Stretch - Vol. 4 Ch. 45

[MangaDex]

 

[InsertName]

Welp that ending kinda fucking blew like seriously THATS how it ended that so dumb. Unless I missed something we don't even know the reason shes moving or why she broke up with her ex or why she dislikes her mom. We also didn't even see those two kiss which enough of a sin in of itself butttt come onnnnn I know it was probably axed and was rushed cause of it being axed but that sucked I would have preferred these chapter not even exist and it had no ending.

 

[Faradise]

So I just finished this manga because someone posted this on r/manga. It was a nice read and I really like the story.

Now that's put aside, I want to address your criticism @InsertName. I'll go point by point:
[ul]
No, despite its premise and its author, it's actually not a Yuri manga. But I could definitely say that Ran could very much have feelings for Keiko-senpai. Despite how Keiko talks about Ran, I couldn't say she reciprocates the feelings though. Ran came into her life in a time where she needed it the most and it definitely fill the void in her heart. But that's not necessarily leads to any romantic feelings, at least from Keiko. You might say then that's bs, but to me it just shows how nuanced the story in portraying human emotions.

Next, why did she move? From what I've interpreted from few chapters before, an earthquake happened. After the earthquake Ran got news about her dad and then she talked about how his dad's workplace is near the sea. I know that she said that "they found him amidst the chaos" but that could also very much means that they found "his body". Nonetheless, Ran now must go back to her parents house, because her mother might be alone and needs her only family left. This also explains on why she felt forced to move and wished she could've stayed for longer.

Then, why Keiko broke up with her ex? Again, my interpretation. Her relationship with her ex actually runs pretty smoothly and we can infer that she might've been pregnant with his child. Then something happened and I think it's her miscarriage. This is why she referenced "when she can't have something, she tries to fill the void". This something that she can't have can refer to her baby or in general just a happy relationship with her fiancee. Now you might think, that's not enough reason for a couple to break up if they truly love each other. You're right, because I think the main reason is because she lashed out to her fiancee after she lost the baby. It pretty much go sour from there and he can't take it no more.

As to why she dislikes her mom? This is not as clear as the other things and it could be many things. From what I've seen, I've interpreted that her mom could be your typical "tired single parent". This can be inferred since Keiko never mentions her dad and his dad didn't show up in her flashbacks. I do say "tired" but her mom might've not given her enough attention but not abusive, since Keiko seems to not have bad memories of her but have few good memories with her. This lack of love is probably why she became a delinquent, why she freely gave her virginity away etc. But I'm still not sure what to say about the "boy" in her flashback. It's very much up to interpretation.

Finally, I don't think this series was axed. From what I've seen, the "underlying plot" flows nicely and it reaches a very natural ending. I do admit it's short though. But I think this manga has always been intended as a "slice of life" manga which also have underlying plot which you have to "read between the lines" to find. It's a really great storytelling, at least for me. I love Keiko and Ran, their characters and chemistry between each other are so believable even compared to actual yuri romance manga.
[/ul]

 

[InsertName]

ok, yea from what I remember I agree with some of what you said so I'll go over them haven't read this manga in like a month so my memory might be a little hazy and I definitely don't remember the characters names so I'm sorry if this is hard to read cause I'm going to be using almost strictly pronouns. but I enjoy discussion so thanks for sharing your input with me it's always interesting to me a see a different outlook on something.

You say this manga is not a yuri manga which is 100% true it's not but there definitely felt like there were romantic feelings between the two or at least it was heavily implied though I guess you could say they just relied on each other heavily which gave an impression of romantic feelings but I still feel that a yuri end would be more satisfying and more interesting then what we got but I have clear bias for enjoying yuri Though I guess that wasn't the author's intentions which is 100% fine, I wished for a yuri end but I also didn't necessarily think it was needed so I'm not really mad about that and respect the author's decision to keep them just being friends.

I honestly don't remember a single thing about the earthquake. My memory isn't the greatest so ill chalk it up to that but I still try to argue why I don't understand her reason. So let's say her father did get stuck in the earthquake if he was injured and not dead then I can see why she might visit but not move to them so this doesn't make much if we look at it from this angle. If we look at it from your angle were the father died in the earthquake and they just worded his death weirdly(cause saying they "found him amidst the chaos" sounds like someone ran into him rather than finding his corpse) then I can see and understand why she might move to help take care of her mother though I do see some problems with that as well that ill get into later.

ok, yea from what I remember I can respect some of the subtexts with her ex. Like I didn't notice at first about her child which was stillborn and now that I notice that I think that's actually a decent reason. After rereading that chapter I actually grew to appreciate the subtly of it I think this was handled with care and I like it a lot now that I look back on it. This is, in my opinion, makes a lot more sense than just saying aloud and I appreciate how they handled this though I still feel a little iffy on why they would break up after a stillborn. Cause from what I remember she had a pretty good relationship were her ex before the stillborn again my memory is little hazy and the ex didn't show up that often for me to really remember him well so I'll just leave it be because IMO I can still see and understand why someone might break up after a stillborn due to the depression and anger that might come with it a tragedy like that.

OK so let's talk about her mom, IMO is the second-worst part of the manga as it is riddled with too MUCH speculation and the subtext it does give doesn't make sense to me. From what I remember the mom wasn't an awful person she might not have been the greatest mom but I don't think that's enough for her to hate her so much. I would even go as far as to say that she despised her and wished never to see her. If we go with your interpretation that she didn't care for her enough I feel like she might be indifferent to her mom, but hate her? A little stretch don't you think it seems odd for someone to hate another this much you would have to assume she did something awful to her as a child or maybe their personality didn't get along with each other at all and they were constantly at each other's throats. This is the biggest problem I have with this manga it doesn't develop its plot enough and waste so much potential that it could take advantage of.

Like I was saying about potential, IMO the worst part in the manga is it's wasted potential I can understand and respect subtext as it treats your readers as a human who can figure things out I enjoy it as much as the next guy. However, even with the subtly and nuisances in this manga, I feel as though it's just not enough to leave a person completely satisfied there are so many unanswered and iffy feelings at the end of this book that it just feels SO disappointing. Like for example, the manga ends on the best friends leaving one another and as a reader, I know their still best friends but you got to ask, do they ever meet one another again, or do they move in back together and share an apartment. Can the main character ever have children do they ever accomplish their goals(I think one of them wanted to be an artist could be wrong though, don't really remember)? The worst offender of this is, of course, the mother, and daughter situation which I talked a tiny about why I disliked the idea of them just living together all of a sudden and that's because they are not on good terms. Which is fine if you wanted to take care of your mother even though you're not on good terms with that's completely fine what I have a problem with is how it ends before we can experience her taking care of her mother and hopefully come to a better understanding of her maybe and maybe even end up appreciating her. The problem, of course, is that the manga doesn't show this but instead it feels as though it leaves on a cliff hanger. It feels as if you just entered the lair of the final boss only for you to turn off the console and never attempt to fight him(Bad analogy I know :/). It just the way they handled the mother relationship with the daughters just leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

So for fun, let's say the manga did continue from where it left off and she starts taking care of her mother just imagine what could happen, imagine the potential, maybe when they first meet they are on bad terms and the atmosphere gets awkward and while about each others day the mother notices her stretching and in an attempt to get along and repair the relationship with her she asks her if she can do it with her. Afterward, maybe the mom enjoys stretching and they bond over-stretching just as the best friends did eventually the daughter talks about her best friend and the mother learns more about her and starts to understand her. Eventually, maybe they open up even more maybe she speaks about her stillborn and her ex maybe the mother apologizes maybe the friend even visits and helps improves their relationship by being a medium for the two to get along or something.

IMO what I just wrote is better than the current ending it develops and repairs or at least addresses the relationship between the mother and the daughter and it still is connected by the manga theme of stretching. Of course, I am not a writer and I don't expect any of what I just wrote to be any good but I still think it would leave people more satisfied with the manga than the current ending. Yes, it would be less subtle but the manga would be more complete than it was before and more enjoyable to most.

In conclusion, I think the manga addiction to use subtle techniques kinda gets in the way of further developing the plot which makes everything feels like a guessing game rather than a cohesive story that you have to uncover. Also, the show might not have been axed but I do think it was a rushed ending, it felt so sudden and jarring that it only makes sense that author felt as though he wanted to end it as quickly as possible if the manga had like 20+ extra chapters where it flushes out the side characters just a bit more I feel as though could be seriously amazing. Especially since I really enjoyed and loved the chapters prior to the ending those chapters were straight bangers, they were so good in fact I read it all in like a single setting. I also really love the girls' chemistry and interactions with one another it felt like just the right amount of playful while still feeling like adults extremely good character interactions in my honest opinion. While the series had a lackluster ending I do think this manga is pretty damn good all things considered.

Anyways thanks for coming to my ted talk and i while I don't appreciate the ending I do understand what the author was going for and I can respect that and realize that some people can enjoy how she executed it. Thanks for sharing your opinion and here's my take on the manga and if you don't agree that's fine with me feel free to share why you think I'm wrong

holy moly I'm so sorry that this is so long here is TLDR
TLDR; Ended on what felt like a cliff hanger and felt very sudden, I think they're good moments of the manga trying to be subtle but I think the majority of times it leaves the reader confused and asking questions that won't be answered because the author is too invested in the subtly idea, and while I'm not the biggest fan of that way of writing but I can understand why some find it enjoyable and interesting. I feel as though an extra 20+ chapter could create a satisfying ending that didn't feel out of place and could develop her mother which IMO is a very big waste of potential.

 

[Probably_wont_log_in_again]

hey, you, didnt you read the description?

 

[nobreadsticks]

Incredible bait. Never have I been baited so hard by a manga. It was such good bait, that I knew it was bait, but still bit the entire thing

 

[gronkle]

Just how smooth does a brain have to be, to not understand the journey these two characters went through or their platonic love for each other?

Btw, the theme isn't "stretching", it is needing each other to accomplish something in an easier and more satisfying manner than alone.
They needed each other, as friends, to move on with their lives at a crucial turning point so that they can return to independence.
The entire story is about how they assist each other, and enrich each other, until they are competent and happy alone.
This is expressed symbolically through helping each other stretch, an act that has incremental benefit when done as part of a routine, and one that is improved with a partner to help. Not stretching leaves you stiff, unable to move effectively, in pain, wanting to be still. The parallel between that and their lives at the point of living together is obvious.
Continuing the story any further would no longer be about that, but about the circumstances beyond it, which would shift the focus away from the central theme and turn it into a bloated mess.

 

[RozuArison08]

Why u cryin...

 

[Raknasuu]

So this is what you get when you have this author actually writing a drama/slice of life. Damn. (Having said that, if you wanted a yuri where there is lots of kissing and stuff, this guy got you. I would recommend Vampeerz as it's currently the best written in that genre)

I really enjoyed this! Even if I would have appreciated if the last 10 chapters would've been a lot more fleshed out than they were.

Gotta say I dig @gronkle 's interpretation of the story. That's what it really felt like for me, that this manga just used stretching as a vehicle to deliver a message to this beautiful relationship between the leads.

 

[Panino]

@InsertName @Faradise @nobreadsticks
There's no "wasted potential" in this story, on the contrary, it's a fully realized story told with subtlety. I always recommend it when I remember but unfortunaly it seems a lot of people "can't get it".

It's not uncommon for mothers to neglect their child when they become single parents, this is probably what happened between Keiko and her mother. Women wished her wasn't there and didn't hided it. She also probably got annoyed when "her man" started showing interest in Keiko's body.
During high school Keiko just didn't cared about her life, but her interactions with Ran made her desired a better life, she put the effort, moved away to college. He meet her boyfriend, was happy with him, got pregnant. She probably was very happy to become a mother, imagining that she would be the best mother ever, but she had a miscarriage. Remember her at the phone booth at the hospital? She called her mother and Keiko's mother probably told something in the line of what she said in that nightmare where a monster eat the flower. That's why Keiko hated her mother and felt she could never forgive her, it's probably the reason why she lost control and because violent towards her fiance. Frustrated for not being able to help her he left with regrets.

Some time later the 2011 Earthquake happened.
When Keiko heard that it was in Tohoku that smile probably means she wished her mother had died. She freaked out and started crying, that's when Ran meet her.
Ran went to Keiko's apartment to not let her alone and wait news from home.
The next day when she was about to leave her got the call with the news her father had died in the Tsunami. On an impulse Keiko invited her to stay, because she wanted to "protect" Ran.

Time passed, a year and a half.
The climax is during chapter 35 I think.
When Keiko discovered and announced her pregnancy she remembered Ran. She probably thought she wanted to raise her child to be a proper kid and as much love as Ran apparently received. Ran as filling this role as "foster child" to Keiko, but than that scene at the mall, when Ran sees Keiko talking and teaching the girl to stretch and later them asks her if she had any nightmares recently. Ran understood that Keiko had overcome her trauma and "motherly needs".

Then the knot left was Keiko going to talk with her ex-fiance after so long to finally break up officially, confirm that she would not get back together with him and make him move on too.

By that point Ran that was so close to her father, having lived with someone else she also felt so close, had overcome her father's death.

In the end Ran started doing residency in medicine and moved to her own apartment, because Keiko now not needing her support anymore by her own will or by decision of her company transferred her to Kansai. But before getting on the train to go there she first goes in the opposite direction to see her mother after many years.


The end.
It was a story about grief first and foremost.

 

[ipmanvsthemask]

Then the knot left was Keiko going to talk with her ex-fiance after so long to finally break up officially, confirm that she would not get back together with him and make him move on too.

It's the likely conclusion but we don't really know that for sure.