Forum › Posts by cranscape

joined Apr 2, 2023

This was a nice recent interview with Sal. She talks about how she started drawing manga (it was an... erm... interesting place to post her work), living abroad, working as a sales person at a company, how she comes up with the stories including this one, and her impression of the live action. Though it sounds like the interview was before the premiere.

https://realsound.jp/book/2024/07/post-1724219.html

joined Apr 2, 2023

Wonder what those lyrics on the chalkboard say. I’m curious if there’s anything specific about Aya in them or if they’re just generic love song lyrics

This person on twitter was working through it, but keep in mind it was originally English put through MTL. So turning it back into English would be several times removed from any meaning. There was what looked like a pew pew gun drawn too, but that was drawn by the boy for some reason.

https://x.com/Azuki_hoge/status/1815028681926144035

joined Apr 2, 2023

The live action series seems to be doing really well. It's up to episode 3, very gay, and they are taking extra attention to detail like having rl lesbian influencers be including in the bar scene and the mangaka and actress attending a panel at PIAMY Fes. Sal seems to be having a good time with it all and happy with how it's been adapted.

There is going to be a pop up at Shibuya and also online (international proxy) for the show and the manga.
https://www.manga10.com/event/2796
https://www.manga10.com/event/product/2796

joined Apr 2, 2023

The Moon on a Rainy Night by Kuzushiro

joined Apr 2, 2023

More of the cast have been revealed. I assume those are the main cast but there should still be several more minor named characters yet.

Still looking good to me so far in the bts clips posted on social. I admire their dedication to acting out the manga covers.

cranscape
joined Apr 2, 2023

Terrific. Now I'm going to have to stop reading people's theories here.

joined Apr 2, 2023

Aw heck yeah let's gooooo! Lesbian representation!!! The actors are perfect (゚▽゚)

Their promo shots looked good and I saw them in a video and it sealed the deal. Never in a million years would I have guessed. I follow the mangaka and she seemed pretty quiet once the manga wrapped up outside of a few one shots, but I guess this was brewing the whole time.

joined Apr 2, 2023

This is getting a live action drama. Well, comedy romance.

https://x.com/JiangSal/status/1798885989194125452
https://x.com/thetvjp/status/1798837520639185235

last edited at Jun 6, 2024 10:16PM

joined Apr 2, 2023

If anyone is interested the remaining Pop Up Shop merch is going on sale online May 27 with international shipping. It's whatever stock is left over so it might not last long, but there are some nice stuff listed yet.
https://shop.muzzle.co.jp/shopbrand/ct124/

joined Apr 2, 2023

While I was listening to the drama CD, I realized that the biggest barrier to making a good anime (or live-action drama) out of this is probably music licensing. The background music on the drama CD includes all your hit favorites from gunge bands like Nibana and alternate rock bands like the UFO Fighters, which is to say it's bland name stuff that sounds vaguely like songs from some of bands namechecked in the manga. A huge part of the charm of the manga is the specificity of the girls being super into bands that were at their peak decade(s) before they were born (believe me, writing that out hurt me more than you), and without that, it's less compelling.

OK MAYBE I WAS WRONG https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UIJY-75274?rm=t&vg=3bac952f-e3a3-4030-7623-3b63e4f5868c

Trying to decide how badly I want this… I have a little while to decide, but getting vinyl sent overseas seems like a super dicey proposition.

Different retailers have different benefits too, but I believe those are just for the CD version. In any case it might be good to shop around if you haven't yet.

https://x.com/UNIVERSAL_INTER/status/1788131729158647887

I'm getting mine from Tower Records via Buyee because I have some other stuff I'm shipping too.

joined Apr 2, 2023

TIL via the tags on this that some people shorthand this as "green manga" and man, I love that. Ive never figured out a good abridged version of this monster of a title; it's green manga now (wonderful lil animation too lol~).

Officially they have gone with kinioto it looks like, but green manga is easiest to use online as a tag. I did try that out when I was in a bookstore and a guy asked what I was currently reading. "Eh, I don't know them by their color. Anything I'd know?" "Spy x Family." Fail. I couldn't bring myself to say the full name out loud in public. Silly long webcomic names...

joined Apr 2, 2023

I don't think there is anything to be worried about for song rights. The green manga seems very beloved by the music industry in Japan. In case some of this didn't get mentioned here before...she got an official spotify playlist early on, she got to keep a lot more music references in the print version than people expected, a merch collaboration with the Nirvana anniversary album, Mitsuki singing Creep on the Drama CD, they arranged for her to meet Beck, and soon the manga will have an officially released soundtrack with a lot of well known bands.

Currently the manga has a storyline that doubles as a product placement for a real music festival in Japan. They are basically lockstep together at this point. Domestically I could see an anime or live action getting enough music licensed for it to feel right because everything is leaning towards the industry wanting it too. If there are issues down the road for a US release for example... that wouldn't be stopping them from making an anime or live action if they really want it. They'll be making it for their domestic audience.

I think an anime or live action wouldn't be difficult to adapt. They might need to add some connective tissue, but this is a coming of age slice of life series. It's not like it's trying to add content to a difficult to understand avant-garde scifi manga. There's not much they can mess up if they just hit the major beats. Needing to add some school, cd shop, and home scenes that help flesh out their inner thoughts more in a visual way vs manga shorthand seems a reasonable use for extra time without changing the story significantly and there's enough there for one season with three volumes if that's as far as it goes.

Funny enough, a fan who is an animation student made this cute animation short this week and it has me really wanting an anime some day even more than before. I love it when a series I like attracts talented fans for fanart.

joined Apr 2, 2023

No new chapter this week, but we're blessed with this hilarious "introduction" instead:
https://twitter.com/agu_knzm/status/1784438628183404822

reposted on Instagram in video form! (and is literally tagged #wlw lol)
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6SqHWRSa2j/?igsh=bDJjNjhuZXUwbmI0

Is there anywhere you can see the video version that's not Instagram?

It's been reposted as a video by a fan update account on tw/x.

It's mimicking a tiktok trend going around. In case it's confusing. She's done that before on IG like the one where they swap clothes.

last edited at Apr 29, 2024 12:07AM

joined Apr 2, 2023

Yen Press picked up the rights. Nice.

joined Apr 2, 2023

It is established in the story that Miyako negotiated her exit from the group, which means that the management had plenty of time to promote someone from their trainee program or come up with a good story on day 1 of how the group would go forward with just the four members. They could have done some press availability with Miyako where she give a happy story about how she wanted to focus on her new career in real estate management, and then give her a proper graduation concert. This would have avoided all the problems they're trying to deal with now.

I reread chapter 9 recently since it's in print and it seems like the exit she chose was more of an "escape plan" vs the typical graduation from a group like you mapped out and there's reasons for that. I don't think she had it in her to fake it anymore. Not a moment more even if it'd have served herself.

She had it drilled into her that her real self couldn't be seen. Down to policing emotions and mannerisms. Once she reached her breaking point on that her ability to assume the fake persona again for media would have felt impossible. It was the key conflict.

If I remember right her first/last/only public word on the subject was said on stage and then she was gone. She didn't let herself be further scripted more than the absolute minimum to get out even if the consequence was the non-contact rule and contributed to the rumors. She's aware of what's being gossiped about and feels guilty about some of it unfairly reflecting bad on the other group members, but if she was in a good mental state a whole lot of things would have been done differently or not necessary at all. She didn't hate her coworkers, the fans, or even the work. It was what the director did to her.

In a way it feels more like getting out of a cult. She was under the thumb of a controlling adult as a teenager, under the eye of the public and living in a restrained way beyond what the others dealt with, and eventually she got herself out. But she still is living by many of the rules of a confined world. She's come a long way, but the director just has to appear and she starts to slip back into the old mindset. By the time she got back home she was like a kid again and the world was ending over something that shouldn't feel that big.

Of course it seems silly to people who didn't grow up like that, but to her this is what she knows. At least she has someone from the outside with her now who will have a different perspective. Someone who has been with her long enough to understand her lived in anxieties too. And while we haven't seen them talk in detail about it yet her already thinking about the car purchase and the importance of making big decisions together makes me think whatever they do will be based on what they decide together. Both sides of the story are coming together which feels nice to me.

joined Apr 2, 2023

I think a big part of it is she was the leader of the group and she left suddenly under mysterious circumstances though the group tried to frame it as friendly. We know they are friendly...but she did leave suddenly, she is hiding things related to her real image, and didn't leave in good terms with the director.

They are at this moment in a transition period trying to rebrand the group with a new leader and new album. And just as they were doing that (tho in reality the new leader is stressed out and has unfinished feelings about the old one and iirc contributed to her being sucked back in a bit) she's spotted with the group again. Drama.

In their kind of media sensitive universe they'd see that as spoiling their transition plans as she's able to suck the oxygen out of their crafted media space just by fans getting a glimpse of her with them and the rumors from that.

If she "rejoins" the firm they could just spend a few months scripting her fake life again, make a story out of it, have some scripted appearances, and smooth it out on both sides. If she doesn't she'll just get hounded more since there is red meat out there about her potential return or invented member drama...only without their help with scripting and potential damage to her real life with her gf.

And keep in mind her entire public persona is fake and she's hidden her real self this whole time and she's a big softy who is just trying to restart her life as herself. It seems ridiculous, but if you follow headlines from Japan and Korea real life is way weirder than fiction when it comes to idol stuff.

joined Apr 2, 2023

New interview just came out. It's mostly about Mitsuaya relationship and music choices, but she outed herself as a Glee fan in a comment related to Aya and I think I'll have to ponder this further.

joined Apr 2, 2023

They handle all the Ana Sanchez girl's love releases (Sirius, Alter Ego, Alter Ego 2) and a few other good ones, so I've never really thought about their content strategy much. I don't assume customers will care who the publisher is though, but I don't know anything about that anyway.

Glancing at my collection and the only Tokyopop I own is Still Sick, a random Yuri Espoir, and my childhood KareKano collection. Maybe they just don't get titles I notice. Or are bad at promoting.

joined Apr 2, 2023

Huh. Tokyopop picked it up. Two volumes out this fall.

It's definitely popular so makes sense.

Don't get me wrong. I like it so I'm glad it's picked up. It's the Tokyopop part... It's got to be 1 to 50 BL over GL there. Probably more. I can't even think of more than a couple GL of note and they're either done or about to be and neither are of this tone. It seems like an odd match.

joined Apr 2, 2023

Huh. Tokyopop picked it up. Two volumes out this fall.

joined Apr 2, 2023

Tokyo Character Street is popular. Green manga recently had a pop-up in there for a month. Not the place to find yuri normally, but would be a cool stop if you're down there anyways and they they have limited edition merch for both mainstream bigger (non-yuri) series you'd be familiar with along with special rare pop-ups that might be more of an interest if you're lucky.

https://www.japan.travel/en/sg/jbyj-blog/tokyo-character-street/

last edited at Mar 13, 2024 11:18PM

joined Apr 2, 2023

There is a yuri cafe in Shinjuku. You can find info for them on tw/x @ anchor_staff or this site: https://lit.link/en/yuricafeanchor

I've no personal experience, but I've seen Japanese yuri fans post about going there when they are in the area for fan events.

joined Apr 2, 2023

The drama CD's release date has been postponed to April 24. I wonder, will there be a digital release?

I just saw that. I was hoping I could double up on the new pop-up and my preorder for the audio drama in the same shipment, but looks like I'll just be perpetually donating to the proxy service fund. I've not heard anything about a digital version in any of the advertising I've read. Japan is pretty big on physical music releases more than most places still. Amazon.jp and Animate don't even have placeholders for it so I'm leaning either no, or not until after the physical release.

A digital 4p comic would be the best for scanlation. cough

joined Apr 2, 2023

It's a little vague, but I think this implies Chizuru hasn't picked up that Aya was talking about Mitsuki.

Unless I'm completely forgetting a scene, Aya only told some of her friends about '' Onii-san'' to begin with and she didn't tell anyone about finding out that it was Mitsuki all along. Narita might be the only other character who's been privy to the whole thing.

I was thinking there were some scenes that might imply she knows, but I reread through it and I think it's just the end of ch 52 that does. "The watching over MitsuAya Squad..." implies it's more than just Narita, which in this case should be Chizuru and Mao, but idk.

She knows Mitsuki is someone Aya has a special connection with and was starting to included her in their friend group. And she saw how intense Aya was about her first hand. She already sees them joined at the hip. That's enough to join in the protection squad without further context.

I'm trying to remember but the last time Aya mentioned "Onii-san" to Chizuru it was when she was on the outs with Mitsuki. Chapter 23 where Aya said she was too busy to have time with "him". I don't think there's been any love updates since then. Aya avoided that talk at the overnight trip. As close as Chizuru got to seeing Mitsuki's "Onii-san-lite" look was when she said she looked cool or something in her casual clothes during their Denny's study session.

cranscape
joined Apr 2, 2023

Is... is that some weird law Japan actually has? The "compensation" thing?

I'm more familiar with hearing about it for accidental or negligent death like car accidents. On top of any criminal consequences you pay their family a large sum of money. It's a cultural thing, but also expected of westerners who might be involved too.

Compensation for infidelity, especially if it contributes to divorce, is a thing in Japan. A 2021 case was in international news because the courts ruled a woman pay compensation for a same-sex infidelity even as the courts were still largely confused on if f/f cheating on a husband legally counts. It counted enough in that case as it caused stress to the marriage and the changing view of f/f relationships at least in that particular ruling. So a win for equality.