Yancha Gal no Anjou-san - Ch. 219 - Chita-san Won't Hold Hands

[UdenEmpati]

That’s interesting. Now I wonder if she’s just not interested in romance generally. She’s clearly been confused and worried about the dynamics of their relationship. I’m also interested in the continuing narrative around her being the “slowest” to “mature” in her friend group. Those terms in quotes because defining them is often nebulous and prone to bias. They’re necessarily subjective terms but it seems Chita has defined them in a way that’s left her feeling behind or imperfect. Really helps further explain her recent eating issues as well; the lead up to graduating is causing a lot of sudden new changes when she’s already felt unable to keep up with the previous ones. Now, how will Tokio be supportive here? I know he will in his own way. Their conversation next chapter will be really meaningful for them.

My read on it is that she's been comparing herself to her friends and the people around her, and finding that her own feelings, and her own "development" as an adolescent, aren't squaring up with what she perceives as the expected norm.
So because her own interests and her own mindset toward Tokio are "not correct", she's left with that dissonance of "okay so...am I just not mature enough yet? Will I get it if time keeps going? But what if I don't get it?" And so Chiita just shoves it all aside and keeps doing her thing, thinking maybe it'll all sort itself out.

So when it doesn't, and she's aware that Tokio likes her and she knows what that's supposed to mean, and then she doesn't feel the same way even though she thinks she's supposed to, it creates that disconnect for her. She's stuck, she can't move forward, she's not growing like her friends, and now she's being left behind and she's terrified that she'll lose everyone as they move forward in life while she's incapable of following along.
Which....if that is the core of Chiita's issue, then it kinda re-frames her whole character through this series. It doesn't excuse some of the stuff she's pulled, but it's now all coherent to me.
I dunno if it's a play to make Chiita aromantic or asexual or something, or if it's a "she's literally just taking longer than the others for it all to 'click'", or what--but if the author were trying to go the ace route for Chiita, it's at least a workable foundation.

But the trick will be whether Tokio wants to stick around, even if his romantic feelings are never reciprocated, because Chiita is that important to him--and if he wants to remain her friend, then it'll come down to whether he can convince Chiita that he's not suppressing his unhappiness in being around her.
Nothing says they can't remain friends, but they'll both have to work to ensure there's no lingering regrets or resentment or mismatched dynamic between them, if Chiita can never functionally reciprocate anything other than platonic friendship.

 

[Journeyman]

I kinda like these characters but this is gonna take a whiiiiiiiile to wrap up. Then again after a few years, fans of this manga already developed a certain immunity to cliffhangers and other PTSD inducing story Arcs. 😆
Could be worse, we could get a really awful anime adaptation one of these days... 😏 jk jk... Or maybe not.

 

[anf]

Put me out of my misery bro i can't take it anymore

 

[SrNevik]

My read on it is that she's been comparing herself to her friends and the people around her, and finding that her own feelings, and her own "development" as an adolescent, aren't squaring up with what she perceives as the expected norm.
So because her own interests and her own mindset toward Tokio are "not correct", she's left with that dissonance of "okay so...am I just not mature enough yet? Will I get it if time keeps going? But what if I don't get it?" And so Chiita just shoves it all aside and keeps doing her thing, thinking maybe it'll all sort itself out.

So when it doesn't, and she's aware that Tokio likes her and she knows what that's supposed to mean, and then she doesn't feel the same way even though she thinks she's supposed to, it creates that disconnect for her. She's stuck, she can't move forward, she's not growing like her friends, and now she's being left behind and she's terrified that she'll lose everyone as they move forward in life while she's incapable of following along.
Which....if that is the core of Chiita's issue, then it kinda re-frames her whole character through this series. It doesn't excuse some of the stuff she's pulled, but it's now all coherent to me.
I dunno if it's a play to make Chiita aromantic or asexual or something, or if it's a "she's literally just taking longer than the others for it all to 'click'", or what--but if the author were trying to go the ace route for Chiita, it's at least a workable foundation.

But the trick will be whether Tokio wants to stick around, even if his romantic feelings are never reciprocated, because Chiita is that important to him--and if he wants to remain her friend, then it'll come down to whether he can convince Chiita that he's not suppressing his unhappiness in being around her.
Nothing says they can't remain friends, but they'll both have to work to ensure there's no lingering regrets or resentment or mismatched dynamic between them, if Chiita can never functionally reciprocate anything other than platonic friendship.

Yeah, I have to be short with this comment but I agree with your impression here. I don’t see a universe where they don’t remain friends at bare minimum but they will need to figure out what form their relationship takes moving forward. This discussion will do a lot for that. As you said (and I tried implying in my comment) Chita is currently something of an unreliable narrator as a result of her clear issues with perceptions of what “maturity” looks like; so, whether she truly doesn’t like Tokio romantically or is simply comparing herself to an imagined idea of what she “should” feel and how she “should” behave is up in the air until next chapter. Should be an important discussion for them. It wouldn’t surprise me if Chita and Tokio become the couple whose progress is still in progress by the time the series ends. It’s a brand I’ve seen handled in other series. Horimiya had something similar, for example, with its final couple left in progress with obvious hints of a future. That also resulted from a character who wasn’t in the same place as others emotionally and her partner who was willing to wait.

 

[Ozmire]

On the positive side, progress for the boy. On the other, another chii chapter...

 

[UdenEmpati]

Yeah, I have to be short with this comment but I agree with your impression here. I don’t see a universe where they don’t remain friends at bare minimum but they will need to figure out what form their relationship takes moving forward. This discussion will do a lot for that. As you said (and I tried implying in my comment) Chita is currently something of an unreliable narrator as a result of her clear issues with perceptions of what “maturity” looks like; so, whether she truly doesn’t like Tokio romantically or is simply comparing herself to an imagined idea of what she “should” feel and how she “should” behave is up in the air until next chapter. Should be an important discussion for them. It wouldn’t surprise me if Chita and Tokio become the couple whose progress is still in progress by the time the series ends. It’s a brand I’ve seen handled in other series. Horimiya had something similar, for example, with its final couple left in progress with obvious hints of a future. That also resulted from a character who wasn’t in the same place as others emotionally and her partner who was willing to wait.

I'd personally be happy with Chiita not ending up with him, either because she actually is aro/ace (I know people say "but Japanese manga doesn't do that!" -- guess what, it's 2026, things are allowed to change), or if she's gay and--as the only one I'm aware of in her social circle--doesn't know that's a thing.
But I do think it's important they resolve this between them, and them remaining friends would be neat, to show that "rejection" isn't the end-all/be-all for people.

 

[Zxzzxz2]

Wish it was longer, felt too short

 

[w3searcher]

I'll respect the author more if they don't wind up together, though regardless I agree that things need to move on

 

[heccingisconfused]

Is she perhaps asexual and does not realize it herself?

Doubt it, this is a japanese story. They rarely do nuanced depictions of these topics.

That’s interesting. Now I wonder if she’s just not interested in romance generally or if she’s not currently in a place for that discussion. Everyone moves at their own pace, though we’ll understand more next chapter. She’s clearly been confused and worried about the dynamics of their relationship. I’m interested in the continuing narrative around her being the “slowest” to “mature” in her friend group. Those terms in quotes because defining them is often nebulous and prone to bias. They’re necessarily subjective terms but it seems Chita has defined them in a way that’s left her feeling behind or imperfect.

Really helps further explain her recent eating issues as well; the lead up to graduating is causing a lot of sudden new changes when she’s already felt unable to keep up with the previous ones. Now, how will Tokio be supportive here? I know he will in his own way. He likes her romantically but she’s also his best friend. They both love each other totally, even if potentially not in the same way. I doubt he views their relationship like some cold transaction; he’s not going to “cut his losses,” which is an idea that ignores their entire years long relationship. Their conversation next chapter will be really meaningful for them. Either way, I hope they figure out something that works.

Honestly to me it seems like a pretty clear cut case of her feeling like she's not growing up because she's not changing the same way her friends are and that being the reason why she doesn't feel like she can love him the same way he loves her. Maybe I'm just projecting because that's something I've felt before tho.

 

[heccingisconfused]

Thank god, finally she says she isn’t into him. Because she is clearly into girls. Finally, after years of you guys denying it. Fucking finally, now apologize.

Wait you're like genuinely serious? You actually believe that?

 

[silencers]

imagine wanting to give your side characters some room for growth and acknowledging the struggles some folks have IRL - and then your fanbase start acting like entitled toddlers

 

[brndndss]

i feel like i have to preface all my comments with i do like Chita. BUT! like.. shes building these blockades herself, and then complains that she wants to change but cant.

 

[OtakuMan93]

Thank god, finally she says she isn’t into him. Because she is clearly into girls. Finally, after years of you guys denying it. Fucking finally, now apologize.

"Those who cannot conceive Friendship as a substantive love but only as a disguise or elaboration of Eros betray the fact that they have never had a Friend."
CS Lewis, 'The Four Loves'

 

[UdenEmpati]

i feel like i have to preface all my comments with i do like Chita. BUT! like.. shes building these blockades herself, and then complains that she wants to change but cant.

it kinda sounds like she's not really building them, though.
the read I get from this chapter in connection with the rest, is that she's simply not growing up in the manner she sees her friends doing, and she doesn't understand why she's different. (Or, importantly, that it's okay that she's different.)

Because Chiita only has those around her to compare herself to, she's an outlier, and neither she nor any of her friends no why, or how to really deal with it. She just knows she still likes the stuff she did when she was a kid (when it was "acceptable"), and she doesn't understand wanting to hold hands and go on dates in the manner she sees Toyo and Anna doing with their boyfriends. She doesn't even get "boyfriends/girlfriends", because the concept itself doesn't resonate with her.

It does sorta read like someone who simply doesn't feel romantic attraction--I'm not gonna delve into the "she's totally aro", because there's no guarantee the author's intending that. But I think it can be said that Chiita's situation is one of "I'm different from my social circle and I can't figure out why and it's stressful, because I don't know what's 'broken' or how to fix it".
And nothing is broken--some people just don't get romantic love, and it's not wrong. But Chiita doesn't know that--she's just different, and for adolescents everywhere, 'being different' is not always a great feeling to experience.
So it's not so much Chiita doing this to herself, unless you wanna count her not having someone knowledgeable to talk to who can help her understand that--if I'm correct in what's going on with her character--there's nothing wrong about not feeling romance, and that she should just focus on how to hang out with her friends in a way that's fulfilling and equitable, and how to focus on the future doing things she wants to do and what "growing up" might look like for her specific situation.

Chiita might just be hung up on "I'm not like them and that's bad", and that extends to thinking she's required to Do Romance with Tokio, when that's technically not true. So now she needs to figure out how to resolve that with Tokio, and whether they can have a future as friends that doesn't see either of them repressing themselves or forcing things.

 

[SrNevik]

I'd personally be happy with Chiita not ending up with him, either because she actually is aro/ace (I know people say "but Japanese manga doesn't do that!" -- guess what, it's 2026, things are allowed to change), or if she's gay and--as the only one I'm aware of in her social circle--doesn't know that's a thing.
But I do think it's important they resolve this between them, and them remaining friends would be neat, to show that "rejection" isn't the end-all/be-all for people.

Yeah there's a few different ways it can go for sure. There are many ways she could be presented next chapter and her character and situation is fluid enough for any of them to work. I'm really looking to their discussion next chapter.

 

[rudezki]

Progress, finally.

Also, here with popcorn to see the rage comments from fifth Chita chapter in a row lmao

You think this is progress? Fuck this nothingburger of a couple.

 

[UdenEmpati]

Yeah there's a few different ways it can go for sure. There are many ways she could be presented next chapter and her character and situation is fluid enough for any of them to work. I'm really looking to their discussion next chapter.

Agreed. I know my own preferences when it comes to character writing and I know they will fall outside "the norm" at times, but if I'm interpreting Chiita's characterization correctly, then she's almost perfectly set up to go the "comparatively novel" route of not being just like everyone else.

Chiita has always inadvertently marched to the beat of her own drum. The dissonance of her character derives from the fact that it's not a conscious choice, but effectively the way she's wired--and she doesn't understand that, because she can only compare to the "normal" people around her.
Having her instead understand and embrace her being different (including in the lack-of-romantic-attraction sense) would be neat to see, in my individual opinion.

And if it doesn't go that route, that's fine too, of course. I'm just one reader and obviously not the one making the story, and I don't doubt the author's got a good idea in mind and the ability to execute it.

 

[Crystalball]

zzzzzz....

 

[Kaito57]

The ONE time the "I don't deserve you" argument is actually and completely valid/acceptable !!

So, let's end it here with things cleared and a few tears if needed !!

Tokio, you're still young, not bad looking and full of potential : you will definitely find someone else who's much better for you and will actually love you as a person and not as a prop for clicks !!

Chita , you were unlikable, annoying and a waste of screentime the second you were introduced : I hope you get hit by Truck-kun without the Isekai Option.

Onto the Next !!

 

[SrNevik]

Agreed. I know my own preferences when it comes to character writing and I know they will fall outside "the norm" at times, but if I'm interpreting Chiita's characterization correctly, then she's almost perfectly set up to go the "comparatively novel" route of not being just like everyone else.

Chiita has always inadvertently marched to the beat of her own drum. The dissonance of her character derives from the fact that it's not a conscious choice, but effectively the way she's wired--and she doesn't understand that, because she can only compare to the "normal" people around her.
Having her instead understand and embrace her being different (including in the lack-of-romantic-attraction sense) would be neat to see, in my individual opinion.

And if it doesn't go that route, that's fine too, of course. I'm just one reader and obviously not the one making the story, and I don't doubt the author's got a good idea in mind and the ability to execute it.

Yeah being unconventional makes her story interesting to me as well, and I'm glad they seem to be sticking the landing so far (at least to me). The fact that there's a few different equally viable possibilities for how next chapter goes is really fun.