I can tell my meds are working because these overwrought sappy conversations are just bouncing off my deadened emotions like nothing ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ~
I feel like I've read so many one shot compilations that have one yeehaw chapter that blindsides you out of nowhere with even more bizarre yaoi logic than normal.
The main character finally showed up lol
I like the kids' cursed salad
What kind of stupid lie must Evil Grandpa have told Haebom to get him to agree to this corny scheme? Everyone was supportive of their relationship so there were no obstacles. He can't really threaten any of his friends or family, they're all dead or shared with Taesung and therefore physically/financially protected.
He could have made a moral accusation that shook Haebom, like maybe the boys are actually related. But that also makes zero sense, because Taesung's Grandma, Eunsun, and Silver Fox Daddy would have also known this and objected to the relationship.
I don't understand why Azuma would kiss him and then turn him down with such a bizarre excuse, only to reverse course a day later. That seems like an unnecessary complication for filler, and contrary to the otherwise straightforward and gentle personality Azuma had been shown to have.
Its cause he was conflicted. Feeling like he should protect Makoto from even a guy like him
Are people reading the damn story anymore bc I swear the reasoning is in front of your face.
Nah I get where you’re coming from bc while the reason was explained, the turnaround time between the rejection and acceptance was really fast in terms of the pacing & writing. Plus the chapters are already short. They could’ve shown him thinking about it more to make things flow more naturally.
Why they always hit the shoulder from point blank range, c'monnnnn (╯°Д °)╯╧╧
I liked it, and I liked both leads, but the reasons to keep them apart felt too juvenile for the ages of the main characters. These are 30/40 year old men, why is Nakatani goofing around unnecessarily saying stuff like "not my type jk lol" and "I don't deserve to fall in love after what I did to my wife" and then doing a 180 and confessing a chapter later? Nakatani's reasoning for his behavior toward Asato didn't line up with what we were shown to be his actual thoughts for why he behaved the way he did towards Asato in the flashback in the last chapter. Why would he repeatedly, intentionally draw a line and then be like "missed my chance fml" for the next several months
It also seemed weird that the main villain of the story was Shimono, who was the reason for the demotion/transfer, but ultimately the transfer had no bearing on keeping the pair apart and therefore no impact on the main conflict of the story.
I mean people can be 30 40 and still be idiots and insecure, being 40 won't automatically give you maturity I really wish it did but that's not how it works, and that's what's clearly shown in the last chapter about Nakatani ex wife says so he himselfs says that when talking about his marriage and he's being rejecting other guys too and they describe him as being difficult with relationships as well
He confesses a chapter later, but for them, it's been at least a few weeks, if not more.
Also, if you think 30 year olds can't be that indecisive and self-loathing... I've got news for ya
Reading your comments makes me wonder actually how much time actually passes in the manga. Fortunately, it shows like every chapter so it's not that hard to find out.
1. Mayama got demoted to nakano in june (official notice on chapt 1)
2. Reunion with shimono on early September (phone screen chapt 2), mayama and manager became drinking buddies every friday since then, and mayama started catching feelings more
3. They got closer, then the manager's past with ex-wife was revealed at the end of September (monitor screen on chapt 3), then the hot night happened, manager's full background story revealed, and mayama got rejected.
4. Since then, there's no communication between them, and finally notice of transfer came out. Mayama got sent back to HQ in November (official notice on chapt 4)
5. Chapter 5 takes time on early February (phone screen)
Another fun fact:
1. The age gap is 10 years! (mayama's resume says he's 30) and the manager is 40
2. The actual timeline of the manga is still in the future lmao. Mayama's resume on chapt 5 tells his birthday is November 6 1997, if he's 30 then the transfer must likely happened around june 2028
All those things aside, I think it makes total sense that the manager fell for Mayama, even though he felt he didn't deserve to love anyone since the divorce. The reason for him got curious about mayama is quite reasonable too. Like, terrible things happened to the ex-wife, whom he still cares about, and mayama stepped in to help even though it ended up ruining his own career, and he is an elite to boot.
Omg! Thank you for your analysis!!! @wide spectrum That puts so much into perspective and makes it so cute!
Also getting the text from Midorikawa probably helped the manager get past some of his own hesitation. While it's a work of fiction, the feelings, and complicatedness of emotions didn't feel nonsensical or juvenile.
Loved your analysis! And I just want to add/repeat that these feelings of insecurity, uneasiness, the self-loathing and isolation because you feel you don't deserve to be loved... those are all things anyone can feel, at any age. Maturity has nothing to do with having those feelings, but how you deal with them. Manager wanted to see his ex-wife and dear friend truly happy, he wanted to be sure that even with the years he "took off her", she could still find true love. "I don't deserve to be loved" might not be a good thing to think of yourself, but the reasons behind those thoughts were the experiences of a mature man with a lot of history.
For whoever reads this: you'll still be insecure, clumsy, and a little bit dumb when you're in your 30s, 40s and beyond. What would be ideal is that with age, you're better equipped to deal with those feelings.