And read it now. Yep, it hurts, but I really can not say I am surprised. This is very Mei-like. I also do not think this is bad writing, since it has pretty clear internal consistency.

Fipse
"Inheriting the academy became something I wanted to do of my own will." That being said, as Klice stated, we already discussed at length what Mei's social position entails, but of all that we covered I would want to bring one possible explanation as to why the marriage.
Female heiresses inheriting the business in lack of male heirs is nothing unheard of in Japan, however, Mei is not just a woman, she is also very young. How many CEOs do you know who are just fresh out of high school? Her fiance is older, from a prestigious family himself, a second son (so he will not be bogged down by running that business), and has management experience. The grandfather specifically selected him because he has an unimposing, gentle character, and he would serve as practical help for Mei, while the union alone would put business partners, boards and parents of students at ease, since they would know a high schooler is not running the academy unchecked.

I know I might sound boring bringing this up again, but you really can not have a lesbian who is dating her step-sister openly as the charwoman of a prestigious girls' academy. For one, gay and Japan. Two, step-sibling relationships are viewed as actual incest by many people, and are generally not socially acceptable (even outside Japan, even if heterosexual). I mean, name me one prestigious school anywhere in the world, east or west, that is run by an openly gay person. Let alone a gay person who is in a relationship with their own same-sex step-sibling. It is stupid, and it is not something I am fond of, but such is the world at present.

Mei basically has three choices, choose family and duty over Yuzu (as she seemingly did here), choose Yuzu openly (in which case her dream of running the academy is finished), or try to compromise (somehow convince the boards, any potential investors, and the parents of students that someone as young as her is up to the task, break off the engagement and come clean to grandfather she does not wish to marry; then she would be able to be with Yuzu, provided they keep the relationship a secret from the general public).

Each chapter hurts more than the last.

so mei was crying last chapter not just because she was hurting but because she finally decided she's gonna leave her and saying her goodbyes deep inside.

I want Yuzu to be happy but I got a feeling she will only be happy at the Final chapter which sucks to be honest, she deserves more than that, and let her actually live in it.

Edit: Also it will be a very disappointing ending if in the end yuzu has to chase after mei again, she's been doing that since chapter one. Give the girl a break and actually make her feel she's actually loved.

last edited at Feb 17, 2018 3:54PM

Saburouta has already received death threats from (western) fans. Go figure.

Holy fuck... Some people are mental. I was actually wondering if Saburouta had to deal with angry fans judging by the reactions of some people in here (most notable one, a person wishing that the author of Nestuzou Trap gets cancer); but to have it actually happen... Well, what am I saying, this is the internet, the place where the respect died some time since... Wait, do you have to be born in the first place before dying?

I like Yuzu [...].

This at least proves that the author can write good characters; the fact that you're angry at the writing when the whole point of the genre is to make the character suffer is also proof that author succeeded in the type of story she wanted to write. She's not perfect, far from it, the story isn't original, far from it, but it's still pretty good, otherwise not that many people would have taken interest in it.

I want Yuzu to be happy but I got a feeling she will only be happy at the Final chapter which sucks to be honest, she deserves more than that, and let her actually live in it.

She was quite happy for the last three volumes.

On the other hand...

THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER! ahem, sorry.

last edited at Feb 17, 2018 3:31PM

This was a terrible way of ending the whole story. It reeks of the author getting bored with it (or not knowing what to do with it) and moving on. Sure, Japan (like many other countries including my own) has a thing against gays and lesbians. And Japan has a hard-on for family inheritance of businesses and institutions. But that's not what bothers me.

What bothers me is how we got to this place. The story ends not with a bang but a whimper. It was a story of romantic and sexual tension between two characters that saw no movement toward release and resolution. It just... ended. That's weak storytelling. And really, this has been my feeling throughout the series. I had a feeling it was going to end like this. I really hoped it wouldn't. The premise of it was really great. The art is fantastic. The girls in it are absolutely beautiful to look at. But this inability to allow the relationship between the two of them to grow or change is what really killed it for me. Sure, their own personal feelings would change and whatnot. But that's what makes the whole thing feel so artificial. Relationships are like people. They grow and change right alongside the two people who are in them. And in this story, it never did. And it just felt very wrong.

Soooo... Yeah. This is a very disappointing series for me. You can take apart what I say and tell me how wrong I am if you like. But that's how I feel about it.

last edited at Feb 17, 2018 3:29PM

Wait a moment, if this is not the last chapter cos there's no way on earth it can be..
Maybe after this 1 year, six months time skip thing, Mei grows a pair and decides to choose Yuzu? Cos if it's Yuzu again who "forces" her to do what she really wants, that's pretty lame.
If Mei, even if she needs an ungodly amount of time, does stand for herself and accepts this sort of life with Yuzu.. I'd like that honestly, cos ending it like this is basically going back to the very beginning, it'd mean Mei hasn't changed much, yeh ok she wrote a letter before running away instead of just running away..that's not improvement.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I'd pull my hair if it wasn't wet from the shower T_T

last edited at Feb 17, 2018 3:30PM

This was a terrible way of ending the whole story. It reeks of the author getting bored with it and moving on. Sure, Japan (like many other countries including my own) has a thing against gays and lesbians. And Japan has a hard-on for family inheritance of businesses and institutions. But that's not what bothers me.

What bothers me is how we got to this place. The story ends not with a bang but a whimper. It was a story of romantic and sexual tension between two characters that saw no movement toward release and resolution. It just... ended. That's weak storytelling. And really, this has been my feeling throughout the series. I had a feeling it was going to end like this. I really hoped it wouldn't. The premise of it was really great. The art is fantastic. The girls in it are absolutely beautiful to look at. But this inability to allow the relationship between the two of them to grow or change is what really killed it for me. Sure, their own personal feelings would change and whatnot. But that's what makes the whole thing feel so artificial. Relationships are like people. They grow and change right alongside the two people who are in them. And in this story, it never did. And it just felt very wrong.

Soooo... Yeah. This is a very disappointing series for me. You can take apart what I say and tell me how wrong I am if you like. But that's how I feel about it.

It has not ended yet though. The series is ongoing

And read it now. Yep, it hurts, but I really can not say I am surprised. This is very Mei-like. I also do not think this is bad writing, since it has pretty clear internal consistency.

Fipse
"Inheriting the academy became something I wanted to do of my own will." That being said, as Klice stated, we already discussed at length what Mei's social position entails, but of all that we covered I would want to bring one possible explanation as to why the marriage.
Female heiresses inheriting the business in lack of male heirs is nothing unheard of in Japan, however, Mei is not just a woman, she is also very young. How many CEOs do you know who are just fresh out of high school? Her fiance is older, from a prestigious family himself, a second son (so he will not be bogged down by running that business), and has management experience. The grandfather specifically selected him because he has an unimposing, gentle character, and he would serve as practical help for Mei, while the union alone would put business partners, boards and parents of students at ease, since they would know a high schooler is not running the academy unchecked.

I know I might sound boring bringing this up again, but you really can not have a lesbian who is dating her step-sister openly as the charwoman of a prestigious girls' academy. For one, gay and Japan. Two, step-sibling relationships are viewed as actual incest by many people, and are generally not socially acceptable (even outside Japan, even if heterosexual). I mean, name me one prestigious school anywhere in the world, east or west, that is run by an openly gay person. Let alone a gay person who is in a relationship with their own same-sex step-sibling. It is stupid, and it is not something I am fond of, but such is the world at present.

Mei basically has three choices, choose family and duty over Yuzu (as she seemingly did here), choose Yuzu openly (in which case her dream of running the academy is finished), or try to compromise (somehow convince the boards, any potential investors, and the parents of students that someone as young as her is up to the task, break off the engagement and come clean to grandfather she does not wish to marry; then she would be able to be with Yuzu, provided they keep the relationship a secret from the general public).

Your comment reminded me, the only reason she has to do this is because of her father, she has to do all this shit because her dad decided to do his thing and let a teenage girl have to shoulder everything. Regardless of if he loves her that is a giant dick move.

Even if it meant he had to do something he hated a parent's job is to protect and provide for their kid, this is the opposite of that.

last edited at Feb 17, 2018 3:33PM

Great. Give up on this moron Yuzu and find someone who isnt desperate to be miserable and abandon you.

Mei. Does. Not. Deserve. Yuzu.

Please don't let Mei fuck the fiance!... I feel like i have to write this 10 times and then sacrifice a goat over an altar to Satan, so that, for the price of my soul, my wish will come true

It has not ended yet though. The series is ongoing

Hey, if the author decides to continue it and actually allow the relationship to change and grow, that'd be awesome. The reason I'm so disappointed is because I really like the premise, the characters, and the art. I'm just having a hard time seeing it after reading what was essentially a "good bye we're ending this now" chapter.

Please don't let Mei fuck the fiance!... I feel like i have to write this 10 times and then sacrifice a goat over an altar to Satan, so that, for the price of my soul, my wish will come true

That won't happen.
Japanese fans loved this chapter (while being sad, how could they not) because of Mei's POV, and they're very hopeful. As I said earlier, completely different reactions.

I just hate that Mei continues to pull crap like this and continues to be terrible at communicating, and yuzu puts up with it. Let Mei ruin her life if that's what she's so desperate to do. find someone more genuinely loving and balanced.

last edited at Feb 17, 2018 3:37PM

Please don't let Mei fuck the fiance!... I feel like i have to write this 10 times and then sacrifice a goat over an altar to Satan, so that, for the price of my soul, my wish will come true

That won't happen.
Japanese fans loved this chapter (while being sad, how could they not) because of Mei's POV, and they're very hopeful. As I said earlier, completely different reactions.

I had failed to see this until you pointed out, I re-read the chapter, I am actually crying a bit, but I'll blame it on my period, anyway, Mei surely cares about Yuzu after all and now I am hopeful as well, thanks mysterious person.

Your comment remember me, the only reason she has to do this is because of her father, she has to do all this shit because her dad decided to do his thing and let a teenage girl have to shoulder everything. Regardless of if he loves her that is a giant dick move.

Yep. This. Very much this. For all the murderous hate I saw directed against the grandfather, people seem to give Shou a free pass. He deserted his own duties, and people seem to actually like that, but they never take the bigger picture into account. Not to get into the practical obligations families such as Aiharas have to their employees, and in this case students as well, because we covered that at length in previous thread pages, but suffice to say Shou's choice impacted a lot of people beyond just himself. Most importantly, his own daughter, who is in this predicament solely because of him. Also, his very existence is proof enough the grandfather is not that bad as people paint him to be, if he was, then Shou would never be allowed to leave, and this conflict would not exist. Still, Shou gets like, zero negative feelings as far as I have seen. He is an adult travelling the world in a philosophical search for himself, while his teenage daughter is left to pick up the duties he abandoned. Oh, and yeah, his leaving left Mei even more emotionally broken. That too seems to have been forgotten.

last edited at Feb 17, 2018 3:46PM

Keep in mind, guys, despite all this angst, Saburouta has apparently stated many times that there WILL be a happy ending. So this absurd break-up (Mei, you're a fucking jackass) is only one of the many obstacles of angst our girls will have to go through before they get their happy ending.

Also, side note, can I just say that Saburouta was really good with all that foreshadowing? Like, Yuzu hugging Mei in the library and asking if it's okay to love her? Anyone remember that? I remember, initially, I passed Mei's hesitance to answer as shyness, but it really wasn't.

And another side note, I love Yuzu's friends. You can tell throughout the chapter, they're all feeling really bad for her. Especially Matsuri. Even Himeko seemed down after she was done scolding Yuzu, and Shirapon's noticing that Yuzu was still wearing her ring was a nice touch. Her expression didn't really change, but you can tell she was thinking something like, "I'm so sorry you're still in pain, Yuzu."

Can't believe we gotta wait another two months before Chapter 37. Ah well. That gives me time to reread this whole guilty pleasure manga and keep up with the anime!

Saburouta has already received death threats from (western) fans. Go figure.

Holy fuck... Some people are mental. I was actually wondering if Saburouta had to deal with angry fans judging by the reactions of some people in here (most notable one, a person wishing that the author of Nestuzou Trap gets cancer); but to have it actually happen... Well, what am I saying, this is the internet, the place where the respect died some time since... Wait, do you have to be born in the first place before dying?

Yeah, holy fuck. It's the internet where people can put their feelings out there without filter and without thinking about that the other person, that they are insulting, is a person too... O.o
It's also a strange idea for me that people can influence the story. It's the author's story, if they don't like it, they should just walk away. Or draw their own manga, see how well they do that! :<

That said, it was a hard and heartbreaking chapter to take in :'( but I also wouldn't say it was out of character. I'm hoping for a good resolve. Taking your space like that is a major thing. You can't just laugh it off. I wonder how it will be resolved.

Even if it does become a happy ending... I just feel like the relationship didn't do anything to get there. Saburouta had an entire series to make it believable and she failed miserably at it. I'd be cool with this if there were say, 3-4 volumes left to go. But with only one 4 chapter volume left? Good luck making that work.

last edited at Feb 17, 2018 3:51PM

In the middle of the main plot, it looks like Glasses got Mitsuko. And Matsuri had a growth spurt, other than being now a first year at the Academy.

Your comment remember me, the only reason she has to do this is because of her father, she has to do all this shit because her dad decided to do his thing and let a teenage girl have to shoulder everything. Regardless of if he loves her that is a giant dick move.

Yep. This. Very much this. For all the murderous hate I saw directed against the grandfather, people seem to give Shou a free pass. He deserted his own duties, and people seem to actually like that, but they never take the bigger picture into account. Not to get into the practical obligations families such as Aiharas have to their employees, and in this case students as well, because we covered that at length in previous thread pages, but suffice to say Shou's choice impacted a lot of people beyond just himself. Most importantly, his own daughter, who is in this predicament solely because of him. Also, his very existence is proof enough the grandfather is not that bad as people paint him to be, if he was, then Shou would never be allowed to leave, and this conflict would not exist. Still, Shou gets like, zero negative feelings as far as I have seen. He is an adult travelling the world in a philosophical search for himself, while his teenage daughter is left to pick up the duties he abandoned. Oh, and yeah, his leaving left Mei even more emotionally broken. That too seems to have been forgotten.

That is true. I've never seen anyone really complain that much about Shou. But also, I hope this means that Shou will somehow redeem himself in future chapters. Like, he finally returns after soul searching and traveling and hears about this and learns that Mei actually isn't in love with her fiancee. So, he somehow breaks the engagement off. I hope that happens. It'd be one of the few proper things he's done as a parent.

while the drama continues to pile on at least their moving the story forward a little

36 chapters later, Mei's feelings and intentions are finally revealed.

Although she unknowingly ended up running away from her feelings again, this time, she knows where she's going. She was able to make a choice for herself for the first time in her life.

I hated Mei for the first 20+ chapters of the story. Her indecision, unwillingness to communicate and lack of independence caused so much unnecessary drama, it made (arguably) the two most sensible characters (Harumi and Matsuri) dislike her (which is obviously not the case anymore).

But the past several chapters have shown Mei growing up and hatching from her shell, thanks to Yuzu's endless supply of patience and persistence. Mei now has a sense of self, and has come to understand her own feelings.

It just sucks that, thanks to Yuzu's guidance, Mei has chosen to walk down this new path alone. But at the same time, I think it's good that Mei doesn't attribute Yuzu as her meaning in life, and instead, thinks of Yuzu as the person who helped her find her place in the world.

Your comment remember me, the only reason she has to do this is because of her father, she has to do all this shit because her dad decided to do his thing and let a teenage girl have to shoulder everything. Regardless of if he loves her that is a giant dick move.

Yep. This. Very much this. For all the murderous hate I saw directed against the grandfather, people seem to give Shou a free pass. He deserted his own duties, and people seem to actually like that, but they never take the bigger picture into account. Not to get into the practical obligations families such as Aiharas have to their employees, and in this case students as well, because we covered that at length in previous thread pages, but suffice to say Shou's choice impacted a lot of people beyond just himself. Most importantly, his own daughter, who is in this predicament solely because of him. Also, his very existence is proof enough the grandfather is not that bad as people paint him to be, if he was, then Shou would never be allowed to leave, and this conflict would not exist. Still, Shou gets like, zero negative feelings as far as I have seen. He is an adult travelling the world in a philosophical search for himself, while his teenage daughter is left to pick up the duties he abandoned. Oh, and yeah, his leaving left Mei even more emotionally broken. That too seems to have been forgotten.

That is true. I've never seen anyone really complain that much about Shou. But also, I hope this means that Shou will somehow redeem himself in future chapters. Like, he finally returns after soul searching and traveling and hears about this and learns that Mei actually isn't in love with her fiancee. So, he somehow breaks the engagement off. I hope that happens. It'd be one of the few proper things he's done as a parent.

So Mei wont have to learn anything herself and some dude will swoop in and save their dysfunctional relationship for them. :/

Your comment remember me, the only reason she has to do this is because of her father, she has to do all this shit because her dad decided to do his thing and let a teenage girl have to shoulder everything. Regardless of if he loves her that is a giant dick move.

Yep. This. Very much this. For all the murderous hate I saw directed against the grandfather, people seem to give Shou a free pass. He deserted his own duties, and people seem to actually like that, but they never take the bigger picture into account. Not to get into the practical obligations families such as Aiharas have to their employees, and in this case students as well, because we covered that at length in previous thread pages, but suffice to say Shou's choice impacted a lot of people beyond just himself. Most importantly, his own daughter, who is in this predicament solely because of him. Also, his very existence is proof enough the grandfather is not that bad as people paint him to be, if he was, then Shou would never be allowed to leave, and this conflict would not exist. Still, Shou gets like, zero negative feelings as far as I have seen. He is an adult travelling the world in a philosophical search for himself, while his teenage daughter is left to pick up the duties he abandoned. Oh, and yeah, his leaving left Mei even more emotionally broken. That too seems to have been forgotten.

That is true. I've never seen anyone really complain that much about Shou. But also, I hope this means that Shou will somehow redeem himself in future chapters. Like, he finally returns after soul searching and traveling and hears about this and learns that Mei actually isn't in love with her fiancee. So, he somehow breaks the engagement off. I hope that happens. It'd be one of the few proper things he's done as a parent.

Shou pisses me off, and too many do give him a free pass. We know he was a very stern man, just like Mei's grandfather, and imprinted his world views on Mei since she was a child.
Then one day he had his sudden "revelation", made a 180°, became a hippy for the lulz (in the middle of a divorce, too) and asked a grade schooler about a decision that a little girl couldn't take. Saying that Mei should've gone with him is too easy.

last edited at Feb 17, 2018 3:56PM

Keep in mind, guys, despite all this angst, Saburouta has apparently stated many times that there WILL be a happy ending. So this absurd break-up (Mei, you're a fucking jackass) is only one of the many obstacles of angst our girls will have to go through before they get their happy ending.

Also, side note, can I just say that Saburouta was really good with all that foreshadowing? Like, Yuzu hugging Mei in the library and asking if it's okay to love her? Anyone remember that? I remember, initially, I passed Mei's hesitance to answer as shyness, but it really wasn't.

And another side note, I love Yuzu's friends. You can tell throughout the chapter, they're all feeling really bad for her. Especially Matsuri. Even Himeko seemed down after she was done scolding Yuzu, and Shirapon's noticing that Yuzu was still wearing her ring was a nice touch. Her expression didn't really change, but you can tell she was thinking something like, "I'm so sorry you're still in pain, Yuzu."

Can't believe we gotta wait another two months before Chapter 37. Ah well. That gives me time to reread this whole guilty pleasure manga and keep up with the anime!

You got it right, Yuzu's friends being sad and worried about her was quite sweet.
Oh the library..I just thought back then Mei wasn't sure cos she didn't even understand..now I see it differently, the anime is going quite well I must say I'm loving the adaptation and Matsuri is ready to stir things up!