I do think the father and stalker could’ve been a more complex character. The uncle maybe but idk wheee to even start. Btw there is a major plot hole. Spoiler:
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So mc wants Mako’s reputation to remain pure and whatnot cause Mako wanted that. How is just deleting the files enough??? It is already online and being shared. Someone in town even recognizes her from the videos! Anyone could’ve saved it or it could be saved to a cloud, so the father’s laptop being wiped is not enough. And how do you even know for sure stalker deleted everything? Could’ve accidentally missed something. Deleted files can also be recovered. Like all of the videos are already out there and could be saved on someone else’s device. if she actually wanted them gone, she should’ve told truth to get police or someone else to help…
The mc was just doing what Mako wanted as a helpless teenager. Mako didn't want anyone else to know about her and mc situation, even the police. That's why Mako wouldn't even let the mc keep the video of her uncle's attempted rape of the mc as evidence for the police and also why the mc couldn't tell the truth to the police and have no choice to investigate in secrets. If she had, the entire case would have exposed how Mako had been exploited to make and sell sex videos, which led her to kill her uncle and then commit suicide.
In that scenario, Mako (and even the mc) would forever be seen as "impure" in the eyes of society because there will always be disgusting people like the men around her. People would remember her either as a pitiful victim of exploitation, a murderer or as worst as a slut who willingly participated.
Therefore, mc chose to sacrifice her own reputation by taking the blame for the murder to keep her friend's dignity in the eyes of the world (Mako was only remembered only as the victim of a murderer, not as a victim of sexual exploitation). Mc's ultimate goals were to erase as much evidence and files as she could through confronting the exboyfriend and Mako's father, while ensuring that as little people know about the truth as possible (of course she can't stop what already on the internet, I think not even police or hacker can take down these kind of videos).
On the other hand, please remember that mc was just a child (really smart one) when all of this happened. I think she was already mentally traumatized because of what her family had put her and her brother through. She had completely lost trust in her parents, so she couldn't even turn to the very adults who were supposed to guide her toward the right decision.
Your question about this being a plot hole is actually answered at the end of the manga, when the female detective says: "Children who cannot rely on adults and have to fight alone, to the point of sacrificing their future... that society is 100% wrong!!"
That is the message the author wants readers to understand. Of course she would want all the files deleted and lock up all the people who is responsible for her friend's death with the help of others, but it is already stated in the manga that it would not be possible with the current law and society. The main point of this manga is to criticize the failures of society and the legal system, especially the gaps in how rape, sexual exploitation, and coercion are handled. So I wouldn't call it a plot hole for these reasons.
And about the fan service, have you read the author's other manga? :) For example, hare-kon. Once you know the author's style, it makes more sense why they chose to draw those sexual scenes. Maybe for this manga, they wanted to portray realistic behaviors and sex scenes to better convey the story's message, but I completely agree with you on this point. The exposed female body parts (especially in the female detective one) felt completely unnecessary. The author could have found better ways to portray those moments or express the characters' thoughts through more abstract imagery instead of exposing their bodies and making the scenes look erotic or sexually appealing. And I hate myself for finding those scenes hot too :')
Hey thanks for the in-depth reply! Yeah I see your point. I got tunnel vision on the point of MC trying to effectively get rid of the videos to the extent I overlooked the fact that she’s also hiding the fact that Mako was the one who killed the uncle and committed suicide. I also like how you mentioned MC’s background and why she can’t trust adults. I didn’t think about that.
The story def makes more sense now with the take-home message clear. Tho now I wonder if it might have been more effective if it MC’s plan didn’t work out completely (which was the original impression I got from the ending).
Completely skippable side tangent {
If it at least one thing didn’t work out, esp the videos still being out there, then it would highlight a tragedy where even a child having to sacrifice their future (due to an inadequate support system) still isn’t enough. Cause yeah that makes sense when they’re taking on the whole world by themselves.
A good part of MC’s plan relied on luck: the detectives being capable enough to realize she’s hiding something and having the morals to continue investigating, no corrupt official got bribed, Mako’s father apparently having a miserable life + wiping laptop, the ex having a missable life even after getting out. This naivety highlights that she is just a child, which can be easy to forget since she is mainly/only portrayed as clever. This is especially the case when everything turns out just how she wanted (when it realistically shouldn’t). The ending would’ve been more tragic this way but maybe that could get the point/critique across more effectively.}
also I get it about the last part frrr. i thought I was the problem at first. Like is this traumatic scene actually sexualizing them or am I the one sexualizing them??
Idk if what Im typing even makes sense I’m just yapping I’ll go check out the author’s other works tho :)
Hey thanks a lot, ur answer makes my day! I'm actually so glad you actually read my yapping and answer so quickly back with more in-depth thoughts tooo
Your def not yapping and what you said just mind-blowing me. You have such great outside-the-box approach about how much more impact would the story be if the mc's plan didn't work out. I like that idea so much and now I also think that the ending (especially about the dad miserable last moment) was too ensuring to just rest the case there. The least the author can make it more realistic is to talk about the remaining videos still on the internet because the mc's plan feels to good to be true. And because of this detail you point out, even thoigh I didn't mention before, but i also agree on what you said about the uncle and the dad being written poorly and not complex enough (espcially the dad). We know about the struggling past of Mako's family, but I also wish I can see more on why Mako's dad whole process of accomplicement in this exploitation on his onw daughter, like was he torned up in the beginning, or through the whole process did he actually feel pained knowing him as her family couldn't protect her and later on being reluctant about that because of the money etc (actually show the process of corrupting, not just showing a piece of shit that shouted about how he had no choice and Mako also wanted that too bullshit). Like his screen time is so little, in the end, for me Mako's dad doesn't even feel like someone who is her dad. Like that role can just be given to another relatives or a acquaintance not HER DAD. The uncle appeared more but his story also feels flat, like I know there are many cases where a relative would actually do shjtty things like this but I would love to see her unc actually interact with other people or at least customers not just to the main characters. And the ex-boyfriend is written better with how we can feel like he has a life out there through his social networking and how he interact with people to show his two-faced personality. But like where is the background and motivation stuffs for the main antagonist like him? I know that punk like him is spoiled from rich family but seriously this manga is too short and missed out a lot of world building for the character besides the mc and Mako. Atp I'm just ranting so please just ignore me if you're uncomfortable the first reply was shorten b
shorten and now I even messed up with the post button too
If you've made it through all of my yapping, just wanted to say you're the best! Thanks for your reply, and have fun reading the author's other manga! May we'll bump into each other again on this platform someday and chat about other series too. >_<
P/s: As for the sexual scenes, I guess we both got baited into thinking about them that way, so let's just blame the author together lol
Aww thank you you’re really sweet and I’m not uncomfortable at all! It’s actually crazy because I literally had the same thoughts about the dad, uncle, and ex that I originally cut out (I was worried about yapping too much too). It’s nice being able to actually have a peaceful discussion instead of “too long didn’t read” or smth rude. I really appreciate your insights (they helped a lot).
Anyway remember you’re awesome and have a great day :)
I like the overall story but it does have aspects that feel thoughtless that I don’t see anyone else mentioning.
You have a story about young girls being exploited and preyed upon, but decide to throw in a shower scene of one of the girls (who is still a minor) with her ass showing at the very beginning of ch 1? And on ch 6 the female detective is working out without pants. At least she is an adult but it serves no purpose outside of fan service, which doesn’t fit the serious tone throughout the entire story. And ch 18 has both girls showering together with their tits showing? I don’t need to explicitly see this to get that they are vulnerable with each other. Now you can try to defend these shower scenes as not inherently sexual, but I’d only believe that if the explicit nudity was only shown outside of the sexual scenes, which isn’t the case. Why do we need more scenes with a minor(s) being naked outside of the SA and sex scenes? Even those abuse scenes could’ve presented better and in a way that’s not sexualizing (let’s not do another Netflix Cuties plz???). It honestly just feels ironic and can take you out of immersion if you think about it.
Ofc this is a widespread issue and honestly the fan service here is def better compared to many other stories (it’s shorter and less frequent), but it’s still a problem and is distasteful considering the serious theme and tone. I can ignore it, but it’s def smth to note before reading.
Btw id someone can give a rec that can portray abuse without doing the same thing and sexualizing the characters, please send.