exactly! i cannot express how much over time, it really drained me and made my opinion of the whole story do a 360 flip
it irks me so much that people defend it as some form of “healing journey” for mafuyu??? like??? what about uenoyama?? if you were in ue’s shoes, would you be as patient as him? would you never feel curious when your supposed boyfriend looks at a wall and seemingly drifts off into the horizon, trying to still grasp something already gone.
A good point, while i been loving this ever since 2020 and it saved me, i always felt like something was a bit off, I couldn't express it in words but you explained it good lol
Honestly this was well written and was something for me to think about! Because I've always felt the opposite, and along these similar veins I always thought it felt like it's us readers who want a lot more clear closure but Ue has always felt very comfortable about where he stands and never doubts it after talking with Akihiko (whereas Mafuyu has the big moment where he didn't even want to confront what Ue was working on).
Like for sure, alot of people do not act like that (me included) but as a character Ue I feel has been consistent about that.
I understand your perspective, definitely. It's very valid but in my opinion I feel like the final arc of completing Yuki's song was very beautiful and necessary. When mafuyu lost yuki, he felt confused and sad because all he wanted was to be included in the band that he felt like yuki intentionally left him out of. Then he found out yuki wanted to write him a song, even tho mafuyu wanted to do music together. We all know miscommunication was their relationship's most fatal flaw that led to the tragedy. But after finding out abt the song, I'm sure mafuyu felt incomplete and curious, knowing there's smth yuki wanted to tell him, sing to him so badly but he never got to complete the song. Meanwhile, Uenoyama being the angel he is found beauty and interest in the incomplete song. And even tho they never met each other, Uenoyama gained more of an understanding of yuki thru the song, as he was told that to complete the song you have to understand the singer more than anyone. He gave the song as a gift to mafuyu, to let him listen to what yuki wanted to tell him but never could. And I like that when mafuyu listened to it, beautiful memories of both yuki and uenoyama flooded his head. He loved them both, and moving on means carrying the love you once had and letting yourself love again. Yuki was the first to go to the beach with him, but Uenoyama will be there to go with him moving forward. Just like how yuki started the song, and uenoyama completed it. Ofc I understand your criticism that a lot of their arc felt unfair to Uenoyama, there's nothing he can do abt a ghost of a person after all. But Uenoyama has never once felt threatened and doubted Mafuyu's love. He knew mafuyu LOVED him right then and now, and that was all that mattered to him. And the love mafuyu had for yuki never faded, that's why even after 10 years of being happy with Ue, mafuyu still carries yuki's guitar. Because the people we love are part of who we are, and that will never erase. Sorry for the yap session haha I really really love this story. It's not perfect and definitely has flaws, but overall it had a beautiful story to tell that I think does it well.
so tbh i've been a diehard fan of this series ever since the anime came out
and while the timeskip and dj have been nothing short of a blessing i've had some beef with the main story for quite some while
when i first read the premise of the story in which the ex-boyfriend of mafuyu had died and a new love interest had appeared, a simple question immediately popped up in my mind:
how would the story prove that their new-founded relationship wouldn't just be material for a rebound?
while the ending did show that they did last after all this time (which is a really heartwarming sentiment), i personally feel that the execution and framing of events that occurred in the story did not justify such. most of what happened particularly in the later volumes focused back on yuki (particularly in the part where ue had to re-master yuki's unfinished song, which is another can of worms in itself), in which i believe would've been the perfect time to give uenoyama the proper closure he desperately needed to reassure mafuyu that he wasn't just a replacement for yuki.
while i do understand that one does not have to fully move on to enjoy their current relationship, i really wish i could've seen more on how their new relationship could've been more fleshed-out, and their major conflicts not only about an ex that should've been retired ever since the end of the first arc.
As much as i hate to admit this, it feels all too disappointingly superficial for me to truly accept.