pluckaduck's manga / #friendship(11)

so I guess cakey X okatu and chisa x iori are canon. i mean, there were several hints of iori x chisa but i also want to support the high school boy and gold digger... regarding okatu, i don't think he romantically like cakey- like he said, he finds her presence cozy.

one of the funniest slice-of-life mangas ever

im so confused about the spider web string the killer was seeing? it ended up not that relevant or explained anyway, so why was this even added? his backstory was confusing. i felt that there was some details that was just glossed over, but ig it wasnt so important

it's underrated. it's entertaining, the banter and dynamics are hilarious, and the friendships are wholesome. all the charas have personalities and quirks, and the mc takes a back seat after his arc to focus on other charas. it's not a power fantasy in the slightest, and the author makes it clear that it's a just game with how lighthearted everything is, and how we don't actually know anything about the charas outside of it (save a couple charas) bc the story takes place only in the game. the author also plays with our expectations by framing the backstories in a certain dark way, then completely subverts them by shedding more information. well done author. also i love how antagonists are written, they arent necessarily demonized for trauma and mc to beat, but just players playing the game, as the author empathizes. but treating everything so lighthearted is selfish as it backfires on relationships built within. which is the main theme btw. finally, the plot: it is not much. it's very much character-driven. the quests/lore take the backseat. but i didn't read it for plot so whatever. also, id love to see more of isley and raiquia interacting.

ngl their co-dependency was teetering on the edge of romance in so many scenes; the homoerotic vibes are palpable here. i love it. i kinda feel bad for aki; i cant tell if taraka actually loves her, or if he's just trying to find another "rock" to depend on, for emotional and physical needs in an attempt to distance himself from yuujin. anyway, the camera work and panelling is exceptional; so many subtle, in-between-the-lines meanings and emotions. when emphasis is necessary, the expression on their faces is detailed and intense and the scenes are framed dramatically. and taraka and yuujin's dynamic is so compelling?? this is exactly what i crave in psychological subtlety BL stories. i need them to end up together.

lovely. just lovely. it so cute how they started a friendship over a shared interest in something mundane like film, and then developed this relationship into something profound and special and sweet. the story focuses on their relationship and developments, with the film interest as padding and high school as a backdrop to convey the feelings of youth, and with the way the story is told via the atmospheric angles and paneling, the natural banter, all of it together really embodies the theme of "summer youth romance". it's so down-to-earth and simple but also quite romantic. the days passed and time marched on after the summer, but mc was still stuck on his relationship with ml, and couldn't move on. it should have ended, but he couldnt forget the beautiful and fun memories and the longing. truly reminiscent of "summer".