Hope You're Happy, Lemon - Ch. 70

[MangaDex]

 

[Saybah]

Going back with ex or pursue a new love hmm

 

[UdenEmpati]

Man, he can't even affirm his liking Natsumin without thinking of Lemon in the same mental breath.

And since this phone call didn't really lead toward a "Natsumin Arc" like I'd hoped, it's going to take some real narrative setup to give Natsumin the opportunity to take center stage in the story in a way that allows her to actually compete with Lemon, if that ship is going to continue being perceived as at all viable.

Well, as long as the quality of story & writing justifies any eventual potential romantic pairing, it's whatever.

 

[Rafalga]

The absolute race to the bottom. Sunao legit made me sick. What a tool.

 

[Narehate]

Poly ending would go crazy in this manga

 

[UdenEmpati]

Poly ending would go crazy in this manga

the only problem with the throuple ending, as I see it -- is that it would require Lemon and Natsumin to have some sort of bond beyond their current "besties & roommates" status, because they'd have to actively affirm they both want to be with Sunao alongside one another, and not just out of politeness or consideration for one another.

I could see it happening with the correct line of writing, but at present I don't know if it could be convincingly done, because as of now it would just be Sunao being incapable of making up his mind between the two of them, which is just a bad look and bad authorship/wish fulfillment.

If a Throuple Ending really is the goal, a lot of story still needs to be told.

 

[Narehate]

the only problem with the throuple ending, as I see it -- is that it would require Lemon and Natsumin to have some sort of bond beyond their current "besties & roommates" status, because they'd have to actively affirm they both want to be with Sunao alongside one another, and not just out of politeness or consideration for one another.

I could see it happening with the correct line of writing, but at present I don't know if it could be convincingly done, because as of now it would just be Sunao being incapable of making up his mind between the two of them, which is just a bad look and bad authorship/wish fulfillment.

If a Throuple Ending really is the goal, a lot of story still needs to be told.

Too lazy to go back and check but I SWEAR there was a moment where Natsumi gets flustered over Lemon and starts questioning herself.

 

[3turtlesinacoat]

It does feel a bit weird to suddenly have him be so lovestruck(?) with lemon after not really seing anything like that for basically the entire manga but ig thats what the flashback arc was supposed to build up.
i dont get why he has to be a nervous wreck all of a sudden but ill let the author cook for a bit ig.
Honestly dont think id want lemon and sunao to get together at this point outside of a poly ending tbh

 

[UdenEmpati]

Too lazy to go back and check but I SWEAR there was a moment where Natsumi gets flustered over Lemon and starts questioning herself.

It would entirely depend on who was in Lemon's body when that happened.

If it was Lemon, that's one thing.
If it was Sunao in Lemon's body, that just reaffirms that she likes Sunao, with the wrinkle of some transference of emotional attachment due to the Swapping.

Which, could be an "in" for the "Natsumin & Lemon" portion of the Throuple, but it would still require proper exploration between them to really make work, which is time in the overall narrative and timeline of the manga itself on the part of the author/artist.

And I'm not saying "they have to love/be attracted to one another the exact same way they are to Sunao" - that's not how IRL Throuples necessarily have to work. But I do think they need more than just "being too nice to voice any objection over the other being also being present", and it would require them being more than just good friends - because even 'besties' won't nullify the potential for jealousy if they don't have a deep attachment that exists independently but complementary to their bond with Sunao.

 

[UdenEmpati]

It does feel a bit weird to suddenly have him be so lovestruck(?) with lemon after not really seing anything like that for basically the entire manga but ig thats what the flashback arc was supposed to build up.
i dont get why he has to be a nervous wreck all of a sudden but ill let the author cook for a bit ig.
Honestly dont think id want lemon and sunao to get together at this point outside of a poly ending tbh

I really hope we're nowhere near the end of the story.

Realistically, the number of threads that need tying up/resolving, even if it's ultimately a Lemon x Sunao finale, can't be done in even two dozen chapters, by my reckoning, at least not without it feeling forced/rushed.

So with any luck the author will be in the kitchen for awhile because at present there's too much that's gotta get in the oven.

 

[jasty]

I like that he has picked up some Lemon habits after pretending to be her for so long.
Maybe we'll see him accidentally walk into the girl's bathroom as a force of habit.

 

[UdenEmpati]

I like that he has picked up some Lemon habits after pretending to be her for so long.
Maybe we'll see him accidentally walk into the girl's bathroom as a force of habit.

I don't think they've ever touched on it, but I wager he's gotta be past the whole "male character freaks out over feminine hygiene products" trope by virtue of being in Lemon's body when she's in the middle of her period at least a couple times now.
It's not necessary in the slightest to include that sort of thing in the narrative (unless there's a humor element somewhere, maybe), given the story being told, but your comment made me realize he has to have gotten very used to every biological facet of being Lemon every other day.

 

[ale_city]

It would entirely depend on who was in Lemon's body when that happened.

If it was Lemon, that's one thing.
If it was Sunao in Lemon's body, that just reaffirms that she likes Sunao, with the wrinkle of some transference of emotional attachment due to the Swapping.

Which, could be an "in" for the "Natsumin & Lemon" portion of the Throuple, but it would still require proper exploration between them to really make work, which is time in the overall narrative and timeline of the manga itself on the part of the author/artist.

And I'm not saying "they have to love/be attracted to one another the exact same way they are to Sunao" - that's not how IRL Throuples necessarily have to work. But I do think they need more than just "being too nice to voice any objection over the other being also being present", and it would require them being more than just good friends - because even 'besties' won't nullify the potential for jealousy if they don't have a deep attachment that exists independently but complementary to their bond with Sunao.

I know the moment they mean, it's during the movie filming arc right near the end. It was Sunao in Lemon's body, but it was literally the day before they told her about the body swap (in chapter number I don't remember, maybe like 5 chapters apart?).

I have no hope for a throuple ending, I wouldn't mind it, but I have no hope. I at least feel this chapter did handle well Sunao's conflicted feelings, I wouldn't like a Lemon ending but at least I have a slight hope this will be handled properly. I am pretty sure and think there's more meaning to Sunao slipping the "Natsumin" nickname past it being a habit picked up from pretending to be Lemon, last chapter already had told us there was something more brewing now in his relationship with Lemon after the break up discussion, this chapter is him being self aware but also insecure, reaffirming his crush on Natsumi.

 

[jasty]

I don't think they've ever touched on it, but I wager he's gotta be past the whole "male character freaks out over feminine hygiene products" trope by virtue of being in Lemon's body when she's in the middle of her period at least a couple times now.

I meant the embarrassment of walking into female only spaces while he was a male out of habit and perhaps beginning to question if he still had a male self-image.

 

[UdenEmpati]

I have no hope for a throuple ending, I wouldn't mind it, but I have no hope. I at least feel this chapter did handle well Sunao's conflicted feelings, I wouldn't like a Lemon ending but at least I have a slight hope this will be handled properly. I am pretty sure and think there's more meaning to Sunao slipping the "Natsumin" nickname past it being a habit picked up from pretending to be Lemon, last chapter already had told us there was something more brewing now in his relationship with Lemon after the break up discussion, this chapter is him being self aware but also insecure, reaffirming his crush on Natsumi.

Usually, stuff like Throuple/Harem endings are very mixed up with "wish fulfillment" style stories that don't get bogged down with quality writing and narration. So while it's never a zero-percent possibility, I try never to jump to it being an actually viable conclusion to a romance arc involving multiple characters.
That aside - Sunao is absolutely conflicted with his feelings regarding Lemon now that they've had their Big Talk, and the fact that he seems to be actively not looking at them any deeper (I know it's been, like, 24 hours in-story, so 'grace period' and all that), I am a bit uneasy in ascribing the same amount of hope I had for Natsumin being the ending heroine that I had at the end of the previous chapter with her impending phone call.

The fact that it still seems like we're not getting a clear "Natsumin Focused Arc" in the immediate future, at least without Lemon potentially getting injected into the situation, makes it very hard for Natsumin to get dedicated screen time that she requires to compete with Lemon in the narrative sense when it comes to a potential romance component to the story's finale. As it stands now, she can't compete with Lemon, both in terms of history with Sunao, and with total amount of time spent developing her character. She needs that desperately, or she's just going to continue being a veritable prop that propels the other two forward in their own narratives.

I hope there's still a lot of story to be told, and that this isn't ending before we hit triple digits of chapters or something. I know who I'm personally wanting to see together at the end, but I'll accept any ending if we're given the requisite quality of story and attention to each detail and plot point - so hopefully this isn't ending anytime soon, because I could easily see it reaching 100 chapters without "running long" in order to fully tell the story that needs to be told for all three that does them all justice (to say nothing of the support cast).

 

[UdenEmpati]

I meant the embarrassment of walking into female only spaces while he was a male out of habit and perhaps beginning to question if he still had a male self-image.

oh yeah I figured out what you were referring to after I'd hit 'send' and didn't go back and edit it in.

It would be funny to see that happen though as a throwaway gag / bit of situational physical comedy, yeah.

 

[Mangamoz]

Kogahara STILL not being given a character focus arc this late in the story isn't giving me much hope she isn't just a story prop for Lemon and Sunao's relationship.

This isn't a "OMG THIS SHIP IS THE BEST OTP LOLO UWU" shitpost.

This is about basic story writing logic.

Author is not even trying to hide their intended "winner".

 

[UdenEmpati]

Kogahara STILL not being given a character focus arc this late in the story isn't giving me much hope she isn't just a story prop for Lemon and Sunao's relationship.

This isn't a "OMG THIS SHIP IS THE BEST OTP LOLO UWU" shitpost.

This is about basic story writing logic.

Author is not even trying to hide their intended "winner".

There's a chance the look Lemon's giving Sunao at the end of the chapter is her cottoning on to him potentially having feelings for Kogahara.

From there, it would be a matter of whether she confronts him over it, and what his response to her is.

If he admits to it, it then goes to whether Lemon sets aside her own feelings for Sunao, and tries to support her roommate & friend and her ex & friend getting together, or if she prioritizes her own feelings and desires and tries to win Sunao back despite meaning she'll be competing with Kogahara.

Given a big part of Lemon's character is her overcoming her "putting herself last" mentality from middle school that more-or-less resulted in her losing Sunao for ~4 years, having her shelve her own feelings in this instance, even if it's Natsumin and Sunao, wouldn't exactly make the most sense.

That all presupposes that she's hit on Sunao and Kogahara's feelings for one another, and that she goes to either of them as the start of the next narrative arc to pursue that feeling. I hope it's the case, because it's the most obvious way I can see that Nastumin gets any screen time going forward, and sadly it would still be reliant on Lemon to some degree, which doesn't really help her in the "shipping department".

But, I guess we shall see after the break next week.

 

[qaaj]

Lemon still has such a hold on his thoughts and feelings, and really it goes both ways. Telling her he likes Kogahara is probably the biggest breakthrough for both of them to grow, and her learning about it from intuition or hopefully him telling her could do wonders in picking apart the complicated feelings between them.

Of course this is a rom-com that needs to keep marching ahead, so maybe they don't discuss anything and maybe they keep getting bullied by their own thoughts, nooo...

 

[Rafalga]

Kogahara STILL not being given a character focus arc this late in the story isn't giving me much hope she isn't just a story prop for Lemon and Sunao's relationship.

This isn't a "OMG THIS SHIP IS THE BEST OTP LOLO UWU" shitpost.

This is about basic story writing logic.

Author is not even trying to hide their intended "winner".

My main issue is with Sunao. We didn't even get to see how their "talk" went after 20 chapters of Lemon retrospection but now he is suddenly a harem protagonist freaking out about loving two girls. I guess he was not so infatuated with Natsumi in the first place if all it took for him to spiral in to pathetic indecisiveness was Lemon's story about middle school which he was already aware of being a lie (ch.1 is not canon at this point). All i want from this story is consistency. Instead of endless baits and switches that don't work. We more or less know the ending. Just get there without any more retcons.

Also, trouple ending has not and will NEVER be a thing in standard romcoms like this. Stop calling for it like it's EVER a thing in love triangles unless its an isekai harem slop. What was the last time a properly published shounen romcom had one? Once in every 10 years?