It's ironic how Aoi kinda became everyone's favourite, but she's also the only character without a happy ever after/hopeful bright future.
Ngl, kinda hurts to see her situation. Maybe, idk.
Not Pog at least.

I think she might be fine with where things are for herself. She doesn't have other people's idea of a happy ending but she seems satisfied.

I think the idea of a character 'deserving' a certain ending is somewhat strange, since at the end of the day, they're not real. What I want from a story is a narratively satisfying ending, and that's what we got with Aoi.

I think the idea of a character 'deserving' a certain ending is somewhat strange, since at the end of the day, they're not real. What I want from a story is a narratively satisfying ending, and that's what we got with Aoi.

Totally agree. Aoi is yet another example of what I’ve called the Tomolo character (“The Other, More Overtly Lesbian One”). Typically the third wheel in a love triangle or otherwise an intrusive threat to the happiness of the OTP, she’s an out lesbian (at least to herself) when the main characters are often oblivious to or dithering about their feelings for each other or about the very possibility of same-sex romance.

And for many readers the Tomolo is absolute catnip. No matter how badly she behaves (and to be sure, she doesn’t always play a heavily negative role—she’s just more forthright about her same-sex attractions), readers will beg for her to get paired off with someone or otherwise receive a happy ending, or they may in fact ship her with one of the OTP. (Or even recently, with the rise of the “Everybody Must Get Poly!” movement, with both of them.)

And the author’s obvious intentions for the character or the story’s cues about what’s going to happen don’t seem to matter to those readers much at all.

last edited at Mar 18, 2023 7:04AM

Totally agree. Aoi is yet another example of what I’ve called the Tomolo character (“The Other, More Overtly Lesbian One”).

Oh, that's a great find and a cool name for the archetype, which I am definitely using from now on. I myself have noticed that a lot of yuri mangas feature same-sex couples who are further along the relationship track than the MCs and thus can mentor them in a way, but they tend to be much less contentions because they are "safe", as far as love triangle drama is concerned. A Tomolo is more impactful on the MCs' relationship, and hence can get much more hate, but she is also, like you've said, pure catnip for some readers.

last edited at Mar 18, 2023 6:04AM

Rereading this, Aoi def comes off as polyam/practitioner of polyamory, but burnt out by her failures w women/"tying" a woman down to a more serious relationship (lots of lovers, but no partners, if that makes sense), and she ultimately caves to heteronormative monogamy.

last edited at Mar 18, 2023 3:00PM

Rereading this, Aoi def comes off as polyam/practitioner of polyamory, but burnt out by her failures w women/"tying" a woman down to a more serious relationship (lots of lovers, but no partners, if that makes sense), and she ultimately caves to heteronormative monogamy.

It seems to me that Aoi is someone who keeps caving in to normality every time she fails romantically. Like, after she gave up on pursuing Kaede, she gave up on acting and went to get a "normal" job, and then after she failed in pursuing Nanami- well, you saw that chapter. She went "oh well, I guess I'll get married." It was more an admission of defeat than an actual desire to get married. And that's why she couldn't answer when Nanami asked if she was happy before the wedding. I love it, it's so beautifully tragic to me.

Thank you, scanlation team! I can only assume that it was a very lot of work, so really appreciate it.

As for Aoi - for me she was very interesting character, don’t know if because of being well-written or her charisma / player traits, but I really think she adds a whole lot to the story, not only as mere plot device. I was interested in what will happen to her, what was her motivation and circumstances - similarly to being interested in both Kazuki and Kae. So for me putting her in more chapters was a good idea.

And it would be even better if Louko had more screentime! But still am grateful for what I got ;)

I get why many ppl find Aoi polarizing but I personally really like her as a character. And she really didn't do anything actively bad, most of it was just things not working out for her either bc she got focused on the wrong thing or bc she self-sabotaged.
Her biggest and only "fuck up" to me was when she crossed the line kissing Nanami without her consent in that hotel after their date, that's all really.

Aoi was a favorite? Nope. From the pols on twitter it was always Louko.

Aoi was a favorite? Nope. From the pols on twitter it was always Louko.

Aoi is a complex, flawed, and well-written character. Luoko is a living national treasure of Japan. I rest my case.

last edited at Mar 19, 2023 5:34AM