@CannedWaifu
Because this entire manga started off as a budding romance between Tadano and Komi.
No, this manga started off as a budding
friendship between Tadano and Komi. Slowly, very slowly, they’ve figured out they’re interested in something more; Tadano still hasn't fully come to terms with it. Manbagi’s a newer character, and right now she’s focused on her crush on Tadano, but she could easily head down the same path with Komi if the writer wants to go there.
every single scene with Tadano and Kitai is just goofy comic relief
OK, but that’s…almost every scene with Katai, period. He blushes and doki-doki’s at Tadano and nobody else, including the normally irresistible Komi. He gives the boy chocolate on Valentine’s, he squeals internally over sleepover chances. There really is more support for the guy’s being gay than straight. You don’t have to
care about that if you don’t take the character seriously, but it is what it is.
[Komi and Manbagi are] both entirely straight
Uh-huh.
As for Komi, earlier in the story she was still in the “never fallen in love before” stage. She hasn’t had a chance to find out
what all she is—or what all the writer wants her to be. There’s already like four female cast members who are openly interested in other girls, so it’s not like they don’t exist in this ‘verse.
@gronkle
Actually, there’s been
a fair amount of research in this area, and on average poly people and monogamous people are about equally well-adjusted and happy in their relationships.
But that’s the real world; we were talking about the possibilities for relationship drama in fiction.
@LegionGuy49 said they didn’t like harem endings because there’s no heartbreak or emotional drama, and I was just pointing out that with polyamorous endings you can have all the drama you want.
@LegionGuy49
Polygamy is illegal in Japan.
Sure, but polyamory is perfectly legal; like most Western countries, Japan has no law against extramarital relationships. It’s just that people have to pair up on paper for the legal marriage part.
Not that marriage is very relevant to our protagonists at this point in their lives. Japanese people typically don’t get married until their late 20’s or 30’s.