Wasted potential

Maybe because in real life not everything goes well? There can be drama were things don't end well and it's good too. And the fact the character is ''unlikeable'' is subjective. We don't know him all that well yet.

so a trans story cant be good if the person is in an unrequited love? and the love interest being straight makes him annoying and ruins the story?........

Why unsincere romantic plot? Manase loves that guy, what's wrong with that?

You don't need to know someone that well to dislike them.... So I have no idea why you're talking about something realistic in one breath then unrealistic in the next. I already know that what I learn about Masaki won't make me dislike him less. Because it's irrelevant. That he plays with other people's feelings without considering the consequences is what makes him a douchebag, whether it's unintentional or not. That people side with douchebags once their tragic back story comes out yet start making snide comments about their victims as soon as they hear their tragic back story is a realistic reaction that needs to stop because it's DESPICABLE. Thx.

Um no. They said annoying straight man. Not annoying (aka straight) man. So my FIRST guess whether it's right or NOT is that they're referring to something other than him being straight. I'm not sure why your first guess was the opposite, in other words?

In other words, some realistic subject matters need to become extinct asap.

I do agree with Eva on this one point. Masaki was clearly in love with someone from the very beginning.

Masaki's love was sincere, what I refer to as "unsincere" is from the author's part. Masaki's body dysphoria is depicted with raw emotion while the romantic subplot seems like a thing shoehorned to "spice up" the story. And it's not even good because like how one of the replies had pointed out, the romantic interest is unlikeable, and every women in this story unreasanobly attracted to him. at this point even if he has *gasp* tragic backstory, it will only serve my point that he's a mere plot device as opposed a real character I can symphatize with.

It can! If it has good writing. Hourou Musuko is a good one.

To be fair, the title is quite literally "Kono Koi ni Mirai wa nai" aka "This love has no future". It states two things in the title, even if you don't look at the tags/summary which is below:
1) It deals with the topic of love
2) It isn't a happy story

I'm sure if someone were looking for "a heartfelt story about a trans woman gaining friends and confidence" without any romantic subtext, they wouldn't pick up a book that literally states in the title that it's not that.
You're saying you don't like something because it's not something else, even though there were no false pretenses that it would be said "something else" i.e. nobody ever claimed it would be a "heartfelt story about gaining friends and confidence". It's like me saying I don't like Grave of the Fireflies because it deals with the brother and sister during WW2, instead of showing Japan's occupation of China.

Furthermore, I don't see how Masaki is "an annoying straight guy". I don't see what he's done wrong at all so far - he isn't in an explicit relationship with anyone - if he chooses to have consensual, casual sex with people, what makes that wrong? He's not cheating on anyone and he's definitely not responsible for other people's feelings and is in no way obligated to feel the same as someone else. I also don't understand how it's unrealistic that several people like him - he's handsome, intelligent, talented, charming, friendly, has that bad boy spark and nonchalance, but is at the same time educated and interested in classic literature - so it's not like he's a foil character, he has a developed personality that will only get more complex as we find out more about him.

because he hasn’t done anything annoying/mean/bad at all, and the way they specifically put ‘straight man’ makes it seem like the fact that he’s straight plays a part in it ‘wasting potential’

"if he chooses to have consensual, casual sex with people, what makes that wrong? He's not cheating on anyone and he's definitely not responsible for other people's feelings and is in no way obligated to feel the same as someone else"

You expressed exactly what I feel while reading the comment section. I mean, I also feel really close to the MC because of his unrequited love story, but that doesn't mean that the story will go as I want. Also, being the one in love doesn't equal with the other person accepting your love. Masaki is having one-nkght stands, being clear about it. That's something I approve because it's fair, it doesn't make him a bad person just because he doesn't feel the same as all the others who seem to have a crush on him.

That's how real life is. The authors can show the reality even though the story is not real, that's why it moves the hearts of people, no? ╮(￣▽￣)╭

Exactly. I think that, for one, this idea of true love, soulmate etc. is so deeply rooted in culture and mindsets that anything that doesn't conform to that set ideal is deemed immoral, the person in question is shunned, they're thought of as shallow or incapable of deeper feeling. And, what's worse, this one "negative" character trait is enough to make the whole of the person irredeemable - anything they say, do or feel from that point on is invalidated.

Two - as you said - it's real life. Feelings aren't always going to go both ways - in fact, most monogamous relationships consist of one person who confesses their feelings and the other who accepts them, even though theirs aren't as strong, but for whatever reason (social pressure, pity, loneliness...) they do start a relationship with the person who confessed. However, some people don't want to settle or get into a relationship with someone they don't have feelings for. And then they turn out to be the bad guys because they didn't want to lead someone on.
People are just angry because they feel entitled to another's affection, and when it doesn't go as planned, the other person is to blame.

I guess what bothers me is when people say that a story is bad when their moral code/values/views clash with the characters' actions. Because you're not judging the storytelling, the quality of characterization, the realism etc. - your criticism has nothing to do with the author's skill or lack of thereof, it's just you pushing your own ideals onto something that didn't come from/isn't part of your consciousness to begin with. Don't like something? That's perfectly fine, no one's forcing you to read it. Just say "Hey, this isn't for me" and move on. Realize that people are different, you're not the center of the universe and your negative feelings on something don't make it inherently bad or worthless.

Well said