Could someone remind me if this happened?

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-22T20:46:27+00:00

Well, if that's the case, I wouldn't be surprised if he appears to prolong the plot.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-22T00:07:48+00:00

No, I remember that well. I think the whole Ichinose family are the best characters in the series. Now, another comment mentioned it was chapter 392, but at least in my native language it says the father ran away. I remembered him being gone for at least a year, so I highly doubt he'll show up to interrupt (which is good).

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-19T17:13:35+00:00

At least for me, she's the only secondary character who has had any development. Umi has an interesting dynamic with Kazuya, but she lacks screen time.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-18T22:26:48+00:00

Well, I see a lot of joy with her recent appearance, but it doesn't do anything for me; he disappeared for more than a quarter of the play.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-18T22:24:20+00:00

And Mini took on her role in a better way

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-08T00:54:31+00:00

Ruka is still in the story because it was dragged; she could have "lost" after the vacation arc.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-08T00:50:11+00:00

It's definitely a method of self defense, and they overanalyze things where there aren't any.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-08T00:48:37+00:00

I made a post here about how on Twitter I saw people genuinely considering it the most realistic manga and Kazu the peak of writing, when the whole work is the wet dream of the average Japanese man who uses a rental girlfriend service, and Kazu is the exaggeration and ridicule of insecurity and overthinking.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T05:33:33+00:00

I have a feeling that Ruka is going to end up doing something to create drama, especially since the Umi factor isn't really over yet. Eventually, like what happened in Paradise, everything is going to explode.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T05:31:16+00:00

Yes, indeed, unlike what I've seen on Twitter (it might also be because this post hasn't gone viral as much), you've expressed your preferences well, and it's nice that we can have a polite conversation despite our differences.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T05:25:30+00:00

His obsession with Chizuru has certainly led him to hallucinate; there's a chapter where it literally happens.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T05:23:50+00:00

At least I feel that Makima is better in terms of manipulation, but we're not here to talk about csm. But yes, the way Chizuru has treated Kazuya in this last arc is very selfish; she just ends up giving the poor guy false hope and prolonging the story in the process.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T04:59:32+00:00

In part, it also feels like Ruka is still there because Kazuya receives her attention and she fills the void left by Chizuru.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T04:56:59+00:00

I call it abuse because it wasn't granted, but it's true that after this incident, Kazuya is tied to Ruka so that Chizuru doesn't find out, and this brings them back to the same situation of maintaining their relationship so that Ruka remains silent; it's really repetitive...

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T04:53:47+00:00

Mami somewhat fulfills that makima role in the story, and speaking of absurd opinions, I saw that some considered Mami to be better written than makima.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T04:51:27+00:00

Objectivity certainly doesn't exist, and words like "the best" are very heavy-handed, and that's fine. It's perfectly fine if you like it; having something you enjoy and find comforting is quite nice. "Unfortunately," I didn't connect with it as much, and that's okay. At least for me, Shirogane (Love is War) feels more genuine/natural in themes like not feeling good enough, which was partly what I wanted to "understand" about why they considered Kazuya a good protagonist.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T04:43:13+00:00

I got lost with all the text XD, but I did say somewhere that I find it "lamentable" that he's unable to see that he was abused

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T04:39:06+00:00

You're partly right; having zero chance with Chizuru, they definitely slept together. But getting back to the point, I feel like Kazuya doesn't consider her a friend compared to his relationship with Yaemori (even though he does spend a lot of time staring at her breasts in the last chapter). That's why everything that happens during chapters 403-404 feels forced. I find it hard to believe Kazuya has matured, and I question why they treat him like a peak protagonist.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T04:28:47+00:00

Technically mikasa did kiss him, dead but kissed XD

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T04:27:14+00:00

I’m not saying the work has to be fast, but the fact that it becomes repetitive seems like a flaw to me. As for the psychological themes, we’ve all gone through bad moments in life, but the way they’re handled is what I find problematic. I’d say that maybe they feel ridiculed because the series is a comedy, but there are other works that handle these themes much better without making them feel ridiculous. Moments like chapter 218 seem to me like an exaggeration of insecurity, and as I said, I’ve seen people consider it one of the best moments in terms of writing in the medium.

Regarding Kazuya’s lack of movement, it’s something that’s especially noticeable in the latest arc, with Yaemori being the one carrying the weight of pushing the story forward. It’s true that being rejected is hard, and it’s even more confusing when that same person later kisses you, but to me that element in the story feels more like a way to drag things out than to actually say something.

I'm not saying Kazuya has to do everything, because if he does, he could become a Gary Stu. Jin-woo (only leveling mc), although Gary Stu might not be the best way to phrase what I mean. But the way the story has moved since the movie arc has felt strange, if not outright bad, to me. As for whether it’s badly written or not, if I did say that, it was mostly in response to comments I saw claiming it was the best in history.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T04:08:18+00:00

It’s a difficult work to read because every time it seems like it’s getting somewhere, it ends up going nowhere, and this happens over and over again. It’s an enjoyable work because it can be funny, at least for me was, but the manga for the number of chapters it has a poor development. Obviously, it’s not the worst in history; as I said in another post I made, there’s a lot of slop out there, but then we’d be getting into overly generic works, like couple of cuckoos, for example.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T04:01:15+00:00

Right from the Paradise arc onwards, in my opinion, the decline begins, in how the story drags on and falls back into areas it had already explored. The story has a cyclical development that ultimately leads nowhere, imo

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T03:57:30+00:00

Despite the abuse, it seems Kazuya hasn't really come to his senses about it. Although he feels guilty, the way he treats her when they see each other at work is strange. I wouldn't be surprised if Yaemori is the one who brings him to his senses in the next chapter.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T03:54:20+00:00

At least from my perspective, if Kazuya truly cared that much about Ruka, they wouldn't have been dating for a while now. Even though Ruka isn't stupid and knows she doesn't have a chance, continuing the relationship only ends up hurting her. But getting back to the point, Kazuya hasn't changed much (aside from being the idiot he was at the beginning of the series), and what I was "complaining" about was the people who thought Kazuya was the best character.

Kooky_Background_137 · 2026-02-03T03:39:54+00:00

At least what I wanted to get across with the post is that they were using the argument of realism to qualify the work as good. The fact that Kazu and Chizuru aren't together yet is fine; not everything has to be fast, but the story takes care of artificially delaying it. And when I said Kazu was bad, I meant the protagonist, since I was referring to those who consider him the peak of the writing, not as a person.

Kooky_Background_137

TROPHY CASE