beta
Look, the Emperor is pathetic. I have shouted this at every attempt he tries to win her back because he did something unforgivable to us outsiders. However, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. I've been there too. Not to the extent as Bella, but at a point where I formed a wall for a long time. However, it's sometimes more exhausting to keep that wall up. It's more healthy to forgive. I am not saying they should get together, despite how things are going, but I do think she needs to forgive him for HER OWN sake. Once she is revived she has every right to do that, and nobody should say she's having stockholm syndrome or wearing "rose-colored glasses". The guy has suffered plenty and I feel she will always remind him of that pain merely by her presence. Her existence reminds him just as much of the pain as would her death. Just in one situation, Bella, our beloved girl who has went through so much, can actually enjoy her life that just started again.
Want some recs since I remember reading them, but never actually saved. Love when they're turned down a peg or two if were originally snotty.
Came here to check the comments and I love how everyone continues to say it's fetishizing homosexuality... I know this story didn't do the novel justice, but it's still laughable how so many miss the message when the author himself is a gay man that channeled through his perspective. It's a tad disheartening.
And I doubt the people who mentioned this will see it, but for future readers:
The title is NOT meant to be offensive!
On the contrary, it's a message and meaning of growth for the two main characters. Homosexuals in Japan are called "Homos" mostly out of nativity and less out of disrespect. It's a common way to refer to them when they're outside of the LGBTQ scope, or in some instances, the very same people that belong to that community choose to dawn that terms for numerous reasons; in Jun's case, out of hatred and denial of love due to his sexual preference. For Miura, it's out of nativity and how commonly used it is in BLs (you've seen it, I know you have.)
SPOILERS
In the middle of the series Jun realizes him saying "She Likes Homos, Not Me" is actually the other way around. She liked him for HIM. Not because of the title. He was placing his own expectations onto her, which is wrong.
Then at the end, he finally addresses "Homo". He corrects Miura and says it's actually not good to call someone like that. People like him prefer being called "Gay", meanwhile Jun himself has accepted his sexuality and is actively making the effort to teach Miura the right way to call him.
this!! thank you to translating btw!!
i thought that miura was also a really good, blunt representation of the mindset of non-gay fans of bl in japan. this is coming from from my personal experiences with jp fujoshi (not the crazy kind, the ones that enjoy bl but keep it to themselves unless they find others who are also fans) irl and on the internet. in contrast to the western side where a lot of people treat bl which is fictional as if they were all events that happened irl, jp fans dont connect the fictional relationships with real people at all (or at least not strongly, hence her initial reaction thinking mlm relationships were only in bl or that relationships portrayed in bl are COMPLETELY different from irl mlm relationships, when some may be like that some may not). i say blunt because some of the things she says out loud are things the audience wouldnt say but cant deny that at least at one point they had the same thoughts; some which arent things you actively think about but have as an unconcious bias. as you probably are aware (seeing the other things you've translated), the lgbtq awareness in japan is nowhere close to what it is in the west, so its not a surprise she thinks yeah there are gay people irl but the chances of knowing one is really rare. its a shame that a lot of readers here completely ignore the cultural differences and immediately say its a bad story.
i dont disagree that a lot of things that happen in fiction would be completely unacceptable irl and are terrible portrayals of lgbtq people irl, and if you're someone who falls under these categories or is sensitive to those topics, you might be uncomfortable with those things being portrayed in entertainment for other audiences. however i also think that as a fictitious story, there should be some leeway for things since its not meant to be taken as facts of the real world being taught and the audience for these types of stories are people who are aware of that.
sorry for the long post, you're doing great and thanks again!
Appreciate the message you wrote. I agree with everything you said, and yeah due to what I translate, I am trying to actively make people aware of the reality Japan LGBTQ faces and the right away to appropriate these topics in their reality. It's wonderful people are considering the LGBTQ when reading this manga, but taking out the context means doing more harm than good. I hope the novel is licensed and people like the ones I see comment with hatred and ignorance to this series in the comments will give it a second chance. The inner-monologue I think sells it more than what the manga did, and the afterword at the very end from the author, a gay man, will open their eyes.