I'm confused. Who does Michael actually like? Is it Simon or Riko?
Michael likes Riko.
A lot of things could point to either Simon or Riko like (1) not liking Riko praising Simon or (2) not showing the trip diary at home coz he doesn't want Riko to see the hot photo of Simon. On top of that he is super protective of Riko. But there are a few problems with that. (1) the way he safely kept the husk of the cicada that Simon gave him off-handedly, (2) why does he know how Simon's shampoo smells like? (I think he assumes they slept together coz Riko came back smelling like Simon's shampoo), and (3) when he saw the pic in Seiko's wallet, he didn't notice himself who was front and center and instead noticed Simon who was behind him to the side in the pic and assumed Seiko likes Simon (either he has very low self esteem or his eyes go straight to Simon when he sees a pic). I don't know. At this point, my only reason for assuming the one he likes is Riko would be that there is no "Shounen-ai" tag.
Wow u didn’t need to think so in-depth about that. I read through all the raws and I can guarantee that he 100% likes Riko. I think you’re thinking too in-depth about his relationship with Simon. He does like Simon, but not in a romantic way, more of in a brotherly way.
Thank you for clarifying. I see that there are 10 volumes. Did you get all the way to the end of the 10 volumes?
Yeah. I found a site where they let you download all the raws
Yes, michael loves riko. But does simon loves michael???????????
No, again it’s more of a like in a brotherly sense. Plus Michael is more concern about Simon since he had that vision about him and he doesn’t know when it will happen
I can't be the only one who read it and felt bad when Jeonghan said that this is the first time that someone he loved responded and told him "I love you too", which means Kangwoo didn't bother doing that for 8 years. Can you imagine being in a relationship for 8 years and never bothering to say "I love you"? For just that, Jeonghan has every right to dump his sorry ass and be with someone who will.
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/obscura/uu/ibx_chapter-48/pg-30/
Gyu-Tae has serious problems like an unwillingness to show weakness, being rude to everyone, and being violent. But he always stands up for Jeonghan and protects him when he is vulnerable. He stands up to Jeonghan's brother for treating him badly simply because he is gay when Jeonghan himself can't. His actions make it possible for Jeonghan to open up and complain about his father which he could never do in years even though he felt terrible. On the other hand, you have Kangwoo who says "Disgusting" when someone suggests that he and Jeonghan look like they are dating and never even bothered to say "I love you" once in 8 years. Considering his options, of course he will choose Gyu-Tae.
What I liked most is the different points of view the mangaka brings up. I like the point of view that Niimura brings to the discussions. There's a beautiful undercurrent in the novel of showing how it's important to view things from a balanced perspective and understand that what's right and what's wrong are not always black and white and it's important to accept that different people have different perspective and we don't all have to agree to be able to get along.
Regarding the ending, I didn't find it very surprising that Touma and Taichi ended up together. The story was pivoted in that direction right from the get go. Taichi admits that he gets jealous seeing Touma with others, as we can see in Ch-2 when Taichi hears that Kuze met Touma during her gardening club and dark swirls of jealousy sprout - http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/ao_no_flag/nbt/c002/pg-1/
Also, the reason he started helping Kuze was because she is similar to him and neither really have a chance with Touma, coz at that point Taichi thought Touma had a thing for Akiko
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/ao_no_flag/nbt/v01/c004/pg-27/
Similarly, when he starts dating Kuze, Taichi feels guilty when he hears Kensuke being laughed at for being unable to see what it is that he likes about Mami that sets her apart from other girls. It's not so much that he loves Kuze as he likes the idea of finally being in a relationship after always being treated as a stepping stone to get to Touma. His excitement is "I have a girlfriend" not "I'm dating Kuze".
Also, when Kuze faces off with Touma about him confessing to Taichi, she says that Taichi is not able to respond to Touma because he is currently dating Kuze, which is partially true. That relationship was pretty one-sided and it was bound to result in break-up once the newness and excitement dies down.
As for Masumi, we hear her husband talking to Touma in the final chapter and based on the conversation (the one side we can read), it appears that they are discussing the problems with being married to a bi-sexual person since they get jealous when their partner is close to both men and women. Also, it comes up multiple times that she has dated boys before she had a crush on Kuze.
What I found interesting is that both Masumi and Kuze seem to have a type. Masumi's husband is just as scatter-brained and low on self-confidence as Kuze, and Kuze's husband looks and acts like Taichi.
A shout-out to the best adults in the novel - Seiya and Akiko. They are so practical and forward facing while also having their own unique character that it is just amazing. Seiya gave up his dream of going to law school and took up a job to take care of Touma and married Touma's ex-tutor who was helping them manage the house. Also, they waited years to have their first child (6 years since their parents died). It makes sense that Touma wants to move away as soon as possible when he knows that he is gay and would likely disappoint Seiya at some point.
Overall, beautifully woven together story of many different people, all various shades of grey.
My only gripe is that all through the story we saw Touma with a forced smile or a sad smile, and when we were at last in a place where we can see him with a genuinely happy smile, we don't get to see him at all.... That just sucks....
I was waiting for this.... To see how the tide would turn when a reader with idiosyncracies comes into the picture. :D
I'm shocked by the support for Kangwoo. I really don't get it. He was dating a guy but never acknowledged that. When someone asked if they were dating, he said it was "Disgusting" right in front of Jeonghan. How is that supposed to make Jeonghan feel? When Jeonghan's family disowned him, his friend was hugging him and comforting him while Kangwoo was just standing there like a moron. He provided zero emotional support in that relationship. While Jeonghan was wrong to hide all his discomfort and hurt from Kangwoo, it's also true that Kangwoo chose to turn a blind eye to all of that. He was very careful to make sure no one would ever doubt that he was dating a man, keeping a distance when outside and not acknowledging it with any of his friends or family. It's pretty much like Jeonghan was the only one really committed to the relationship. Even at this point, when they have broken up and he's trying to get him to reconcile, Kangwoo doesn't have the guts to tell his brother than he and Jeonghan were dating for 8 years. He's a wuss and doesn't deserve anything.
Having said that, Gyu-Tae is also a non-self-aware abusive guy. Jeonghan has bad taste.
Its sad like i mean at the start of this I felt like I related to Jeonghan, with me being anxious and introverted and I can admit im a coward but hes just asking for all this stress. I mean why did he run away, that aint gonna solve a ang thing, this manga has just turned into a pity party for that guy and although hes cute hes stupid by thinking runing away will fix everything and complaining about it when a promblem comes.
I felt like their 8-year relationship could’ve been fixed through talking it out like mature adults. The lack of communication and poor taste in men was the story’s and ukes major downfall.
Communication is not a one-way thing. It goes both ways. Yes, Jeonghan first tried to keep the relationship going by doing whatever Kangwoo wanted or seemed to want instead of asking him what he wants and telling him how he feels. But then, Kangwoo didn't do anything either. He never bothered to ask Jeonghan how he felt even at times when he could see that Jeonghan was in pain. Jeonghan at least has the excuse that he is scared of people abandoning him the way his family did. What is Kangwoo's excuse? Also, I wouldn't call this running away. If it didn't work for 8 years, it's not going to magically start working now. Also, 8 years is a long time. After trying to one-sidedly hold up a relationship, he's just tired.
8 years is a long time. If this were a heterosexual relationship and the guy (or girl) kept the relationship a secret from everyone including his friends, siblings and co-workers and didn't seem to be interested in progressing it further, the other person, say the girl, would be well within their rights to think that the guy is not serious about the relationship and is just whiling away his time until he settles down with someone else. 3 to 4 years is the max that you can be in a serious relationship and not introduce a person to your family. If at 8, he still hasn't even acknowledged that he is in a gay relationship and feels the need to hide it from everyone, then there are major problems. No amount of communication can salvage that relationship at this point.
I never stated otherwise. That’s why I said they both should’ve just communicated about their true feelings like mature adults. Clear up misunderstandings in the air and sort out any issues. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy nor impossible, but I’m not going to base off of how things will turn out for a relationship through assumptions alone; and that one can’t change or grow from their mistakes due to a couple of examples.
What is this desperate need Korean mangakas have to make all couples into childhood friends? If they don't start off that way, they'll make it that way retrospectively.... (⊙…⊙ )
The “forgotten childhood friend” is really common even in kdrama. I don’t know why but it’s often there
Oh yeah, I guess it's a Korean thing.
Like seriously it’s every Kdrama. I caught my mom watching one the other day and I swear I’d already seen it but the plot was just similar to another one because they’re copy and paste at this point.
HeeBum needs a good kick or two. He made so many people cry (it's just 2, but those 2 are so good and kind and deserving the best!) by completely misunderstanding his own feelings and then being stubborn about it.
yes i so agree with you.... I am feeling so sad for both.... but maybe he also have some stories .... hopefully ╥﹏╥
The last 2 chapters increased my respect for Arata and Shinobu even more. Karuta is draining especially during competitions and it's extremely important to have support from the people around. Chihaya is lucky to have people around her who quickly get her something to eat, a place to rest, tie her kimono the right way and all the other odd stuff that help her concentrate. On the other hand, Shinobu has a grandmother who wants to turn this into a profession and gets her heavy kimonos that while beautiful are hard to move in and the sleeves get in the way of her takes.
It's even worse for Arata. Previously, his parents wanted him to lose the qualifying match, so that he would focus on his studies and go to a school with lower tuition. Even during the Meijin match now, on his break, while he is trying to stay focused, his dad prattles on, eats snacks, plays around with his phone, talks to him about other friends and messages he recieves, and keeps breaking his concentration, in general. I'm impressed by his ability to stay calm despite all that.
In many ways, Suou Meijin is the same. He is such a maverick that most of the old folks in the Karuta association hate him for not playing Karuta the traditional way. None of them understand that he has fine-tuned his life and all his habits around his way of playing Karuta like avoiding bright light and loud sounds to keep his faculties sharp. His dedication to Karuta is just as deep and passionate as that of Arata and Shinobu.
In fact, of the 4 people in the Meijin and Queen tournament, Chihaya is possibly the weakest. Not to say she hasn't been working hard. But it feels like she is an amateur, playing amidst professionals, propped up by those around her.
So, my wish for the results is that I hope Chihaya gets to win a game or two but Shinobu retains the title. Chihaya still has a ways to go. For the Meijin title, I don't have any preference. I'd like for Suou to win and go out on a high before he has to give up Karuta. At the same time, like Taichi said, it might be better for him to go down fighting to a very strong Karuta player. That could be his legacy.
Noticed Gyu-Tae and Jeonghan in the mangaka's other work
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/starlight_scandal/uu/iur_chapter-12/pg-10/
Considering that Jeonghan is working in the studio and not doing touch-up in the background, and looking happy, this probably happens after the end of Obscura.