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That last page is fantastic. 
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Feb 6, 2013 00:16
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jonjonaug posted:My new favorite page in a manga full of favorite pages (spoilers, obviously). That is so great, this is so great. Glad to see Saeki show up, because if she is here than Nakamura can't be too far behind.
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Feb 6, 2013 00:22
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Hahaha, this is evil. It's like Nozoki Ana without all the porn and 50% more sociopathy.
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Feb 6, 2013 08:10
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Scrree posted:That is so great, this is so great. Nakamura is pretty much the main character. The only purpose of chapters she's not in is highlighting that she's not in them. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 09:00 on Feb 6, 2013 |
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Feb 6, 2013 08:26
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God, I can't stop reading this - it's like a trainwreck in slow motion. I'm only at chapter 7 ( his date) but I can already feel how things will get much worse all around  .EDIT: WHAT THE gently caress Kellanved fucked around with this message at 13:47 on Feb 6, 2013 |
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Feb 6, 2013 13:07
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Kellanved posted:God, I can't stop reading this - it's like a trainwreck in slow motion. I'm only at chapter 7 ( his date) but I can already feel how things will get much worse all around This is pretty much the best summery of the manga possible.
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Feb 6, 2013 15:54
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Next chapter's up: http://kissmanga.com/Manga/Aku-No-Hana/Vol-008-Ch-041--Sweet-like-a-secret?id=156058 Dude translating these is a champ. 9 chapters in 7 days. Says he'll do the next chapter coming out in a couple days too.
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Feb 6, 2013 22:25
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This new Kasuga manage to be even more infuriating than infamous Shinji Ikari. 
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Feb 6, 2013 22:28
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Personal_Nirvana posted:This new Kasuga manage to be even more infuriating than infamous Shinji Ikari. Yeah except half each chapter screaming like a bitch.
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Feb 6, 2013 23:01
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Well, everything did crash and burn after that festival. I can get how he can act like this, the low after his quite spectacular high. He'll probably angst a chapter or so and then track down Nakamura. Then the three of them can reach new heights of fuckedupness together. Ahh, this is going to be horrible to watch! edit: Heh, what are the chances of this manga getting a happy-ish ending? I really don't want them to suicide/kill someone/get thrown in an asylum at the end. On one hand, I like stories in which incredibly broken people manage to build themselves some sort of peace and happiness but on the other hand I really want to see the flower bloom one more - I don't know what this says about me, but the story went waaay past creepy and insane and into weirdly fascinating. But it'll probably end on the most depressing note possible. 
Kellanved fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Feb 7, 2013 |
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Feb 7, 2013 00:46
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What other manga are there in this "genre"? I don't know what to call it. I can think of a few other titles that fit but they're all ecchi/hentai and some (Sundome and Ibitsu) are more than a little creepy in a bad way. Honmyou Wakou Nozoki Ana/A Peephole: Kido Tatsuhiko moved to Tokyo to attend an art school and start his new life. In his new room, there’s a small hole in the wall. At first he can see nothing through the small hole, but one night, through the peeping hole, he saw a girl. That’s how his new life starts. Nozomi To Kimo: Nozomi To Kimio Manga Summary: Suga Kimio finds himself hiding in the girls locker room, unable to move or escape the situation as the girls in his school crowd in. Although he originally had no ulterior motives, he found himself panicking as he heard the girls coming in and hid in a locker. Komine Nozomi, one of the shy girls in his class finds him, but surprisingly covers for him. Perplexed but glad, Kimio goes home. Later that night, he gets a text from Nozomi who happens to live across the way on the same floor of the complex they both live in. She blackmails him into agreeing to show each other’s bodies when she texts him. Kimio has to abide by Nozomi’s insane demands or risk ruining his school life so they both start their little peep show through each other’s windows… Lots of the same themes here- peeping, blackmail etc. Nozoki Ana is the straight up porniest of the ones I'm posting, there's bare tits in half the frames. It still has a decent plot though. Okada Kazuto Sundome and Ibitsu are definitely in this vein, but a) there is some creepiness due to the age of the characters and b)there is some hardcore kink (sounding with a nail, piss play, etc). Plus the art is... not good. Just avoid these. Aku no Hana is ironically the cleanest but most violent of the bunch, it's less "What's she going to do to the poor boy next" and more "HOLY poo poo SHE'S EVIL". Seriously, Emiru (from Nozoki AnA) is a blackmailing, manipulative, self serving bitch but she never breaks anybodies leg with a baseball bat.
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Feb 7, 2013 02:16
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AxeBreaker posted:What other manga are there in this "genre"? I don't know what to call it. I can think of a few other titles that fit but they're all ecchi/hentai and some (Sundome and Ibitsu) are more than a little creepy in a bad way. What, never heard of a masterpiece called Oyasumi PunPun (Goodnight PunPun), by Inio Asano? Can't have that.  Just don't be deceived by the looks of PunPun. (he's draw as a SD bird. really) The manga is a trully heartwrenching experience, and it packs a punch so hard you will be left cold after every chapter. It's not creepy at all, the problem is life can be a bitch sometimes.  e: tags
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Feb 7, 2013 03:14
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Personal_Nirvana posted:What, never heard of a masterpiece called Oyasumi PunPun (Goodnight PunPun), by Inio Asano? Can't have that. Agreeing with this guy. Read everything Inio Asano has written if you enjoy Flower of Evil. A lot of his stuff is similar to this and besides PunPun, a lot of them are pretty short so you can clear the entire series in an evening. I Am A Hero might be a little similar, but it has a zombie Apocalypse thing going on as well.
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Feb 7, 2013 04:54
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Onani Master Kurosawa is the most obvious comparison. Does Saeki realize she's branding Kasuga's insides by casually reestablishing a "normal" friendship with him? I liked the scene where he wants to crush his phone in despair, and then accepts Saeki's invitation as if nothing were up. This manga sometimes perfectly captures little human moments like that. And it looks like the ticking parental time bomb may be close to blowing.
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Feb 7, 2013 16:06
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Rinkles posted:Onani Master Kurosawa is the most obvious comparison. For something that's "not hentai" that sure had a lot of cum in it... of course, given the title what do you expect.
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Feb 7, 2013 21:35
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AxeBreaker posted:For something that's "not hentai" that sure had a lot of cum in it... of course, given the title what do you expect. I hope for your own good you didn't stop reading because of the creepy premisse. I can't think of any media that pulled a twist as beautifully done as this one.
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Feb 7, 2013 23:15
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I read the whole thing, thus the past tense.
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Feb 8, 2013 00:35
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I sure as hell didn't expect Onani Master Kurosawa to have a happy ending, but I'm glad it did. Somehow I don't think Aku no Hana will...
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Feb 8, 2013 01:17
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New chapter is up (43) Holy poo poo, he really loving destroyed Saeki's mind; some of that conversation was just torture. This manga has become cringe-city.
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Feb 9, 2013 19:36
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Angry Grimace posted:New chapter is up (43) Haha, silly me thinking that maybe she's gotten over everything that's happened. 
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Feb 9, 2013 21:04
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Well she's arguably always been the most mature of the trio, especially once she caught on what was going on with Nakamura. She's the only one that seems to understand or openly admit how beyond it's facade of profundity, Nakamura and Kasuga's quest for the "other side" is really just an adolescent nihilistic fantasy, covering two introverted teens' different insecurities. (They sort of admit it during the preamble to their planned suicide, but their response is essentially the logical conclusion of that fantasy). She's torturing Kasuga, but she's right. Though at first he vaguely justifies abandoning Saeki as an act of self sacrifice to protect her (he's the unworthy pervert that would only sully the pure Saeki), it's quickly apparent he doesn't actually care about her or her feelings. He's inscrutably cruel to her. He was seduced by Nakamura's absolute embrace of the perverted. It gave him an outlet to his existential anxieties, but it's also a guise for a more material connection. This in contrast to his affection towards Saeki which appears to be almost entirely superficial. He rather quickly drops one for the other -- though, it might be simplistic to present it in terms of a normal dumping. I don't think Kasuga was romantically motivated in chasing Nakamura (though there's signs of sexual tension -- they are He let his delusional escapist desire trample over the feelings and eventual mental well being of a girl he'd brought into the whole mess. I don't know exactly who Tokiwa is to Kasuga, and I don't think he honestly knows yet either. But Saeki's words as harsh as they may be, are absolutely deserved. Nakamura may have put a spell on him -- which he embraced -- but his responsibility towards Saeki was his own. Tangentially related: Do you guys think Nakamura's push during the planned self-immolation was an act of compassion out of love/friendship (she knew he wasn't as committed as she was), or a rejection (because he was a poseur, even more so than she was)? Or something else?
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Feb 9, 2013 23:38
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For me at least, it was a form of rejection. Her way of saying "You arent comitted enough, thus becoming one of them, poo poo-eaters." And Kasuga not only knows this, but it has been eating his insides since then (his breakdown after talking with Saeki plus flashback left that impression on me). What i imagine it could happen after this is Kasuga, now really grasping the reality that Nakamura is pretty much lost to him, will try to "create" a new Nakamura in the person of Tokiwa. And the trigger could be her boyfriend trying to aproach her once more. There's a lot of interesting ways the plot could go, but really, Nakamura is a crucial part in all of them. While Kasuga could be labelled as an agent of chaos, she is chaos itself.
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Feb 10, 2013 00:22
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Personal_Nirvana posted:For me at least, it was a form of rejection. Her way of saying "You arent comitted enough, thus becoming one of them, poo poo-eaters." I was thinking it might be more than just rejection because of her choice of words. "I'll go alone" She's not being spiteful or ridiculing, I think, as she's usually inclined to be. Like she's showing him an ounce of respect when tossing him. It's little to go on, and a translation to boot. I also considered it might be sign of egomania -- she wanted the spotlight to herself -- but that would be rather uncharacteristic of her. What do you mean by Tokiwa's boyfriend being the trigger for a new Nakamura? You think she'll snap for some reason, with Kasuga's help? My speculation is that the reunion (between Tokiwa and her BF) might just lead to more despair, as Kasuga's new emotional respite is interrupted by Tokiwa sorting out her business with her boyfriend and distancing herself from Kasuga. Or, alternatively, the BF is a total maniac, and next chapter we find Tokiwa murdered. (I don't seriously expect that. The author so far has avoided pulling cheap dramatic tricks like that).
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Feb 10, 2013 01:23
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Holy poo poo this page I love this manga so much.
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Feb 10, 2013 02:07
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I think it's important to separate the Nakamura that Kasuga believes in and the Nakamura that actually exists. While Kasuga believed she had have some kind of otherworldly conviction, if you look at how she felt (seriously reread chapter 20 it's kind of heartbreaking) Nakamura was really just a lonely kid who hated the world as much as she hated herself. It was only after the town started to blame and harass for crimes she didn't commit (stealing Saeki's gym clothes, trashing the classroom, stealing the girl's panties, setting the hut on fire - Kasuga or Saeki did all of that.) that she turned suicidal. When Kasuga wanted to plan a shocking display for the summer festival she stole a beer from her dad's fridge and wanted to get drunk by the riverfront. Nakamura never had any grand designs, she just felt strongly about the world around her. It's loving ridiculous to say that her shoving Kasuga off the platform was a form of rejection (although Kasuga himself probably sees it that way) because the whole point of her breaking him out of his parent's house was that she did trust him and didn't want to be alone. The whole suicide pact comes from her desire to fade away, but she never says she wants Kasuga to do the same. The summer festival scene is beautiful because it is basically the first time she shows the least bit of love for someone else, even if it breaks the illusion of ~dying together~. Also it's a bit weird to claim that Kasuga tormented Saeki when he intentionally didn't target her in his 'pranks' and that she was the one who raped him and tried to ruin his only friendship. Play their sex scene with the genders reversed and you'll see the ick. While she obviously feels like he treated her like trash and threw her away, he was never truly with her to begin with, but of course, her feelings are just as valid as his - that's why this manga is so good!. But yeah Tokiwa's boyfriend is gonna do something real loving lovely in the next chapter.
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Feb 10, 2013 02:25
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Scrree posted:I think it's important to separate the Nakamura that Kasuga believes in and the Nakamura that actually exists. While Kasuga believed she had have some kind of otherworldly conviction, if you look at how she felt (seriously reread chapter 20 it's kind of heartbreaking) Nakamura was really just a lonely kid who hated the world as much as she hated herself. Good points. I was re-reading the whole thing and yea, i was more inclined to think that she was a closed-in sociopath, than acknowledge her problems. Kinda like the whole city.  While i was checking previous chapters, i noticed how much screen-time Ai-chan (Seki's best fiend) had, and how personally involved she appeared to be in the whole mess, even when things wasn't affecting Saeki directly. Do you guys think she will be back, and if yes, mentally scarred by Kasuga an Nakamura stunt? e: Spoiler tags, just to be safe.
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Feb 10, 2013 02:58
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Scrree posted:
Oh absolutely that was probably the manga's most unpleasant scene. I think Saeki justified it to herself as a desperately twisted way of trying to drag Kasuga back into normality (as seen by her), and consummating what she regarded as rightfully hers. I think you're right, my blaming of Kasuga was a bit lopsided -- the torment was mutual. However, though, Saeki pursued him even after breaking up (multiple times effectively), Kasuga never seems entirely committed to the rejection, giving Saeki a latent false hope (I think that's how I saw things). There's that scene in the rain after Kasuga and Nakamura run away with Saeki catching up in which Kasuga's clearly conflicted (I believe this is after the Kasuga's initial plead to end their relationship). Which you can hardly blame him for -- it's an awful situation all round. And you're right to note it was horribly perfidious of Saeki to try and violate the bond between Kasuga and Nakamura. Nakamura shaking when Saeki proclaimed she'd taken Kasuga's virginity (as we find out from Saeki), was probably the most powerful scene that made it clear (even more so than her diary to me) that Nakamura was not in fact a crazy psychopath -- that was a mask she hid behind. (That was an awful scene all round. So many heart wrenching scenes in this manga). I didn't see as clear a delineation in Nakamura's character between before and after the town's abuse started piling up. I felt part of the radicalization was the natural result of Nakamura and Kasuga growing ever more isolated from the rest of the town as the two grew closer together. But maybe I'm misunderstanding Nakamura. I should read the published volumes a second time. I appreciated your post. It was well thought out. Rinkles fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Feb 10, 2013 |
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Feb 10, 2013 03:42
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Aw, your making me blush. Yeah, Saeki definitely felt led on, and Kasuga did a poo poo job at handling the whole relationship, but it was still her decision to take it from bad to ohnoooooo awful. The author is definitely trying to make a point about how modern society uses and thinks about sex; I think the key thing will be if/when Kasuga and Nakamura get back together as (near)adults, will their relationship take on a sexual nature? Nakamura was incredibly critical of how everyone treated sex as the end-all be-all of social relationships, but I'm curious if that was meant to say 'Children are exposed/think too much about sex' or 'Society IN GENERAL are exposed/think too much about sex'. Then you get into how she called herself a pervert despite feeling that way and uggh I wish I could read Japanese to see the context of the original words :| As for Nakamura's change after the crimes were revealed, it's hard to track because the comic moves super fast and it all happens in like, five chapters but at the end of chapter 27 she explicitly says 'I don't want to die' and walks away from Kasuga. And then in 30 (after a few days of being alone/harassed by the townspeople) she breaks into his house to... fetch him (also the only time she ever rides the bike with him on the back) and in 31 she asks Kasuga first to kill her, and then to commit suicide with her (I was mistaken before, she does ask him instead of him saying he would unprompted). So clearly something changed over those few days. I've also ordered the published release and I'm excited to reread the early chapters with a more fluid translation. I think one of the greatest things about this manga is how it plays with the whole super-cliche anime concept of the emotionless/psycho girl but Nakamura is actually just painfully blunt while also lonely and cruel - totally realistic for a child in her circumstance. Ain't no loving yanderes around this part of town .
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Feb 10, 2013 06:11
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Scrree posted:I've also ordered the published release and I'm excited to reread the early chapters with a more fluid translation. I think one of the greatest things about this manga is how it plays with the whole super-cliche anime concept of the emotionless/psycho girl but Nakamura is actually just painfully blunt while also lonely and cruel - totally realistic for a child in her circumstance. Ain't no loving yanderes around this part of town I realized this was something very very special when Nakamura realizing Kasuga wasn't the pervert she thought he was, simply let him go (she was bored with him, as she put it). Manga/anime writers seem to really loving love contriving elaborate rules governing their characters' worlds, so I was pleasantly surprised the author avoided doing so in the long run.
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Feb 10, 2013 06:47
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I just marathoned the rest of this after getting vol 1-3 in the mail a couple of days ago.  I hope more crazy comes back in kasuga's new life.
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Feb 10, 2013 19:41
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Personal_Nirvana posted:Good points. Eh, I don't think she was some kind of closed in sociopath. She's obsessed with the idea of being loved because she was so used to always having to earn it by pleasing people and pushing herself to be Little Miss Perfect. In Kasuga she had found someone who she felt was honest and open to her and that she didn't have to put appearances on for because look at him: he's just some dorky kid who doesn't care what people think of him. Her problem was that she had unreal expectations of who he was; that in reality he was just a pretentious, self-absorbed little prick who only cared about these things to make him not appear like those goddamn sheeple. In short, he was your average teenage nerd who finds some "edgy" things and then thinks that he's unique. That combined with Nakamura's torment breaking him/"freeing" him to the point where he became obsessed with her caused her to be rejected by the person she thought she didn't have to put airs on around. The underwear incident was her last straw of course. What she did to Kasuga was horrible. Burning down the little hiding place was horrible. But if she's a horrible person now I don't think it's because she always was but because she's a monster of Kasuga's creation whether he intended it or not. I know that the way people hide themselves and put up false identities to the rest of the world is a big part of this series but like I said I don't think Saeki was always terrible. Her mask was her perfection when underneath she just wanted people she could be honest with and loved by. And now that person is the mask, replaced by someone who (probably) believes that those who are open about themselves are in fact wearing the most elaborate disguises of all. Or I could be way off base. I probably am. As for Ai... yeah I'm guessing she comes back at some point. She was one of the more important supporting characters in the middle school section, especially towards the end, to just dump off with the time skip and I don't really see any reason to make her a focal point of the festival stuff if that's going to be the end of her. I feel kind of bad for her, honestly, as she was bitchy but at the same time was the only sane person surrounded by crazies. No clue what she'll be like when she shows up but she probably believes that Kasuga ruined her best friend and drove her insane and as things seemed to be going too well for Kasuga, Saeki's return is most likely only the first in Kasuga's sins from his old life coming back to haunt him in his new one. And as for Tokiwa and her boyfriend... I'm guessing that they meet and Tokiwa finally ends things with him. He starts to get angry but plays it cool instead (as that's his mask: cool and easygoing when in reality he's angry and possessive). She meets up with Kasuga outside of school which is when he re-appears ready to "take her back" and/or beat the poo poo out of Kasuga who he blames for his problems. And then maybe just to pile poo poo on something terrible happens to Tokiwa during the whole thing maybe causing her to get seriously injured or something and become fearful and withdrawn thus depriving Kasuga of the first real friend he's had in years.
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Feb 11, 2013 09:28
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I have no doubt something bad will happen to Tokiwa after that call, given how unbalanced and insecure her BF turned out to be. I just really hope it's not that overused, terrible manga trope (not exclusive) of atempt  .Also holy poo poo there's an anime coming this spring and i din't even knew.  e: typo
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Feb 11, 2013 17:10
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Personal_Nirvana posted:atempt Attempted TVTropes? 
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Feb 20, 2013 14:26
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New Chapter: Only one chapter and not a whole volume unfortunately. Honestly, I dont have much to say. I guess I thought things would get high tension pretty quick, but this seemed like setup. http://kissmanga.com/Manga/Aku-No-Hana/Vol-009-Ch-043--That-s-your-spirit?id=158375
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Mar 11, 2013 08:04
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This is the first work of fiction that's ever made me literally, physically cringe. What an amazing series.
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Mar 11, 2013 08:15
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I think it'll be kind of funny if we're swerved and the boyfriend was being 100% sincere.
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Mar 11, 2013 18:38
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Suben posted:I think it'll be kind of funny if we're swerved and the boyfriend was being 100% sincere. Honestly, that's what I'm hoping for too.
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Mar 11, 2013 18:40
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Wandering Knitter posted:Honestly, that's what I'm hoping for too. Even better, have the MC go full flower of evil on him do to a sequence of unfortunate (and predictable) events
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Mar 11, 2013 23:18
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agNACZm_J7U The preview is out.
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Mar 14, 2013 18:59
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Oh Snapalope posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agNACZm_J7U Color me excited.
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Mar 24, 2013 05:32
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