Yep, they both have their own flaws and their own different understandings/expectations of how one should be in a relationship, communicate and demonstrate affection. It means they both fail to understand where the other is coming from and therefore inadvertently hurt them.
Morinaga's "pure" in that he's mainly an open book - but one of his biggest flaws is how he fails to understand that this creates pressure and is exactly what pushes Senpai to be more extreme in his tsundere rejection - because Senpai is not comfortable with constantly expressing everything, even to himself. Of course, Senpai fails to understand that without explicit expressions of affection and dedication Morinaga feels insecure, and cannot always interpret Senpai's implicit actions correctly.
I don't have a favourite of the pair, I guess because I'd fall somewhere in between the two.
This is interesting. Thanks for sharing your opinion!
I read this manga in both Chinese and English and it is interesting how different people interpretation when it comes to the story and characters. The cultural differences are rather vast.
Personally, being raised in a Chinese family, I strongly relate to Senpai, and it is sad how he is so misunderstood. Unlike most who thinks poor Morinaga, I'm the opposite. I'm not fond with overtly romantic, touchy, declaring love every 5 seconds kind of relationship. I much prefer Senpai way of showing love, Down to earth, always prioritize the important things in life, such as future, job, well being, etc.
One part of the manga that touches upon this is when Senpai asked Morinaga, is there a way to gauge how much one loves someone? Is it really Morinaga who loves Senpai more than Senpai loves him?
I personally think that Senpai really loves Morinaga. it is just not in the way many romance manga like to portray, aka, fawning with each other every 5 second, possessiveness, jealousy etc. Which is honestly, what Morinaga is all about.
One Chinese reader commented this before, how Senpai way of showing love is rather old fashioned while Morinaga is like a teenager in love, which I agree. I find this gap between the two is the reason why this manga is so interesting and unique.