Renovations with a Gyaru - Ch. 1 - A Big Bath is the Best!

[ginongo]

Lol good luck to the ex wife

Japanese society dont look too kindly upon divorced women

 

[REDRED]

The fuck is wrong with the comment section 😭

WTF is with all the losers in the comment section?

It seems their brains are deprived from the nutrients derived from touching grass. 😭

 

[TNT261]

I'm intrigued by the divorce; the ex-wife's claims about him in that divorce document do not really square up with the image we're being presented in this chapter. Was there an ulterior motive? Or a freak set of circumstantial misunderstandings that spiraled hard?
Him being so alienated from everyone around him does him no favors of course, and preconceived notions are hell--especially in a place like Japan that cares so much about image and social acceptability.

I think it's a more simple power fantasy like setup. The flashback says that the house was just built and then we learn that he had to then sell the house to settle the divorce claims because "he looked scary" so neither his lawyers nor friends (GET NEW LAWYERS AND FRIENDS THEN ARRGGGGHHHBRRGVRRGG!!! 😡🤬🤬🤬) believed him. It sounds like we're supposed to believe that the woman was just an awful gold digger who married the MC with the intention of taking advantage of his appearance mixed with a lack of social skills to get away with a huge settlement and sympathies (for having put up with an abusive husband) to boot. What sucks is that the MC is so gentle and lacks so much self-esteem that he still puts it on himself and thinks he "accidentally did domestic violence without realizing it or remembering it."

I say power fantasy premise because it really just feels like readers are supposed to feel really bad for the MC, absolutely hate his former wife, and push hard for him to get with his super kind childhood friend. Like an isekai takes the idea of a" black company" to the extreme, has the MC worked to death, and then rewards them with being overpowered in another world. Here the idea of a bad relationship (particularly an exploitative gold digging wife which is several stereotypes) is taken to the extreme, the MC loses everything and then some, and he's rewarded with a super kind new love interest + a free place to stay.

 

[TNT261]

That's kind of a weird comment but I'm pretty sure she's an adult. Just guessing off of the flashbacks their age gap doesn't seem to be too big and this guy looks like maybe he's in his mid-late twenties also taking into account his "largeness".

Yeah really, where were people getting this huge age gap? She inherited her dead grandma's house and is living alone: WHAT HIGH SCHOOLER CAN LEGALLY INHERIT A HOUSE AND BECOME A HOME OWNER??? Plus in all the flashbacks they look like the same age or at least very close in age.

 

[TNT261]

This is a fun first chapter, but what's with Manga taking the background inciting incident to the extreme all the time? They're either appealing to a particular audience or the author is venting something. The main character could've just like taken an opportunity to work in his hometown (maybe his job opened up a new office there and he took the transfer), but he didn't think it through enough. Maybe his parents moved without telling him or something. Now he doesn't have a place to stay and is living in a net cafe while he builds enough savings to find an apartment. Boom. Easy. Instead we get that his wife was the literal devil and seemingly took advantage of his super duper scary demeanor (this normal ass looking man (yes, even by Japanese standards; it's not like he died his hair or has tattoos or scars or even visible abs)) and poor social skills to rob him blind. The implication is that she waited until the house was built, so that he'd have to sell it, deal with all the lost money, be homeless, and she'd make out with all the money. And this only worked because of some type of recording wherein he said nothing and didn't even raise his voice because he's also soft spoken.... 😅. You know, seriously, I hate his supposed friends, family, and lawyer more than the wife herself. His lawyer especially. Like dude, believe your clients.

Aside from that, this just seems fun. The female lead is cute, and I absolutely love her sneakily checking if there were any cracks in his marriage for her to move in. I'm wondering if the MC wasn't divorce would she still go "I still have a chance." and this be a very different Manga 😂. The actual premise of renovating is cute. Seriously, just make them a couple. Why do we need this extra setup at all. "My childhood friend and I got married and inherited an old house; this is our story of building our home together." Sounds fun. The little background of them building a secret base together as kids makes it work even more. I mean whatever. There is room for the MC to grow in confidence and as a result become more social with others.

Wait, you know I always wonder in these "My ex-wife was absolutely the worst." stories, how'd they even end up together? Like did the MC just get swept along and go with the first woman who asked him out? In which case, ouch. Especially when the main heroine is a childhood friend. She could've easily gotten with the MC herself.

 

[AzrefReza]

Trading a bitch for a slut is rarely a bad deal…


I wasn’t ready for the warning against asbestos, especially when they’re renovating a wooden house, but I guess, yeah, OK.

Cheap misogyny bait ahh manga... Why is Japan like this?

You’ve clearly never had a divorce if you think this is misogyny bait!

 

[AzrefReza]

This is a fun first chapter, but what's with Manga taking the background inciting incident to the extreme all the time? They're either appealing to a particular audience or the author is venting something.

Mangaka seems to be a woman, to maybe she’s salty her childhood friend is happily married to another girl and wishes he’d get a divorce already…

Wait, you know I always wonder in these "My ex-wife was absolutely the worst." stories, how'd they even end up together? Like did the MC just get swept along and go with the first woman who asked him out?

Pro tip: people change with time. Someone can be a great partner when you get together, and then little changes add up with little irritations, slowly building resentment, and you end up being shitty to one another when the time comes to say good bye.

 

[javajulien]

Cautiously optimistic for this series. Hoping it doesn't devolve into "women are out to get me" persecution complex slop.

 

[Snovember]

Devil's advocate, benefit of the doubt and all that:
Karen and Kazukage are childhood friends. Karen's the victim of an abusive household and MC maybe doesn't realise why she's always reluctant to leave, but recognises it and has no problem with it, being the older one. He enters middle school, maybe moves, maybe Karen moves, but loses contact with Karen.

Big Time skip.

Kazukage moves from small time to big town for high school or university, loses most of his long-time social circle of friends in home town and can't quite make a connection with big town people. All relationships are on an acquaintance and associate level. Enter wife. She's sociable, like Kazukage (and/or his income doesn't hurt), they marry. He finally makes friends via her. The usual merger of social circle of husband and wife is more like he got anschluss'd to her circle of friends. He's acknowledges as the big, but quiet guy.
They build a house.
Wife either gets a side piece or is disillusioned with her married life. But she likes the house. Side piece or "friends" talk and maybe convince her to leave him. But she likes having a house. So since he's a big guy with no friends of his own, well domestic violence wouldn't be particularly surprising, stereotypically speaking. And she might get the house, right?
Recording of "suspicious" audio. Divorce claiming domestic abuse, verbal and physical. Settlement to the tune of 2 M Yen, 13-14k USD.
We don't know if ex-wife getting the house instead of the settlement was on the table, but doesn't seem unlikely.
Anyway, Kazukage sells house to settle (which still leaves him in crippling debt, since he paid for the house, this being Japan, or at the very least his name is on the contract, and a loan is a loan is a loan, come high water or broken bone. That's why he's currently in debt, having to pay interest, look for a place to stay, save up on first rent at least (prolly, don't know the sitch in moon country), and still stay somewhere in the meanwhile. Net cafes are only a stop gap solution for that.
Come present.

We don't know how much time passed between him being presented with divorce papers and the current events, but it's somewhat safe to assume that he wasn't allowed to stay in his home while the proceedings were taking place; courts traditionally take the wife's position in these kinds of events, and if Japan is anything, then it's traditional.

Furthermore since his friend circle in this scenario is in his home town, he's been ostracised on the word of his ex-wife, whom most/all know better than him.
Furthermost: Japan doesn't have "innocent until proven guilty", it has the opposite, "presumed guilty until proven innocent". Her wife claiming he verbally and physically assaulted her puts the onus on him to prove he didn't, which is very hard to do. Combine that with their whole "don't rock the boat' shtick and their prejudice against any who stand out, and you arrive at Kazukage's position, where he's presumed guilty, can't prove his innocence, can't call on character witnesses - he would need to tell them why he would their statement, which would both inconvenience them and sully his reputation in his hometown, since he's presumed guilty until proven innocent!

Well, so now all he's left with is his former next-door neighbour to spoil him rotten. Wait, no, that's a different...

 

[zatchkim]

Poor dude, his spirit is really broken.

Was not expecting a story like this to be so heavy in the first chapter. Probably won't be following this.

 

[sanctuary]

foids never change...

 

[Machaka22]

The Fuck is that! This is so incel tier

 

[ShionVaynex]

I'm actually trying to suss out the age gap; he might be a couple years older, but he's also described as a big dude; they could be roughly equal in age, and reuniting after some time apart. (She's not in any uniform and I didn't see any in a closet or something so they could both be out of high school at this point.)
If it is age gap that's fine too--but it would be neat to see them both be adults in this situation, personally.

she was living there alone so yeah she is a adult. she is probably the same age or younger, 3 years max. considering that he is antisocial. making friends/connecting with people outside of a group like classmates ect would be hard for him to achieve. so being class mates, neighbors, or family friends would be a way to start a connection.

considering that as kids he knew of her family situation. and her hearing about him getting scolded. its probably neighbors. they are also in the same elementary school together. so them living near each other is very likely. considering that he was already married once. they probably are both above 21 at the least. they way she is drawn she is probably 24-25 pass university age.

as for him. having just payed off his house, and with a ex like that, he probably wasnt married for that long. so he would probably be before 30. around 27.

 

[thelordofsticks]

Im still confused why people are thinking theres an age gap. other than him being taller than her there is nothing to point to an age gap. what we know is they are childhood friends and havent seen each other since elementry. Nothing else.

 

[Injaa]

I’m intrigued, but scared of the potential age gap.

🤞 please let them both be adults

 

[MaxonMashville]

I can sense the fat radiating from all the posts calling this incel slop.

 

[AzrefReza]

I can sense the fat radiating from all the posts calling this incel slop.

 

[goldencircle]

My house had asbestos and it took six months just to do the bathroom. Granted mine was a re-clad, tile job, bathtub shower vanity and toilet replacement, the whole kit and kaboodle. I get it, this is manga so they're working at mad speed and it was only a bathtub.

 

[DaJoey]

plywood in a bathroom, no waterproofing, no before hand measuring and set in stone plans for how to correctly replace the bathtub.

Then again its an anime, but common.


Still I kinda wish this anime focuses on the small progress of casually replacing and refurbishing the home, and a bit less time on the romance, maybe just in small teases, not to much in your face romance.

IT's not plywood. The small text says they are waterproof resin panels.

 

[jojoka]

People who claim this is incel have never read stories about male victims of marital abuse. The main way they are controlled is being told that no one will believe them and if their abuser hurts herself and says he did it, it'll work.

Its really not that hard to imagine a guy getting frustrated and angry and being secretly recorded by his wife would get fucked over by it.