasuma or her grandmother potentially. But she clearly suspects something's wrong and simply decided to grin and bear it like she usually does. She's not that dense, even if she's really really really dense.

Then there's Mini Michi casually dropping she's not a ghost. I don't know why that caught me by surprise; maybe it's that this manga is never so direct. But it's another teasing bit of supernatural worldbuilding if she's some other form of guardian spirit. She's working directly against Michi's goals too, and acting more independent than ever made me realize she deserves a spot on the recent character chart.

We know the barrier around school keeps harmful ghosts out, which Mini Michi is here to maintain. Karasuma cleansed the school and Michi later noted ghosts were returning. But it's interesting how we're seeing genuinely benign ghosts. From Michi's perspective they're all dangerous, yet to Sayaka they can be helpers. Regardless, it's more surreal than ever how normal Aizawa looks compared to every other ghost.

Mini Michi struggled to say 霊能者 which I translated as spiritualist last time, so it's spirity-list here. I'm deliberately making her dialogue a little more childlike now.

Aizawa
She gets her first speech bubble and it's "..." What is there to say about "I'm scared of me" beyond my heart hurts? Her Japanese handwriting was awful too, like she was struggling to write. And either the emotion was overwhelming or speaking broke the rules but it made her shoggothify again. That previously only happened when someone important either seemingly forgot or stopped caring about her but it looks like the trigger's a looser than I thought. I like how it becoming a little routine by now is played from Sayaka's perspective where her recovery is as natural as the rest of the ghosts floating around school.

"Someone who means a lot to her" is likely Michi but could also be Nagi.

Everyone Else
Dorothy did say Karasuma would be key this volume. When we last saw her she was talking business with Tear. She's certainly on Nagi's trail and we're headed for a confrontation. But maybe that's waiting at the volume climax. We have to see the end of that meeting first, along with how the rest of DeLphi's holding up.

While Michi's more determined than ever, I don't expect her to get very far this volume. I predict things will move behind her back for a while before she and Kasumi get on the same page, setting us up for vol7.

I doubt Michi's mom will be a focus either but she might be touched on if we delve into Mini Michi. Maybe she'll even be the end of volume teaser, since those are always major reveals that advance the mystery.

Hey it's that guy again. Guess he's not one of the bad ones?

That AAA sure looks like an MA again.

I apologize to Mrs. Kurotori for this hit piece. I'm sure she's a lovely lady.

So it's back. Like actually, not a drill. I have typeset ch31 though I wanted to upload this recap a day in advance as a refresher, otherwise I'm sure the comment section would look like an alzheimers support group.

Chapter 32 is ready according to Dorothy and waiting for release next month. These post-volume hiatuses have been standard for Aizawa-san but this one dragged much longer for 2 reasons:

1. Banpu-sensei is ending. Or rather it's ended, the final chapter finished recently. It was Dorothy's 2nd serialized manga and she seems to have taken its axing hard. She wanted to put as much effort as she could into ending it satisfyingly.
2. Dorothy considers ch31 onward to be the "2nd season" of Aizawa-san. She normally plans the entire volume in advance but it's likely she went farther with preparations this time.

In the recap I described Aizawa-san as entering part 2 of the 3 act mystery structure (discovery, investigation, solution). But that's a western perspective. Japanese mystery writing uses a 2 act structure (question, answer) which Dorothy later referenced instead. Which is to say, Dorothy also calls Nagi's introduction the halfway point of the manga, with a reassurance we're nowhere near the end. In fact she says she really doesn't know how many chapters are left because there's so many details to explore. We're just along for the ride.

If there's any confusion on that tiny discrepancy (on top of the ever-present general confusion) I wrote this script months ago and didn't want to update it. I like these being snapshots of the time, that years from now a late reader might get to still feel a part of the speculation.

There were however 2 changes I made after reading ch31:
Added a ? to Sayaka knowing ghosts are ghosts.
Added Mini Michi to the character chart.
Dorothy calls 31 the start of the & character arc, and you may be able to guess the names from that.

Some off-topic trivia about Dorothy's other manga:
In my note I was going to write the MC's names but hit a stumbling block. And since I'm not translating it (though it has been licensed under Vamp-sensei) I can play with their names a little. Banpu-sensei is a comedy about an ancient vampire posing as a teacher. Soon another vampire who's like a little brother to him starts hanging around and they're shipped. It's a BL manga. Anyway their names are something like Andros and Gyunor. Dorothy said she took the word "Androgynous" and split it between them, sounding vaguely eastern European. What she didn't realize at first was this cemented the "male" and "female" roles in the relationship, given the root andros means masculine and gyne means feminine. Someday I'll have to check how the official TL handles that.

Anyway read Poroth Farm if you can find it. One of my favorite works of weird fiction.

This chapter may need extra tags so tell me. Bullying sounds appropriate at least.

Aoyama's an odd character. She's desperate to talk to Kasumi about the letter, yet doesn't seem too happy to have it back. Of course we know in fuller context she never wanted to write the letter. Indeed she probably didn't want to find anyone using it, which is why 16.1 pointed out how direct its offer was and how it set itself up for failure. But after 3+ years of waiting the thought must have weighed on her.

I think we can establish straightaway she never intercepted any letters left in Hanamonogatari. She both doesn't know anything about Kasumi and acts embarrassed at the thought of eavesdropping on a letter, in contrast to her disrespectful punkish nature. And her tearing up the letter at the end makes you wonder what she was so desperate for in the first place. I have no doubt she would have always torn up the letter even if this meeting had gone better.

Frankly I don't think Aoyama knew what she wanted. She doesn't come across as calculated as Sayori, for example, but a more reactionary and volatile individual. And she's had years of emptiness, bitterness, and resentment to color her. But I don't think her desperation on the first page adds up with her wanting to ruin Kasumi's day either. She overreacted to 3 things:

1st, being told "Sorry." Kasumi was right—returning the letter only re-opened old wounds of being rejected twice. 2nd, I think she was honestly jealous of Kasumi being in a happy relationship with Haruyo. But she kept it down and indulged her kouhai at first. The 3rd straw was the juvenile/sanitized way Kasumi described her relationship. Aoyama suffered in part because perhaps her S relationship was a lot more physical than she could handle. And she convinced herself, if mine didn't work out there's no way yours will.

Aoyama was surprised at how poorly Kasumi took it, but that's not in her defense. There's no reasonable expectation Kasumi wouldn't be hurt here. And it was one of the more uncomfortable chapters I've translated in any series. We all know how fragile Kasumi is. Yet you can see how excited she was at a chance to actually talk about her girlfriend to someone both private and in-the-know. But she's still too reserved to talk about the emotional depth of what she has with Haruyo, how it's quickly grown beyond the structure of Class S, and how some very physical feelings are developing.

It's a horrible miscommunication that immediately puts Aoyama in the worst light. While the boxcutter senpais kept their evilry to themselves (Sayori tactfully sparing Kasumi any damage from their meeting as she guided her reconciliation with Haruyo) this is Kasumi's first exposure in a long while to the darkness of the world.

最初のネームでは階段落ちの時顔から突っ込ませていたが、危なくてさすがに青山も心配するからしりもちくらいにしよって担当さんに言われて今の形になった。という裏話。

In the original draft, Kasumi was going to fall headfirst down the stairs. Igarashi's editor told her it was too much and Aoyama would show more concern, so they changed it to Kasumi falling on her butt. She still bumped her head though.

Doesn't really help Igarashi's case but as an author, pain's what sweetens relief. Or in other words, in the chemistry of writing, every action requires an equal and opposite reaction. Igarashi's confronting Kasumi with the supposition lots of readers might have had, diminishing her relationship with Haruyo because it's "only class S, not real romance." In a sense Igarashi is inviting the conversation of Class S vs yuri here.

I'm very interested where this arc takes us. It's so fundamentally different from the last two, directly involving Kasumi in the drama and the relationship being long buried. Is there even a chance to rekindle it? Would Aoyama want to? The focus is instead on Kasumi. As I suggested above I'm sure this will lead to a deeper bond with Haruyo. Their relationship trajectory has been so stable and positive, with Haruyo frequently thinking about the future, that Aoyama's warning is meaningless. But that doesn't mean Kasumi isn't badly hurt by it.

I really like the subtleties here too. Kasumi only didn't bring Haruyo because she didn't want to keep Aoyama waiting. She still had what Haruyo said on the mind, how lonely and desperate the letter sender must feel. It's tragic she only hurts herself further with how considerate she is (again something she fails to appraise herself for).

And it's impressive how awkwardness and uncertainty underlines their meeting without being too overt. You probably immediately felt it was a mistake not to get Haruyo—it leaves Kasumi vulnerable. Aoyama takes her to a secluded location, similar to Sayori who was much more intimidating at first. It's on-the-edge of breaking the rules yet not quite, maybe a meta metaphor at play. Between Aoyama's glare (which is an uncharacteristically dark panel in a spree of light pages) and the goofy scene of her being embarrassed over the letter your expectations are in flux. And Kasumi's sweetness blinds you before Aoyama drops the other shoe.

I was pretty conflicted on "That really is some kiddy shit!" It is the 2nd time I've swore in this translation. A more literal TL would be, "You're like a couple of kids playing house!" But Aoyama's language is messy in general (she's a -ssu type) and the abrupt tonal shift demanded something heavy.

Oh and of course there's another letter. We're going all the way back to 1916 with this one.

Flashbacks to a certain Gundam Wing scene.

You can tell Igarashi's fond of the boxcutter lovers. And Seika + Etsurou. I don't think they're going away, so hopefully you remember or reread the start of the Dominant crossover.

As always I organized these in a superficial order where it felt the themes flowed. Some are missing context, for example Sayori and Mizuki being blinded by the purity of Mia x Yamabe when their arc concluded. But by placing that after the Dominant cast were smited by Yamabe (which was part of a mini April Fools crossover) I think it preserved the meaning? Basically I'm trying to be fancily nonchalant instead of inserting TL notes everywhere.

Yes Lucille is a Walking Dead reference.

Physical raw volume.
Digital raw volume.
Leave a like on the raw chapter 16.1.
Ganbare Mia. Become an Onee-sama who can break through the friendzone.
Interestingly the inner cover composition does confirm Mia's the Onee-sama in their relationship, despite Yamabe initiating.
The evil senpais are always a delight and I hope they never leave. They're already powerful enough to break the cover trend.

You just know Igarashi's giggling when she puts in lines like "All our senpais have been wonderful people!"
Even with her Onee-sama persona up, Haruyo's childish side shines through. And you can tell the difference in approach with how cautious Kasumi is towards the letter. While she's hard on herself for not considering the feelings of the 1st sender like Haruyo did, Kasumi took the letter in the first place because she was worried about Yamabe. She's always too hard on herself.

And with the classic "start of a new volume recap" out of the way, we go all the way back to volume 1 with the long awaited return of the friend gang, the library, and the assistant librarian. Seemingly the first half of a new pairing; I remember her being an early suspect for Haruyo too. I always wondered, if the letters started with someone else, have they been intercepting and eavesdropping Kasumi and Haruyo's exchanges? Nobody's in a better position than a bored girl hanging around the library.a

If I had a nickel for every time I translated a yuri manga about an awkward loner with weird eyes trying to get to the bottom of a ghost haunting her classroom without directly talking to her I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's odd it happened twice.

We're certainly on the Hanamonogatari route; an anthology of bittersweet and wistful yuri. But I think Igarashi is determined to give every pair a happy ending. Now the real question: was SayoMizu the sickest it gets or is MiaBeh the sweetest it gets? Their flower is of course the Sunflower, but I've gone back and added a page at the end of chapter 12 for SayoMizu's less pronounced White Clover.

There's something to be said for how, even assuming there's no possibility of bad endings, the boxcutter leaves a looming shadow over the rest of the manga. Chapter 15 was unreasonably suspenseful at times. I hope Igarashi can maintain that unpredictable energy. In hindsight this is effectively a saccharine 58 page one-shot. The way they visually revert to their younger selves as Mia thanks Yamabe is a neat technique Igarashi was fond of in Dominant.

Igarashi described Yamabe as the kindest and most selfless character she'd ever written (trust me, nobody in Dominant is in the running) and felt emotionally overwhelmed drawing this chapter because good people deserve happiness. She told all those who had no faith in her to kneel and reflect on themselves (and said by that standard she'd need to kneel too). The world is at peace. I expect boxcutter dual wielding next arc.

Interesting that the volume should end here without returning to Kasumi and Haruyo. Though Yamabe and Mia's story is surely done. What's also interesting is the timeframe. Their reunion comes after Kasumi and Haruyo visited Yamabe, but then we get a 5 month timeskip. Which again doesn't mean anything; next chapter will surely be following Kasumi in the present. It's just something to think about, where Kasumi and Haruyo would be at by then.

And speaking of which, volume 3 released today.
Official chapter raws.

Official raw. There's currently a campaign going where extra chapters are free until the 19th.
Physical.
Digital.

Still no news on chapter 31. Dorothy plots out the entire next volume before starting which is why we get these gaps between volumes. And it at least sounds like 6 is mostly planned out. The last time Dorothy described a shift in tone was volume 3, toward the more SoL/human drama with Honda vs Masaki. This time things are getting less fun and Karasuma's getting heavily involved.

Dorothy also described 6 as "the start of a new season." Don't know where exactly that's partitioned, but if you divide a mystery into 3 phases (discovery, investigation, solution) I think we're just beginning the 2nd. It's time for the real pursuit of answers. And that means each stone turned over runs the risk of unleashing some creepy crawly. Horror is a steady climb and so the threat's finally great enough to justify putting Karasuma to work.
(also if you were adapting this to a 13 episode anime this would roughly be the end of season 1)

I'm so glad I had a clean template for that profile saved. Masaki's was even messier than it looked. Her favorite animal is a hamster, which is also Honda's favorite. And Honda used to have a pet hamster (which died but Sayaka can still see its ghost following her around.)
On a more meta note, "I have over 300 confirmed kills" is actually "刃牙しねかかってこいや/You're dead, Baki, come fight me bro!" which is a reference to a Japanese shitpost that's equivalent to the Navy Seal copypasta and yes it refers to that Baki.

I don't think I've ever seen a twist on Snow White where the witch wanted someone else to be prettiest? Seta can't stop getting dunked on. Michi's getting used to her gay dreams by now. Karasuma saved the day again (by doing nothing again).

I left the assistant's name in JP in case they ever hit it big and you can look back and say "oh my gosh she helped with Aizawa-san no wonder she makes such great yuri!" It definitely wasn't because I gave up on that last scribbled kanji and any Japanese name is a roll of the dice whether you read the kanji right.

Michi's hair just keeps getting longer. I should put a short compilation in the next recap.
Speaking of which I'm working on one - it might be out with the next chapter. I have an updated character chart and timeline mostly done, then the script for an insane tangent waiting. There's a detail that might end up like the Sailor Moon theory in importance though it's simultaneously more in your face, less evidently meaningful, and despite its simplicity impossible to convey in translation. Fun.

I've been sitting on ~150 of these sketches puzzling over how to release them. Igarashi draws a few every week; I could potentially upload them in small batches after each half chapter but it feels better to release in bulk each volume. Some come with behind the scenes insight or relate directly to specific chapters though I don't think they're very hard to figure out.

I organized these first two volumes together, meaning some of the cutesy art from the 1st one and dark art from the 2nd doesn't quite line up with when Igarashi posted them. But it felt right and I'm not looking up exact dates over this. This also meant I bundled all the pages with Igarashi jotting her thoughts down at the end of vol2 to keep a better flow when reading.

If there's more crossover art in the future I probably won't do a separate upload but Dominant needed its own introduction.

Link to the raw chapter 14.2.

The ending is so cinematic, turning from Mia's face popping up to her cover page in the present. Can't wait to see how Yamabe fumbled and unfumbles this.

I love that Igarashi's working the anonymous letters back in too. It's a fun device HaruSumi sadly had to graduate from but I hope it sticks around for a while. Maybe Yamabe never even worked up the courage to let Mia know who she was? That could be part of why she regrets not taking her hand back then. Interestingly, it doesn't seem like Mia had anything to do with the rejection letter Yamabe left either. That and the original letter are likely saved for future pairs. Hanamonogatari's influence grows.

Little bit of trivia, Igarashi apparently studied architecture in university. She's surely pulling from experience with Yamabe's engineering college, which she described as getting to draw messy while Kasumi's school needs to stay idealized and dreamlike. Igarashi also admitted to being nervous her depiction of Mia could come across as mean-spirited towards non-native speakers, and you can feel that in how friendly her classmates are. In Igarashi's words, "I don't want to make a manga that hurts anyone [reading it]."

SIDENOTE
Most of I See You, Aizawa-san's chapters are free to read (only for today) on the official site.
If you have the time, it would be cool if you gave it traffic. Like Arisaku, you can give each chapter 10 hearts at the end.
The magazine Aizawa-san was published in recently shut down and the mangaka's other manga just got an axe notice, so it always helps to offer a little support. I'll be adding a guide similar to Arisaku's next chapter but Aizawa-san has been on the usual post-volume break these past 2 months and they're doing a New Year's special offer. I'll delete this part of the post when it's over.

I’ll definitely heart all of these since they’re so great. It sucks that magazine was cancelled though. Does that mean there won’t be any more physical volumes or anything?

Physical volumes will still be releasing—volume 5 is out on February 6th. The manga has been on its usual post-volume break too while Dorothy plots out the next one.

Official chapter 14.1 raws.
It looks like we are taking the anthology route after all. Kasumi and Haruyo exploring different sets of older couples as they trace the letters back. It's fitting, given Hanamonogatari was an anthology itself.

Yamabe's seems to be a story of missed opportunities, working on a meta level as she encourages Kasumi through her past failings. It's far from enough to heal that wound but it's nice Kasumi has another senpai to relate to. Speaking of which, I hope the boxcutter senpais stick around. The one thing I don't want from an anthology approach is for characters to come and go after Igarashi did so well introducing them. But I trust she has good ideas in store.

I'm guessing there's a reason Yamabe got a react panel to the model on the 4th page.
In case you were worried or want to be worried, Igarashi has teasingly hinted Yamabe's story might not be as innocent as it seems.

last edited at Jan 21, 2026 4:09PM

I wrote this as a 2nd page to my post-credits talk on maturity, but didn't feel like it was worth attaching right to the chapter since it's mostly opinions:

Chapter 13 stands out to me as a rare case of Kasumi sticking to the leading role. She's nearly always allowed or depended on Haruyo taking the lead, but here the roles are reversed from start to finish. We can draw some obvious-yet-nondescript conclusions on Kasumi's trauma prompting this, fearing Haruyo hurting herself in trying to become someone she's not. Expressed pointedly in the dream sequence.

Kasumi's dream is beautiful and sad. An endless warm sea, sheltering them from the need to come up for air. Something that could have gone on forever. But as Haruyo touches on, it's unrealistic. Change comes regardless of if you're ready. And change is never without growing pains.

Both are making somewhat naive attempts at being the mature one. Haruyo's ineffectual longing to replace herself with the role she plays, Kasumi's vain wish to protect Haruyo's childish innocence. And it reminds me of the first lines of chapter 1. "Who I once was." Kasumi's failed attempt at remaining unchanged? "Who you are yet to be." Haruyo's failed attempt at becoming someone else? "Are both still waiting there?" Contained in letters left behind in the library.

Though that's only one interpretation, and it's not all ill omens. They're discovering each other in a much more comfortable way so far than SayoMizu's "who is this" moment. Besides, if those two can work it out there's no reason the fluffballs can't.

Still, even as Kasumi and Haruyo reach for each other, they aren't fully there yet. This chapter's headlined with imagery of them being close yet disconnected. Haruyo's insecurities becoming clearer opens the door to drama exploiting them. Kasumi is nowhere near being open with Haruyo, let alone herself and the audience. Their needs in their relationship aren't mirrored. And Kasumi contradicts herself, wanting "Onee-sama" to guide her escapism while wanting to protect Haruyo from reality.

But more than the maturity to handle whatever comes, they share a strong attachment that keeps them steady. Making these little strides towards each other. They might stumble but I can't imagine they'll fall backwards. Even if their future is mutual failure, growth through pain, I think they already have all they need.

does anyone else occasionally see the title as

Dear Flowers That Bloom in Days of Gore

especially after the box cutter

My brain autocorrected to dead flowers for a bit.

This was Odoroo Dorothy's first published work, submitted in December 2019, though she's made several twitter one-shots in this vein. One of those was about a girl who could see a ghost and pretended not to. Which was a lot more light hearted and less gruesome than the rest, at least before it was picked up into serialization. Dorothy's old twitter one-shots always felt a little Junji Ito inspired to me, only much sillier but often with a dark twist at the end.

Anyway, Happy Halloween.

Apologies in advance for the wall of text but my stream of consciousness had a lot of consciousness to stream.
Definitely need to work on an updated recap for vol5. However Aizawa-san should be going on another 2-3 month break.

You put a name to the monster and suddenly she's sympathetic.

It goes without saying this is a tragedy. Aizawa's dead, and every line like "Honami-chan died," hits heavy. All ghosts are presumably people who suffered sad fates. But with Nagi's formal introduction I strongly get the feeling those sad undertones previously drowned out by the silliness are about to get loud.

Michi can't hide Aizawa anymore and doesn't want to, the alternative becoming more painful. Nagi seriously cared about Aizawa despite now being manic about killing her. And there's some family-ish connection? Whatever the hell Nagi meant by that. Which means the mourning's about to get much more personal when we dig deeper. With volume 6 it feels like we'll be crossing the line into the mystery's 2nd act: from fallout of the incident to actively putting pieces together.

MIZUSHIRO NAGI

Did you notice Nagi's fuzzy pupils? While Masaki's star-seeing eyes were strange, there's no mistaking Nagi could see ghosts in life. It's consistent and shown twice, hammered in with the final panel of the volume. I've pushed the theory Nagi and Aizawa were killed by some greater ghost, and if Nagi could see ghosts it credits the idea her death wasn't just an accident.

Given our understanding of the timeline, Nagi died ~a year ago (just before DeLphi was official) and Aizawa around 6 months ago. We know Michi got involved somewhere in there. The question isn't if Nagi knows her but whether Michi met Nagi while alive or dead. It seems very likely Michi met Aizawa either to protect her from Nagi or from whatever killed them both. Even at the festival Nagi has never directly interacted with either of them. But unlike Aizawa, Nagi can talk. Ange can hear her. And she can start dropping us hints.

While family is a distant theme, don't forget Michi's mom is definitely playing some part here.

The slow clarification of Nagi across volumes — from distorted wraith to human ghost — is similar to Kasumi becoming able to see Aizawa. This likely mirrored Ange's perspective, who reacted as if first seeing Nagi at the concert. No guesses as to why Nagi is possessing Ange, but if it's anything like Kasumi it doesn't necessarily indicate a strong personal reason. Both are taking what's available.

KASUMI

On that segue, I doubt anyone predicted this but the buildup was fantastic. And Kasumi perfect for Michi to confide in: level-headed, considerate, perceptive. She already suspected Michi and Sayaka saw a "fairy." Not to mention it immediately jumpstarts Kasumi back to relevance after falling by the wayside post-vol2, easily dragging Sayaka into usefulness as well. And we can start addressing Michi's memory loss, given Kasumi remembers conversations with Michi they never had. Kasumi can also stop experiencing horrors beyond comprehension every time Aizawa gets jealous; only somewhat comprehensible horrors now.

My sole gripe is losing an aspect I loved to Kasumi — her faithful support of Sayaka despite being unable to understand her. It was really sweet. But I'll take that sacrifice for this new direction pulling all the elements together.

It also opens a new door if ghost exposure leads to ghost vision. Is Kasumi's power limited to Aizawa, or can she see them all? Will her eyes get fuzzy too? Did anyone we know get their powers this way? Sayaka seemed to have some bloodline thing going, but Michi's alluded to a bad encounter as a kid.

But back to NAGIZAWA

There's a tone of artificiality to Aizawa. We know her true(?) nature of course and it's always been called into consideration why ghost Aizawa acts differently from idol Aizawa. Michi thought it was her dorky real self she'd buried, and that's not a bad guess. Idol Aizawa is described as "perfecting a formula, down to a science, textbook, made to be an idol." There's another reference to her being an angel. And it's all summed up as a curse.

A curse on her fans, but maybe on Aizawa herself too? Pushed into losing her human nature, metaphorically then literally. Again Dorothy commits to Aizawa staying voiceless in flashbacks, but Nagi effectively speaks for her. Nagi's seemingly the one who pushed Aizawa to be an idol, Nagi's the one covering for her. I'm not blaming Nagi but was it really what Aizawa wanted? Aizawa relates to Masaki at times. Did Aizawa only want to be an idol because of Nagi too? I don't doubt for a second Aizawa loves the rest of DeLphi and her fans, but there's always been the subtext of questioning whether Aizawa really wanted that life, ever since Michi guessed Aizawa was haunting school because she wished she could have been there more.

HONDA VS MASAKI
(can't believe I wrote all this without touching on the focal duo yet send help)

Dorothy said she normally plans arcs in sets of 3 chapters, but that, in deliberately slowing the pace of the manga, Honda vs Masaki became 11 long. In a microcosm I think this arc reflects the entire manga: confusing and chaotic at first, but in hindsight it all comes together (hopefully). Masaki's not inherently a bad person, just warped by trauma that never healed right. Even while hating Honda's attachment to Aizawa she never has anything but sympathy for Aizawa herself. And Honda's so fractured by guilt she's allowed it to damage every part of her life. Her "penance" was so self-serving it only hurt her friends further. Maybe in the future we can look back and draw stronger parallels to Aizawa and Michi there.

Both took advantage of Michi. Neither are completely forgiven for what they've done (Masaki much more so). Honda's broken confidence and Masaki's toxicity might be permanent parts of them now. But all they needed was communication to pull each other through.

MICHI

Speaking of which I'm so proud of Michi's growth. There was a time I worried she was the manga's weak link; a passive amnesiac protagonist can be tough to write. But watching her learn from failures and get proactive to the point of giving guidance to the girl with the max charisma stat has me gaijin 4koma-ing. It's sadly rare for MCs to learn to cut through the bullshit and force out misunderstandings, but Michi's taking that lesson to heart. And it's happened so naturally in response to what she's faced.

I'm not only hyped for where the story's about to go but for who Michi's going to become by the end. This is a girl who can protect her ghost.

• Love this page. The implications and themes, how it touches on the yin-yang that idolization can be a curse. And how easily that reflects on the slow torture Michi's putting herself through being unable to let go of Aizawa.
• Dorothy's expressions are super underrated. She's great at hinting subtle emotions, all those pained looks between Honda and Masaki. Of course, you'd have to be for a manga with a mute love interest.
• Wonder if there's foreshadowing on Masaki wanting to see Nagi again. Honda and Masaki's subplot clearly has room to continue, and it's pretty conspicuous how DeLphi's agency is suddenly recruiting a new group as DeLphi implodes. Does Masaki's star vision let her see idol ghosts? It hasn't worked on Aizawa. But after Kasumi I get the feeling everyone will be in on the ghosts by the end. You can't not have Honda reunite with Aizawa in this goofy manga.
• No I have no idea what Nagi meant by her being kinda-not-really sisters with Aizawa either.
• I feel like I should have more to say on Honda vs Masaki, but I just think it was very satisfying and rounded off. It's not as conspiracy-theory-crazy as the ghost stuff, though it served as a light distraction that helped Michi explore herself the same as Kasumi & Sayaka's arc way back when. I really liked this arc even if it might have run a little long. My one complaint is I am fiending for the yuri to get more explicit and was hoping it would resolve with Michi having more of a "well fuck my attempt at making friends just made me more convinced things are super gay here." Thankfully Kasumi should very quickly understand Aizawa and Michi's chemistry.
• Nice to have background gremlin Aizawa back at least.

last edited at Oct 30, 2025 4:49PM

To quote Dorothy on this chapter, "Solve your problems with yelling and violence!"

Chapter 30 is out and I plan to have it translated by tomorrow.
I'll be translating a one-shot by Dorothy for Halloween as well.
Because I'm not up to date, I'll try not to spoil anything. But I will say the Honda vs Masaki arc has ended.
I did jot down some thoughts before 30's release so I'll try expanding on those without hinting whether I'm right or wrong:

I think this is the first clear view Michi's had of Mini Michi? It's her first appearance since the festival too. Kinda foreboding how MM is easily exhausted and fades out. She's probably not dead-ish again but it seems the festival only gave her a short-term burst of power rather than returning her to full strength. And without MM the barriers are gone and nothing can return Aizawa to normal.

Except a well-timed slap apparently. Michi's seriously lost it and who can blame her. Both Masaki and Honda are being pretty damn inconsiderate as she's caught in the crossfire. Honda would never want to hurt Michi but she's gone haywire with Masaki involved, lashing out with misguided concern last chapter and quickly forgetting the whole reason she came to the nurse's office: instead of helping Michi she's yelling in circles with Masaki again. And Masaki is self-destructing not caring who's in harms way. That's not even getting into the existential crisis they're giving the invisible ghost in the room.

Aizawa has seriously lost it. The interesting part is Aizawa temporarily forgetting what happened. When she's overcome with emotion, Aizawa almost behaves as if possessed herself, acting singlemindedly and losing short-term memories. Not that I'm saying it's literal possession - more akin to her ghostly id jacking her consciousness and acting on her uninhibited desires. It's something to keep note of as ghosts get fleshed out. And to compare to "Mizu" who similarly strangled Ange in ch26.

When Aizawa "comes apart" (I have a hard time picking a phrase for that given how indescribably lovecraftian it is) there's further reinforcement it's a response to being forgotten, becoming literally formless/undefined. The thought of one of her biggest fans forgetting her is enough to kill(?) her, especially in Aizawa's emotionally frayed state given all that's worn her down lately.

There should only be enough pages in volume 5 for 1 more chapter. Dorothy promised DeLphi backstory this volume so I expect ch30 to swap back to Karasuma and Tear and give us details there. Every volume consistently ends on a few major twists/reveals - last time it was the existence of DeLphi's deceased 5th member, "Mizu". This time I'm sure we'll find out who she really is.

Anyway the composition went crazy on p18. Funny how Michi is so frustrated she doesn't even have the capacity to freak out over Aizawa melting this time. Important to note she gets another nosebleed there - not really sure what that means yet, likely Michi's powers straining, but to defend herself? To hold Aizawa together? It happens every time Michi suffers heavy Aizawa exposure but it's almost certainly a response on Michi's end and not a direct effect from Aizawa.

• Free-space praise for the tonal shifts when that spread gives way to the goofiest spread in the manga.
• And it looks like that's it for the theory Masaki can see ghosts. No way you wouldn't react to a girl going full eldritch on you. But she's not 100% normal given the "idol star vision" she's got going.

Here's your Aizawa Crossing cheat sheet:
Ange: goat
Tear: rabbit
Non: cat
Kasumi: sheep
Sayaka: wolf
Aizawa: dog
Michi: cat
Masaki: rabbit
Honda: bear
Seta: dog
Karasuma: bird

Raw chapter 12.

Back-to-back lethal doses of fluffy and toxic yuri? Chapter 12 didn't come in halves so it's likely intended as a simple breather. But it's nice to be back to private time between Kasumi and Haruyo, along with returning the written exchanges. There's a lot of power in that little "I love you."

Speaking of power in little gestures, we get more hints of Kasumi's trauma that likely go over Haruyo's head. Her surprise at how easy it is for Haruyo to hug her, her hesitance towards committing to the future, her shifting feelings towards studying that were likely rooted in guilt. Though of course Haruyo's being almost too respectful now of Kasumi's space, even as she shocks Kasumi by slipping under her coat this time. Not that she seemed to mind. Haruyo might be a dork but she's gentle and considerate enough to take Kasumi's pain when the time comes.

There's a lot of winks given that Kasumi/Haruyo won't be just like Sayori/Mizuki, but we see their worth as role models. That classic fear of transient relationships common to Class S and old yuri dispelled with an exchange sounding suspiciously like a proposal. Though, with Kasumi turning more gay gremlin than ever, you know you need to bask in this happiness while it lasts.

The mangaka has made statements recently stressing over fan translations and asking everyone to read on the official site.

I won't seek her out, but does she know that most of us cannot read Japanese?

I think she realized it was irrational, since she apologized several times for being narrow minded, but was mostly uncomfortable with anyone reading a pirated version at all. It's not like I really expect everyone to give the raw chapter views and likes either but it would help to get some traffic up.

Digital.
Physical.
Official raws.
The mangaka has made statements recently stressing over fan translations and asking everyone to read on the official site.

I don't want to get into it, largely because I don't want anyone trying to argue with Igarashi about piracy. Igarashi doesn't speak English and no matter how well-intentioned you are it's likely to come across as harassment. I don't think Igarashi was being especially condemning, it was more of an emotional appeal, but with volume 2 coming out in a week it's a stressful time for sales and Igarashi hasn't had the easiest time lately.

If you are ever going to speak to a mangaka saying you're a foreigner and huge fan, please for the love of god say you MTL it on your own and don't bring up piracy. It's good to be passionate, I'm sure many appreciate the praise, but be mindful about that kind of thing. Japan does not take piracy lightly and it stresses authors out worldwide.

Igarashi on the chapter: "I'm so delighted to finally put this chapter out. After I drew it, I'd either spent all I had or suffered divine retribution because I wound up in bed with an awful fever for a week straight."

Oh good I was worried Sayori was trapped in a crazy relationship. Instead she's thriving in one.
What a ride between the first half of chapter 10 and the second of 11. Sweet, to psycho, to confusingly lovey dovey, then settling into psycho sweet.

In 2 chapters we've effectively speedrun the male MC, Etsurou's arc from Igarashi's previous manga, Dominant. And Igarashi openly considers him and Sayori similar archetypes. To parse this:
Miu who gaslit Etsurou into being her loveslave with emotional and physical abuse is cheering Mizuki-senpai on while Etsurou looks concernedly at Sayori-senpai (Kasumi has reserved seating in this group for whatever Igarashi's planning) meanwhile Seika (female MC) who didn't know about her manga's drama until it literally punched her in the face halfway through worries for the innocent Haruyo.
Both are abused by their partner after misunderstandings that corrupt an innocent love and ultimately snap, turning them into the dominant one in their relationship and giving into the darker side of themselves. Though it remains to be seen if this is such a bad end for Sayori. She ultimately gives into her bitterness, now treating Mizuki a little derisively. But clearly it works for them?

I said last time it felt like Mizuki was projecting some when she decided Yamabe wanted to expose the secret of the 2nd letter. That, of the 4, Mizuki's approach to secrets showed the most excitement towards revealing them. Well wearing a top that exposes her upper back touched by scars, hidden only by her hair, definitely lines up with a risk-taker.

Mizuki seems to recognize her lack of artistic talent and would have quit at one point if she didn't think it's the only thing keeping her and Sayori together. She might have had better college prospects if she hadn't pursued art, which makes it even more tragic. A pile of misunderstandings that unraveled their relationship (Mizuki not realizing in her paranoia that Sayori wasn't even trying to leave her). It's a scenario that evokes a lot of the bitter parting into adulthood you see in Class S — but this one has a sickly sweet conclusion that's much more modern menhera.

I'm very curious how the senpais will be involved from here, since they do seem genuinely supportive of Kasumi and Haruyo. Or if we're headed down an anthology route of crazy side couples continually nudging the mains back on the wholesome road. It's hard to say yet what exactly this reflects onto the main pair, but it certainly colors the tone going forward. At the least it cements themes of hidden sides, secrets and lies, and ultimately acceptance. In a twisted way that rotting flower imagery from the start of chapter 11 represented "healthy" communication and openness between the two.

I didn't feel it was worth the post-credits essay but I've deliberately avoided swearing in this manga. It's something I always give extra caution to (I went back and toned down Michi's swearing in early Aizawa-san) because it can easily be tonally jarring. But it can also make certain characters' dialogue more natural or accentuate a moment. In this case, AriSaku's first swear goes to Mizuki stabbing Sayori in the back, that piercingly vulgar break feeling very fitting to me.
(If you're interested and have 15 minutes here's a video essay on the topic of swearing in JP to EN translations I always think back to. With ongoing manga it's especially challenging because I can't tell how future chapters will go, to pepper swearing in evenly.)

A Japanese comment described the senpais relationship as a mad dog and her indulgent owner. I think that works.

EDIT:
Taking it one step further, flowers are intrinsic to Class S. Hanamonogatari, the novels these girls rightfully treat as the Class S bible, titles each chapter of its anthology format (and every pair of girls) after a flower. Beautiful, delicate, pristine. Untouched when the girls go their separate ways.

When you pick a flower it rots. In the very modern context, yuri has become somewhat removed from its old taboos. It freely indulges in sex and abuse, examining them as many facets of romance without shame. The roots of Class S remain but it's bloomed wholly anew to be almost unrecognizable at times. If you want to view AriSaku as a bridge across time, a love letter to Class S respectfully carrying it into the modern age, the rotten flower isn't something ugly but a transformation of its beauty. I would not be surprised if this symbolism sticks around.

last edited at Sep 26, 2025 4:05PM

What a perfect pair of role models. Box cutter? You're delusional, nothing like that in this sweet and pure manga.

I didn't expect Kasumi's mistake to be resolved so neatly but AriSaku likes to surprise with its drama, in both fun and fearsome ways. Though Igarashi is acting excited about part 2 again and the editor's note more than hints where it's going. We're in the 1st chapter of volume 3 so it's setting the tone for what's to come.

Speaking of surprising, that was a soft 好き but there's no way to interpret it besides romantic love out in the open now. It was a little ambiguous how seriously Haruyo was taking their romance but it clearly means a lot to her, more than just a game. The senpais also casually refer to their S relationship in past tense as if it were naturally the introduction to a real relationship. The only hesitancy AriSaku shows towards lesbian relationships is in Kasumi's self-loathing, which is interesting for being so Class S inspired.

Mizuki's description of secrets sounds an awful lot like there's something she feels the urge to share. I don't completely agree with her - some secrets are either too damaging or mundane to have any desire to reveal - but it's true they're a paradoxical thing. And it's revealing of everyone's characters. Mizuki has her dark side she seems to want to let out, Sayori may be rebellious but she clearly values order and clearing the air over anyone getting hurt, Kasumi bears hers inwards and stews on it to her own harm. Haruyo... well she's happy and that's most important of all.
Please keep her that way.

We're now onto half-chapters, releasing every 2 weeks.

According to the mangaka, Haruyo at the start of the date was like a dog being tricked into thinking she's going on a walk, then taken to the vet.

I honestly can not see how Honda could possibly have come away the most negatively here. What she did was abhorrent but it pales in comparison to a rape attempt. There is no hurt in the world that justifies that.

Because Masaki is in small part a victim in the grand scheme, unlike Honda. I'm not excusing what Masaki's doing right now - this is likely both Masaki and Honda's lowest point and in isolation they're incomparable in Honda's favor. Masaki deserves getting chaired and more.

But Honda knows what Masaki's like. She knows what Michi's like, she knows what Masaki's been like with Michi, knows entirely that Masaki will take advantage of Michi to hurt her. Honda is the character described by word of god as having a maxed charisma stat. Abandoning Michi to this because she's too cowardly to face Masaki is unconscionable. Abandoning Masaki the first time is only more forgivable because she was younger.

Masaki is someone with zero self-esteem who only sees value in what Honda turned her into. I wouldn't say this is solely about taking from Michi or Honda; in her warped way I think this is how Masaki thinks she should offer herself to someone. She might look the part of an outgoing gyaru but she's as bad at socialization as Michi is. Had no friends before or after Honda, spends all her time on "the ass end of the internet". But she knows she's pretty because that's what Honda, the audition, and her bullies told her. She only ever wanted someone to value her like Honda did at first. Both times she claims this is just to hurt Honda she sounds unsure of her own feelings. Deep down she's desperate for connection and doing all the wrong things to get it.

Honda forced her own dream onto Masaki, gave her shaky confidence, then the moment Masaki failed pretended like she hardly knew her and dropped her to get bullied into quitting school. From Masaki's perspective, Honda might have only been using her and stopped caring when she couldn't live vicariously through her. It's completely self-fulfilling that Honda lets Masaki hurt her still. But Michi absolutely does not deserve to get pushed into this by Honda, just the same as Masaki's a monster for what she's doing right now. An actual monster on par with the ghosts. And a monster of Honda's making.

I'm not saying anyone's wrong to think Masaki is past the point of no return. Honda will have a far easier time redeeming herself. It's just personally I've suffered a lot more betrayal of trust than invasion of bodily space and it's a line I'm heavy on.

Now in Honda's defense I think she's lost in self-loathing and completely wrong in her own judgment. She's changed since middle school. She's reliable(when the drama doesn't directly involve her), she helps others like it's second nature, she cares about Masaki more than simple penance. This is just her lowest point and 100% foreshadowing for Honda to prove herself wrong and save Michi down the line. But right now she's doing exactly what she warned in self-pitying self-serving self-deprecation. Michi would be right to feel even more abandoned by Honda than Masaki was.

EDIT: Thinking on it more I want to add as a lesser charge against Honda how messed up it is telling a girl who was in Masaki's position (no friends, no social skills, you were one of the few people she's comfortable with) that you never thought of her as a friend and to cut ties with her. Like this is just repeating history.

Love Honda anyway. She's a great character. I never expected Dorothy's comment about this volume being Honda vs Masaki to come to this much of a head.

last edited at Sep 2, 2025 9:17AM

^ What does the text on this pic mean? The author is not updating for a while?

It's an old break announcement from a few chapters ago, don't worry. (I specifically didn't translate it because I thought it would be confusing but I should've just explained)
Next chapter is still scheduled for the 11th. Though Igarashi is planning to move into a new apartment when it gets colder so there should be a break in a few chapters.

It's sad what a Frankenstein's monster Masaki became. The way she's leveraging her superficial qualities to get Michi's interest. Those qualities Honda brought out of her, got jealous of her over, which now Masaki is using to hurt Honda in return. Masaki's still crossing some red lines but in my book Honda's the one who came away most negatively this chapter.

Honda seems afraid of turning her back on Michi like she did Masaki yet she's doing exactly that right now. She knows Masaki is going to take advantage of Michi but is too cowardly to be there to stop it. At the same time, we've known Honda long enough to respect she's better than this. She clearly feels guilty over what happened to Masaki and appreciates Michi to the point of being uncomfortable getting any closer. Both Honda and Masaki are truly bound by that thread of self-loathing.

Speaking of self-loathing, nothing drives a ghost to action like her girlfriend getting girled on. Aizawa must feel horrible for what she's doing to Kasumi but either her human side is overwhelmed with jealousy or her ghost side is taking control post-possession. Like her subconscious switching with her consciousness? It's not really clear what Aizawa's eyes going black means yet, if anything, but there's clearly an involuntary aspect to her powers.

Dorothy lamented recently how Aizawa-san limits her ability to draw yuri scenarios, between the plot focus, ghost rules, and Michi's denial. But now that limiter's taking a beating. Michi turned to this whole Honda x Masaki x Michi throuple hoping to justify her feelings as platonic and is now confronted with Masaki being gay for her, Masaki making a strong argument Michi's gay, and Aizawa's feelings for Michi being anything but accidental. This might hit the status quo harder than the concert. There's no way out of this without making a bigger mess.

Even if there's nothing supernatural about Masaki(?), the horror she represents is still the same as that "jumpscare" spread in her intro chapter: she's the absolute denial of Michi's friendzone. The biggest threat to Michi's comfy school life, and by extension Aizawa's stability.

I think it's important to note both Honda and Masaki are completely wrong about each other.

• Honda thinks Masaki hates her, but Masaki's most frustrated when Honda denies her own dream of being an idol.
• Honda thinks Masaki hates DeLphi, but Masaki shows nothing but fondness and respect for them.](https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/i_see_you_aizawa_san_ch23#16)
• Masaki thinks Honda hates Aizawa, but Honda's obsession with Aizawa was impure adoration.](https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/i_see_you_aizawa_san_ch04#18)

Honda's projecting her own self-loathing on Masaki. Masaki might be bitter but what she hates most about Honda is the way she denies herself. I used to think this could be Masaki gloating over Honda's defeatism but it sure looks like the opposite now. And Masaki's demand, "You can't talk to Reona or anybody else," gives away this isn't just about hurting Honda. I think her attraction to Michi is genuine. She wants Michi, but all to herself. That's Masaki's trust issues showing, fearing Michi would abandon her like Honda did.

As for where things are going next, here's my fanfic/speculation:
We know there's consequences to Aizawa's repeat possessions of Kasumi. Made very clear lately. Aizawa is having a harder time fighting it as well. And it's high time Aizawa got out of her corner. So what if she's unable to depossess Kasumi now that Kasumi is more hole than human? What if this mess spills over into forcing Michi and Sayaka to acknowledge Aizawa a little more? I doubt it can be fixed without Karasuma getting involved, but she's busy dating Tear. Either way, with 2 chapters before the end of the volume it's going to get worse before it gets better.

other thoughts:

• I can't stop marveling at how well this manga shifts tones to de-escalate (or inverse). The moment Kasumizawa grabbed the stool you knew what was coming. But even while it detonates more than defuses, it's still one of the funniest moments so far.
• Next chapter's the test of whether I belong in an asylum for thinking Masaki has some kind of ghostvision. It's weird she brought up Honda and Aizawa right before Aizawa shows up, and weirder that it's plain Aizawa we see and not Kasumi at first. We know Michi can't see that, though she'll know in an instant it's not really Kasumi. So maybe if Masaki can see star auras she'd also immediately tell something's wrong? Not the worst power to have when the 2 main ghosts are idols. But that's guesses upon guesses.
• We still haven't seen DeLphi's past this volume like Dorothy promised in last volume's extras. So expect a chapter catching up on what happened to them.
• When Masaki gets serious at the end, she reverts to "Michi-chan" instead of Micchy.

Im curios what do you guys think is Haruyo's hair color?

White like the haruyo rose.

Do you mind spoiling the twist in Dominant? I'm not fluent in japanese but am very very curious to know what I'm getting myself into with AriSaku LOL

I'll give a general summary:

Dominant follows Seika, a high school girl struggling to find her place. Exploring behind school one day, she finds a cottage in the woods where a crippled young man, Etsurou lives. They chat and Etsurou offers to teach Seika guitar if she returns. Seika keeps coming back and begins developing feelings for Etsurou. Etsurou remains distant and unreachable. Unknown to Seika, Etsurou has a girlfriend, Miu, who he keeps Seika secret from.

One day, as Etsurou's leg is beginning to heal, he allows Miu to break his other leg with a hammer. This is a routine of theirs and the end of volume 1 twist.

Miu and Etsurou have an incredibly toxic controlling relationship where she keeps him isolated from the outside world, conditioned by pain and guilt to be dependent on her. Etsurou has been in the cottage for 5 years and never thought to leave. They both have severe childhood issues and a series of accidents and pressures warped their relationship into this.

Slowly, Seika's visits bring life back to Etsurou. He becomes invested in passing his love of guitar onto Seika, gifting her his old one. He's more animated when she reaches new milestones, always fearful she'll get bored and give up on music. Seika is deeply in love with Etsurou but can't express it, having learned about his girlfriend (not the bad parts). She still invites him to come watch her play at the upcoming school festival.

Etsurou realizes he sees his younger self in Seika and that all he's done for her was partly in attempt to save himself. He finds the courage to escape the cottage, despite being weak from captivity, going to the festival to watch Seika. Things happen, Miu comes for Etsurou and beats him again, but he's determined to leave and Seika takes him away.

Time passes. Etsurou recovers in the hospital. Seika comes to visit him every day. Before she can tell him she loves him, he interrupts with a strongly platonic "I love you." Both have changed each other, Seika becoming more like who Etsurou wished he could be, Etsurou working up the strength to overcome his trauma. Etsurou finally accepts everything wasn't his fault, but Miu's.

On the day of Etsurou's release, Seika comes to pick him up. Etsurou is gone. He returns to Miu, living alone and broken. Etsurou tells Miu how much he hates her, but that love and hate are intertwined to him. That he had to leave the things he truly cared about (Seika) because he could never bring himself to hurt someone like that with his love. Instead he chooses Miu, now acting as the aggressively dominant one in their relationship. They disappear without a word.

Seika is heartbroken when she hears. She returns to the abandoned cottage and plays Etsurou's guitar where they first met, finally expressing her feelings. But in her words, "You said you'd give me everything, but you wouldn't give me what I wanted most." Seika cries herself to sleep, dreaming of Etsurou encouraging her one last time. Seika wakes with a soft smile and smashes Etsurou's guitar to pieces, leaving it shattered in the woods.

The end. Igarashi has already compared Kasumi and Sayori to Etsurou (and Miu to Mizuki), though I doubt this will be nearly that dark. Even comparing this to Dominant's end of volume 1 scene is night and day, as heavy as it is. But Igarashi seems to like keeping the audience a little afraid.

Today Igarashi drew this little crossover: Etsurou and Miu reacting to Mizuki.
I'll be uploading collections of those down the line.

I skipped over a lot of side characters and subplots but there's some other disturbing elements too. Namely Etsurou was abused as a young child. In college, Etsurou's female classmate got him drunk and raped him (not Miu but this incident is what made Miu go full yandere when she feared she'd lose him). Seika is physically assaulted by her teacher who is protecting Miu.

It's something about the paneling and the drawing style that really evokes, not quite "horror", but a thriller of some sort, an unnerving feeling of a deep, dark lake which you cannot see what lurks beneath the surface.

Very apt way of putting it. The melancholic style does sometimes have that eerie, unnerving quality to it especially when the composition leans into Kasumi's imagination. It's a fragile sort of atmosphere and you don't know what lies beneath.

I think Abuse, Violence, and Yandere could all potentially fit as tags for this chapter. (I would include Foiled rape attempt but we don't know how it turns out yet.) I'd probably lean toward Abuse.

Might as well take the set. But I agree, it depends on how it turns out. Though my hunch is next chapter won't touch on it yet.

last edited at Aug 29, 2025 8:18PM

I don't know what to tag this one but it probably should be tagged something.

Igarashi has been giddy over this chapter on Bluesky. Weeks of wanting to see reactions, announcing the chapter with jokes like "Sorry I kept you waiting for this," "Thank you for having faith in me all this time," "Dominant is like a curse that hangs over every manga I make. I love it forever."

Igarashi's previous manga, Dominant, (untranslated) was a very dark romance with a few infamous scenes involving a hammer and a guitar. Now the box-cutter joins their ranks in Japanese fan memes. I'll cover Dominant more later when I translate Igarashi's crossover art for the two, but Japanese fans have been waiting for the other shoe to drop while Igarashi teased whether AriSaku would reach that level of crazy. Dominant was innocent too, until the twist ending of volume 1. And now we're here at the twist ending of volume 2.

Chapter 10 opens with hesitant ambiguity (waiting to be heavily re-contextualized). Sayori is a total unknown. Kasumi is hoping for answers to questions she hasn't quite figured out yet. The reader is on-guard towards Sayori hurting their relationship. But she quickly becomes an ally with the reveal of Ono-senpai. The reader and Kasumi's goals are likely opposed here: Kasumi wants reassurance this relationship hasn't gone too far and she can back away from her feelings for Haruyo. We (surely) want escalation. For Kasumi's relationship to become unavoidably romantic, for the senpais' relationship to lead by example and show us how far AriSaku is willing to go.

Knowing the reader, Sayori's flashback slowly teases how explicit her relationship with Mizuki was, only hinting at how they've kissed and done more (Igarashi pointed out on page 22 how deliberately Mizuki is touching Sayori's breast while Sayori begins to slip Mizuki's skirt down). We hang on every page as a promise of future developments, just as much as it discomforts Kasumi. Then the ending dumps a bucket of menhera ice water on us.

You now see how far AriSaku is willing to go.

This chapter is a crushing realization for Sayori, Kasumi, and the reader that this isn't playing around — serious feelings are involved. Serious feelings that come with serious, unavoidable consequences. Sayori is trapped in her confusing and likely still toxic relationship with Mizuki. Kasumi is trapped with her suffocating love for Haruyo clashing with her buried trauma and self-loathing. We're trapped with a maniac mangaka.

It's a fitting end to an early volume. Volume 1 reinvented itself with Haruyo's reveal, 2 with Mizuki's. AriSaku keeps growing, changing, drawing in a wider world to the initial fantasy that brings with it both beautiful and disturbing realities that have been lurking beneath the surface.
I for one am excited. But hey I loved Dominant.

So now we're completely caught up. Going forward I plan to translate half chapters as they release, every 2 weeks. I somewhat regret not doing that with the first half of 10. You missed weeks of thinking Ono-senpai was the sweetest thing before this dropped.

The manga is so strongly partitioned in halves it might be part of why developments feel fast paced. Technically you could call this chapter 18 and 19, not 10. Elements aren't introduced and resolved in a single chapter but 2 paired together, if I were updating as it came out. Of course, if you read it with the volume it would still be one single chapter. But then you'd have 5 in one go.

It's interesting how much the format affects the experience. And scanlation can be its own unique format mixing elements from both. It's something I've been thinking about, and whether translating half-chapters means there'll be new comments saying the story's pacing slowed down even though the content hasn't really changed.

Dayflower at least has been adapted to manga and translated. You can read it here.

That was a hard "love" by the way.

Kasumi's trauma gets clearer. There's the self-loathing expressed in self-sabotage. The belief that she has no value, offering nothing to Haruyo and that Haruyo might only be with her out of pity. She's said this before, "why do you always give me what I want." It makes Kasumi uncomfortable. There's the return of fearing becoming dependent on another, that Onee-sama could disappear from her life and she needs to be ready. The fear of intimacy is stronger than ever. That the greatest love she can offer is to step out of the way. She didn't want to taint Onee-sama with her ugliness, was afraid she's the only one getting turned on by this.

Haruyo is still on that fantasy Onee-sama pedestal. From this chapter it's like Kasumi doesn't even believe Haruyo shares those feelings, that she angelically overlooks and accepts that part of her. But considering Haruyo is so innocent she didn't notice the way she was touching Kasumi, she'd never have thought Kasumi was after a faceful of boobs. Kasumi takes one soft comment and twists it into Haruyo obsessing over the letter's sender. She assumes Haruyo would be happy with someone else. And in doing so, she's giving up their secret.

Since we haven't seen in Haruyo's head in a while, it's easy to get caught up in some lesser misconceptions. She's straining herself as much as Kasumi is to keep their relationship going. Trying hard to work off the guilt she felt for abandoning Kasumi. She doesn't understand the times Kasumi's self-loathing slips through. She isn't intentionally being a gay nightmare for her repressed little sister (older). Haruyo is a confused middle schooler wearing a mask. And if Kasumi keeps this up that mask is going to crack.

I won't spoil much but if you don't trust this manga yet: If you're seriously concerned about Sayori, don't be.

The manga practically always uses the Japanese translation of sub rosa, literally "under the rose." This is just as obvious in Japanese as in English so yeah, let's just say Haruyo was distracted by her cute imouto. But sub rosa sounds cooler so I'm not going to deny Sayori her moment.

The dual nature of cold is back: it's both pretense for the invitation to warm herself under Haruyo's coat and the pretext Kasumi uses to be distant. Kasumi is purposefully choosing the cold in a way that explores the old themes of repressed, forbidden sexuality in Class S but through a repurposed angle. The manga's also expanding on rose symbolism, between constricting thorns and hanging roses you've seen in the past but might not have noticed.

The concept of "the greatest love you can offer" being to step away came up in both the protagonists of Igarashi's previous manga, Dominant. I'll have more to say on that when I get around to translating AriSaku's Bluesky extras, but Igarashi seems to like exploring twisted outlets for love.

We're now .5 chapters away from being caught up. I'm going to be working on Sylph and Aizawa's latest chapters now so don't expect 10 until after the 28th, when the second half releases. After that I'll likely start uploading half chapters bimonthly going forward.

In other recent news, Igarashi was going to draw a "violent" doujinshi for November's COMITIA event, but currently only has lewd yuri thoughts on the brain and will likely do that instead.
It is a mystery why Igarashi now has lewd yuri thoughts on the brain.

last edited at Aug 19, 2025 12:46AM