Harapeko Oyako to Motokare Yanushi - Ch. 27

[Kagimizu]

DON'T YOU DARE GIVE US THAT JEALOUSY BS, BISH !!!
YOU DON'T GET TO JUDGE WHO HE DATED AFTER LEAVING HIM !!!

She's not being jealous. If anything she's being huffy because he wasn't honest about his relationship with the model girl the first time it came up. Right after she gets the implication that they "weren't dating", she's getting excitedly flustered. Takaharu even mentally notes that she's having fun with the conversation. And from there she's able to read more or less exactly how things turned out just from his expression and her prior experience with him.

 

[RumyJCR]

this manga is gonna kill me for real

 

[dripordrown]

Holy simp, imagine not being able to move on from a girl that ghosted you for 10 years

you havent dealt with a bombshell like kyou bro

 

[EulBassist]

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[darekpawlo]

I'm not sure if you know what "ghosting" means if you're using it like this.

She broke up with him, they had a final phone call where left a standing offer to always reach out to him if she needed him, and then that was that and he continued on for the interim until she wandered back into his life.

You can be reductive about calling him a simp if that's the extent to which you can engage with thi



I will say though that it's kind of humorous that you're trying to call out someone else for "using insults as arguments" when you're doing the exact same thing by calling Takaharu a simp and then dismissing his character and the arc of his story. I don't know if you see the parallel, but.

Okay, so your point is that she didn't ghost him. Fine, I guess we can agree on that. However, she was still a bad friend. She didn't contact him for 17 years, didn't invite him to her wedding, didn't tell him she had given birth, and didn't even give him a heads-up that she was alive and well. For 17 years, he meant nothing to her, and she only reached out when she was having financial problems.

After all that, he still wasn't able to move on from a girl he dated for only six months? What would you call him if not a simp? A hopeless romantic? He spent 17 years putting her on a pedestal in a completely one-sided way, bordering on obsession, and couldn't move on. What else can we call him if not a simp? By definition, he is one.

And by "using insults as arguments," I meant that the guy didn't provide any counterarguments at all. Instead, he simply dismissed everyone who disagreed with him as incels. That adds nothing to the discussion and amounts to nothing more than insults.

 

[UdenEmpati]

Okay, so your point is that she didn't ghost him. Fine, I guess we can agree on that. However, she was still a bad friend. She didn't contact him for 17 years, didn't invite him to her wedding, didn't tell him she had given birth, and didn't even give him a heads-up that she was alive and well. For 17 years, he meant nothing to her, and she only reached out when she was having financial problems.

After all that, he still wasn't able to move on from a girl he dated for only six months? What would you call him if not a simp? A hopeless romantic? He spent 17 years putting her on a pedestal in a completely one-sided way, bordering on obsession, and couldn't move on. What else can we call him if not a simp? By definition, he is one.

And by "using insults as arguments," I meant that the guy didn't provide any counterarguments at all. Instead, he simply dismissed everyone who disagreed with him as incels. That adds nothing to the discussion and amounts to nothing more than insults.

It's never been confirmed that Kyou was married to Minori's father. He's never even been named; he's only referred to as "Minori's father", and the extent of what we know is that she met him through work, and that he died before Minori was born and wasn't put on her birth certificate/registry. We know this from chapters 16 and 19.

We also know next to nothing of what Kyou's life encompassed between the time she broke up with Takaharu, dropped out of college, and when she returned with 14yo Minori in tow. We know her parents divorced, and the aforementioned meeting of the man who would be Minori's father at "work". We also know that Kyou was experiencing something extremely difficult that forced her to drop out in the first place. And that she's been raising Minori on her own, with no mention of help from family, and that it was ostensibly difficult for them, to the point of food insecurity.
We can infer this from multiple chapters, along with Kyou's penchant for food and how Minori herself at the start of the story remarks on how "at ease" her mother is now that she's eating regular meals and not constantly on the move trying to care for the two of them.

But, she reached out for a place to crash, as stated in chapter 1, because "their apartment was being rebuilt". It's not expanded on, but they were also in the process of looking for someplace new, and sought a temporary place to stay until they could locate new housing, and Kyou is currently employed and even offers to help with rent so as to not be completely freeloading off Takaharu (which he rejects, and instead asks she help pay food costs and assist with home upkeep).
Also, we simply have no real details on what Takaharu was doing for the 17 years between Kyou exiting his life and re-entering it. It's clear that she left a lasting mark on him, was a direct muse for his painting work even in her absence, and was important enough that he still holds feelings for her even when they only dated for three months' time. She showed back up, and his feelings for her have clearly resurfaced, but that's not indicative of him having lived in stasis and doing nothing but sitting in a room alone for 17 years hoping to hear from her again.

Reducing the complexity of his emotions for her to "being a simp" does come off reductive, especially when it's being used in what very much appears a dismissive manner to write off what he is experiencing now that Kyou's returned to his life.



Let me ask you this: are you using "simp" as a prejorative? Are you intentionally using it to insult Takaharu's character and belittle him and the arc of his narrative within the larger story between him, Kyou, and Minori? There's meaning behind the language we use to communicate ideas, and "simp" carries a rather specific, arguably charged meaning that I would argue does oversimplify and ignore a lot of the nuance of their situation.
If you're not using it disparagingly, then I guess I would question why you would double down on it, specifically. You even offered up "hopeless romantic", which at least has some commonality with his being an artistic person.

Besides, we see that Kyou also has enduring feelings for Takaharu that have persisted in their time apart. She is also trying to quash them down as she fears they will distract her from caring for Minori, which is a major part of the plot for her character within the larger story. Does that make her a simp as well, if she also has lingering attachments? She even sought him out, knowing he left an open promise to help her from 17 years before. What does that say about her, in your mind?

Basically - Takaharu absolutely is still hung up on Kyou. But there's complexity there, that can be discussed without reaching for disparaging slang terms that miss the layers of storytelling involved.
It reads like the person using them either possesses or only cares to possess a surface-level grasp of the story they're engaging with, and the repeated refrain of "he's a simp" chapter after chapter wears thin when it appears as though those who leave it as the sum of their contribution to the discussion threads have no interest in trying to dig a little deeper into why he might be acting that way.



And I'll tie that into your last point: all those people calling him "simp" or "beta" aren't exactly explaining their positions or getting into why they feel that's the case or seeming to make any attempt to dig into the reasoning behind Takaharu's mindset or behavior.

It reads like a dismissal of Takaharu and adds nothing to the conversation of the story or its characters.

 

[Ingway]

You, or someone else, can correct me on this (been a bit) but didn't they break up because Takaharu wasn't exactly open with his thoughts and feelings BUT did say to Kyou that he wanted to focus on his art more. Meanwhile, Kyou ended up having a bunch of family stuff occur that she needed support for, but he wasn't going to be physically or emotionally available and she did not want to burden him with her issues while he was trying to dedicate his time to his art. She knew she was leaving school so she figured she should also break up with him. She didn't do it because she didn't love him as she did it because she very much loved him, but it seems it didn't have the desired effect.

From what we can see they very much loved each other back then and still do now.

He is trying to put his feelings on hold because he is afraid of treating her the same way he did originally. And she is doing the same because of Minori.

Takaharu trying to get out there again and see someone is good, but shows that he recognized that the only person for him was Kyou. Get the feeling that model said what she said to him because she just didn't want show that she was very hurt by what he said and how he acted.

Sometimes in life you realize that one person will be the only one for you and you stick to not having anything special with anyone else ever again. Sure, you might find someone close, but in the back of your head will be that nagging feeling that it could be that much more perfect with the one that got away. There is nothing inherently wrong with someone realizing that and never dating or having a SO again.

I have no excuse then, cause I somehow didn't realize it, or I didn't put it together due to how slow some of the updates got, and forgot previous stuff to connect the dots.

 

[Callidus]

Damn, the comment section is inundated with incels who think all women either have to do submit to them or are sluts, instead of having their own life, while looking down upon other men who can't move on from past love as beta cucks.

Who said anything like that?

 

[Kitsune_115]

This two are so.....

 

[UdenEmpati]

Who said anything like that?

it actually has been a repeated refrain across chapters of this series, here and where it's posted on r/manga, that Kyou is cheating, is unfaithful, is a whore and/or an exploitative bitch, and that she's cucking Takaharu into "taking care of another man's seed", and that Takaharu is a beta simp / loser for doing exactly that.

It's disheartening, but it is there.

 

[Yuyuin]

it actually has been a repeated refrain across chapters of this series, here and where it's posted on r/manga, that Kyou is cheating, is unfaithful, is a whore and/or an exploitative bitch, and that she's cucking Takaharu into "taking care of another man's seed", and that Takaharu is a beta simp / loser for doing exactly that.

It's disheartening, but it is there.

I think she is definitely exploitative. Returning at all is proof she knew or at least thinks he is nice enough and still cares about her to help now that she needs it. Like I don't have any incel rage over the series I do think they are cute and should be together but I really do not like that part of their reconnecting at all.

 

[Callidus]

it actually has been a repeated refrain across chapters of this series, here and where it's posted on r/manga, that Kyou is cheating, is unfaithful, is a whore and/or an exploitative bitch, and that she's cucking Takaharu into "taking care of another man's seed", and that Takaharu is a beta simp / loser for doing exactly that.

It's disheartening, but it is there.

I'm well aware of what has been said in the past chapters, but in this chapters comment section, where are the people claiming "all women either have to do submit to them or are sluts"?

 

[UdenEmpati]

I think she is definitely exploitative. Returning at all is proof she knew or at least thinks he is nice enough and still cares about her to help now that she needs it. Like I don't have any incel rage over the series I do think they are cute and should be together but I really do not like that part of their reconnecting at all.

He also left her a standing invitation to reach out if she ever needed help during their last conversation over the phone.

We also only know that it's just Kyou and Minori, and that they were seeking a temporary place to stay because "their apartment is being rebuilt" (per chapter 1). There's no mention of her parents, or the parents of Minori's late father, which means she might have had no one to rely on, and would be worrying for her 14yo daughter whom she prioritizes to her own detriment.

But even all that aside, you could easily phrase her reaching out to Takaharu as seeing him as a dependable and trustworthy person whom she could trust with Minori because of the history they did have together.

So I guess my follow-up question is, why insist on using a negative lens to interpret the premise of them reuniting, when a positive one is just as viable?

 

[drepurp]

They are just edging each other til one breaks, and we will all be happy

 

[finalm]

What else would you call a guy that hasn't been able to move on from a girl that he dated for like what 1-2 years and she ghosted him for 10 years if not a simp, enlighten me please

Edit: Like @Zirconis2023 said, they dated 3 months and she ghosted him for 17 years

I'd tell him it's ok to have these feelings, that it's ok to be a human being rather than a two-dimensional caricature. Then again, I'm no therapist, so who am I to "enlighten" one so intent on staying in a basement so deep?

 

[Kibo_Ulfson]

"You really went and put your hands on a co-worker".... Her of all people getting upset, even slightly that he dated someone else after she broke up with him and didn't contact him again, and also getting upset it was it a co-worker of his... I just have no words... worst girl of the year tbh...

 

[Zikeang]

I'll just touch on the last portion specifically because it's the operative point.

You're not misreading the story. It is melancholic, and I would argue you're viewing it correctly, at least to an extent. Takaharu is portrayed as a profoundly lonely man who never got over the most important person he had & then lost, and we're now seeing him struggle to make the most of the second chance he's been handed.

Other people seeing this as a cute love story that's full of whimsy isn't wrong, but that doesn't mean their interpretation is wholly accurate. I would argue this is tragic, but it's also hopeful in the sense that, for these two people specifically, they've been given a second shot at happiness with one another, if only they can get over the past and their ongoing trauma and regrets and hangups to simply try.

It's grounded in the sense that the relationship they had and the dynamic between them now is nuanced and deep in how layered it is, but that doesn't mean it's not still a story that's working toward a happy ending that sees a "best case scenario" play out of otherwise rather dreary circumstances. As you said - you had a relationship that impacted you greatly and that you did at one point have regrets, but you moved on.
What if you hadn't? That "what if" is Takaharu, and this is the story of him trying to find the happiness that he's denied himself in being unable to let go.

Some people would uncharitably call it "wish fulfillment", but how many of us have some sort of regret that we, even if "over it" now, don't occasionally think back and say "what if"? Stories are a way to play out that fantasy, and that's what this manga is. The art style is light and fluffy and whimsical, and I honestly argue it contrasts very nicely with the subdued pacing of the story and the often-times somber and pained notes in the interactions between Kyou and Takaharu. We can sympathise with what they're going through, because theirs is a relatable story that's taken to a narrative extreme for the sake of dramaticisation.
But while the themes are heavy on the regret and the stagnation in Takaharu's life, the intent is to see what becomes of the here-and-now, and what he can do with the sort of opportunity that I would bet many people wish they had a version of in their own lives.

100% agree, it is definitely a tragic story with lots of melancholy, but that contrast also amplifies the cuteness. It's sad bc theres over a decade where this COULDVE been their life; but, she's ultimately the one who got away. I've always read this series through the lens that, yeah, while it's also depressing and sad, I understand that feeling of wanting someone in my life that I would drop everything for and let them back into my life unconditionally. It's deeply tragic, and, even though I wouldn't want that life for myself, I am able to understand the feeling of romance that exists with tragic characters like Takaharu.

TLDR "I wish I could be as deeply in love with someone that they COULD do this to me and I would say thank you (but i obviously wouldn't want that to happen)"

 

[UdenEmpati]

"You really went and put your hands on a co-worker".... Her of all people getting upset, even slightly that he dated someone else after she broke up with him and didn't contact him again, and also getting upset it was it a co-worker of his... I just have no words... worst girl of the year tbh...

And yet Takaharu himself acknowledges she's being silly and drunk and that she's not actually mad, at him or the situation.

But sure, just run with the interpretation that lets you think of Kyou as a terrible person without actually parsing the subtext.

 

[Zirconis2023]

Y sin embargo, el propio Takaharu reconoce que ella está actuando de forma tonta y borracha, y que en realidad no está enfadada, ni con él ni con la situación.

Pero claro, quédate con la interpretación que te permita pensar en Kyou como una persona terrible sin analizar realmente el trasfondo.

tbf in the page right after that he say that if he told her he was dating the other girl she might get upset

 

[Bearman851]

Kyou's actual feelings coming through only when she's drunk or sick is something that will need to be addressed. Unfortunately, if she doesn't remember, it's not like Takaharu's gonna bring it up (at least not yet), as he is "bad with words" as Kyou accurately cited.
And if she does remember, it will likely lead to further awkwardness between them, and this time without Minori there to act as an emotional buffer or point of distraction to ease the tension in things.

Interesting to get confirmation that Takaharu did try to move on. But as he said--in a not-good way, and fortunately it would seem that The Model understood on some level, and it wasn't even a real relationship for her, either. Probably a good thing then that he never tried to say "I love you", given it would have rang absolutely hollow in the face of his long-held hang-ups and memories of Kyou.

But most importantly - Kyou pushing that "practice" on him could easily be chalked up to her being drunk in the moment, but we also know her own feelings, and how they butt up against the fact that Takaharu had always been standoffish and absent even before she left. She spoke about it with his sister, and her own fears and how she is choosing to prioritize Minori here and now...which is commendable. But we also see Minori seeking her own path and putting down roots of her own, and that will mean that she will become less and less reliant on Kyou and Kyou's protection/constant attentions.
High time for this "drunk practice" session to start factoring in more and more.

She's right, though. Takaharu has kept his feelings on ice this whole time, and is adept at bottling things up and beating himself up for everything. He still carries regrets over how he acted before, and it's still spilling over into the here & now, lending to why he's so passively cohabitating with Kyou and Minori and simply maintaining the position of "this is enough". He's denying his own feelings, only allowing these moments of physical passion and chalking it up to "weakness" or "the alcohol" and not taking ownership or agency for what he actually wants.
So he needs to keep practicing, so that he can ensure he doesn't repeat history when the it comes time to finally act.



Thanks for the TL.

Gotta be one of the best analyses for this series I've read. Nice one.