people can respond in ugly ways when they have been hurt is what id say. im seeing tons of people talk about how theyre too old or the characters just irk them or whatever but i think what some people are missing is that this manga is not just a romance, its also a coming of age. being a teenager is hard and the growing pains are intense. for me though watching them struggle through that, making mistakes and learning rights from wrongs is what makes this manga and others like it so endearing. i dont agree with hananois actions at the beginning either, but he didnt know they were wrong yet. i will say it doesnt "get better fast" theres ups and downs but thats cause 1. drama is needed for manga plot lol and 2. real human emotional growth isnt linear either theres no equation you can memorise to figure out your life its truly trial and error
I mean, I'd say ofc some people are feeling a bit "too old" for a shoujo manga that's a bizarre critique to have imo, people in different walks of life and ages have different outlook on what they want in a romance, but I wouldn't say that's my issue. More like I know what these behaviours look like in real life and they always lead to unstable, dangerous situations that irreparably traumatize or hurt people. So unavoidably this is all I think when I see this dude act like that.
I am still gonna give it a shot after hearing what you said, the series sounds promising, but if he makes any suicide threats or something extreme of the like Im outta here man lol
I mean if you want spoilers. There is no "shrine" hananoi just knew hotaru when they were children and he wants to hide that fact from her. He's a person with abandonment issue who's now dating the girl he liked so much when he was a kid so he's definitely way more obsessive. But he learns to be better & become more social
i definitely agree that hananoi has a lot of toxic obsessive traits to him but i also believe there is true development in his character. not that’s in excuse to be a shit boyfriend, but because he was so emotionally neglected in his childhood, his warped idea of love meant to be the most important person (she is the most important to me, so i should be most important to her).
after entering a relationship with hotaru, he has to contest with the fact that he is not the only one in her life and he learns how to create boundaries, become in tune with her boundaries, and form relationships with others instead of only relying on hotaru. initially he wanted the relationship because he hates being alone but he really comes to love her.
obviously in real life a guy like hananoi would be an immediate no from me but i guess i can suspend my disbelief because this is a fictional teenager who still has time to grow, and actively shows his growth despite still falling into the ‘possessive boyfriend’ trope
Ah, I see. Thank you for explaining. I was sincerely creeped out by him and felt forreal like I had been in a bad prank show. Thanks a lot to both you and @takemeaway, you helped me be more open and hesitate less to continuing the show and maybe eventually the manga! I really appreciate you guys taking the time to type this out, this sort of reassurance was exactly what I was hoping for and more!
im glad i could help. the story mellows out into a fairly sweet romance but it all depends on how long you’re willing to give it to set in. it’s totally valid if it doesn’t click with you, since hananoi’s initially offputting personality definitely screams red flag. i was reading your earlier reply in this thread so i wanted to add, hananoi is possessive but it doesn’t get to a destructive level with hotaru (suicide threats n stuff), it’s where he learns self reliance and boundary respect because at the end of the day, he values her happiness over his own comfort. sry if this became rambly lmao
no no I legit really appreciate these comments, it's more than I hoped I'd get! Thank you for putting up with me despite how probably for fans this is an irritating discussion from an ignorant anime viewer ╥﹏╥
This type of behaviour when Ive seen it irl always turned out suuuper bad and traumatising so I guess I couldnt really suspend my disbelief the same way other ppl would, it made me feel anxious that this was romanticizing some crazy ass shit haha. I'm definitely gonna keep watching!
so Im an ignorant little bird and please excuse me for that, I read the first 2 chapters a while ago and felt like this manga wasn't for me, but with so few shoujo getting adapted I jumped at the chance to watch this.
So many ppl whose taste I respect love this manga but I honestly don't get it!! The man is a bunch of red flags in a trench coat!! What do you mean he has a shrine about her?!?!? Curtain's blue too, feels like Bluebeard's room or something! I'm not one to nitpick about "problematic" things but he clearly is lovebombing her and is showing some disturbing behaviour!! I do not get how this isn't just an evolution of the "he's a prick but I can fix him" trope that old misogynist shoujo manga had, but this time he's like a yandere!
This series was recommended to me as realistic and nuanced with wonderful characters who go through immense character development, but isnt this just romanticising excusing people's actions that push your boundaries as long as you "make them change through love"?
I am not dropping this anime for now and wanted to read the series too, but I'm just baffled here. What am I missing? Does it get better fast? Cause his behavior really gives me goosebumps all the time! Help!!! Please give me some soft spoiler hints!!（/TДT)/