Osananajimi wo Mirume ga Kawatte Shimatta - Ch. 8 - The Touch of My Childhood Friend

[Kazekid]

Lmao, choked out

 

[UdenEmpati]

You misunderstand my point. He was only able to get this stuff because of his mom. If he isn't acting like he should, his mother should be exerting her parental authority and take away his shit.

she did apparently take away his game console (for awhile) in order to get him out weeding the yard back in chapter 2, so we've got that, at least.

 

[DriaReader]

Pass the controller bro.

 

[draxdeveloper]

Okay this MC is starting to annoy me

I am starting to doubt my choice to keep reading it, because the MC turned out in an asshole

 

[BurnerAccount69]

This mc's a genuine loser I'm sorry

 

[sparky3787]

God I really hope this picks up soon. It’s normal to spend the first few chapters establishing a baseline, but we’re getting to the point to where we need to start seeing SOME kind of progress. Even something as simple as showing that Sayaka also likes MC would be enough

I just really like the FMC design and I want to see something happen before Axe-kun walks into the room

 

[idkanymoredotexe]

yeah because 8 chapters in he needs to be drawing R18 chapters for you people instead of actually doing his job as a mangaka

Bro no its just this shit is gonna have gone nowhere in 40 chapters and then have a confession scene and end in the same chapter when its get axed because the author can't find a reasonable pace that keeps the reader interested.

 

[Mohit20130]

In fairness, if we're two years real-time into this and 30+chapters along and there's been nothing on Kazuki's end to suggest a bit of narrative velocity for his character?

That's not 'slow game', thar's an author more enamored with the idea of a hyperbolically-idealized childhood friend giving them the time of day despite being a sullen shut-in running away from life, than actually telling a story.

Hey his critique and my reply are independent of the actual manga. That guy is hating because of the pace of new chapter uploading, not the actual pace of the manga.

Sure you can hate the pace of the manga all you want, but the practice of 1 chapter a month is pretty standard and with the over working of mangakas, it is needed.

 

[UdenEmpati]

God I really hope this picks up soon. It’s normal to spend the first few chapters establishing a baseline, but we’re getting to the point to where we need to start seeing SOME kind of progress. Even something as simple as showing that Sayaka also likes MC would be enough

I just really like the FMC design and I want to see something happen before Axe-kun walks into the room

we have gotten some.
It's hinted at and not outright stated, but it would appear that Kazuki was beaten out in some tournament or competition by Sayaka back in middle school, and it shocked him to the point that he quit the dojo completely, and fell into video games to the point of it seemingly taking over his life.

He had always been "the leader" and the person Sayaka apparently depended on for everything when they were children. So when she suddenly succeeded him, it was a blow to his ego. And while not (yet) confirmed, it was a big enough blow to his ego that he quit in a tantrum-like way, and has since lost all interest in all of the things he was doing--school, social life with peers, going outside. He now stays up all night playing games, sleeps through class, sits around at home and has to be harassed and threatened into helping out with chores, and he is rather sullen toward Sayaka in most ways whenever interacting with her.
In contrast--Sayaka has continued excelling, becoming a top-grade student, outstanding athlete, and has friends where she was mostly hiding in Kazuki's shadow when they were younger, always trailing after him and appearing much more meek. So she's "blossomed", while he turned inward and sank.

However - we see that he's also now realizing Sayaka's a hot teenage girl, and his hormones are now fighting with his desire to keep to his sedintary and avoidant lifestyle. But despite his intentional lashing out and harsh tone toward her, he still covers for her and almost reflexively looks out for her, because she's still one of his oldest and closest friends.

So 8 chapters in, the blanks of his backstory and the foundation for his current characterization are being laid out and shown to us. That means we know the reason behind his being at rock bottom, and the next step is figuring out reasons that will compel him to want to improve his lot in life. Sayaka will almost assuredly factor into that in some fashion, and it'll dovetail with her own arc, as we (hopefully) learn more about her specific perspective of things.
Because as of right now, we're getting Kazuki's story. The extent that I think we can say about Sayaka, is that she remains very attached to Kazuki, and she's behaving largely in the same manner she did before--to the point that it's seemingly incongruent, because she's clingy and physically close to him, only she means nothing "intimate" or romantic by it. Kazuki's stuck interpreting it that way, or at least actively trying to resist doing so, which is where his flustered behavior factors in.

I'm not personally a fan of people like Kazuki, mind--though as a character, he's set up kinda nicely, if the author's intent is to have him grow past this sullen sulky teenager phase where he ran away from something in middle school, and has to find his way back to engaging with Life again. I hope the author has big plans for Kazuki to turn things around for himself, because the bones for a halfway decent "growing up" story are already there.
If he just stays this way, or doesn't meaningfully engage with his past and doesn't grow through it and mature and still "gets the girl", I'll be disappointed. But it's way too early to make that call, at this juncture, and we're already getting details that infer intent for him as the narrative progresses.

 

[bigboygng]

I don't know what to say Abt this on the other half people like this and on the other half people don't me personally I like it but idk what to feel

 

[rephrete]

Madam your son fainted bruh

 

[rephrete]

Its fine that the mc is a chud, why we acting like we werent the biggest fucking losers ever in adolescence, if you werent one good for you but they exist lol. The story is slow though for sure thats true

 

[MoetheGOAT]

Yep

She's just attached to him because of their history together, and I'm positive there's nothing romantically-intended in her actions. At minimum, nothing she's actually cognizant of.

He was high on his own supply being good at things and always being the one to help her out, until she suddenly got better than him, and instead of using that as motivation to push himself, he just threw it all away in frustration and ran away from everything.

And Sayaka's clueless about it, most likely, because he also stopped talking to her in any meaningful way, and she arguably doesn't realize anything is "wrong" at all, and assumes it's all the same from when they were kids. He's done nothing to enlighten her, and instead is freaking out on Puberty Brain as he listlessly exists through the day with nothing really motivating him to change his situation.

I thought I'd really dislike his mom's attitude toward him, but honestly if he's been like this for a year, then she's probably just lost her patience, which I can understand.

She's definitely not helping matters by acting this way toward him, and thus I'm of the opinion that they both kinda suck.
But the onus is on Kazuki to grow as a person, and if his mom comes around after he starts making an actual effort, then fine.

Sayaka's personality being this kinda-ditzy-but-somehow-perfect is real high up on the Wish Fulfillment scale of "amazingly hot high-spec childhood friend but she's still clingy with me specifically even though I push her away constantly", but what can you do.

Dude shut up

 

[idkanymoredotexe]

😭😭Bro really hasn't ever read a monthly upload manga.

Sorry man this slow game ain't for everybody

Bro I wish I hadn't started reading this trash. Im getting updates on shit I started reading 7 years ago. Like me and 16 year old me don't read the same shit get this off my updates.

 

[idkanymoredotexe]

In fairness, if we're two years real-time into this and 30+chapters along and there's been nothing on Kazuki's end to suggest a bit of narrative velocity for his character?

That's not 'slow game', thar's an author more enamored with the idea of a hyperbolically-idealized childhood friend giving them the time of day despite being a sullen shut-in running away from life, than actually telling a story.

Bro on God thats what I'm saying. Also I'm just gonna talk some shit cuz its what I do this fucking guy gonna talk about some reading monthly manga my nigga my account is 5 years older then yours I have been stuck in this fucking loop for 6 years fym