Galim September 10, 2019 8:45 am

I know this manga's a bit old to be doing this, but every time I reread it, I feel like I get a more refined sense of all the aspects that make this work so interesting. This is one of my favorite GL series, but I also...don't like it much.

As a story, it's actually not very good. To use some other words I've seen thrown around, it's dry, melancholic, unsatisfying. But it's not written to make readers laugh, or cry, or swoon. It's written to be real. Real life is rarely satisfying in the way we expect from stories. The fact that Takemiya Jin is an out lesbian in Japan just strengthens my conviction that this is the case.

GL and BL tend to inhabit an ocean of tropes, which is not a bad thing, necessarily. But, reading this, every time I recognize a situation but not the resolution thereof, it's striking. Not stimulating, but impossible to ignore.

I would describe this manga as sobering, if not numbing. While it may seem hard to justify a story from which there is so little emotional impact, positive or negative, to be experienced, I personally don't think of it as needing justification. Most stories exist because the author wants to write them, because the author wants people to read it and be entertained, and/or because the author wants money.

Omoi no Kakera exists because it should. People should read it not because they'll enjoy it, but because they won't. Perspective is important. But, I'm tired and rambling, so I'll stop here and hope this makes sense to others.

If you want a TJ series that's a bit less...severe, I reccomend An Absurd Relationship. To this day its ending is one of my favorites.

    Kaito.Hat February 26, 2020 4:32 am

    This was really well said! I appreciate this post.

Galim August 31, 2019 12:20 pm

A shounen series...but with a lesbian protagonist?

Holy shit I am so on board with this. I think I've found my perfect manga.

Galim July 17, 2019 6:43 pm

So the Blue Star Curse supposedly only appears in men, right? Assuming that the fact that it's never been documented in women is not because of a simple lack of the documentation, what if Andrew is genetically XY with CAIS? It would explain how she has it, it could provide a loophole for her to become a real heir, AND it would be some really cool, if subtle and palatable (for people unfamiliar with the territory who might otherwise be uncomfortable) intersex representation.

    Rorschach July 31, 2019 5:12 pm

    definitely probably super fringe but damn i like it!

    trinityanne August 26, 2019 9:21 pm

    no the thing is if you pay attention to this manga it states flat out that the nation this is based on and her family is a Patriarchy which means women have no say in ANYTHING period not even written history to sum things up women in a society like that are seen as nothing more than tools to be traded at will

    Galim August 27, 2019 2:43 am
    no the thing is if you pay attention to this manga it states flat out that the nation this is based on and her family is a Patriarchy which means women have no say in ANYTHING period not even written history to... trinityanne

    What I was saying was that if she was genetically male, even though she was for all other intents and purposes a woman she could be considered, exclusively for the purpose of taking power, to be a man. A loophole. I was paying attention to the manhwa. You were not paying attention to my comment.

    Galim August 27, 2019 2:53 am
    no the thing is if you pay attention to this manga it states flat out that the nation this is based on and her family is a Patriarchy which means women have no say in ANYTHING period not even written history to... trinityanne

    Also, a piece of advice: learn to use punctuation. I don't want to be needlessly rude to you, but your comments are such a headache to read that I'm really tempted to just dismiss you and your point(s) out of hand. Anything written that way comes off as really juvenile. I don't think you are one, but your comment looks like it was written by a preteen.

    trinityanne August 27, 2019 5:28 pm
    Also, a piece of advice: learn to use punctuation. I don't want to be needlessly rude to you, but your comments are such a headache to read that I'm really tempted to just dismiss you and your point(s) out of h... Galim

    first off i was not insulting unlike yourself secondly i use a voice protocol program to do my typing for me due to having limited use of my hands due to have the Auto Immune disease Multiple sclerosis so my lack of punctuation is a tad on the lacking side i am aware however i frankly do not care as this is a comments section of a manga website and from what i can tell you are about the only person who had a problem with what i stated period so by all means grow up i just as you yourself did before stated my own thoughts on the matter and frankly speaking i do believe that she is just a normal female that has the same genetic disorder as her father

    Galim August 27, 2019 7:33 pm
    first off i was not insulting unlike yourself secondly i use a voice protocol program to do my typing for me due to having limited use of my hands due to have the Auto Immune disease Multiple sclerosis so my la... trinityanne

    I only brought up the lack of punctuation because the brick of text with no visible flow is genuinely difficult to read. However, I apologize if it came off as insensitive, I was unaware of your circumstances.

    As far as insulting, whether you intended it or not, your comment came off as insulting to me, so I jabbed back. You insinuated that I didn't understand basic facts about the comic in a, if not hostile, somewhat aggressive-seeming tone, while not acknowledging that I very much addressed those facts with the very basis of my comment. The fact that the society is a patriarchy is exactly what could allow a woman to take power if she was seen as male (exempli gratia, better than female) under such a technicality as CAIS.

    I was presenting a theory that I highly doubt is the case, but that I would find interesting and believable from a writing standpoint, particularly if it was used as a loophole in the way I mentioned. However, I am largely of the same thought as you that it will be explained in some other, simpler way.

    trinityanne August 28, 2019 8:55 am
    I only brought up the lack of punctuation because the brick of text with no visible flow is genuinely difficult to read. However, I apologize if it came off as insensitive, I was unaware of your circumstances.A... Galim

    i understand and i did not intend to come across as being an asshole however i just word things very bluntly and honestly i just thought that as things seemed to me to be playing out my comment was a bit more fitting however i can also respect your side of this as well seeing as how honestly this could very well go both ways however at the end of the day i still stick with the patriarchy theory lol

GK GHIMA August 18, 2019 7:39 am

That ending was so sad. Can you imagine how confusing and distressing that would be in a repressed society like Japan? I want to give her a hug and tell her everything's okay.

    bad angel April 24, 2019 7:37 pm

    same

    Anonymous May 1, 2019 1:18 am

    Actually, Japan is arguably more tolerant of incest than the US.

    GK GHIMA May 2, 2019 4:52 am
    Actually, Japan is arguably more tolerant of incest than the US. @Anonymous

    If you mean in regards to cousins, then yes. Most places are. But in Japan, not only is there less acceptance of same-sex relationships, sexuality in general is not something you typically share. Add to that the fact that this is about a parent and child, and you get incest that is not only more taboo than sibling incest, but also something that no kid would ever feel they could ask their parent about.

    In Japan, sexuality in reality and sexuality in fiction are far more drastically removed from each other than in the U.S. Keep that in mind.

Galim June 16, 2020 9:44 pm

I kinda want to see the Minister's son's wife (not sure that she's ever been named) and Dukumi get together now. If she's being physically abused I certainly hope she leaves soon.



Edit: Well, I sure hope somebody picks up that phone...

Galim August 18, 2019 7:30 am

How long until Harumi and Matsuri get together? I want my Spring Festival, damnit, it's the only reason I'm still here!

GK GHIMA December 19, 2018 11:10 am

Everyone is so upset that Saitama has been absent? From my understanding of the series, he ENDS plot arcs. If you just want him for comedic purposes while he roams the MA base offing random monsters while he looks for anyone of importance, that I kind of understand. But fights involving Saitama are boring, for the readers and him. I, personally, have been greatly enjoying the exploits of Garou, who is my favorite character from this or any series. Phoenix Man is probably the coolest monster we've ever seen. But some people aren't even reading the recent chapters because Saitama's not there. Can someone (politely) explain why you feel the way you do?

    InsomniacEnigma December 19, 2018 12:20 pm

    tbh I missed the comedy with him like u said...uhhh other than that, Idm where this story goes. I just dont like how the 'rescue' part feels like it's dragging on.

    Umm tbh maybe im biased cuz im used to binge reading stuff and im caught up with this series for awhile now. Ik the author redrew ch 99 but still... I admit im impatient with this series tho xD so I shouldnt be saying anything eh

    InsomniacEnigma December 19, 2018 12:24 pm

    Ah- just for the record, even if I miss saitama, im not one of those ppl who doesn't read the recent chapters. I still read it cuz I am still interested. I also like analyzing the detailed art and panel structure for reference

    GK GHIMA December 19, 2018 12:49 pm
    Ah- just for the record, even if I miss saitama, im not one of those ppl who doesn't read the recent chapters. I still read it cuz I am still interested. I also like analyzing the detailed art and panel structu... InsomniacEnigma

    I have to agree on the art thing. Murata is an artistic god. The later parts of the fight between Garou and Orochi, after Orochi "disassembles" for lack of a better word, has single panels that could be whole fucking wallpapers.

    InsomniacEnigma December 29, 2018 5:45 pm
    I have to agree on the art thing. Murata is an artistic god. The later parts of the fight between Garou and Orochi, after Orochi "disassembles" for lack of a better word, has single panels that could be whole f... GK GHIMA

    Weird, I didn't get notified by ur reply; I'm sorry about that. Also yea I agree! xD they would make some really awesome wallpapers/ posters! I'd buy one

Galim August 18, 2019 7:33 am

You've seen her flirt (or "flirt") with other people, but have you ever seen her show even a moment of weakness in front of anybody else? Think about the life she's led, that kind of gesture really means something!
She really likes you, but she's terrified of emotional intimacy and if you keep missing those rare moments where she drops her guard, eventually she's going to close herself off from you the same way she's closed herself off from everyone else.



Obviously that won't happen or this would be a pretty disappointing story, but Ice is still being frustratingly dense.

    yellyo2909 December 1, 2018 8:12 pm

    I totally agree with u!

    Hel December 2, 2018 1:02 am

    Totally true !

    curly December 4, 2018 7:49 pm

    I agree with u!

GK GHIMA January 13, 2020 2:29 pm

While the ending was very low-key, it did seem like a happy ending, and I don't think it was badly written or even necessarily rushed. Based on both Hwayeon and Eunha's words, it does seem that the curse that was affecting Eunha's memory IS fixed. That's been a key element of the story, and the resolution of it actually makes a pretty decent place to end off.

I also don't think that what Eunha drank was Siyeon's soul or anything weird like that; think about it, just before it jumps to her retrieving Siyeon, she gets up and implies going to a physical location (presumably to Siyeon in the physical world), not her own mind. There's also the glow of a magical doorway behind her, which along with what she says sure seems to imply that however Eunha entered that void space, she was there to get Siyeon out. If Siyeon had fused souls with Hwayeon or Eunha there wouldn't be any reason to try to retrieve her because it wouldn't be possible.

The way they describe the space with uncertainty and the fact that a person is not always present within what is supposed to be their own mind says to me that whatever that space is, it's NOT Hwayeon's mind, but maybe something like a private dream realm that one projects their soul into. My interpretation is that there's only the risk of soul fusion if two people are in the space together for an hour. Since Hwayeon left just before Siyeon's time ran out, that would leave Siyeon alone in that space, but just unconscious in the physical world like Hwayeon was before Siyeon entered.

I;m not sure, but I think Siyeon may have lied about the tears thing. If Yoobin was supposed to gather tears from the sleeping Hwayeon, why was there no evidence that Hwayeon had been crying when she was shown awake? I think that Siyeon chose to stay and isolate herself from Eunha so that Eunha and Yoobin could be happy (her smile before going in could have meant that she never planned to come back). Hwayeon explained this to Yoobin when she returned along with the details of the curse and the fact that the solution was already complete. Yoobin and Hwayeon respected her decision, but Eunha went to get her anyway.

I think that the ending is deliberately somewhat open and also chooses not to spoon-feed the audience everything, which is a style of storytelling that I'm sure some people don't like, but isn't bad writing. The ending of Citrus was bad writing. It is still possible there will still be a sequel series that explains more, but there will not be an epilogue. The Korean version of Lezhin's website has the series marked as completed and Chapter 55 was a month and a half ago.

A Very Late Edit: I personally like to think that Eunha, Siyeon, and Yoobin are poly following the ending. I don't know why I didn't make note of this when I originally posted this breakdown.

    GK GHIMA October 1, 2018 9:41 pm

    Something to append: It did take more than a half hour of dissecting the last few chapters to work this theory out, so while I feel like I may have come off as condescending, I absolutely understand and do not judge if you were confused by the ending and that's why you didn't like it. I was too.

Galim August 18, 2019 7:35 am

This is my all-time favorite GL anything. As much as I usually like the darker series like Moonlight Garden, Elixir, and On A Leash over fluffy high-school romance, there's something about this that I can only describe as perfect. It surpasses those entire categories because it is as good as any fluffy high-school romance can possibly be. Like it has a score multiplier of infinity or something.

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