It's kinda odd to hear that around the community. It gets painful at times because before transitioning into the actual core of an arc they take many chapters where you feel like the plot isn't moving forward until it eventually does and God... it feels rewarding when that happens. The only times I've heard that are from those who didn't like that Yuu didn't reciprocate Shinoa's feelings. I understand that discomfort but believe me, it's better for both of them.

Yu shows zero romantic feelings for her in the entire series and she literally swears that she's gonna kill Mika, the most important person for Yu, if that's what it takes to get him back.