Ace furries belong at Pride!!

I think it makes perfect sense that high school yuri especially doesn't ever really fit my experience actually being a teenage sapphic. Especially since I didn't go to a private super high class all girls Catholic school like apparently 90% of kids in Japan go to, if yuri manga is telling me the truth :P

There's a few different adult "yuri" manga that has this feel like "This is not inspired by other yuri manga it's inspired by real life". Stuff like how Run Away With Me Girl spends a lot of time on the emotional battle of the pull of personal gay desires and the pull of your whole entire world telling you to be straight instead (much to the consternation of the comment section lol), or Ohana Holoholo's portrayal of bisexuality (much to the consternation of the comment section lol).

The Guy I Liked is the first time I've seen this kind of approach used for a teenage story. I honestly think the biggest obstacle a lot of angry posters have is that this isn't a story about a gay romance. It's a story about being gay. And a whole lot of gays spend their whole teenage years without any romance because we're all so anxious and isolated and frequently soaking in the self-denial society demands from all queers of all stripes. The fact that these girls have gotten as far as they have in how long they've known each other? Well above the curve when we compare them to real gay kids instead of yuri manga.

This is precisely it. I think a lot of people, subconsciously, want the proverbial U-haul romance where two people throw themselves at each other in a heat of passion and desire. In many cases though, things take time? Slow burn romances are real? Being a teen with a billion feelings to manage and also trying to figure out dating, let alone dating in a non-cis-het frame takes time and energy and isn't always front of mind. Also, queer relationships often exist in messy gray spaces for significant periods of time, as do really many relationships. Hell, we invented the word 'situationship' in the 00s for this sort of kind-of-but-not-quite-a-thing-but-maybe-getting-there. It's fascinating because in this case, Joe and Kanna are an obvious parallel/secondary couple who are also dealing with a lot of complicated emotions and a lot is going unsaid though there's obviously a lot of affection between them.

Idk, it's nice to see romances that are situated in stories about life generally vs. being wholly about falling in love hard and fast. Everyone here has stuff they're working through - their relationship to music, what they want in life, past choices, making friends and being open about themselves even just on the level of interests. And they've all made so much progress. Aya actually has music community and a pseudo-second family with Joe, Kanna, and Mitsuki. Mitsuki is slowly realizing that she doesn't have to live like she's some forever outsider who has to hide her true self from the world. Joe and Kanna are doing the messy business of patching up an old relationship (maybe?) that ended not because of incompatible personalities or a lack of desire, but life calling them in different directions which is the hardest sort of break-up because its not really anyone's 'fault'.

That's such a rich portrait of life, esp. in this punk slice of the world that exists on the social fringes, that you almost never get to see in media.

This manga is so hilariously relatable. I remember the summer before I started grad school, less than a year after starting HRT, and I ran into a lab mate at a pride dance night at a local queer bar. I was dressed in a black goth dress and had the baby trans femme special giant collar on. My lab mate and I talked a bit that night, danced a bit together, and then after a couple weeks of getting to know each other she invited me to a party which ended up being my first kink event.

It was absolutely wild, and a life changing experience. The first of many such events and helped setup the basis of my friend and support network while I was in that city. Really kickstarts your body acceptance journey when you see pretty much everything a queer body can be, unfiltered, in person.

Funnily enough, Ayreon's "Loser" was also track #16, and the lyrics there have a lot of overlap with this chapter, in places.

Whoaaa! Always cool to run into another Ayreonaut! Also, you're right, holy shit.

Holyshit how worse can this get?
Also that sex scene was kinda creepy? Or am I wrong for thinking this was extremely rape-y.
Fuck, Kayo should just leave that shit company and elope somewhere else with Satomi.
Thanks for the chapter, though I hate everything now.

you been right, this is as bad a case of rape as it gets. abusing her feeling of having lost everything to use her body in ways she very clearly would not agree to in any way. also being extremly violent against her, who lost her will to even move.
I dont think there is anything worse that she could have done to her.

At this point I just want her to find Satomi and get as far away as she can and try to find a way to live somewhat happily somewhere else. Pls find a new workplace too

It is incredibly frustrating to watch all these women get fucked over by a system that's run by powerful men and turned against each other. I'm glad Kayo pointed out to Junko that she's not some mastermind who's "won," she's just acted as a tool of those assholes who definitely plan to throw her away the instant she stops being convenient for them. I dearly hope there's not some "redemption" waiting for Junko at the end of this, because she definitely doesn't deserve it.

now that you say it, it kinda feels like hasimoto is gonna get leaked as well and thrown away, then junko as well as soon as she stop being able to be used in any way, leaving basicly just guys at the top. I dunno if its intended by the author or just coincidence

It’s almost certainly intentional, it’s part of what makes this all harrowing on a social commentary level. There are so many accounts of women in professional fields absolutely ripping each other apart and stepping over each others corpses for petty reasons until it’s just the men left. Not much use being the highest ranking woman in your field if, in the course of achieving that, you’re the only one left. Same for a lot of other marginalized groups. Just crabs in the bucket bullshit. One of the many reasons I left corporate. All the #girlboss jokes aren’t really jokes, but references to how many women in business turn into absolute monsters who are somehow worse than the men to other women because they want to “win the game”.

Can't wait to see her inevitably big booba full power version

Oh, that's just gonna be Queen Velverosa. :-)

Always nice to see another person of culture

A couple things -
God, this manga is so heartbreakingly beautiful. Both the actual art but also just the sincerity of the story telling. It’s one of the few manga that really gets that feeling of being a messy teen trying to figure out love (and then accidentally sexuality) for the first time. I’ve started sending this series around to folks who aren’t into wlw romance comics but want to see what’s good in the space.

Meta -
I think a lot of the meta debate needs to be moved into another thread because it’s becoming a massive buzzkill to see the same people arguing in the comments over the arcana of translation and what does yuri REALLY mean, to the point that it’s drowning out any and all discussion of the actual work. I dropped out of grad school to get away from people arguing the enjoyment out of everything I found interesting, and it’s really bad vibes to see that sort of circular argumentation happen here. It’s just really tedious y’all.