Galette (Anthology) - Vol. 5 Ch. 2 - Me and Her Are... (by Yui Asube)

[MangaDex]

 

[Insignificant]

What?

 

[darara]

I might be wrong, but I think the black haired girl choose to commit suicide instead of an arranged marriage. (kind of retarded, lazy writing, whatever)
The ending is after a timeskip of at least 10 years (crt TV -> LCD TV), seems like the blonde girl couldn't bear it, and broke down mentally.

edit:
I shouldn't scroll that fast next time. After taking a second look, its kind of confusing. There is the old tv, and the rotary phone. So decades passed, yet the girl looks younger than before. And she don't know Mihoko, and since a name change is very unlikely, its not amnesia.
Might be missing a supernatural tag, I am not sure.
I am probably overthinking things. It could be just a "normal" nightmare.

To be honest, I really liked this one. Most of the Galette oneshots kind of empty, with an "open ending" (means unfinished ), but this one made me think. It doesn't makes sense, but at least it made me think.

 

[darkmaster006]

Uhh I was expecting the twist... but I don't know what to make of that ending.

 

[marcy29]

Wish there was a 0art 2 of this or something

 

[mirewitch]

So I think what happened is this: Kuniko and Mihoko lived together decades ago. Not sure of specific date but with the old TV it was probably the 80s. Kuniko's family set up an arranged marriage with a guy. Kuniko killed herself rather than marry someone who isn't Mihoko. The woman at the end is Mihoko reincarnated; the tragedy is that Mihoko could not live without Kuniko and also killed herself. That's why she doesn't know who Kuniko is, but feels nostalgic for her. Its also why she looks different and younger in spite of it clearly being a couple decades later based on the TV.

I've seen others criticize it as contrived or melodramatic that Kuniko killed herself instead of marrying a guy, since she could have refused and stayed with Mihoko. But being a lesbian in the 80s in Japan was extremely difficult. There was a lot of homophobia, and it mixed with sexism in some really awful ways. For example it was really hard for a woman to build a career in those days because it was expected that men had careers, while women quit the workforce as soon as she married. Mihoko was only barely able to support them when she's young, and it would get harder as she got older. And there would be a constant risk of them being outed and Mihoko losing her job. Also its not easy to refuse your family when you know that doing so may result in them cutting you out from their lives. That doesn't mean happiness as a lesbian was impossible; plenty of gay couples survived the homophobia of the 1900s. But I can understand how she might have a moment of weakness given the pressure she must have been feeling from society.

That said, I think I would have preferred a less miserable ending. Perhaps instead have Mihoko walk in as Kuniko is attempting to kill herself, so she can intervene and save her. Then maybe have Kuniko admit the arranged marriage. Mihoko then could ask her to run away together instead of marrying the guy. Maybe have a last page that shows them in a different run down apartment, poor but together and happy. Unfortunately that isn't how the author wrote it, but I would like to think that Mihoko reincarnating means Kuniko did as well, and that they will reconnect, this time in a time period which is more supportive.

 

[Raknasuu]

@mirewitch Thanks for the insight. This is my head-canon now.

 

[Makine]

I would like the other girl to be reincarnated too so they can have a happy end.

 

[Memuusenpai]

They will be meeting again, and this time, be happy. In my mind was a happy end.

 

[Wrabbit7]

We'll meet again... don't know where, don't know when... but I know we'll meet again, some sunny day...

 

[KetiroTheDeadCat]

 

[Vivewe14]

Hurt as hell.

 

[PsychoTheRabbit]

She might not be Mihoko or know Kuniko but killing urself because of a arranged marriage seems too much... guess running away wasnt an option.

 

[lycantant]

Ohh fc, i can't 😭

 

[AriaOfDysphoria]

So I think what happened is this: Kuniko and Mihoko lived together decades ago. Not sure of specific date but with the old TV it was probably the 80s. Kuniko's family set up an arranged marriage with a guy. Kuniko killed herself rather than marry someone who isn't Mihoko. The woman at the end is Mihoko reincarnated; the tragedy is that Mihoko could not live without Kuniko and also killed herself. That's why she doesn't know who Kuniko is, but feels nostalgic for her. Its also why she looks different and younger in spite of it clearly being a couple decades later based on the TV.

I've seen others criticize it as contrived or melodramatic that Kuniko killed herself instead of marrying a guy, since she could have refused and stayed with Mihoko. But being a lesbian in the 80s in Japan was extremely difficult. There was a lot of homophobia, and it mixed with sexism in some really awful ways. For example it was really hard for a woman to build a career in those days because it was expected that men had careers, while women quit the workforce as soon as she married. Mihoko was only barely able to support them when she's young, and it would get harder as she got older. And there would be a constant risk of them being outed and Mihoko losing her job. Also its not easy to refuse your family when you know that doing so may result in them cutting you out from their lives. That doesn't mean happiness as a lesbian was impossible; plenty of gay couples survived the homophobia of the 1900s. But I can understand how she might have a moment of weakness given the pressure she must have been feeling from society.

That said, I think I would have preferred a less miserable ending. Perhaps instead have Mihoko walk in as Kuniko is attempting to kill herself, so she can intervene and save her. Then maybe have Kuniko admit the arranged marriage. Mihoko then could ask her to run away together instead of marrying the guy. Maybe have a last page that shows them in a different run down apartment, poor but together and happy. Unfortunately that isn't how the author wrote it, but I would like to think that Mihoko reincarnating means Kuniko did as well, and that they will reconnect, this time in a time period which is more supportive.

Hello from 6 Years in the future!

This is pretty much my takeaway when I read this one and just as you I am a bit conflicted as far as the ending goes. It is grim but as you mentioned, that was the lived reality of too many lesbians and queer people of the past and stories like these deserve to be told but I would have liked at least 2 more pages where it shows that the two women's reincarnated selfes could find each other. You know kinda like a big metapher of how social acceptence of queer people has improved while still not beeing perfect. or even better make another Oneshot that mirrors this one. Like a poem or Star Wars (allegedly) does.
Or heck, make a queer supernatural mistery story where the women reconect and finding out that they have similar dreams and piercing together their history.

Dunno what it is but somehow this one sparks my immagination quite a bit