Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet - Vol. 9 Ch. 49
- Thread starter MangaDex
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What I love about this manga is that they're both flawed and "young" in different ways, and whatever they lack is what the other has to share with them. I feel that it's fundamentally a story about children learning to grow up for and with each other.
Fumi is competent and self-aware, but wrestles with managing her emotions (especially her fear). She came to terms with her romantic feelings first, being more emotionally mature, but sexuality is a whole new ballgame she has no idea how to cope with. She understands that she's immature and has at least a general idea of what she needs to do to grow past that. What she needs is someone who sees her for who and what she is and tell her she's that she's enough, that she doesn't have to be flawless and do all the work all the time just to be worth wanting and making an effort for.
Meanwhile, Akatsuki has a lot of life experience she lacks, as an adult with ten years on her, but has huge gaps in his emotional education and struggles badly with self-awareness when it comes to that. He's comfortable with sexuality, but has no idea he's doing when it comes to actual emotional investment. It's easy to assume that because he's older, he's further ahead, but there are so many areas in which Fumi is by far more advanced than he is. What he needs is similar: someone who will love him for who he actually is, not because they're projecting a fantasy onto his uncommunicative blank slate, and who will do so patiently enough for him to figure this love thing out and catch up to them.
They're not lazy communicators so much as they are inexperienced and untutored, I think. They're learning by walking into every wall face-first, and painful as that is to watch, it's so satisfying every time they manage to get past one. They're both still so unsure of themselves, and of each other, but they're trying their best to learn and grow because that's how much they want this.
I won't spoil the next dozen chapters, but please trust me when I say that a) this narrative knows what it's about and b) there are no bad people in it, only bad communicators. Gorou is a good person who values his friendship with Akatsuki. Uneda is a good person who likes and respects Fumi. It's just well-meaning people hurting each other by accident as they try to navigate some very rocky waters.
And that's my 0.02c as the translator, lmao. Feel free to disregard.
Fumi is competent and self-aware, but wrestles with managing her emotions (especially her fear). She came to terms with her romantic feelings first, being more emotionally mature, but sexuality is a whole new ballgame she has no idea how to cope with. She understands that she's immature and has at least a general idea of what she needs to do to grow past that. What she needs is someone who sees her for who and what she is and tell her she's that she's enough, that she doesn't have to be flawless and do all the work all the time just to be worth wanting and making an effort for.
Meanwhile, Akatsuki has a lot of life experience she lacks, as an adult with ten years on her, but has huge gaps in his emotional education and struggles badly with self-awareness when it comes to that. He's comfortable with sexuality, but has no idea he's doing when it comes to actual emotional investment. It's easy to assume that because he's older, he's further ahead, but there are so many areas in which Fumi is by far more advanced than he is. What he needs is similar: someone who will love him for who he actually is, not because they're projecting a fantasy onto his uncommunicative blank slate, and who will do so patiently enough for him to figure this love thing out and catch up to them.
They're not lazy communicators so much as they are inexperienced and untutored, I think. They're learning by walking into every wall face-first, and painful as that is to watch, it's so satisfying every time they manage to get past one. They're both still so unsure of themselves, and of each other, but they're trying their best to learn and grow because that's how much they want this.
I won't spoil the next dozen chapters, but please trust me when I say that a) this narrative knows what it's about and b) there are no bad people in it, only bad communicators. Gorou is a good person who values his friendship with Akatsuki. Uneda is a good person who likes and respects Fumi. It's just well-meaning people hurting each other by accident as they try to navigate some very rocky waters.
And that's my 0.02c as the translator, lmao. Feel free to disregard.
Dex-chan lover
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Thanks @Panthaleia, both for the translation and thoughtful comment. I'll be looking forward to those chapters.
Dex-chan lover
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I agree, @Panthaleia. And thanks for translating the chapters!
Dex-chan lover
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Misunderstandings are like sauce, if used correctly it can make the food (romance) more tasty.
