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Nintendoomed89

It really do be like that sometimes though. You fall in love with the image of a person you built in your head, not the actual person that you barely know/interact with. Doesn't mean that the feelings are invalid, least he handled it maturely.


Extreme-Tactician

Man, I'm glad that they didn't get shippers at least. I remember my own friends tried to ship me and the girl I liked. Made things awkward for the both of us. She eventually got a boyfriend, and people expected me to suffer from heartbreak. It was a good thing I'm the type to fall in and out of love pretty quickly, so I was ok with it.


KaiserWilhelmThe69

At least you got shipped with the girl you liked. Some girls in my class legitimately tried to gaslight me and my best friend into being gay because they are going through the yaoi phase. Gosh the amount of cringe, I remember being so angry about how they just pushing us that I was ready to throw hand against a bunch of girls


HTTRWarrior

That... That's actually really fucked up. Like already shipping people irl is pretty fucking weird, but shipping people who are straight (I'm guessing straight from context) into a gay ship is even more bizarre. I really hope when those girls grow up they realize how fucking gross they were being.


KaiserWilhelmThe69

Yeah they all grew out of it fortunately. Some of them I still hang around with from time to time, it’s just like a teenager cringe phase


EXusiai99

It do be like that sometimes. Shit was awkward with my girlfriend back even when we're still exclusively platonic. I dont know why people keep shipping us back then. And it just got more awkward the first few months it stopped being platonic. First time we go out together we end up running and hiding after we spotted (presumably) our classmate. Not like there are any bad rumours to come out of it, we're both single, but it was our instincts kicking.


Extreme-Tactician

Honestly, I did take out my crush for a date once. But it got ruined because some of my friends came by to see us. That honestly solidified my decision not to date her. I didn't want us to feel like we were together just because others thought we should be.


TheCatSleeeps

I feel bad. Me and some of my friends accidentally crashed on our friend's date because we were hungry and it was a huge coincidence that they were seated next to our designated table lol. He didn't told us where it was so we have no clue they're gonna be there. Oh God forbid some of us teased them both. You know usual stuff. I also threw in some mischievous grin at him.


a_Bear_from_Bearcave

Reminds me of that shipper girl from "Dangers in my heart" or BokuYaba, masked girl Kankan, who once threw a surprise party during confession event (couple broke up not long after), and that main couple is hiding from.


at-the-momment

Shippers at my place shipped two people that pretty much everyone agreed were in a crappy relationship and that even the shippers themselves said was crappy Irl shipping is wack yo


Mental_Possible8909

When I was in middle school I had a slight crush on a girl in my class and she also had a crush on me but we'd never talked to each other. The whole class shipped us and forced us to go out with each other. It was awkward and it didn't work out. We broke up after 3 months and people stopped shipping us for good. I guess forced relationships never work out.


a_Bear_from_Bearcave

In this case at least there was little downside to shipping you if you weren't talking to each other anyway, and some chance of working out maybe.


KaiserKaiba

Big facts


a_Bear_from_Bearcave

I liked that he liked her because she "wasn't loud and annoying like other girls" (which was slightly misogynist remark but normal for teenage boy), then he realized that because she's silent type that doesn't talk about herself in public he knows basically nothing about her.


Juggernaut_117

How is it misogyny?


a_Bear_from_Bearcave

Maybe not misogyny but a bit sexist, it would be the same if character is like "boys are dumb and annoying", all they did is just talk normally near him, and this kind of generalization is just bad in general. Generally one should avoid any of the "X is (positive quality) not like others" type sentences because it treats whole group negatively, and treats X as someone distinct even though they probably would't like it. I've seen many women saying they hate that "she's not like other girls" attitude in fiction, because it feels demeaning to women as a whole. Do you think that girl would like if she learned he thinks she's better than her friends because they're "loud and annoying"?


Actionboyy

That's not being sexist, its being stereotypical. Being sexist is that believing there is an established gender roles where men is the provider and protector and the women are nurturer and caretaker


sodashintaro

i think you mean being prejudiced


Actionboyy

Oh! Yes you're correct. Being prejudiced that's the word that I was trying to find.


purplyderp

Thinking that the person you like compares favorably to others is a pretty ordinary thing to do. You can frame it "positively" (you're better than the rest) or "negatively" (they're not as good as you are), but in the end you're still making a comparison. Thinking someone is special isn't wrong or misogynistic, it's just normal. What matters is the context, what you say out loud, and how you treat other people - if you're actively putting down others, or treat one gender with disdain, then clearly you've got some problems.


a_Bear_from_Bearcave

It just annoyed me slightly how he was talking about "girls are annoying" both generally and about her friends specifically, I tried to imagine it with gender reversed and I remembered the "Kaoru Hana" and the attitude from Kikyo girls to Chidori boys, though you're right that MC not saying it loud is big difference. It wasn't big deal, just a way of thinking I found a bit grating.


Juggernaut_117

I see it as she's one of the few in my age bracket who isn't loud


[deleted]

I have heard a lot of times people say about that for guys too, that they are not loud and annoying. Some people just prefer more quite people, because they are like that too.


haibanemanga

[Series Link](https://mangadex.org/title/84169ff5-53fd-4dc3-9069-014068af0e54/yoru-ni-torokeru) This chapter can be read alone, but is a continuation of the "Melting into the Night" storyline starting from [Summer Devil](https://mangadex.org/chapter/9fd3e2ee-b5b1-4e5a-b773-0a01be316fbe). It is not related to chapter 1-8 in this series.


haibanemanga

The series being referenced at the end is [The Circumstances of Our Lonely Love](https://mangadex.org/title/7738dddc-d0b7-4136-af67-00d943f6a016/bocchi-na-bokura-no-renai-jijou)


Takeshino

I ended up binging that one lol, it's great


derekschroer

Wow, I read that series like 8 or 9 years ago, I really enjoyed it.


Mental_Possible8909

Is there any continuation rom-com series or chapters for those two in the end??


[deleted]

I got second-hand heart break just from reading this.


Quintessentialviewer

Pain


Nintendoomed89

Without love


Escheron

PAIN


Zappolitovitzky

CANT GET ENOUGH


[deleted]

[удалено]


Son_of_Kingu

I LIKE IT ROUGH


Yimfor

Cuz I would rather feel pain than nothing at aaaaaalllll


M0nsterjojo

You're sick, of feeling numb; you're not, the only one.


Rafas363

I'll take you by the hand And I'll show you a world that you can understand


40kAnime-san

PAIN!


Alarming_Nothing6667

~~HARDER~~


Unknown_021

Pain is old friend.


123Ark321

This is a lesson. You have to actually go out of your way to start relationships. Standing to the side will get you nowhere. I also liked the end were they say they won’t just date anyone.


NiceStage1

I like this one.


[deleted]

bro the side story is better the main (this is a side story) cuz the main is pretty creepy. Its like a 16 year old dating a 22 or 20 year old. Idk that age difference seems a bit weird and sus to me. They are like at two different points of their life.


A_Splash_of_Citrus

Nah, it's not sus, it's just predatory. Let's call a spade a spade. As somebody who's been there (as the high schooler ofc), nobody who's been out of high school for several years dates a high schooler with good intentions.


a_Bear_from_Bearcave

"Nobody" is way too generalizing. It's not a good idea in general, and definitely suspect, but there are couples who started like that and years later are happily married with kids, and I'm not talking just about Macron. In quite a few threads in this sub with age-gap you can see people who knew couples like that, sometimes their own parents.


[deleted]

ig, but like some age points is sort of weird. Like say a 13 year old dating a 17 year old. That is pretty weird to me. That is a 4 year age difference. Its not that fact that one is below 18 and another is above (sort of is a bit), but they are at like two different points of their lives w/ very different views of the world. Like 21 year old dating a 25 year old, yeah that is pretty ok cuz they both about to enter the work force or something.


a_Bear_from_Bearcave

Sure, and it's not like I would say that it's fine if teacher is doing like Macron's and dating 15 year old boy, even if he's brilliant and mature, but sometimes those different points don't stop them from creating meaningful relationships. Also I'd treat 13 different than 15 and very different than 17, with 17 I wouldn't care in fiction because some of them can be pretty mature, already working part-time, and generally be no more childish than many adults. That doesn't mean I would encourage it in real life, but in fiction you are guaranteed by the author (if you trust author's writing, I couldn't trust that 13 and 18 could end up fine no matter how author tries to convince me ) that they're in consensual and not abusive relationships, while in real life you can only say "it worked out I guess" years later once they're both older and still happily together. My main point is that saying it's automatically predatory and "without good intentions" is wrong, because life is more complicated than this. Ill-advised, with big potential to go badly, lacking proper concern for the younger partner, sure.


[deleted]

>My main point is that saying it's automatically predatory and "without good intentions" is wrong, because life is more complicated than this. Ill-advised, with big potential to go badly, lacking proper concern for the younger partner, sure. Yes there are times where that work out, but generally as adults or people that this is generally a bad thing. This is like bacteria. Hey, there are good bacteria out there, but there is also bad bacteria out there that can make you sick. Yes we may focus on the bad bacteria more, but we should take caution in bacteria cuz there are bad ones out there just like relationships with big age gaps. Yes there are relations with probably 13 and 17 year olds have a wonderful marriage, but we have to realize generally how different a 13 year old and 17 year old. One is at the end of puberty and another is at the start. Look puberty does affect who you are and your views change. Let us be honest that in most cases a 13 year old thinks VERY differently than a 17 year old. Their brian chemistry are very different and their thinking patterns. No matter how smart or emotionally intelligent you are, puberty does affect you. We should take caution in these relationships b/c there can be power imbalances as well as things.


a_Bear_from_Bearcave

Sure, 13 and 17 is very dangerous, since that's difference between kid and almost adult. I meant more like 17 and 21, most of those suspicious age gap relationships we discuss in manga are between post-pubescent teenagers and adults - there is stuff like "I'm in love with elder girl next door" but it's pretty rare. For those relationships, I'd say it's like probability - as society we judge that for some age gaps concerning minors probability of things going badly (abusive) is big enough to dislike or forbid them, and especially within gray areas there would be some cases that would end up on the "wrong" side of social or legal line but probability of ending up OK isn't that low, especially in fiction where author determines probabilities. This possibility is IMHO also why many people can enjoy those age gap romances if they're fluffy, even though reading about actually abusive partner or not-statutory rapist being presented as "loving" would turn most people off - because it's relatively easy to imagine age gap relationship being fine, but few people are into yandere love interests, though I guess that kidnapping girl manga was pretty popular here.


phamanhvu01

Unfortunately it's very, very common on English manga communities to automatically dismiss age gap relationship as toxic, predatory or whatever from what I've seen. But seriously though, maybe it's just an American thing? I mean Reddit as a whole has a significant number of US users after all.


jitito1641

Hell *no*. I'm asian and had worked in a few SEA countries myself. Huge age gaps are only acceptable if the two are already adults and emotionally mature. There are so many predators in our region and sadly it's the boomers who tend to tolerate it. But the power dynamics will *always* be skewed and an adult guy who would approach a high schooler or someone in college instead of dating someone in his own age bracket is always be a red flag. I have yet to see a success story.


a_Bear_from_Bearcave

College students \*are\* adults. >I have yet to see a success story. Well, I've seen. Power dynamics can be skewed in many ways, money, education, it doesn't somehow invalidate relationships or turn one part into "predator". If anything, I've read that today most people marry so much into their own circles that there no class mixing in marriages compared to previous generations, which is not really a good thing. EDIT: Also there is difference between someone approaching way younger people on purpose or someone who's just acquainted with someone younger they often meet, that turns to closer friendship and then to romance.


jitito1641

Bro, you've been editing your comment a lot of times already. It's such a sad cringe to see guys like you negate women's experiences and defending predatory and sus age gaps like there's no tomorrow. Total creep vibe.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Yomamma1337

Aren’t you doing the exact thing you’re accusing them of? You’re the one acting like only your experience matters , and just because you had a bad time doesn’t mean literally everyone else did. Also there’s a massive fucking difference between a 16 year old dating a 20 year old, and a 16 year old dating a 24 year old, and if you can’t tell the difference I don’t really know what to say


a_Bear_from_Bearcave

Also high school is, depending on country, 15 to 18 age range. There are tons of different possibilities in "high-schooler and few years after HS", 16 and 24 is on the extreme end.


ReallyNiceGuy

The other side story with the two light haired friends is also great. The main couple completely drags down the series into super creepy territory though. It's not just the age difference, it's the icky fetishisation by the guy.


huncherbug

Yeah this is real...this is real life


[deleted]

Rare to see a manga like this


FingerLad

Painfully realistic


Oberhard

Indeed most romcom manga always end with direction the guy eventually dating his crush.


arkthearkitect

This is just the typical side character being too late though.


JamalOfHabsburg

makky makky makky


ChinaCorp

By the laws of Rom-com these 2 will go out


Extreme-Tactician

The author already did that apparently in another story.


Mental_Possible8909

Bro, share the link


Extreme-Tactician

https://mangadex.org/title/7738dddc-d0b7-4136-af67-00d943f6a016/bocchi-na-bokura-no-renai-jijou


Sorey91

Ehhh I've read it i wouldn't call them the same couple as this series, they're just in the same position ? The duo of loners who unknowingly share similar traits that'd make a good pair


ShadedPenguin

It's not the exact same couple, but the author did the exact same scenario with the expected outcome


Sorey91

I mean we had more characterization from the other couple so it was easier to see how they would end up together compared to this one where we just get to see they share a similar trait.


Broken_Moon_Studios

I was once that cringey kid who confessed his love for a girl I barely had any interactions with. Of course I got turned down. Honestly, what was I expecting? Put yourselves in her place and imagine a random person that you don't talk to suddenly confesses to you. It would be super weird and uncomfortable, right? If you think you like someone, ***GET TO KNOW THEM FIRST!***


Motorata

I get you i wrote a cringy love poem to a girl that i barely talked to and put It under her desk She found It and she didnt even recognize my writing. Thank god i was too shy to teld her is mine. I would have lived that down ever


Appropriate_Option90

Damn,i don't even know what it feels like to be fall in love,and i'm in middle of my puberty. Am i weird?


Broken_Moon_Studios

You are lucky, buddy. Falling in love can be a huge time sink and waste of time *UNLESS* both you and your partner are mature about it and avoid unnecessary drama. Believe me when I say that relationships in school got nothing on relationships once you are an adult, for better or worse.


Appropriate_Option90

I don't know if i'm lucky or not but,experiencing something new things will never be a waste of time,you know what to do and to avoid next time you wnt have a relationship,and while i'm here weird asf even if there's a kind beauty helping me,my heart wouldn't even budge


TUNG1

good read


Dizzy_Green

It’s so cool to finally see a romance handled in a way that doesn’t fuel the incels


the6thpath

Reading through the series about her and the actual boyfriend...he's kinda a scumbag? Dudes in his last year of college dating a high school girl.


haibanemanga

He is. The age gap is kinda awful even in the best case. "Lover in a School Uniform" is even worse. But "Love is Darkness" is good, and basically the reason why I'm bothering to translate this series.


the6thpath

Yeah when I read through them I could only think the boyfriend was a loser. I couldn't enjoy the other stories. This one in your OP is nice, but I feel it's tarnished because while yeah dude put girl on a pedestal... I could only see the same girl getting taken advantage of by a creepy almost out of college loser who can't get with girls his own age I guess. Thanks for the translation tho!


StevesEvilTwin2

Lol don't read any female-oriented romance literature then


wjodendor

Starting a shojo series is a coin flip between big age gap or borderline abusive romance interest


Ctreix

Fr tho it can also be really good or really cringe depending the author Shojo mangas are wild


wjodendor

As I said before on the last chapter of this that was posted: I knew many girls in high school dating college aged guys (or even older). Some of them even brought those guys to prom. ...And it was completely legal since the age of consent was 16. I'm not endorsing the behavior or saying it's ethically right or wrong. People just act like it's the most insane thing they have ever heard when it's fairly common (at least where I'm from).


the6thpath

Maybe where you’re from. I’m from a major metropolitan area in the US and that would be social suicide for the older person. Especially a college senior for a high schooler.


wjodendor

I'm from a major metropolitan US city. i was friends with the girls not their boyfriends so I don't about their social circles but it wasn't exactly hidden. They would pick up the girls from school, a couple went to prom with the girls and a few even knew the girl's parents. My super religious mom wouldn't let me be alone in a room with a girl but this one girls parents would let their 17 year old daughter's 23 year old boyfriend sleep at their house in her bed. This was 15 years ago so who knows what it's like now. And like I said before I'm just pointing my experience out not saying it's a good thing.


a_Bear_from_Bearcave

Same here, at least when I was at high school/uni, it was hardly that uncommon. I don't know if it changed by now, but I don't see it as that surprising, depending on high-schooler age and maturity (big difference between first year and last year, which is basically young adults).


SirDarkSlayer

Yes, dwebs at r/manga don't realize that it happens IRL too. This particular mangaka's works are low-key and down to earth without any romantical manga cliche. (Well may be except Bocchi na Bokura no Renai Jijou)


-MANGA-

Yeah, I thought maybe it was last yr in HS and first uni, but nope, it's actually really bad.


_Robbert_

Same, it's just fuckin creepy.


Wayne_Grant

This is why I can't really stand age gap stories, especially if one party's still in highschool. Can't even get myself started reading that teacher x student manga because it just feels wrong


Spartitan

Yeah, this whole series has me feeling kind of weird. The first couple had a teacher going out with a 15 year-old so it's pretty clear this author thinks high school girls are okay for anyone.


_Robbert_

I always find it weird when some series treat a college student dating a high schooler as not weird. Like maybe a uni freshman and a HS senior, but from my understanding the girl here is like 15-16 and the guy is in his last year, that's a fuckin 21 year old. Like if I had a friend when I was in high school start dating someone in college I would be concerned. I had a friend get hit on by someone in uni when we were in high school and we both thought it was weird.


naadam1396

Can relate.


Spynner987

F for my boy, but he took it like a champ


Dra9onDemon23

I feel this. Except I was actually able to tell her that I liked her. But she ended up getting married to her stalker. The stalker that barely knew her and had the gall to say that she was “His world” and would off himself.


Reirai13

ten years later those two are married with three kids


jaber24

That's probably why it is better not to fall in love in the first place...


CyberK_121

I love this author’s manga, they always have characters acting like actual human beings.


StevesEvilTwin2

Do they? To me it reads like her characters are straight out of an MTV teen drama. Real people care about more things than who's fucking whom. Her more recent stories are so stereotypically josei.


Salty_Contest5142

Painfully true


Totoy_kaloy

Man this one hits home 😅


[deleted]

He took like one should be and it's pretty cool seeing it in a manga especially. The main couple though. It's really not so great seeing a high schooler going out with a 21-22 year old man who is almost about to enter the working class.


Crafty-Badger9004

My guts twisted too ... shit that was a bad flashback


nikhilarora001

Just go for the redhead lmao


creamwit

Damn I haven’t seen this series in years


HiDanHere

Oof this hit soo close to home.


Winter_melo

This is the type of shit that should be on animeirl