Kusunoki-san wa Koukou Debut ni Shippai Shite Iru - Ch. 47 - I don't want to be just a friend. I want her to see me as a man

[KiARume]

And somehow Kusonoki would've seen that. If only I was ignorant to hebikawa motives I'd totally want her to win, but I guess she's indirectly giving Kusonoki a nudge and that's fine too

 

[silversurfer1013]

You had your chance you wench, now piss off

 

[trapesiumz]

SNEK GANG

 

[SpoonMoth]

Lawsuit arc coming up lets fucking goooo

 

[UdenEmpati]

Hebikawa really is the most interesting part of this series. No one else is as interesting as her and her dynamic with the mmc is the most interesting relationship i've seen in a romcom in a long time if ever. Strangely enough i really don't want them to get together as a couple but i still want hebikawa to win if that makes sense. Im not exactly sure how that'd work but i'd love to see it happen.

Hebikawa "winning", to me, means she figures out that her initial goal of "proving 'darkness' exists inside perfect characters like Kusunoki" isn't worth doing.

My guess is, she has a not-good home life (divorced parents, relationship with dad isn't good), and after finding out as a child about that "perfect idol" on TV having a secret dark side, she projects the trauma-adjacent childhood she had onto those she sees as having a better life, thinking "surely they don't actually have it good, because what would that make me and my situation?"
I might be incorrect, but that's how I've always read her character, and her stated goal of trying to make Kusunoki "fall" -- basically, adolescent jealousy.
So if I am correct, then I hope she finds that she has the power to choose a better life for herself, that doesn't involve tearing down/exposing false secrets of those around her. And I think Keisuke is the key to that, because he's shown her in this very chapter that he could change in a way that seemed like an improvement on his past self--namely, he can now look her in the face without feeling violently ill after what he was put through because of her back in middle school.
By hanging out with him, I'm thinking Hebikawa learns to mellow out, that she can build real relationships and friendships of actual substance that aren't the more superficial side that you often get in adolescent "popularity-based" groupings, like her current clique seems to be. And in doing so, she'll find that she can choose her friends, her supports, and learn to let go of those feelings of jealousy and self-inadequacy and that it's not that other "perfect people" are fake, but that everyone struggles, and it's neither a contest nor cause for either pity, doubt, malice, or whathaveyou.
So...learning empathy, I guess, which is important for everyone to do and does take time and lived experience and stepping out of your comfort zone.

Hebikawa's my favorite character of this series, but I don't necessarily want her to get with Keisuke in a romantic fashion. But I think they would be important friends to the other, because of their disparate perspectives, but also because they could help one another grow (Keisuke already has, in terms of resilience, thanks to Hebikawa--and he's helped her already on more than one occasion in some fashion or another).
If she does manage that shift in her character (assuming I'm correct on what drives her in general), I think that'd be an objective win for her arc.

 

[kodakato]

Snake? Snake?! Snaaaaaake!!!!

 

[KuroViLolitannia]

Call me Indian Flute Man coz Im making that snake dance babyyyy

 

[lolfacesayshi]

Reminder that she's only doing this to get at Kusunoki. It's not real, no matter how much your boner for insane snake women pulse, she'll just leave once she has done the damage she wanted to see.

 

[ninolover69]

barf on her again

 

[NerimaShinjuku]

Barf in her mouth, then she turns around and barfs herself but Kusunoki is standing right behind her and gets showered in barf

 

[KoffeeStarZ0e]

nah the pink girl is somewhat a problem too, why're u avoiding him in the first place ?, mannn fuck these and date the tomboy best girl

 

[SatePak]

Nice

 

[Heviax]

Uh guys I think i got bitten cos I'm feeling the snake more now

I finished the chapter, clicked on the comments and while it was loading thought to myself "I might be team snake now"...

 

[Skater901]

Bro just buy a new handkerchief.

 

[Trolliconics]

Hebikawa "winning", to me, means she figures out that her initial goal of "proving 'darkness' exists inside perfect characters like Kusunoki" isn't worth doing.

My guess is, she has a not-good home life (divorced parents, relationship with dad isn't good), and after finding out as a child about that "perfect idol" on TV having a secret dark side, she projects the trauma-adjacent childhood she had onto those she sees as having a better life, thinking "surely they don't actually have it good, because what would that make me and my situation?"
I might be incorrect, but that's how I've always read her character, and her stated goal of trying to make Kusunoki "fall" -- basically, adolescent jealousy.
So if I am correct, then I hope she finds that she has the power to choose a better life for herself, that doesn't involve tearing down/exposing false secrets of those around her. And I think Keisuke is the key to that, because he's shown her in this very chapter that he could change in a way that seemed like an improvement on his past self--namely, he can now look her in the face without feeling violently ill after what he was put through because of her back in middle school.
By hanging out with him, I'm thinking Hebikawa learns to mellow out, that she can build real relationships and friendships of actual substance that aren't the more superficial side that you often get in adolescent "popularity-based" groupings, like her current clique seems to be. And in doing so, she'll find that she can choose her friends, her supports, and learn to let go of those feelings of jealousy and self-inadequacy and that it's not that other "perfect people" are fake, but that everyone struggles, and it's neither a contest nor cause for either pity, doubt, malice, or whathaveyou.
So...learning empathy, I guess, which is important for everyone to do and does take time and lived experience and stepping out of your comfort zone.

Hebikawa's my favorite character of this series, but I don't necessarily want her to get with Keisuke in a romantic fashion. But I think they would be important friends to the other, because of their disparate perspectives, but also because they could help one another grow (Keisuke already has, in terms of resilience, thanks to Hebikawa--and he's helped her already on more than one occasion in some fashion or another).
If she does manage that shift in her character (assuming I'm correct on what drives her in general), I think that'd be an objective win for her arc.

I like your interpretation and i think you're right about your analysis of hebikawa but honestly im not sure if i want her to change and grow for my sick twisted self. She's so alien from most romcom characters in general and her toxic traits are what make her unique so her changing and becoming a better person feels off to me even if it is best for the character as a whole.

Im also kind of worried if the mangaka can nail a good character arc for her as well. I think she has a lot of potential to have a great character arc but i think it would take a lot of time and effort and im not sure if the mangaka is fully willing to commit to a side character to the full extent needed even if she is the most popular character in the story. This chapter and all the previous chapters feels like a good stepping stone for the start of her character arc for her to realize the errors of her ways but i feel like it would take a lot of chapters fully dedicated to her for her to realize all the damage she has caused not just to the mmc but to all the other people she has hurt along the way (which probably includes herself as well). So i guess my real fear is that she doesnt just suddenly become a better person but starts to slowly come to understand what she has been doing the entire time might not be a healthy mindset to have.

As someone who loves hebikawa and has her as my favorite character i just want what's best/most appropriate for her character whether that means making her stay as is or her having a great character arc. both outcomes are pretty great since she's a perfect character now and i can see her character improve given proper development.

 

[74HC595]

Well Otobe and Kusunoki are both in a state of mental distress, might as well put our hero in there too.

 

[cheesecakegood]

Abort! ABORT ABORT ABORT ABORT

 

[bejad007]

YEESSSSS HEBIKAWACHAD LETS GOOOOOO

 

[Ninoren]

Uh guys I think i got bitten cos I'm feeling the snake more now

Dunno, as much as i don't like her for her trashy personality shown before she at least communicates, while Kusonoki is trying to force him together with Moe, despite him not once voicing his interest which makes her likeablity take a huge hit for me

 

[UdenEmpati]

I like your interpretation and i think you're right about your analysis of hebikawa but honestly im not sure if i want her to change and grow for my sick twisted self. She's so alien from most romcom characters in general and her toxic traits are what make her unique so her changing and becoming a better person feels off to me even if it is best for the character as a whole.

Im also kind of worried if the mangaka can nail a good character arc for her as well. I think she has a lot of potential to have a great character arc but i think it would take a lot of time and effort and im not sure if the mangaka is fully willing to commit to a side character to the full extent needed even if she is the most popular character in the story. This chapter and all the previous chapters feels like a good stepping stone for the start of her character arc for her to realize the errors of her ways but i feel like it would take a lot of chapters fully dedicated to her for her to realize all the damage she has caused not just to the mmc but to all the other people she has hurt along the way (which probably includes herself as well). So i guess my real fear is that she doesnt just suddenly become a better person but starts to slowly come to understand what she has been doing the entire time might not be a healthy mindset to have.

As someone who loves hebikawa and has her as my favorite character i just want what's best/most appropriate for her character whether that means making her stay as is or her having a great character arc. both outcomes are pretty great since she's a perfect character now and i can see her character improve given proper development.

I do think she's the most interesting character of this title; but I don't think that her turning the corner on her toxic mindset would be destroying what makes her special.

If the author can pull off her transformation from broken to enlightened, that in itself would represent a notable achievement. Especially if it can be done without her suddenly going all "happy happy joy joy" in the process, but having a genuine shift of perspective born of repeated interactions with Keisuke and being shown that her way of thinking is hurting everyone around her and her.
So many antagonists in manga just get the "talk no jutsu" trope treatment where it takes one conversation at the climax of the series from the protagonist and suddenly "oh my identity has been rewritten"; there's a chance here for that not to be the case, and it requires more active time and effort on Keisuke's part (and Kusunoki and maybe Otobe, as well as her own friends/posse that Hebikawa already has), and that extra time and energy spent would deviate from the norm in a great way.
Also - I think Hebikawa is part of the primary cast, and not a side character. She's the antagonist, and the direct foil to Kusunoki; that makes her both part of the "main crew", and thus a character that's worth the time and effort on the author's part to see her arc through to the end.
So even if it adds a couple dozen chapters to the title overall, having her complete that journey would be a payoff worth seeing--as in-universe, if you think of these characters as existing and breathing in-continuity within their setting, Hebikawa getting that chance at redemption (upon working for it, of course) would be worth it for her and the others living around her.