Yao
The ultimate MC
Rina
Steeped in the world of yaoi since elementary school
Bexy
A true fujoshi down to her bones
Murata
Has no recollection of a pre-fujoshi self
Yoshino
Has an ability to sense fellow fujoshi in the air
Yao
Let's start with our favorite scenes. Rina, spill!
Rina
I actually read all of it in English, so I don't know the exact lines in Japanese...
Yao
No biggie! Fangirling knows no borders! Language differences shall not stop us. Besides, everyone speaks English, right?
Everyone
(LOL)
Rina
"No woman... could replace you!" stabbed me a little. In the heart. I loved it!
Yoshino
That! That one! It killed me too!
Yao
Right before Takahiko goes off to war... he just bares his heart... since they might not see each other ever again.
Yoshino
I liked the "I wish they bombed us right here and now" part. Ouch.
Rina
And we can't see his face at that moment... *clutches her heart*
Yao
I think this kind of line works exactly because of the setting of the story. It's wartime, and the catastrophe is impending. It's not that Aoi wishes death on either of them - he's so unhappy that he yearns for a release, he wants that one moment to be frozen in time. You can really feel his desperation in those words.
Murata
I liked the lieutenant a lot so the second half offered me lots of eye-candy...
Yoshino
Personally, I also liked him a lot. The lieutenant could get it!
Murata
Like when he was swinging his feet, all bored, and complained that Japanese people make really long speeches. I was surprised by his playfulness that wasn't immediately visible if you just looked at his cool face!
Yao
And when he asked Aoi if "he looked that scary to kids".
Murata
He was actually worried about that, bless his heart. What a good egg.
Yoshino
Such a good guy! And he always tried to help Aoi out.
Murata
Plus, when he got turned down, he just backed off quietly.
Yao
I love it when the lieutenant got angry - he didn't even try to hide it, just let it all show on his face. Rather than stewing in anger and causing trouble, he popped a vein and gritted his teeth.
Rina
From the lieutenant's point of view, the person he likes is being approached by his good-for-nothing ex-boyfriend who clearly has nothing but ulterior motives.
Yoshino
Of course you'd get worried, right? Go, lieutenant Walter!
Murata
When books almost fell down on top of Aoi, he squeezed him so tight and protected him! Aww!
Yao
What is this? Does everyone have the hots for lieutenant Walter or what?
Rina
The lieutenant actually looks more like the bottom type to me!
Murata
I guess Aoi must have known his feelings, no? When he was bracing himself to say no to the lieutenant's offer, he was ready to quit. He was steeling himself for the consequences of shooting his superior down.
Yao
Back then, it was virtually impossible to go against your superior's orders. Since he was about to do that, it was obvious he must have also been prepared to quit. In that sense, I think he didn't fully realize the lieutenant's feelings.
Murata
Oh my god! Can the lieutenant get any more perfect!? But there are no superiors as nice as him in real life!
Yoshino
Sshh!! You can't just say that!
Yao
I'll tell on you~ I'll tell your boss ^^
Everyone
(LOL)
Yoshino
I love the scene where they walk around Ginza together.
Yao
Since the reason they both enjoyed their Ginza walks was because the other was there... because they were together!
Murata
It didn't even necessarily have to be Ginza at all.
Yoshino
As long as it was someplace shiny! (LOL)
Yao
I feel like it was just symbolic. In today's terms it would be Tokyo Tower.
Everyone
(LOL)
Yao
The juxtaposition of Ginza's bright lights and the destruction of war was really good. In this manga, space and surroundings played a big part in showing the characters' state of mind.
Yoshino
The old and new Ginza left a deep impression on me.
Murata
Oh, I also loved the female character, Sayuri.
Yoshino
She wasn't just "there"; she was a full-fledged character with her own story and adorable quirks.
Yao
That reminds me of the scene where Takahiko came back home but was unable to go search for Aoi... but he longed to see him so bad that he kept mumbling Aoi's name in his sleep.
Murata
Seriously! He should have just gone to get him! (# ﾟДﾟ)
Everyone
(LOL)
Murata
I found all side characters to be really nice and kind people. In other manga, they usually only exist to wreak havoc on the main couple's relationship and stir trouble.
Yoshino
No one tried to break them apart and instead they just cheered Takahiko and Aoi on.
Yao
I guess it's because the biggest obstacle, the war, was already firmly in place so to balance things out, other elements of the story had to be more peaceful. Otherwise the readers would have suffered too much.
Rina
I'm a fan of the scene near the start where Aoi hits Takahiko. And Takahiko's loving it!
Murata
I was like, get hit more! Get smacked!
Everyone
(LMAO)
Bexy
I liked that first argument they had. Aoi spent two years pining, all in pain, and then Takahiko just turns up out of the blue, bearing candy as a peace offering. Of course he would get hit.
Murata
It was sweet of them to give the candy away to neighborhood kids as well.
Rina
Oh... and the sex scenes were... very tasteful.
Everyone
(LOL)
Yoshino
They were actually emotional! Filled with love!
Murata
It's great to see sex scenes that are a natural continuation (or consequence... ) of a love story up to that point.
Yoshino
Their expressions were so good.
Murata
Expressions and other bits...
Yoshino
It's because their feelings were mutual...
Bexy
That's right! That is not to say that the sex scenes aren't erotic. Quite to the contrary! It's just that they're not JUST porn.
Yao
Two birds with one stone. Okay, next up are the scenes that moved you!
Rina
Where the bottom is wallowing in angst... he's a bit of a dumbass that way, though.
Yao
Why are you insulting him all of a sudden!?
Rina
Aoi was trying to convince himself that he was fine with Takahiko playing around as long as, at the end of the day, he came back home to him... He was worried that if he confessed, Takahiko would just run away instead.
Yoshino
He wanted to tell him so bad, but he just couldn't...
Murata
Poor baby...
Yoshino
If you think about it, he went years without having his feelings properly acknowledged and reciprocated.
Murata
Right, and then he was agonizing over the possibility that Takahiko only slept with him because it was wartime...
Yao
So pure-hearted... By the way, why are you drinking out of two paper cups stacked together? (We are well-fed and hydrated during the Fujoshi Talk. Everyone knows hungry fujoshi are a danger to society).
Rina
I noticed it a while ago but it was too late...
Bexy
I obviously love the characters, but also the background and the cityscape. Tokyo was burnt down to the ground during the war and when I think about what it looks like now... Of course, similar things happened all over the world, but it's almost unbelievable how much changed over the last 70-80 years.
Yao
Don't make me cry!
Bexy
And at that point, Takahiko comes back to Tokyo and they head out to Ginza together. However, Ginza is no longer the place it used to be before the war. It looks completely different now, too.
Yao
The story shows the sadness around the destroyed city but also hope. Like when Takahiko assures Aoi that soon "the flashy Ginza that never sleeps will be back".
Bexy
I felt a pang in my heart when he said that.
Yao
I wanna cry (actually crying).
Murata
I love Sayuri and all the scenes she's in. Especially the one where she gets the letter from her husband.
Yoshino
That was so good!
Yao
It would have been a great scene in any other manga as well. We never get to see the husband's face, but in that short moment, we learn what his and Sayuri's relationship was like, and the friendship between him and Takahiko.
Yoshino
You can tell she used to hold the reins...
Everyone
(LOL)
Murata
I was really shocked and moved when we got to hear the real reason why Takahiko decided to become an actor. That conversation where Sayuri told him, "If this person has moved, you'll 'act' like you've got no regrets and smile". And if you reread their reunion scene knowing that, it really changes your perspective. Takahiko really was acting!
Yao
Ah... Don't you just love proper stories where foreshadowing and continuity work well? Speaking of proper stories, since we're not discussing lighthearted porn today, everyone's quieter and some people's eyes are suspiciously shiny...
Everyone
(LOL)
Yoshino
I'm really bent on the scenes where the two of them just walk around Ginza together. The darkened city where the lights have disappeared and then, brilliantly sparkling streets echo the state of their relationship at different points in the story.
Yao
The desolate Ginza was a symbol of the dark future awaiting them, with the war looming in the distance. Okay, next up!
Yoshino
I want to talk about the reason behind Takahiko not returning to Aoi immediately...
Rina
Ahhh...
Yoshino
He'd been a slippery dude before experiencing the horrors of the war, and after the whole ordeal he must have felt terribly empty inside.
Yao
I believe that was why he never returned the letters. Thinking that he might die the following day, he couldn't irresponsibly promise to come back or confess his love. If he did, and then something happened to him, Aoi would have been bound to him forever. Takahiko must have felt it better for Aoi to cut their ties completely and get him to look for happiness elsewhere.
Rina
Oh, man! My dude!! You're so not the one to decide that!! I swear I've seen this play out in a thousand different manga and it gets me each time. Whether you're "right" for someone or not... the other person decides that! Not you!! Argh!!
Everyone
(LMAO)
Murata
The last scene! Where... (Beep! Beep! Beep! Spoiler alert activated!)
Yoshino
Ahhh... !
Rina
You can't just say that.
Yao
Gotta censor what she just let slip.
Yoshino
I'm sorry, guys! We have to get you to read it for yourselves.
Yao
Last but not least! It's time to give a shout-out to Takahiko! Get on the grill, boy.
Murata
He was a dumbass.
Yao
Huh!? No sugar-coating there.
Rina
Usually people wouldn't wait that long!
Murata
If it wasn't Aoi, it would have ended quite differently...
Yoshino
But I liked that he was trash!!
Yao
Same here.
Murata
If Takahiko hadn't returned his feelings eventually, Aoi would have spent all those years in vain.
Yao
True. Although Aoi didn't explicitly state his feelings for the first 50 or so pages, you could clearly tell that he was in love with Takahiko. If all that ended in a disaster... Poor Aoi.
Murata
I understand that Takahiko didn't want to get hurt, but shouldn't he put Aoi first? Don't you think!?
Yao
Since I know you prefer Aoi, I won't even attempt to contradict you.
Yoshino
No, I believe Takahiko did actually think it through! And his conclusion was, "what if Aoi's better off without me?".
Rina
Sooo selfish.
Murata
He was just covering his ass. By being an ass!
Yao
Harsh~
Yoshino
He just made the mistake of trying to rationalize his feelings and act according to logic.
Yao
I don't think his actions have anything to do with logic. His entire life is about his selfishness and his ideals. If you think about it, he approaches everything the same way - head-on and exactly like he wants to. He acts that way when it comes to his family and war duty. If he doesn't like something about a movie, he won't star in it. But despite his clear convictions, his rash behavior doesn't work on Aoi. He just can't control his feelings! That's the most vulnerable we see him.
Yoshino
I think I get it...
Murata
When you mentioned that, it occurred to me that he was just drinking to get some liquid courage...
Yao
Yep!
Murata
The coward!
Yao
If you pay attention to what he does rather than his words or expressions, it's pretty easy to see what he's thinking. He wants to play it cool and show off to the person he likes - that's the way he's decided to live his life. There's only a handful of moments when he actually says what's on his mind. On the other hand, Aoi is a person who expresses himself with words and wants his feelings known. Takahiko prefers his actions to speak for him. When that kind of guy gets drunk... hehehe... it's very cute.
Murata
They're a great match as far as the story goes, but in real life I just couldn't hang with a dude like that.
Everyone
(LOL)
Murata
It's all good if they're happy together! But they should work on their communication skills!
Everyone
(LOL)
Yao
Any comments from Rina?
Rina
Dumbass... (whisper)
Yao
And from Yoshino?
Yoshino
Lieutenant Walter, I hope you have a happy life!
Yao
Bexy?
Bexy
I love this manga...
Yao
Thank you all! See you next time!
