Asahina-san no Bentou Tabetai - Ch. 21

[Daymare]

I still dont get yui and seiya's relationship at all. Some chapters it seems she likes him, but others they just seem to be "comrades in arms", if you get my meaning, its like her feelings change by the minute.

I think theyre all just kind of individually broken kids holding each other up as a support system. It kind of slips past because this manga has been presented in a standard romcom setting but these three(and Ashaina to a lesser extent) have all been fucked formatively.

Yui probably definitely does romantically like Seiya, and I'm not sure if Seiya actually has any romantic interest in Asahina, but I doubt Yui really cares about that either way. Their living state has most likely made her completely ambivalent to the concept of monogamy, and she more seems distressed by the fact that Seiya wont be around any more, rather than the fact that he would be dating someone else.

 

[jonnywarlock]

Man, I don't know how this is gonna end, but this set up seems all sorts of hopeful, yeah?

 

[comeonnow0]

I think theyre all just kind of individually broken kids holding each other up as a support system. It kind of slips past because this manga has been presented in a standard romcom setting but these three(and Ashaina to a lesser extent) have all been fucked formatively.

Yui probably definitely does romantically like Seiya, and I'm not sure if Seiya actually has any romantic interest in Asahina, but I doubt Yui really cares about that either way. Their living state has most likely made her completely ambivalent to the concept of monogamy, and she more seems distressed by the fact that Seiya wont be around any more, rather than the fact that he would be dating someone else.

Wut? The stuff about Yui, this is just not true at all. Like, the words in this story tell us that you're wrong.

I will shit on this story in ten different ways, but it has been clear that Yui would prefer to have Seiya to herself if he reciprocated those feelings. She has explicitly said these words to not only Seiya but also Sou, and she seemed serious throughout it. She understands that he doesn't reciprocate, though, and that's why she's willing to put his feelings before her own, as she herself has said.

She had dialogue before this chapter. She says these things.

 

[Goose-chan]

changed stances a little bit. The junior girl deserves

 

[potatoawards]

This chapter alone made me not want to see the ending

 

[MrBump]

Author got bored

 

[Specs23]

this is way too short lol

 

[Robinisback]

The story wasn't able to spread itself much, I had high expectations from this, but here we are.

 

[InsidiousIntent]

This is supposed to be emotional, but I don't think we know Yui enough. At least I don't

It relies VERY heavily on inference, assumption and SOME clues. It's "there" just very much not focused upon.

 

[comeonnow0]

It relies VERY heavily on inference, assumption and SOME clues. It's "there" just very much not focused upon.

What you said is valid, and I don't disagree, but I just want to give a different interpretation.

It relies on shortcuts and tropes without deep explanation. It tries to pull at your heartstrings when it didn't go through much/any effort to develop those heartstrings in the first place.

That's just a different way of looking at it. The author appeals to readers who likely have read similar stories and relies on that to cover up the holes in this story. For example, we're expected to fit Yui into this category along the lines of childhood friend who never wins. Something like that. That allows the author to ignore how Yui's backstory, which is massively important for the whole reason of why she is also a prostitute, was never explained. Instead of explaining any of that, the author goes for these tropes of cheerful childhood friend-type who is clingy to the MC.

I'm actually not disagreeing with you to any real degree. I'm just giving the other view of it.

 

[VtoW]

That allows the author to ignore how Yui's backstory, which is massively important for the whole reason of why she is also a prostitute, was never explained.

I do agree you're kinda right it does feel like some plot stuff is just left to reader's imagination lol.

I would've liked to see Yui's story, which up until now I've been assuming is nearly the same as Seiya's but she's just putting on a mask to not fall for the trap of feeling unloved like Seiya. Something like, the reason she's like that is because before she actually felt hopeless or unloved just like Seiya, and meeting him was like, finding her kindred soul and it sparked something in her. Like she doesn't want to let him go because it would make her fall into that hole again, but she also knows this is the best for him.

It would've been pretty cliche but I would've liked seeing her side either way, maybe the chapter between the last one and this one could've been it. I still like this version though, I think that's noticeable in how much backstory my brain made up on its own :v

 

[InsidiousIntent]

What you said is valid, and I don't disagree, but I just want to give a different interpretation.

It relies on shortcuts and tropes without deep explanation. It tries to pull at your heartstrings when it didn't go through much/any effort to develop those heartstrings in the first place.

That's just a different way of looking at it. The author appeals to readers who likely have read similar stories and relies on that to cover up the holes in this story. For example, we're expected to fit Yui into this category along the lines of childhood friend who never wins. Something like that. That allows the author to ignore how Yui's backstory, which is massively important for the whole reason of why she is also a prostitute, was never explained. Instead of explaining any of that, the author goes for these tropes of cheerful childhood friend-type who is clingy to the MC.

I'm actually not disagreeing with you to any real degree. I'm just giving the other view of it.

It's not even really a "different view". It's just leaving the justification for a moderately significant plot element out. There's really not even THAT much more backstory for Sou, only slightly more justified by his "childhood friend" status. I don't really disagree with most of what you're saying, though I don't necessarily assume that WHY Yui got into prostitution is relevant to the story, unless it directly relates to Maki. Would some understanding of it be nice? Sure, but of more critical import is how the background between her and Maki developed. The story goes out of it's way to focus on Maki and Asahina, to the point of creating gaps in the understanding of the "past" of the story as a whole, and leaving a lot of assumption and inference for the "present". Were it longer, the gaps would have more significance, as it stands, the narrow focus allows it to limp on.

 

[ITSigno]

Author got bored

I would not be at all surprised if the child prostitution back story garnered some negative attention and pressure from the publisher/editor to tone it down. Then the author is left with creating a manga with one hand tied behind their back. We had some explosive "that's fucked up" moments, that are never really getting explored let alone resolved. It would be more surprising if the author wasn't bored of this milquetoast development.

 

[subwayanyway]

I'm guessing it's gonna end in some kind of a huge tragedy, isn't it...

 

[InsidiousIntent]

Humanizing isn't the issue-- she absolutely should be characterized as the human she is. My "issue" is that there's not any reckoning with the fact that she prostitutes kids. I can accept the idea that they're operating in a particular moral context they're already familiar with (so it's too late for the characters themselves, who've chosen this, to be the catalyst for that reckoning), and that going "but you prostitute kids" is beating the dead horse, but... she prostitutes kids.

It's also an aspect that feels more understated than it probably should be. Seiya's emotionally stunted no thanks to his profession, but Yui's practically completely normal despite having the same profession.

On the one hand, I think his "profession" contributed, but on the other I'd wager his home life started it, especially since he "wants to be loved", and that definitely wasn't coming from his mother. It likely prevented him from coping or healing from the familial trauma.

 

[aqyx]

thank you for the chapter

 

[Schernobyl]

The story of broken children has really been engaging. The story needed a lot more chapters to flesh out the main characters and more time to interact and move forward with each other.

Is this ending due to being axed or author just done with the story?