So upon reading this for nth time, I cant just wrap my head around in some scenarios that ...

Yes, actually. It was normal EVERYWHERE but in the US at that time (I think?). Japan's age of consent (for sexual acts) particularly was 13 and it only moved to 16 literally last year. At that time (1998), you can get married at 16 years old with parent's permission, like how Asou's former gf got married in highschool (she's probably 16). Or how some students get married with their teachers which is what made people have an ick about some of CLAMP's works (particularly Cardcaptor Sakura).

It's only in the last decade or so that the views regarding underage people became stricter and several consecutive laws in every country was passed, although in common people's mind at that time, "underage" is 10 and below. Pedophilia was so rampant that videos were literally uploaded in Youtube in the early 2000s. It honestly felt like an entire new world compared to the current decade and honestly, I'm kind of glad for that.

So if you see any elders with problematic mindset, that's not entirely their fault because it was what their norm was at their time and the reality that they lived and survived with. Instead of being disgusted, patiently explain why it's wrong, but even then, it might take some time for them to really understand.

Also, I forgot to say, I think Yukari's hold over Kiyomine isn't about the break up but that Yukari sacrificed her livelihood for him. For a working woman like Yukari, that's a big thing, and Kiyomine understands the gravity of the situation too. At least Yukari does pay him and Takara their worth and doesn't use them for free labor.

Also I kind of reread my comment and realized that the elder problematic mindset kind of came out of nowhere hahaha I just remembered how some kids nowadays immediately label their own parents as problematic, or even severely, a "predator", just because they have different views. I've found that most people, doesn't matter if young or old, are too stubborn in their own views that they immediately shut you out when they hear something they don't like.

Girl a predator is a predator no matter how you view it, even through out the manga they kept labeling older men who looked at younger women as predators, sadly not the other way around. example being Fushijimas Father who was labeled a creep for looking at his sons poster for a long time. A “different” view is still being used as an excuse for being a piece of shit. They know what’s wrong let’s not try to baby Japanese people who know better, especially the older generation. Being “older” isn’t an excuse. It’s a weird fetish it’s problematic it should be shamed, you can’t just run away from ur actions just because it was the past. You still did them and they still have an impact on the world. Just take the repercussions and deal with it, don’t cry about excuses that have been said time and time again. Deal with the consequences of your actions no matter how long. That’s just karma for people.

Girl, I'd be the last person to defend an actual predator, I would probably bury them myself if I found someone close to me who has done that to kids.

The difference in views in generational gaps I'm talking about is over how the age legal thing works, because that thing being illegal was only normalized in the west back then and the rest only caught up at around 2000s when the internet became more widespread. For people then, it was normal for 16 years olds to date 20 years olds and above, and some oldies now who aren't using the internet (unlike the rest of us, because there's surprisingly a whole boatload of them) still has that mindset because for them, a child was 14 years old and below and it didn't help that children that age also wanted to emulate adults and dated older people so they'd look cool and have something to brag to their friends, unlike now where they're more careful and self-aware of the creeps. That was just how society was for them, it wasn't viewed as problematic, so old manga like this one, those made by CLAMP, etc. also have those same "norm" incorporated into them. Heck, even the initial Disney movies were problematic af. Snow White was a 14 year old being sexually assaulted by a 31 year old guy and it was romanticized to hell and back ffs. Zegler wasn't wrong for expressing her discomfort.

Instead of just screaming at them that "you're wrong! I don't agree with you so your idea is invalid" etc. You gotta explain WHY the idea is problematic in the first place (if you care to, granted that you know that they're a good person, just an old-fashioned one). I do hope society does shit with the age gaps too tho, most irl relationships I've seen with 15 years and above age gap have so much manipulation, control and emotional abuse going on. Especially the 40 year old guys dating 19 year olds because "we're both consenting adults" be fr, 19 is no better than 18 or 17. Date someone with a fully developed brain (age 25).