Imasara desuga, Osananajimi o Suki ni Natteshimaimashita - Ch. 48 - I'll do my best, no matter how many times it takes

[slackingaround]

I know i might get flamed because of this, but, honestly at this point i want yuu to end up with Aya more than the FMC.

 

[GennArc]

Keep in mind I'm relying on Google to translate the novel so it's not giving me any nuance. I assumed what Hikari meant when she responded that she liked Aya was that she liked her as a friend. There are others on the forum that have interpreted it as liking Aya romantically.

Someone mentioned Hikari blushing when she said it but Hikari was also blushing when she apologized to Yuki and Haru so I'm chalking up the blushing as just artistic license and I'm leaning more towards Hikari meaning friendship rather than romantic like.

Also, I think Yuki was 100% teasing Hikari and not being serious when she said "Which one do you like between her and Mr. childhood friend." (Also, in the novelization the line as Google translated it is: Which one do you like more, her or your childhood friend?) I think both sentences could be interpreted as referring to friendship but the added advantage of seeing Yuki's teasing face in the manga makes me lean even more towards Yuki just being a troll.

I wonder if anyone actually thinks she feels romantic attraction towards Yami or those are just jokes / wishful thinking. Because that's certainly not the case, and Yuki's question is just confirming it. Most people would feel offended if someone else actually suggested that they romantically love two people and can't even choose between them.

 

[story645]

Can't wait for Hikari to do"Yami, you and I both are rivals for Yuu's affection" type of bullshit

So far Hikari's thought process has been "should I give Yuu to her?" and "Yuu loves her", so I feel like Hikari is far more likely to nope out of the whole thing, inline w/ Hikari thinking she'd priortize Aya in 21.5.

someone else actually suggested that they romantically love two people and can't even choose between them.

While yeah I agree that the whole yuri thing is mostly a joke and their friendship is just (maybe unhealthy levels of) very close, I think Hikari is basically insinuating this w/ Yuu by asking him how he feels about her and Aya? And basically internally debating if she should make the choice for him?

Aya does something similar, in terms of making his choice for him, by not directly telling him that she still loves him (instead hoping he reads through the lines on her kiss) and pushing him towards Hikari, but that's more cause she thinks that's who he'd choose.

ETA: which also yeah, to some extent is a variant of the defense mechanism Yuu pulled that kicked this off. Making the choice for Yuu means they don't actually ever get explicitly rejected b/c they both expect that, given Yuu's personality, he won't fight the choice they made for him.

 

[Rumimi]

hikari is a good girl and i hope no matter what happens she gets the love she's giving back in some way from as many of her friends and amours as possible

 

[GennArc]

I think Hikari is basically insinuating this w/ Yuu by asking him how he feels about her and Aya?

I see your point, but:
1. She was asking in the past tense
2. She already knows he has/had feelings for her and the fact that he was dating Yami strongly suggests that he had feelings for her as well.
So, in the end, she knows he had feelings for both of them and she still doesn't openly question whether he still does.

 

[RezaKingA]

I know i might get flamed because of this, but, honestly at this point i want yuu to end up with Aya more than the FMC.

No, you have a point. I can't imagine someone being guilt-tripped over getting manipulated and then abandoned by someone else. Imagine someone holding that over your head for the entire duration of the relationship. FMC should go off to college and meet up with the reincarnation of Jesus Christ so that the partner doesn't get flamed by the community. Yuu and Ayami should get together. Yuu would 100% be down to help her in her rehabilitation and therapy.

 

[Litreara]

Makes vague statement about so-called "Yuu self-inserts."

Follows it with an interesting but irrelevant spiel about Volume 1 and Volume 2 sales

---> The "Volume 2 slump" is normal, and the drop in sales usually ranges from 15% - 30%.

Tries to associate drop in sales with 'something vague' (oh the horror)

"I'd rather not get into it." Why is that? Bad writing? Why would that be controversial? Or is it something contrived about the most evil character in the manga "Yuu".

Someone points out the obvious agenda-posting you tried to cover up with vague statements.

Reponds with "bla bla bla how dare you call me out on something I SAID" "Also, go fuck yourself."

okay lol

I’ve been debating whether I should reply, since I don’t really like your tone. But since I haven’t seen you around before, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.

First, let me address your point that it’s normal for a second volume to sell less than the first. Not really. When a manga’s first volume performs well, like this one, which sold around 12,075 physical copies in its first month and even received reprints, the second volume often sells more rather than less.

Here are some infographics provided by @Josu_ke on X:

One could argue that these are very popular and mainstream manga, but to that I’d say: take a look at the sales graphs for these Erotica dumpster fires that I plotted myself using Shoseki ranking data.

As you can see, when the first volume sells well, the second volume usually sells more. Once a manga captures an audience, that audience tends to grow, but it seems like this one lost a significant portion of it.

Second, since you seem bothered that I didn’t explain why I think the second volume sold less than the first, I will. But first, let’s look at the Amazon reviews from people who didn’t like the first and second volumes. I won’t draw any conclusions from the difference in the number of ratings, since that wouldn’t be fair. Volume 1 has been on sale much longer than volume 2, so a proper comparison would require using the same timeframe.

First volume

It's not a pure love story

Genres like NTR and BSS—
I dislike them, but I can understand them to a certain extent.
That said, that understanding only applies when there’s clear warning and proper content labeling.
But luring people in with a wholesome, gentle romantic comedy, only to suddenly shove in a kiss scene with an ex-girlfriend—
that’s not the kind of surprise I appreciate.
It's like secretly feeding insects to a person with a crustacean allergy.
Up until the last scene, it was enjoyable, and I was planning to buy the next volume.

FYI: Insects and crustaceans are both arthropods and share similar proteins, so many people with crustacean allergies are also allergic to edible insects for this reason.

It's completely different from the previous work, so be warned — there's a limit to how much you can change direction

The previous work, which the artist handled alone, was a gentle, heartwarming piece and a good one at that.
Following that, I started reading this current work — a collaboration with the original author — expecting a similar atmosphere.

But the early part was tedious, just repeating the same vibe as the previous work.
Later, the story takes a sudden, drastic turn, but the development is far too forced.

While the three main characters' actions and words are somewhat consistent, there is a series of unnatural scenes that make you think, "That wouldn't actually happen."
In particular, the scene where the remaining two characters protect the woman who set up the NTR situation lacks credibility. And on her side, the setting that "she still cares about the two of them" also feels strained.

The artist's illustrations are still good as always, but from some point onward, the atmosphere seemed to change.
Furthermore, later on, there are scenes where even mob characters (extras) outside the three main characters affirm or justify the NTR —
which makes the content completely unacceptable for those who are sensitive to it.

Basically what they're saying is that they didn't like the bait and switch. Just like a bunch of us also didn't like it. Until chapter 21, the rating of the manga used to be pretty high, but after, it dropped a lot.

Second volume

What a shame...

Volume 1 was good, but...
If I'd known it would be like this, I wouldn't have bought it.

If it were erotica, I would've bought it as erotica.
If it were depressing, I wouldn't have wanted to read it in the first place...

Sigh... I just feel cheated, honestly.

Why do I feel so uncomfortable?

They're a favorite duo of creators, after all.
If I think in terms of commercial economics — labor, compensation, income — maybe this is only proper.
The story is on the heavier side, but the work itself isn't bad.
I don't like the male protagonist, but still —
For some reason, it's just unpleasant.

Doujinshi.
Categorized commercial manga.

This is just business — I should simply choose which one fits better and be done with it.
But it's not fun.
I don't even understand why I feel this way myself lolllllllll

It's a company-driven initiative aiming for an anime adaptation — a media mix —
but depending on the studio, this genre seems almost guaranteed to fail spectacularly.

Okay, sorry for the rant.
Yeah, I get it — 'Don't be so cheap, you money-grubbing bastard!'
And with that, I'm canceling my purchase.
The story will be left in an awkward, half-finished state, but I can't enjoy reading it.

If you don't mind a half-baked male protagonist,
and if you like love stories? Romance!?
Then maybe I'd recommend it?

※ I'm posting the same review for the light novel too lol

I understand there are various circumstances behind it, but I just don't like what I don't like

I seriously can't stand female characters like Yami-senpai.

The first person didn’t like the bait and switch. The second found it unpleasant and didn’t like Yuu, describing him as a half-baked male protagonist. The third, who also gave volume 1 a 1-star review, said they can’t stand female characters like Yami.

As for why I think volume 2 sold worse than volume 1, I believe it comes down to the same issues these reviewers pointed out. The bait and switch rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, the shift in tone feels unpleasant, Yuu comes across as a half-baked protagonist, and I think Maruto went too far in making Yami unlikeable.

To sum it up, volume 2 likely sold worse because it lost a significant portion of its audience due to the writer’s choices.

And finally, third, as to why I replied to that insufferable asshole the way I did. A few months ago, I left the discussions after being swarmed by Yuu self-inserts I had never even interacted with, who resorted to personal attacks, demanding that I give a thoughtful explanation for why I was saying Yuu sucks, and who couldn’t handle an “agree to disagree” when it came to their defense of him. That’s right, all I said about Yuu is that he sucks.

At the time, things had already been discussed to exhaustion, to the point where it became pointless because no one was going to change their minds.

And the worst of the Yuu self-inserts is that insufferable asshole. He can’t handle any criticism of his beloved Yuu and starts throwing around accusations of misandry at anyone who criticizes Yuu or disagrees with him. He also has this weird obsession with Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie and keeps claiming that Maruto wrote this story inspired by it, even though there’s absolutely no concrete evidence for that, but that’s beside the point.

Oh, and also, when that insufferable asshole started throwing misandry accusations at me, he did it under the assumption that I’m a woman. I’m not, I’m a man. I guess that says a lot about him.

So, I hope you find this reply satisfactory, and if you don’t, you can go fuck yourself too.

 

[silentkill]

What kinda meds do you only need once a month?

amphetamine (nah joking, im healthy, just a mild headache because of ts, some ibuprofen will help lol)

 

[peortega1]

Basically what they're saying is that they didn't like the bait and switch. Just like a bunch of us also didn't like it. Until chapter 21, the rating of the manga used to be pretty high, but after, it dropped a lot.

Yes, that's exactly what I pointed out to you. It's far from the first time this author, Maruto, has used this kind of "bait and switch". Even his most "soft" and "vanilla" work, Saekano, shamelessly resorts to these tropes. There's a reason why Maruto Fumiaki's name is quite notorious and infamous in the industry. If you at least knew what White Album 2 is, I honestly wouldn't insult you so much.
Because that's precisely what White Album 2 is. It starts as a gentle, optimistic, and cheerful rom-com, only to suddenly turn into a soap opera melodrama that ends in one of the most infamous scenes in modern anime (the airport scene). Which, by the way, is true NTR.
Imasara isn't even BSS. All the Japanese criticism you read was because everyone took offense to the awful fact that Yuu had... an ex-girlfriend with whom he lost his virginity. There's a lot of obsession with male virginity in the land of the rising sun.
If this really affected Imasara sellings, I don´t know, but definitely this series would be much less known without the plot switch.

Japanese Rant: "In particular, the scene where the remaining two characters protect the woman who set up the NTR situation lacks credibility. And on her side, the setting that "she still cares about the two of them" also feels strained"

This person definitely didn´t see White Album 2 hehe.

Japanese Rant 2: "Genres like NTR and BSS— I dislike them, but I can understand them to a certain extent"

Damn, if anyone here has been the homewrecker trying to seduce Aya-chan's still-theoretical boyfriend, it's precisely Hikari. Hence, the characters in the universe "justify" the supposed "NTR", even if they all agree that Yami screwed up by kissing Yuu in front of Hikari—the only real betrayal in this story, and one that doesn't even reach the level of BSS; at most, it leaves Yami as the typical toxic ex-girlfriend from shoujo manga (and also from Maruto's own previous works).

And finally, third, as to why I replied to that insufferable asshole the way I did

You're the insufferable asshole here.

He also has this weird obsession with Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie and keeps claiming that Maruto wrote this story inspired by it, even though there’s absolutely no concrete evidence for that, but that’s beside the point.

I offered plenty of evidence regarding the parallels between Shikimori and Imasara, including comparisons of names, personalities, and panels, which you ignored because you felt like it. Evidence you never refuted (unlike others who at least tried to offer counterarguments). Again, I'm right.
And if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that if you disliked Takamura, then you'll dislike Yuu Izumi even more than a baseball bat to the ribs.

Oh, and also, when that insufferable asshole started throwing misandry accusations at me, he did it under the assumption that I’m a woman. I’m not, I’m a man. I guess that says a lot about him.

Well, honestly, I liked you better when I thought you were a girl. If you're a man, that makes you even worse, seeing as you hate a guy who was beaten up by two girls more than the two girls themselves. I'd rather you were a woman than a masochistic man who enjoys watching women beat up men.
Just seeing Yami and Hikari physically attack Yuu should make you hate them more than poor Yuu, even if you dislike him anyway.
That said, I also recommend you never watch White Album 2. If you dislike Yuu so much that you prefer the two women who beat and abused him, then you'll want Haruki Kitahara to suffer a death worse than Makoto Itou's.
I mean, if you're a man, at least that would explain why seeing Yuu being pegged by Yami bothers you so much.

you can go fuck yourself too.

Better you first go fuck yourself.

 

[peortega1]

who couldn’t handle an “agree to disagree” when it came to their defense of him. That’s right, all I said about Yuu is that he sucks.

Honestly, it would have been a thousand times better if you had said from the beginning that "I dislike Yuu in a completely subjective way, and I like to see Yami and Hikari insult and hit him as a punchbag"

And the worst of the Yuu self-inserts is that insufferable asshole. He can’t handle any criticism of his beloved Yuu and starts throwing around accusations of misandry at anyone who criticizes Yuu or disagrees with him.

False. Yuu is a character who has made serious mistakes, and even though he's the most innocent of the trio, he still bears some responsibility for what happened (mainly due to his cowardice, Oedipus complex and very low self-steem). The fact that he's so self-critical (as seen in his POV) about his own flaws struck me as quite positive, even though he has certainly suffered serious setbacks in his personal development toward maturity—albeit logical and justified given the real harm Yami and Hikari have caused him.
I've never said that Yuu's character doesn't deserve criticism or that one can't disagree with him. I've also shown myself willing to engage in dialogue with people who disagree with me, using arguments.
When I've spoken of misandry, it's always been directed at people, both men and women, who justify Yami and especially Hikari physically attacking Yuu. But reading comprehension has never been your strong suit.

 

[megido83]

Honestly, it would have been a thousand times better if you had said from the beginning that "I dislike Yuu in a completely subjective way, and I like to see Yami and Hikari insult and hit him as a punchbag"

False. Yuu is a character who has made serious mistakes, and even though he's the most innocent of the trio, he still bears some responsibility for what happened (mainly due to his cowardice, Oedipus complex and very low self-steem). The fact that he's so self-critical (as seen in his POV) about his own flaws struck me as quite positive, even though he has certainly suffered serious setbacks in his personal development toward maturity—albeit logical and justified given the real harm Yami and Hikari have caused him.
I've never said that Yuu's character doesn't deserve criticism or that one can't disagree with him. I've also shown myself willing to engage in dialogue with people who disagree with me, using arguments.
When I've spoken of misandry, it's always been directed at people, both men and women, who justify Yami and especially Hikari physically attacking Yuu. But reading comprehension has never been your strong suit.

My brother in Christ every single post you've made since you started commenting has been "The women are wrong and Yuu is a victim whose just a good innocent boy".

It's at a point where I'm genuinely convinced your sexist with how you keep explicitly going out of your way to deflect any Yuu criticism by blaming the women at every opportunity when a good 50% of the story is his fault.

 

[peortega1]

My brother in Christ every single post you've made since you started commenting has been "The women are wrong and Yuu is a victim whose just a good innocent boy".

That's a lie, I never said that. I said that of the three, he's the least guilty, not that he's 100% innocent (obviously, he is not). And that of the three, his failings have mainly stemmed from his inaction, cowardice, and submissive personality, rather than him actively hurting the girls.
And yes, the mere fact that Hikari and Yami resorted to violence, and he never has, already gives him that moral high ground that the girls DOESN'T have. And yes, it makes him the victim if anyone here. Which doesn't make him 100% innocent of what happened, of course.
Or are you going to tell me that it was okay for Hikari and Yami to physically assault him? The mere fact that they resorted to violence stripped them of any moral right they might have had before that moment, and I'm still waiting for Hikari to apologize to Yuu for pushing him, the way she did to her friends in this chapter.

It's at a point where I'm genuinely convinced your sexist with how you keep explicitly going out of your way to deflect any Yuu criticism by blaming the women at every opportunity when a good 50% of the story is his fault.

Meh. At most, 25% of the story is his fault. And most of Yuu's screw-ups are in chapters 36-38. If there was a point where he really screwed up with Hikari and deserved to be called a "liar", it was then. But even so, Hikari shouldn't have pushed him to the ground with the impunity of a girl who knows the boy will never hit her back.
Tell us exactly what Yuu DID to justify saying that "50% of the story is his fault". I'm interested in hearing arguments. At most, we can blame him for the things he DIDN'T do, and that's more out of cowardice than anything deliberate.
Or are you going to join the "Yuu should have told Hikari even the brand of condoms he used with Yami?" club? May Christ have mercy on your soul.

 

[peortega1]

The funniest thing about all this is how, amidst the constant rants and insults directed at Yuu —and this is for @Litreara to take note of— what's almost always omitted is what, for me, is his real screw-up and what truly makes him a bad person and a rather pathetic figure: Yuu hiding his failure on the entrance exams from Hikari to the point that it had to be some random boy we never saw again after that chapter, this Kaneda guy, who spilled the beans to Hikari.
I can understand him hiding his relationship with Yami from everyone, especially the sexual details, and only telling maybe his own parents, and securely just because they pressured him to talk about the girl he spent so much time with on days off. But this so little thing... it's just too pathetic that he went to such lengths to hide it from Hikari for fear of being ashamed in front of her, but a random classmate did know about the exam.
Fortunately, that matter caused almost no real permanent harm to Hikari, but precisely because it was such a small thing, it reflects very poorly on Yuu that he went to such lengths to hide it.
But of course, since Goddess Hikari forgave him so easily (she doesn't even remember it in chapters 36-38 when she is angry with Ta-kun), the Hikari fans here almost never mentions it when they insult Yuu, even though this was a pretty serious mistake on his part and reflects very poorly on his character.
And yes, if his parents were willing to hide the exam failure from Hikari, they undoubtedly also hid Yuu's relationship with Ayami from her.

 

[noleafclover75]

Peortega1 is an insufferable asshole.

 

[peortega1]

Peortega1 is an insufferable asshole.

I love you too

 

[EchoGirl]

Surprised no psych tag , that said friend/romance drama aside you'd think yami would be busy trying to find a job to pay the bills, even if she isn't responsible for the moms hospital bills, living on ur own would add up

Wonder if we'll get a spinoff of the other friends

 

[peortega1]

She is beyond selfdestructive, she pulled two others down into her hole but none of that matters since Hikari is a doll that barely acts and Yuu, once again, has to be literal posivibes~ Jesus and sacrifice himself even when they spit and kick in his face.

Fixed
If anyone here has been Jesus after being spat on and literally kicked in the face, it's Yuu, not Hikari. Hikari has never been assaulted by Yuu in any way; she's the one who kicked him in the face and pushed him to the ground. This is what I call misandry.
The boy even had the kindness to make it clear in chapter 47 that he was more than willing to step aside so that Yami and Hikari could sort out their problems; if that isn't being Jesus Christ, I don't know what is.
I repeat, anyone who agrees that Hikari pushed Yuu to the ground and even afterward thinks that Hikari did absolutely nothing wrong and that Yuu deserved it 100%, all those people deserve to be called misandrists.
You may dislike the character, you may dislike Yuu as a person, there are good reasons to dislike him (which I already mentioned), but that doesn't justify the physical and psychological abuse that Yami and Hikari have subjected him to, nor does it justify preferring the two women who have actively played a much more toxic, abusive, and harmful role than he has.

 

[peortega1]

Surprised no psych tag , that said friend/romance drama aside you'd think yami would be busy trying to find a job to pay the bills, even if she isn't responsible for the moms hospital bills, living on ur own would add up

Wonder if we'll get a spinoff of the other friends

The web novel explains this: in the divorce, Yami's mother became rich from all the money and properties seized from Yami's stepfather, Mr. Matsushita, after his numerous infidelities were proven.
This would also explain why the guy thought he could rape Yami with impunity, given his wealth, like Oberon from SAO trying to rape Asuna.
Only in this way could this plot of Yami's mother's emotional downfall work without absolutely anyone, except her daughter, lifting a finger for a woman visibly distraught after several suicide attempts. Because in Japan, people will only act on your behalf if they believe it's their moral and legal responsibility.
That's why it's usually classmates, coworkers, family members, or friends who feel they owe you something because you helped them, who do something for the MC or FMC in your average anime.
Yami and her mother have no one who is family or coworkers, they are absolutely alone, and the only exception might be the people from Hikari's school and they have already made it clear that they don't give a shit about the Sudo family as long as Yami's mother keeps paying.

 

[story645]

you'd think yami would be busy trying to find a job to pay the bills, even if she isn't responsible for the moms hospital bills, living on ur own would add up

It's pretty strongly implied, if not outright mentioned, that her mom got a really hefty divorce settlement. And a penthouse nobody actually lives in that can probably be sold/rented out.

 

[HellJester]

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