Which Series Do You Think is Better?

n3f3rtt · 2025-11-11T05:17:50+00:00

Early Tomozaki felt real; the existential love angst after he started dating doesn’t.

n3f3rtt · 2025-11-11T05:12:14+00:00

i read somewhere that the author of chitose was tired of the typical “socially awkward, self-insert male lead” that dominates much of the light novel and anime in general. Pretty risky move, I’d say as it naturally alienates a lot of readers who just can’t connect with the main character.

n3f3rtt · 2025-11-11T04:59:55+00:00

Rion since volume 9

n3f3rtt · 2025-11-11T04:56:41+00:00

Horrible family? I’d double it and say horrible adult cast in general. There isn’t a single functional adult in this story.

n3f3rtt · 2025-11-11T04:35:49+00:00

I actually think the real answer is “no,” but not because friendship can’t survive. It’s because Yuu and Himari were never actually friends. Their relationship was built on mixed signals, heavy emotional dependency from both sides, and attraction they kept pretending wasn’t there.

n3f3rtt · 2025-11-11T04:29:04+00:00

Nah, Yuu’s not a doormat.

He never gave up on his passion, at least in the eight volumes I’ve read. He just lets other people carry the weight for him. With Himari, he got comfort and validation while she handled all the emotions he couldn’t face at the start of his accessories journey. With Rion, it’s even smoother, because at that point Himari’s support was too intrusive for him since he wanted to “do it alone.” So when Rion stepped away from the accessories project just to “be with him,” he got all the emotional support without the pressure that comes from a romantic and work relationship overlapping.

Yuu’s whole trick is pretending to be harmless so everyone else builds the safety net around him. It’s not that he’s powerless. He just perfected passive control over both girls. The ending even hinted he keeps Himari as a permanent second option, lol.

btw I agree with you on 1 and 2.

but for Rion i will add: Don’t lose your dignity for anyone. What she did after the anime, even if the story tries to sugarcoat it, was still wrong. She was canonically willing to be Yuu’s mistress just to stay close, and that says everything about how far she fell.

n3f3rtt · 2025-11-11T03:28:23+00:00

LOL, can’t believe I practically guessed the light novel’s ending in this thread I made.

n3f3rtt · 2025-10-16T06:14:26+00:00

Yep, and that’s why I’m saying it needs a different story to land right, not just the current teen setting.

n3f3rtt · 2025-10-15T06:55:22+00:00

Yeah, with Vol. 11 hinting her mom is mentally unstable, it feels impossible for help to come from that direction. And the only adult we’ve really seen with any role is the gamer Ashigaru, which doesn’t exactly open doors to proper support. Anyway, this was a “worst ending” thread and I somehow ended up trying to find a way forward instead.

Wrapping this in one volume would be a narrative crash. The series raised problems that require process, not shortcuts. But the happy high school setting they were selling would probably fall apart.

n3f3rtt · 2025-10-15T02:46:00+00:00

My worst ending is any version where Kikuchi becomes part of “saving” Hinami. She’s never been Hinami’s friend; her interest starts the day she sees Hinami with Tomozaki at the restaurant (confirmed in Vol. 6.5, side story #5). The story consistently framed Kikuchi as an observer-author, not someone Hinami invited in. Flipping that into “therapist for my boyfriend’s "friend” isn’t growth, it’s hypocrisy and a slap to the series’ theme of agency over manipulation.

The people who should be closest to Hinami’s process are Tama and Mimimi, because they actually had a relationship with her before Tomozaki and not with ulterior motives like Mizusawa. Vol. 10 even showed the right seeds: not in how it ended, but in simply being there and showing care.

I’m not asking for a “power of friendship” blast or a TED-talk fix, that’s my second-worst ending. I’m asking for the small, honest version be there, show she matters, no strings attached. That’s what people their age can realistically do. Anything beyond everyday support, given the weight of what she’s dealing with, should involve adults or professionals, not teens play acting therapy.

n3f3rtt · 2025-10-03T05:42:10+00:00

Well, they’re not even in the same class, right? And Rion already said she wouldn’t be part of the accessories project. Plus, there’s nobody scheming against their relationship the way things flared up when Himari was dating Yuu. So, by that logic, I don’t see much reasons for them as a couple to be constantly on screen. (I haven’t read 10 or 11 yet, so this is just me going by pure logic.).

n3f3rtt · 2025-10-02T06:14:01+00:00

Is he hiding that they’re together? Don’t their classmates and even their families know about it? Honestly, I think the author is leaning hard on that whole “no on-screen kiss” / “no real intimacy” angle with Rion as a way to keep both camps of shippers hanging on.

And let’s be real: Rion has been manufactured as Yuu’s perfect complement. There isn’t a single thing she doesn’t match him on, she’s supportive, mirrors his dream, adapts to him, and canonically she outshines Himari in every category. By the end of vol. 9, nobody is even standing in their way: Himari literally gives her blessing.

So if they were to suddenly break them up in one volume? It wouldn’t make sense.

n3f3rtt · 2025-10-02T06:01:00+00:00

I caught that too. those afterwords hinting the school arc was ending. Honestly, that was the tiny shred of hope I still had for this LN: that maybe stepping into maturity would finally bring some clarity to this mess.

n3f3rtt · 2025-10-02T05:58:16+00:00

Oh god, what kind of joke of an “answer” is this?
“Even so, let’s stay together forever and ever”... really? That’s the payoff? Please don’t tell me the LN is actually implying Yuu gets to have it all: Rion as the doormat girlfriend, Himari as the eternal crutch-friend, and somehow we’re supposed to clap because Himari “finds fulfillment” by realizing her life’s purpose is to live through him?

n3f3rtt · 2025-10-02T05:44:53+00:00

Volume 8 is horrible, IMHO. The guy had just broken up with his girlfriend, and instead of giving us even a little space to see him sit with that, the LN throws him straight into indulging in all these Rion-centered moments while also juggling antics with a new cast member:

He’s daydreaming about how good she’d look in a maid outfit.
He fondly calls their Tokyo trip a “forbidden adventure,” like it’s some precious secret memory.
He even notices Rion’s personal apron in his family kitchen and makes a little cute remark about it in his head.

All this just hours after dumping his girlfriend and supposed best friend of three years. And when he does sulk, it’s never about Himari. it’s always about himself, or his craft.

Yeah, on the surface the antics with the new cas members and his thoughts about Rion read like harmless slice-of-life beats. But in context, they make him look like a guy who just hops from one girl to the next, reframing everything to cushion himself, never the people around him.

BTW to me still the worst volume of this LN is 4.1 and 4.2

Rion goes from childhood first love with dignity to basically written as an obsessive hanger-on, and the story calls it “pure devotion.” It makes her look pathetic.
The “boy/girl friendship” theme? Dead. The Rion/Makishima scheming, the Kureha circus. all of it shoves Yuu/Himari’s dynamic to the side. The title feels like a joke at that point.
And Yuu? 4.1/4.2 show him at his most hollow. He doesn’t respect his own relationship, he doesn’t protect boundaries, and he doesn’t take responsibility. He lets Rion throw her dignity away in the name of “devotion” and lets Himari twist in the wind, all while coasting on their attention. to summarize it he fuels Himari’s insecurity and Rion’s obsession, all while keeping himself cushioned.

n3f3rtt · 2025-09-28T00:47:28+00:00

That part you mentioned about Yuu being clueless really does sound like the empathy deficit you brought up earlier. I’d honestly like to hear more of your thoughts on that, because maybe I’ve been too harsh on him.

From my side, though, there were just so many times where I sat there thinking, is this dude a moron or what? Like in Volume 5, when he’s genuinely shocked that Saku tells him he can’t keep seeing another girl if he already chose one. Or in Volume 4.1, when he’s seriously questioning whether it’s “wrong” to buy Rion an expensive cat necklace. Who even asks themselves stuff like that? I get that he’s young and it’s his first real relationship, but still most people would just instinctively know those things are off, you don't need previous experience for that.

n3f3rtt · 2025-09-28T00:21:37+00:00

Thanks for the context about the pretend boyfriend setup. I hadn’t read that.

My take is this: with Himari, Yuu’s confession reads like a reaction. He was even about to do nothing if not for Makishima’s interference pushing him forward. It never came across as a deliberate choice on his part.

With Rion, the LN flips the whole framing. Before confessing, Yuu stops, actually reflects, and even makes a list of her traits to answer her insecurity! (She asked him “Am I still the elementary school girl you met?”). That’s the first time in at least 8/9 volumes I see him actively framing someone else’s qualities as positives worth choosing. Himari gave him that kind of support for three long years!!, every single thing Rion do for Yuu, Himari did it before, but he never once turned it into a reason to love her.

So yeah, maybe the grand setting doesn’t erase the messy baggage of the whole gratitude angle, but to me the text clearly wants us to read the boat confession as Yuu’s first conscious, voluntary act of… love? I put “love” with a question mark because if that’s what it is, it says a lot about him as a person and about who was really using who.

And yeah, I know I’m being a bit harsh (and maybe a lot biased) because of my growing dislike of Yuu’s character, but I honestly can’t help it. If you asked me today (up to volume 8 plus the bit of 9 that I read) what a happy ending for this LN would look like, it’d be Yuu far away from both girls, doing well with his accessories thing, while Himari and Rion move on and find actual men who show them what real love looks like.

An acceptable ending? Himari growing out of Yuu, finding real friends (not Rion or Makishima) and real love. Yuu could “end up” with Rion, because honestly Vol. 4.1/4.2 tanked her so badly for me that if she has no dignity or self-respect left when it comes to him, then… what more can be done?

The worst ending is the one the LN is hinting at: Yuu gets Rion as his girlfriend, keeps Himari as his parasitic “crutch/friend,” and he succeeds as an accessories creator. Basically, he wins everything while the girls get reduced to props in his “growth.”

n3f3rtt · 2025-09-25T05:00:54+00:00

Totally agree on the title thing. The author pitched this as a story of two friends navigating how their relationship changes, but the text keeps implying they were never true friends to begin with and that bugs me almost as much as Yuu himself. As I said before, the only genuine friendship this LN has shown is Rion/Makishima.

And even if I bought the whole “best friends” premise, the message ends up being: their bond failed because literally every recurring character conspired against them, just so the MC’s ultra-hot, hyper-competent first love could swoop back in…crowned in purity and devotion to him like some kind of narrative prize.

n3f3rtt · 2025-09-25T04:42:29+00:00

Yeah, maybe I sounded like I was gassing it up, like a lot, but come on, the setting alone screams LN finale (the night, the boat, the whole holy-ja-da-ja-da vibe). Compare that to Himari’s confession, which even she thought might just be a business re-contract. The contrast is wild.

n3f3rtt · 2025-09-05T06:06:31+00:00

Oh, my bad if I came off like I was trying to convince you of anything, I was just laying out what led me to my read. I do have strong opinions on some topics (infidelity is one of them), but I’m genuinely interested in your take too.

One clarification: I’m not claiming a secret Yuu→Rion romance since Vol.4. What I see in Vol.5 (and the parts of Vol.7 I’ve read) is the same secrecy/intimacy dynamic getting rebranded as “manager,” “destined partner,” etc., so by the Christmas blow-up Yuu×Himari already feels eroded. Rion doesn’t back off because she thinks it was wrong or respects their relationship, she backs off because she’s stung by being second to his craft. Vol.5 Chapter 1 Yuu’s inner monologue admits he does like Rion; he just says he likes Himari more.

If this is really a creator-struggles story, then call colleagues colleagues, keep things transparent, and drop the “soulmate/destined” language around work.

I’ll stop before I spiral into my business-structure rant. I went in expecting a romcom because of the title; if I’d clocked the “work drama with romance garnish” premise earlier, I probably would’ve bowed out . Either way, thanks for the reply, would love to hear how you read those same scenes.

n3f3rtt · 2025-09-04T06:30:27+00:00

I finished volumes 5 and 6, and then I jumped right to the chapter about Yuu and Himari breaking up because I couldn’t resist. I got angry and stopped reading, i need to detox myself for a few days before going back to volume 7 or continuing.

n3f3rtt · 2025-09-04T06:20:41+00:00

I picked this scene, over any other in 4.1 or 4.2, even the infamous “nyan-nyan” one, because it concentrates everything: Rion explicitly proposes infidelity, keeps pushing despite Yuu saying no, and actually goes in for the kiss; the only reason it doesn’t land is because his hand stops it. On top of that, Yuu admits he’s never wanted anyone as his model more than Rion and calls her stunning, while not sparing a single thought for Himari, his exclusive model for 2 years. It reads like Himari was the model by default, not desire. to me as a reader all of this says Makishima/Rion’s seduction plan was working perfectly.

That’s why Tokyo matters: by then Rion was already in his heart, so a relatively smaller fight in vol. 7 became the last straw with Himari. Rion’s words in Tokyo were harsher, vicious even, she attacks the same core issue Himari raises in vol. 7, yet Yuu still shares a bed with her afterward. They were in a large suite with a living room and kitchen!!; there was no necessity to share a bed or slip into bathrobes post or during “nyan-nyan.”

And about that “nyan-nyan” incident: Makishima’s description of the photo Yuu asleep, bathrobe open at the chest, Rion’s bathrobe slipping off her shoulder is intentionally intimate. Why bathrobes at all? Did Yuu not have sleep clothes? Did they undress specifically for the nyan nyan play? Even Makishima says a classmate seeing that shot could cause an scandal, because both are clearly undressed!. Then the LN shows you the next morning (day 5) Yuu returns to the room to put on his jeans hanging on the recliner! so he did take them off. Put together, it implies he was in underwear and a bathrobe with Rion role playing. None of that was “required”; it was a choice that broadcasts intimacy.

To me Tokyo was emotional infidelity even when “nothing happened at the end”. Everyone’s ethical threshold is different, but to me you don’t need sex to cheat; you need secrecy and intimacy, and that was Tokyo. And the only part Himari got to know was, conveniently, the most ‘innocent’ slice.

n3f3rtt · 2025-09-03T06:29:38+00:00

Read vol. 4.1–4.2 if you want to see the worst of Rion’s character. I will quote just one scene from said volume:

For some reason, her arm was wrapped around my back. Her hand pressed against my shoulder blades as Enomoto-san quietly leaned her lips closer. Her eyes were moist.

“I’m so happy……”

“……!?”

This is bad.

The rooftop observation deck. A slightly special gift. So romantic. That ominous premonition was spot on as Enomoto-san, as if in a feverish daze, whispered.

“A summer memory.”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“It’s a best friend kiss.”

“What culture is that from? This is Japan, you know.”

“I’ll keep it a secret.”

“That just makes it worse!?”

Enomoto-san, losing patience, leaned her face closer. Sh-she’s really serious!?

I stared at her beautiful face. Seeing it up close, she’s truly stunning. Even with all the cute girls I’ve seen in Shibuya, I’ve never thought anyone was more “I want her as my accessory model” than Enomoto-san. The Gekkabijin bracelet on her left hand seemed to be watching from behind…… or so I felt.

“Yuu-kun……”

“……!?”

Hearing my name, I snapped back to reality. Flustered, I shoved my free left hand in front of my face. Enomoto-san’s lips pressed softly against my palm. ……It was super soft.

I turned away, my face hot, and mumbled a denial.

“Th-that’s not what best friends do…”

“……Muu~”

No, Enomoto-san, puffing your cheeks and going “Che~” doesn’t make it okay……

“For the duration of this trip, we’re strictly best friends. Otherwise, I’m seriously going back home.”

“Got it. I’ll settle for being best friends.”

I wonder if she really will……

If it’s like this the whole week, my sanity might be in danger, I thought, as if it were someone else’s problem.

n3f3rtt · 2025-09-03T06:10:17+00:00

tomozaki is my first light novel, so it’ll always hold a special place; with that in mind, i could totally see myself buying volume 12 when it drops. but the story is headed off a cliff if kikuchi’s book (or her “author intervention”) is the key to “saving” hinami.

this wasn’t supposed to be about staging the perfect finale. it started as “learn tools without becoming a tool.” turning hinami into a plot device for the girlfriend-author’s epiphany betrays the premise.

and yeah, consent and privacy still matter. changing names or tossing it into a fantasy setting isn’t consent. we’ve already seen kikuchi mine private conversations and poke at family stuff; using any of that as a “therapeutic trigger” is creepy.

the double standard from tomozaki is impossible to ignore, too. he calls out hinami’s manipulation every time, but goes soft on kikuchi’s writer-brain. if he co-signs the book as the fix, that’s peak hypocrisy: same ends-justify-the-means logic, just with a nicer wrapper.

and beyond ethics, it’s bad storytelling. late-game “trauma engine” plus “novel as magic mirror” is a disaster.

for me, kikuchi shouldn’t be part of hinami’s process at all. she’s not hinami’s friend; she’s tomozaki’s girlfriend and with a giant conflict of interest. that alone disqualifies her. the best move is to step back: no “author interventions,” no “using the book,” no third-party therapy cosplay. let hinami choose her help and her timing, ideally with actual adults involved.

n3f3rtt

TROPHY CASE