Honestly I really didn't mind the ending. It's a little saccharine, but it's not awful.
I think what would've really sold the end though, the whole "Ruby lies every day to live through the pain" bit, would've been one tiny detail. If her eyes had been dark stars but still with that cheerful energy she has, I unironically would think that the ending is perfect.
Honestly, it may be an unpopular opinion but it really is for the best. Just like Kamiki had said, if Aqua had gotten out alive that would've left a smudge on not only him but also Ruby,not to mention that Aqua was prepared to throw his life away multiple times for this. He obviously thought that losing his life was worth making Sarina's and Ruby's better.
All in all, this is still a tragedy, but even more importantly than that it's a martyrdom, moreso one that Aqua embraced gladly.
It's the best ending to tie up loose ends. Aqua can't live. Because if he's alive, he'd be carrying the sin of killing his father. Which would be a burden to Ruby's future. Also, hopefully he gets reincarnated. So he could live for himself and not for others. Like Goro lived a life his grandma wanted him to have while Aqua lived his life for Ai and Ruby. If he gets another reincarnation, hopefully he gets to live a life for his own self not for someone else again
The only issue with Aqua dying is that Ruby isn't going to be okay at all; I think death is what he deserves (in a "let him rest" sort of way), but he'd be the only one with a happy-ish end, leaving Ruby, Kanna, Akane and even Mem-cho to deal with the fallout. I suppose that wouldn't be the worst end for the series, but a little unsatisfying.
Also, truly loving how Gorou's relationship with Ai (loving her to keep the memory of Sarina alive) directly parallels their father's relationship with Ruby (hating her/wanting her dead to keep the memory of Ai alive). The best and worst of humanity in them both, it's just so crunchy.
stoppppppp thats so trueeee why hadn't i pieced it together before!!!!! such a nice bit of character foiling
oh u cooked w this one
Damn bro.. I cried a little
IDK, I get where the mom is coming from. She's being a little rude/cagey about it, but it's absolutely not uncommon for kids to be unresponsible or taken advantage of in relationships, especially if the partner knows they're "out of their league" (i.e. gold diggers). I was asked out as a dare twice in high school because I was That Weird Kid; I get it.
Realistic communication issues between a sub who has been in control since the proposal and was less ready for subspace than he thought and a domme who wasn't mentally prepared for it from the get-go and stubbornly tried to move forward with something they were both unprepared for. Yes, this is ALSO a facet of learning kink culture, especially without an experienced lead. Even for experienced people (of which they are NOT- Richard admits to being a virgin himself in this chapter), it's not always sunshine and roses.
It also shouldn't ever be rape, but here we are.
Valid points, yes, but still not an excuse for rape. It's unfortunate considering I had high hopes for the character.
You do realize the scene isn't even over, right? He stopped at the end once he snapped back; there's plenty of time for this to turn into self-reflection and better communication instead of one-sidedly deciding a victim and a perpetrator before anybody has time to talk or repent.
CAN this be considered rape? Absolutely, but again, we don't genuinely know what the outcome of this is going to be until the end of the scene.
As someone who was raped, I don't think my rapist having some self reflection right after the act would change what he did to me. Decidedly not actually, it wouldn't heal my body, wouldn'tremove the feelingof him inside me, wouldn'tturn back time and change the interaction.
Snapping out of it and realizing you fucked up doesn't mean you didn't rape someone. Repenting doesn't take away that you were a predator and you had a victim. No amount of retribution takes away the pain you caused, the trauma you inflicted, or the act you chose to do. We even see Richard lose control when he realizes she's in pain, how is that cool with a little self reflection?
Your victim can forgive you. You can grow and improve. You could be named a fucking Saint for all I care and it doesn't erase what you did. It doesn't erase what you were and are. A rapist. This is fiction but shit like this happens and in the end so many victims are told to forgive, he didn't mean it, she wasn't trying to hurt you, you said yes at first. If this isn't treated properly in the story it's just another rape apologist love story.
With all due respect, I think you're projecting way too hard on a psychological BDSM manhwa of all things. Nobody has any right to dictate what happened to you, but likewise you aren't the absolute authority on every piece of noncon or kink literature ever. Your lived experiences aren't Courtney's and Richard's, and that doesn't even get into the fact that BDSM and kink culture is inherently dangerous (in the sense that it poses a higher general risk than vanilla) and needs to be treated with an understanding that people can - and often do - get hurt in ways that you don't normally see in vanilla, and that those types of situations between partners who knowingly enter kinky scenarios together need to be handled with delicate gravitas, not with the force of a pointed finger and a rape accusation. Something that it seems like the author is setting up in the next chapter, if you were willing to read the previous chapter all the way through.
I don't think I can say anything else because you've pretty much firmly made up your mind, and you and multiple other people in this comment section have been liberally throwing around rape apologist accusations and putting words in people's mouths, so I'm just going to leave it at that. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Man, I'm absolutely a sucker for these cathartic tragedy romance manga. If anybody has any recs for more like this or The Wolf Lord's Lady, hmu. A good cry is always appreciated.
lmao when I was complaining over a year ago that the author was baiting with yeodan and somebody bitched at me that it "wasn't baiting" like. yeah it is. be real please.
I might pick this back up later because I don't DISLIKE the actual ML but it honestly just hurts to think about rn
Kind of funny that people (myself included!) thought the prodigy actor was telling the truth when he was selling his sob story to the twins. Should've known he was twisting his own agenda and Aqua (who called out "Ruby's revenge" as finished rather than "our revenge") noticed, or at least suspected.
You are right, it felt too good to be true
Always really nice to see a series that acknowledges lolita not only as a fashion but also as a very personal counterculture. I'm really excited to see where this goes (and to maybe see Marie in more substyles than just rococo/hime as she learns more about the modern world).