That’s good to know. So it’s definitely a flirty playful scene then
Lmk when you start it, and I’ll start 放浪息子, if I still haven’t read it by then 
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And we’re on to week 3!
| Week | Chapter | Pages | Page Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 3 | 3 | 99 - 152 | 53 |
As promised, here is our (first?) pacing poll, along with a second poll to check people’s interest in reading the second volume. We had originally voted to read both of them, but we don’t have to if there’s going to be a significant lack of interest. fwiw both polls are anonymous.
What does your ideal pace look like for the rest of the series?
- Break after week 4 (and vote again after week 7?)
- Break after week 4 and week 8
- More breaks
- No breaks
0
voters
Do you want to continue on to volume 2?
- Yes
- No
0
voters
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Chapter 3
Curious about everyone’s thoughts on this one. I think we got quite some development - some more depth and detail into Yuiji’s relationship with his girlfriend and his feelings in general, but also Yamato meeting another gay student. I really liked the subtle details on how the other boy (Akito?) realised that Yamato was also gay, and their conversation in the bar. The hug in the end was also really cute… I wonder if Yuiji is starting to catch some feelings?
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Thank you so much for this table once again. It’s been so helpful! Natsume’s name is 柴田奈津美 btw
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I would update it with the new characters’ names but I got lazy and didn’t take notes this past week.
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This week in general went so much better for me - both the actual content, and my comprehension. I’m truthfully still not emotionally hooked on the story, but it started to catch me towards the end, and if nothing else, I can appreciate it’s well written. Is this series completed, or is it still ongoing?
Ch 3 responses
I felt so bad for her, and hope (non-spitefully) she breaks up with him
I didn’t quite follow how he did (sleep deprivation) - just a “recognize one of my own kind” sorta thing. I think it was 秋山 Akiyama
Agreed. Seems like he’s on the border of it. I imagine next chapter we’ll be shown he’s starting to?
Idk if I’ll continue to vol 2 - depends how I feel at the end of the volume. But I don’t think that should influence the club’s choice to continue, since there’s enough people who do want to
Additional comparisons to yuri manga and トーマの心臓 (1970s BL)
I’m noticing another difference here vs yuri I’ve read, as well as something like トーマの心臓 | L24?? - which is that this is much more subtle with portraying emotions, relying almost entirely on inner monologue, rather than other very elaborate, decorative, over the top backgrounds and paneling and panels that really bring the characters’ emotions to the surface. This does have emotion panels… but there much more low key, and the facial expressions are much more stoic. Characters never cut across panels, a single moment of emotion never takes up an entire page or two. It honestly feels a bit surface level and plain to me in that regard. There’s also much less internal humor and being flustered and such (granted this story is pretty serious in tone, so it would probably feel a bit out of place)
It’s off topic at this point, but in case anyone was interested, I remembered an article that discusses the modern side of yuri being in all girls settings a bit: Overthinking Things 04/03/2011 | The Hooded Utilitarian - 40 Years of the Same Damn Story pt 1 (part 2 discusses the “girl prince” trope)
I think that’s probably related to why I’m less hooked than I might otherwise be, at 80% through vol 1
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Just a quick comment because I have no time to type right now
No, Sakura Akito 佐倉 彰人.
Edit:
Chapter 3 thoughts
It was nice to finally see Yuiji’s girlfriend (and that she isn’t just a plot device). I guess he should worry a bit more about his own love life rather than that of Yamato. As much as he is a textbook good ally, Yuiji isn’t quite there yet as a partner (but he is still a kid too, being skilled there would be weird). I’m glad he immediately got some good comments from Natsumi.
I’m having a bit of an issue distinguishing faces. For a second, I thought Akito with a wig was Mayu (Yuiji’s girlfriend) 
Otherwise, while I liked the content, I still feel like the author is spending a lot of time just info dumping stuff about what it feels to be gay. I kinda liked the plot device of having the TV say “just cut it out already” and Akito explain that even if acceptance is on the rise, that’s absolutely not safe enough to come out when you are stuck in a small environment (a high school class). It still feels pretty unnatural as a conversation between those two though.
The hug scene was funny. I don’t know if it’s the drawing style, but their hips did look reeeeally far apart Can’t get too close in that area.
It’s a restaurant Plus, they are minors, they can’t go to a bar.
I’m really not getting that impression myself 
If anything, he looks like he is starting to actually develop feelings for his girlfriend.
There are a bunch of parts that are almost info dumps (in general, not just this week). That does slow the progression of the story.
“Ongoing”, but volume 2 came out in 2018. Not sure if there are any news about further volumes.
Both Akito and Yamato reacted strangely to Akiyama’s gay joke. Now, in all fairness, that was kind of a stretch. Yamato might be straight but have thought the joke was in bad taste. I’m pretty sure Yuiji would have at this point.
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had to go back to this table … im so awful with names!!!
realized one is missing… (the Japanese version)
Kazutaka Seki 和孝関
another one not sure where it fits into the list of names
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I mean, she is in the main character list provided by the book it self (3rd image from @monace)
Her full name is Nemoto Mayu 根本麻友 and one of her issues in this chapter is Yuiji still calling her by her family name.
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glad someone can keep this organized…I’m horible with names…
went back and looked at the images but uhhh… that wasn’t kanji 韓国語 
had to scroll ahead to the end of the chapter (only read a little bit) was rereading with the names tonight - though have to stop to make dinner shortly
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That’s why I provided the Japanese in my post
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Yeah, afaik the author said she’s planning to continue or still working on it or sth? But in the meantime it seems she published multiple volumes of a new, more light hearted series. I hope she’s still working on it at least.Between the 1st and 2nd volumes was also a rather large time, but just a couple years I think. This is a much larger break. 
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ch 3 responses
I think she’s my favorite character so far
This is basically the beginning of 〆切前には百合が捗る | L28 (a series that very much does cover stuff like coming out vs being closeted, lesbian identity, internalized & societal homophobia, etc, and coincidentally also starts in a coed school - but I didn’t mention b4, bc it’s in the taboo list, for being (16 & 22) age gap)
Sry to keep bringing up yuri in the BL club lol… This is the 3rd BL title I’ve actually read (with the second being トーマの心臓), so I don’t have much to compare it to)
I kinda agree - at least the way it was written
The camera angle on the 2nd shot distorts it I think… like there is some distance in the first shot, but it seems like a natural “this is the right amount of hug to not feel shallow, but not feel tooooo close either”
I didn’t get that impression, just that he’s concerned and trying to understand her better, so he can be a better partner, bc he got slapped away & told off, and doesn’t totally get it, but feels guilty
Idk that that’s made much of a difference for me, since they’ve usually been written in well. It doesn’t feel like きみのせかいに恋はない | L27 in that regard
Oh ok. I thought there was something more I was missing… And now I see why I mixed up the names earlier
Ok, the progression & pacing makes more sense then
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Chapter 3
I was talking about before that. He looks kinda flustered after she smiled when he invited her to go out. Of course, like her, I feel like his change of course is a bit too little too late, but maybe not tooooo late, if you see what I mean. The relationship still feels salvageable (and I hope it goes well). He could have learned the wrong lesson from being told off, which would have led to a break up, but thanks to Natsumi’s clarification I think it’s gonna be alright.
I would love to read stuff about asexual people, but between your comment here and in the reading thread, I guess not that one
In what sense? Do you feel like it’s fast or slow?
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ch 3 response
Ohhhh gotcha… Could just be flustered at being asked out, rather than catching feels specifically? Idk
You’re so much nicer than me … But also wouldn’t that be bad for our BL progress? Well I guess they could have an amicable breakup
If this were only a 2 volume series, then quite slow. Particularly if it’s not intended to be an “ends shortly after confession” (idk how much of a thing that is in BL)
Wish I could say I knew any others. This is kinda making me wanna pick it up to see if my memory is accurate… But too many other things
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More Ch3 discussion
… But he is the one asking her out?
I’m not pairing him with Yamato, so not as far as I am concerned. Specifically, he has shown no sign of being into guys and Yamato is literally into another guy. In fact, I would probably be disappointed if they somehow got together without a really good reason.
Ah, I see. Well, again, the plot isn’t really romance-based from my perspective. I feel like it’s more going to be a “ends with the end of high school” or something like that.
Or… doesn’t end, as it seems?
I… just ended up reading the rest of the volume and a bit of the next one because of that discussion I won’t comment until the official time, though.
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response chapter 3
Ah whoops, misread that. I still wouldn’t read too much into it at that point… like that seems like a “typical to be flustered” situation to me
Fascinating, cuz to me this seems like “starts thinking about Yamato constantly, then doing research on what it’s like being gay, then befriending, and increasingly spending time with Yamato, while they have heart to hearts with each other, and smile and become more physically affectionate”… Which seems like "slow realization that being gay is a thing, and eventually (not yet) discovering that he is starting to develop feelings for Yamato). Is it common to have male ally characters who go out of their way to look all this stuff up, and contemplate it this much in BL? Edit: and IRL it’s certainly not uncommon for ppl to start as allies, and then eventually realize that they’re actually gay/bi/insert other relevant thing here
Plus you have the scene where the girls are talking about how it’s weird that he doesn’t really have a different response to girls vs guys, and that it’s a negative thing… Which narratively speaking, seemed like it could be a hint that he’s potentially bi (admittedly I may be reading into it too much, and it might not have any deeper meaning, but then what’s the point of telling us this?)
Actually wait… Is that supposed to be his gf in this panel? That went over my head till now… In which case, I can see the point in telling us
Which doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere anytime soon. So I assumed Yuiji & Yamato will bond, and eventually Yamato will move on from Kyosuke
Is this something that’s common in BL? Cuz wow this whole discussion is throwing off anything I expected coming into this manga… which is to say, I assumed it was a romance btwn Yuiji & Yamato from the outset
Ahh my other least favorite ending point
Now I wanna knoooooow lol
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Even more chapter 3
But, obviously, he knew that being was a thing from the start, since that’s literally what made him be worried of Yamato at the beginning of the story (and much less once he gets to know more about him).
Never heard of it, really, especially for a main character. And that’s what I like so much about it (and why I would be disappointed if it stopped being the case). I never considered the possibility until this series, and I think it’s great.
I’m taking it more as a “he is probably some variant of asexual”, but there’s not enough info about it so far.
Yes, that’s his girlfriend. That scene explains why she hasn’t been so present in the story so far too.
That’s what I assumed from the cover (and really what I expected from it being BL and all) but that’s not what we have so far. I’m perfectly fine with Yamato getting in a relationship with some other guy while Yuiji fixes his own relation. Or, more specifically, I’m hoping for that to happen.
Ah, also the author mentioned aiming for 3 volumes in the あとがき of volume 1. Someday™ I guess.
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返事、もっと第3話
Sure… But like knowing abstractly vs now having a real example of it to interact with (as of the beginning of the story)
Ahh, I see
At the least we both agree “probably not normatively hetero”
Not following (and have lost the page yet again)
Ok, I thought I had missed something lol
Tbh the extended hiatus is making me a bit less interested in vol 2, but I’ll see at the end of the volume
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It’s not a hiatus, I think. I was randomly checking the table of content of past issues of the magazine it is published in, and there are chapters published now and then. It’s just super irregular.
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