I’m not impressed that I haven’t been able to play Harvest Moon: Animal Parade yet.

Creator: Kei Kusunoki
Chapters: 32
Volumes: 4
Genre: Drama, Mature, Romance, Seinen
Protagonist: Suwa Daisuke

I read Bitter Virgin a couple months back because I kept hearing about how popular it was. And it was on the top viewed other manga on One Manga (where I read a lot online cause I’m poor and am slowly collecting manga when I can). The title was one of those things that made me go “what?” and forced me to go check out what it was all about. It got the better of me and I had to read it.

This is like my spoiler-free post cause it won’t be very long. 8D (mostly cause I’m hella lazy right now).

The story is about high schooler Suwa Daisuke, who’s a major player~ At the beginning of the story, he’s asked if there is any girl he wouldn’t go for and he answers Aikawa Hinako, the quiet loner of their class. But, of course, he really thinks nothing of this question. Unfortunately, Hinako happens to hear this. Daisuke’s attitude towards her changes however when he’s in the local church (that no one really enters after a rumor it’s haunted or something) and he hides in the priest’s booth. The person coming into the church happens to be Hinako and she goes to the confessional. Daisuke pretends to be the priest so he won’t get caught. Thinking he’s the priest, Hinako makes a confession to him.

She tells him how she’s been sexually abused by her stepfather who got her pregnant and she had to give up her child for adoption. After hearing about Hinako’s tearful past, Daisuke’s initial dislike for her turns more into concern for her and compassion for the situations she’s been put in. Afterwards, the two begin to make friends, though Hinako knows nothing of him knowing her deepest, darkest secret. Believing he has absolutely no romantic interest in her (after him saying so earlier, over that question), she begins to feel comfortable around him, as she doesn’t feel safe or comfortable around other men due to what her stepfather had done.

Bitter Virgin is then the story of their relationship progressing and the many, various obstacles that they have to overcome.

All in all, I think it’s a very sweet story, though also very sad. Something that I like about it is how real the characters feel. They don’t have over-the-top, extreme personalities; they nice, normal (well….most of them) people. And they react to the situations they’re put in as you would think people their age would react, not like some hero who’s bent of saving the world the way a lot of protagonists and their teams would react. It gives a good feel to the manga and makes it much more realistic.

If you have the time, definitely give it a good read. It isn’t licensed in English yet so if you want to read it and can’t understand Japanese, you might want to find some scans for it.

Characters of Importance

Suwa Daisuke: He’s our protagonist. He’s initially a ladies man but eventually develops a liking to Hinako, who he’s very concerned and protective of now. He knows her darkest secret though she doesn’t know it.
Aikawa Hinako: Daisuke’s classmate who had confessed to him thinking he was a priest about being sexually abused. She has a fear of men but is now comfortable around Daisuke.
Ibuse Kazuki: Daisuke’s classmate and self-proclaimed girlfriend. She’s on the verge of obsession with him and is extremely jealous of Hinako.
Yamamoto Yuzu: Daisuke’s childhood friend and classmate.
Suwa Izumi: Daisuke’s older sister.

A fan art of Reimu uuuuuuuuuuppppp!! ;]

I’m too lazy to ink that fan art atm, tho. I didn’t get to the chance to scan it at the cyber cafe, so yeah, had to use my phone camera, thus, the crappy quality pic =(

Also did Kirisame Marisa and Shameimaru Aya’s fan art, and I think it looked way better than that Reimu fan art above :<

I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I really sucked at drawing Reimu. Her costume is way too troublesome to draw =_=;; But I really love drawing Marisa and Sakuya tho =D

Want to draw Wriggle and Remilia, but I don’t have much of their pics

I feel like drawing some ecchi fan art, but uhh… it’s fasting month now xD I’ve been drawing lots of Touhou fan arts these days. That motivation came from those Touhou doujinshi I’ve been reading lately. I’d like to start posting anime and manga reviews soon, but hah, I don’t think I have that much of time to be playing around since PMR is so near and all ^^;;

I’ve already made the prototype of the poster I’m going to spread around at school after all the exams ended +_+ The words I used in that poster were leikkk… so WTF :C But just what am I going to spread around the school anyway?

?._______.?

For now, let’s keep that a secret >:D *evil laugh* I have planned so much things to do after PMR +__+ But that would happen later. I have to work my lazy ass so that I can enjoy myself to the fullest instead of crying when I failed any subjects >_>

Plus,

I’VE FINALLY FINISHED READING THE MANGA BITTER VIRGIN!!! T________________T

Like… I might review about that tomorrow. If I have the time to do so.

Ah, I really should stop playing around and start doing revision now ~____~;;

ACCEPTANCE IS…

When u bother to find out what causes her fear,

When u see her with respect and deep concern,

When nothing else matters more than the present,

And the past has been erased like it never occurred…

Acceptance…

is probably a fantasy.

or an inch higher than reality.

Yet what is heaven for?

If not to keep us reaching? aiming? hoping?

Wet your eyes with delight, chuckles and heartbreaking moments…

Bitter Virgin is one of those manga works you’ll keep admiring. (or dreaming about)

This week my attention will go to a more obscure manga, Bitter Virgin by Kei Kusunoki.

Bitter Virgin is the story of Daisuke and Aikawa and how tragedy brings them together.

Summary:

Suwa Daisuke is a Japanese student who is known for widespread flirtation with every girl in school, except for Aikawa Hinako, who refuses to let men even touch her.  One day, while hiding in a church’s confessional, Aikawa enters and confesses to being sexually abused by her father, getting pregnant twice and giving birth one year prior to revealing this.  Daisuke then takes it upon himself to keep that secret as well as care for Aikawa.  Gradually the two fall in love despite the efforts of Daisuke’s ‘girlfriend’, Ibuse Kazuki, to stop it.

Primary Characters:

Suwa Daisuke: Japanese student who learns Aikawa’s secret.  Very compassionate and ambitious, he dreams of leaving the small town but stays out of a desire to help Aikawa.  He tries and fails many times to have Ibuse give up on pursuing a relationship with him.

Aikawa Hinako: Daisuke’s classmate who suffers from a severe fear of men due to being sexually abused and impregnated by her father.  Has had an abortion and given birth, but gave the baby up for adoption.  Very shy but also very compassionate, she lives on her own and limits contact with others to a minimum until Daisuke starts helping her.

Ibuse Kazuki: Daisuke’s ‘girlfriend’ and classmate.  Suffers from an extreme obsession, to the point of embarassing and even almost severely wounding Aikawa out of jealousy.

Review:

The art alone is enough for me to greatly enjoy the manga, every character is distinct and expressive, which is important for a manga where emotions play such a key role.  The primary characters have depth to them and the secondary characters have just enough depth to make them believable and not take away from the main characters.  The writing is very powerful, the manga brings out the same emotions in a reader as are experienced by those within the story.  The pacing is appropriate, lingering on tragedies as long as is necessary to convey how trajic they are but moving on before the story becomes too depressing to read.  The story also ends on a note of hope to contract with the sad story up to that point, but I shall not say more to avoid spoilers.

Word Count: 416

My grattiude to condron.us for helping more people view this site.

Not much has really happened in the manga department during the time I took off. In fact, I’m probably still on the same exact chapter of Monster now as I was back in August. I feel like I need to be in the mood to sit down and tackle a chapter, but at the same time I don’t know what kind of mood that is. Elfen Lied was wrapped up in a disturbing manner that left me slightly unsatisfied, yet completely content. To-LOVE-Ru and Claymore have been kept up to date. I find Claymore to be pretty uneventful all around mostly because there is supposed to be a cohesive story, but I can’t be arsed to figure what happened last when a new chapter is released.

On the other hand two mangas have been digested. First, Rosario + Vampire, an ecchi comedy about a boy who winds up enrolling at a school full of monsters who despise humans. Overall it was a pretty good read. Each chapter had enough beef to it that I felt fulfilled reading it, yet each chapter (sans a few) were pretty stand alone with an overall story keeping everything connected. I watched the anime after finishing up and was thoroughly disgusted (enough to make me pass on season 2 of it). Bitter Virgin also found it’s way onto my completed list bringing along a pretty dark story about some high schoolers. It was long enough to tell the story with multiple twists and some shock factor (for a manga at least) yet short enough to keep everything to the point with little filler.

Hayate no Gotoku! has been started and up to date to fill in the void until season 2 of the anime is aired. Mx0 has also been added to the reading list with about 2/3 of it completed. This was basically picked at random and turned out to be pretty good.

Rászántam magam, hogy végre írjak valamit megint. A múlt hetet is totál elvesztegettem és még csak WoWozni sem volt időm, de persze annak is meg volt az oka (köv. post talán?).  Ezt a mangát pl. legalább 2-3 olvastam végig és még mindig semmit nem sikerült firkantani róla. Halljunk szót!

Mivel fárasztó, és valószínüleg lehetelen lenne spoilerek nélkül beszélni a történetről, ezért nem is teszem: a fenti képen a sztori egyik főhőse van, Aikawa Hinako. Ő a tipikus “shygirl”, fél a férfiaktól meg hasonlók. Ő az akivel másik főszereplőnk semmiféleképpen nem járna. Suwa Daisuke, playboy, a helyi szépfiú akiért rajonganak a csajok, főleg Ibuse Kazuki. Az “おさななじみ” frontot Yamamoto Yuzu képviseli, persze nem kell mondanom, hogy ő is odáig meg vissza van titkon említett férfiúért. Eddig gondolom ismerős a helyzet, még amerikai tinimoziban is volt rá példa. De itt egy pillantar álljunk meg, mert…

ショック!

Aikawa a templomban, ahol előzőleg Suwa-kun elrejtőzött a gyónszéken, olyan dolgokat mond el amiket tényleg csak magának az Úrnak vall be az ember. Nem mást, mint hogy a mostohaapja megerőszakolta és hogy már volt egy abortusza. Mi több, 1 évvel ezelőtt született egy gyereke akit örökbe adott. Ez ‘kicsit’ máris más fényben tünteti fel a mangát. Bár szerintem nem volt annyira ‘emós’ a hangulata, mint azt egy-két ember véleménye alapján gondoltam volna. Persze ahogy az várható Suwa-kunt nem hagyja nyugodni a dolog és ami kezdetben kíváncsiság volt az később valami több lesz

Ami pedig Aikawat illeti: mivel hallotta, hogy Daisuke egyáltalán nem érdeklődik iránta, ezért ő az egyetlen fiú akit képes magához közel engednie. És persze egy idő után az ő érzései is megváltoznak. Persze Kazuki, aki halálosan féltékeny nem hagyja ezt annyiban. Mondjuk ő az egyik karakter akiről szivesen megtudtam volna többet is. Yuzu említi is, hogy kicsit “sérült” a csaj, meg hát ollóval hadonászni nem éppen szokványos dolog.

Igen, az ott Kazuki keze!

A másik érdekes fordulat a mangában Suwa-kun testvérének megjelenése. A mangaka (Kusunoki Kei) ezt a részt a saját tapasztalatai alapján írta. Ugyanis Izumi-nee terhesen tér vissza a szülővárosába, méghozzá magányosan. De valójában ennek a sztorirésznek is súlya van: Suwa-kunt újra emlékezteti, hogy Aikawa is terhes volt és kíváncsivá teszi, hogy a lány hogyan éli meg azt, hogy valaki mást lát terhesen. Ami viszont a sztori illetti, azt hiszem megint nagy spoiler lesz: Izumi fia halva születik. A mangaka, Kei-san első gyermeke is hallva született és ezt próbálta meg a mangájában leírni (azóta két egészséges lánya is született).

Őszinte leszek: elsőszülött gyerek vagyok, a testvérem 3 évvel utánnam született. Édesanyámék sokáig nem akartak több gyereket, de jó pár évvel ezelőtt mégis úgy döntöttek, hogy lesz egy kistestvérünk, akit már mindenki várt. De sajnos a dolgok rosszul alakultak, és… azt hiszem a többit nem kell elmesélnem. Már elég régen történt, nem is nagyon jutott volna eszembe ha nem olvasom el ezt a mangát. Talán édesanyámnál máshogy van. Abban biztos vagyok, hogy azok a napok nagyon szomorúak voltak, de szerencsére túljutottunk rajta. Így utólag örülök, hogy nem törte meg a dolog és most is képes önfeledten nevetni. Nah, azt hiszem túlságosan privát lett a post, vissza a mangához.

Ahogy említettem, jó lett volna kicsit többet tudni Kazukiról. De ez igaz Yuzura is. Mellesleg az ő karaktere tetszett a legjobban a mangában. A “forehead-girl” úgy látszik valami fetishem lehet

Ahogy várható, ő is tudomást szerez Aikawa múltjáról. És bár először titokban akarja tartani, egy féltékeny pillanatában minden elmond Suwa-kunnak (aki persze tud mindenről,duh). De a probléma az, hogy ezt Hinako is meghallja és ebből problémák születnek. Na meg persze Daisuke kicsit megútálja érte gyerekkori barátját. Kawaisou Yuzu ;_;

Mintha ez nem lenne elég nagy probléma, Aikawa és Daisuke beszélgetését később kihallgatja Kazuki is, aki így még a RAPE dolgott is megtudja. Ezzel szépen meg is zsarolja főhősünket, hogy az randira vigye. Persze Suwa-kunnak nincs sok választása. De a randi teljesen máshogy sül el, mint az várta: Kazuki közli vele, hogy már az is boldoggá tette, hogy eljött vele és foghatta a kezét. Tudja, hogy Daisuke nem szereti és nem is fogja, hiszen annak ellenére, hogy tudott Hinako múltjáról mégis őt választotta. Ezzel még ő sem versenyezhet.

~Awwh, ez milyen már! Azt vártam, hogy legalább egy kicsit próbálkozik majd, de ez a lány tényleg nem olyan rossz, mint gondolnánk. (de azért az az ollós dolog.. ).

És így persze minden jó ha jó a vége.. vagy majdnem. Mert Aikawa nem tudja annyira elviselni, hogy Suwa-kun tud a múltjáról. Így kell egy kis szerencse ahoz, hogy végül is megint eggyütt legyenek. De mivel a mangakának Isteni hatalma van a teremtményei felett, ezért várható, hogy a HAPPY END nem marad el. Mondjuk ebben az esetben a HAPPY END igazából inkább TRUE END. Ezt már tényleg nem akarom lelőni, bár ez lenne a legkisebb a spoilerek közül. Legyen annyi elég, hogy elég nyitott vége van a dolognak, de teljesen reális.

Utószó

Fúú, hát ez kicsit hosszabb lett, mint amilyenre terveztem. Plusz a képeket is írás közben válogattam ki. És most szörnyen éhes vagyok (~˘.˘)~
A következő post tehát várat magára, egy kicsit. Remélem tényleg csak egy kicsit.

The demographic compliment to josei is seinen (SAY-nen) or men’s manga.

Seinen skews to a more mature demographic then shonen but generally retains the more youthful genre’s emphasis on adventure. In some cases it can be difficult to discern what makes a manga seinen rather then josei as the topics addressed and the way they are handled seem appropriate to either demographic. The gender of the mangaka is not a good genre indicator as there are many examples of women who create seinen narratives and men who write josei (thought there seem to be fewer). The differentiation seems to come down to the art style and if the manga is published in a seinen or josei weekly publication.

It’s often easier for a North American audience to grasp the difference between shonen/seinen then shojo/josei because the shonen/seinen duality generally fits Western censorship templates. Seinen has more graphic depictions of sex and violence then it’s youth-targeted counterpart. However, it would be misled to think that even the more explicit examples of seinen can be dismissed as prurient and exploitative. There is also a lot of textual complexity and themes intended to appeal to older readers (not just men).

The seinen genre strongly influenced North American comic artists in the 1980s and lead to the first wave of the self-reflective and genuinely artful “super hero” redux. Much of durability of Batman’s and Wolverine’s cultural credibility is owed to seinen comics.

Two seinen titles that are in the top five “Top Viewed” titles on the fansub site One Manga are Bitter Virgin and Gantz. Taken together, these two titles are a good illustration of diversity of seinen.

Bitter Virgin by Kei Kusunoki is about a young man who inadvertently finds out about the troubled past of one of his female classmates. The story is seinen in the way it appeals to the protagonist’s (and the reader’s) sympathetic and protective response to the shy, unfailingly adorable and fragile young woman. However, the story reaches a surprising and intense narrative peak with a heartbreaking sub plot based directly on the manga-ka’s (artists) experience with the stillbirth of her first child. (Thanks to Solaris-SVU for all their work on the Bitter Virgin fansub.)

Gantz by Oko Hiroya has recently been optioned by DarkHorse and it is therefore harder to find scans online. Gantz embodies everything that parents are afraid manga is about. It has an interesting premise, good plot development and the art and page design are creative and compelling. It also begins with the graphically rendered decapitation of the two main protagonists. (Sorry, if you can’t imagine where the story will go from there, you’ll have to read it yourself to find out.) Gantz is nightmarishly violent and there are lots of depictions of enormous breasts.

Images: Gantz v.2 (cover image) by Oko Hiroya, character art from Bitter Virgin by Kei Kusunoki, panel from Gantz by Oko Hiroya

Me and Her

The end and yet the beginning of a new chapter in their lives…

Brief Summary

Izumi finally left for Tokyo but not before leaving several words for Daisuke… to be a good man, even if his love isn’t returned.

x x x

Yuzu apologized again to Daisuke but he brushed it aside, saying that Hinako’s choice to transfer was not her fault. However, everything changed when Kazuki showed up, telling him that his lover’s being assaulted.

x x x

Not trusting Kazuki, Yuzu was about to question her when she saw the tears… the same tears she had upon realizing Daisuke’s love.

x x x

Yamamoto continued to verbally abuse Hinako, blaming her for being indifferent to his feelings. With those guilty thoughts running through her mind, all she could do was weakly apologize.

Daisuke finally shows up and scares Yamamoto away. When the disgruntled student taunted her for her boyfriend coming to the rescue, Daisuke corrected him… saying that they weren’t going out.

x x x

Shaken up, Hinako told Daisuke not to move… regardless of what she does. Thinking that her fear of men returned, he obeyed her.

x x x

But he got a surprise when she hugged him… and said that she loved him.

x x x

x x x

Unable to resist, not wanting to let go, Daisuke moved in for a kiss.

And after parting ways, they looked each other in the eyes… and kissed again.

x x x

THE END!!!

.
.
.

Not…

Anyways, later on, Yuzu and Kazuki asked their teacher about Hinako’s transfer and learned that it was delayed. Both girls haven’t given up on Daisuke yet… and Kazuki’s confident that their relationship won’t last.

x x x

But until that day comes… until the day when they’re forced apart… until the day when they find someone better to be with…

x x x

Daisuke and Hinako will be together…

Extras

The author, Kei Kusunoki, described her experiences as a mother… and humored us with stories about her newborn son.

x x x

Impressions

Wow… what an ending. I can’t say it’s bad because it has plenty of emotion and a relatively good end. However, I can’t say it’s good either since, I have to admit, I found it lackluster in the first read. However, going over it again, I began to see it in a better light… but there’s definitely something lacking.

Yamamoto left the scenes just as adruptly as he entered. He only had around five panels in this chapter and served a minor role. I believe that Hinako would have gone back to Daisuke even without his harsh words.

As for Kazuki and Yuzu, there’s some hope for them but that’s one of the things that bugged me. Too open. With Kazuki’s words about the lovers breaking up, it would seem inevitable for a “bad end” to occur. Definitely not to my liking, especially with Kazuki. She did a complete reversal from antagonizing Hinako to supporting her… in two chapters nonetheless.

Finally, Daisuke and Hinako’s situation. I tend to enjoy open endings like Voices of a Distant Star. It allows readers to create their own ending, whether it be happy or sad. However, it just doesn’t work here. The part about them finding better partners was ill-fitting of the mood. But to give the author credit, she finished it extremely well even if it’s not the ending I wanted.

This was what I wanted… with Daisuke being the groom…

But, on the whole, I loved Bitter Virgin. Extremely emotional, romantic, and dramatic. It is my Voices of a Distant Star for manga, condensing all of that in a mere four volumes. Personally though, where I had the fake ending, that would be ideal spot to stop… but it wasn’t so.

Rushed? Some might say so and after finishing it, I could see why. But in the overall sense, not too much was sacrificed and the only faults were in the last two chapters (those that I could find). Bitter Virgin is a definite favorite and possibly #1 on my list right now. It’s going to be tough finding a replacement for this…

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

That is Her Answer

Miracles could disappear in an instant…

Brief Summary

Meeting each other in the church, Izumi told Hinako how Daisuke created a haven for her… though it’s a lonely one.

x x x

Izumi voiced her concern about Hinako’s relationship with Daisuke and how it’s falling apart. Though the girl continued to blame herself, the older woman made her think about how fortunate she was… to find the perfect man. Though she’s going back to Tokyo, Izumi hopes to return with a man who will know about the stillborn birth and still love her… just like how Daisuke is with Hinako.

x x x

x x x

It truly is a miracle for Hinako to find Daisuke… but like she said, everything could disappear in an instant.

x x x

At school, Yuzu was about to apologize to Hinako when a teacher spoke up. It was about the transfer back to her home prefecture. Running to Daisuke, Yuzu told him about Hinako’s move.

x x x

Running after her, Daisuke finally caught up and asked Hinako herself if the news was true.

x x x

x x x

It was… and he’s too late.

After running away, Hinako bumped into another classmate by the name of Yamamoto. He was one of the people who tried to confess to her… and was angered by her scared reaction.

x x x

Silently crying for help, the only witness to the assault was Kazuki…

Impressions

I don’t like it. In just an instant, everything that was built up for a grand emotional ending… just fell apart. The introduction of Yamamoto is just a poorly made decision. With just one chapter left, there’s only so much that could be done with a new character. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some open ending. While it might work for other series, for Bitter Virgin, it needs to be complete.

Izumi played less of a role than I thought she would. It’s not bad… and actually, I found the beginning part to be the most pleasant in the chapter. It carries a deep message about relationships. While their love’s not perfect, there’s bound to be someone (Izumi) worse off than Hinako.

One last chapter left… for the grand finale.

The Way to Protect Her

Possibly the end of Kazuki?

Brief Summary

While leaving the house, Izumi stopped Daisuke for a moment, asking him where he’s going. When he said that Kazuki demanded a date in exchange for her silence, his sister could only look at him with sadness, wishing that both of them weren’t be victims of love.

x x x

x x x

x x x

After meeting up with Kazuki, the only thing on Daisuke’s mind was Hinako and wondering if this was all he could do to protect her.

x x x

Seeing him distracted, Kazuki demanded that they hold hands… but things didn’t change.

x x x

Realizing that her efforts were all for nothing, Kazuki let go.

x x x

Suspicious of her actions, Daisuke demanded to know if there was any ulterior motive… but there was none. Kazuki just faced the reality… and that reality did not have Daisuke loving her.

x x x

x x x

x x x

Daisuke hugged Kazuki to thank her for keeping Hinako’s secret and basically, giving him up. She shoved him off with tears in her eyes, warning him that she might misinterpret his actions again. As she ran off crying, Daisuke wondered… if he really did anything to protect Hinako.

x x x

x x x

Meanwhile, Hinako had a nightmare where Daisuke looked at her with judging eyes, persecuting her for her birth.

Seeking help, she returned to the church and found the confessions booth occupied. When she opened it, Hinako found Izumi already there, crying.

Impressions

Ok… I totally overestimated how horrible Kazuki is, figuring that she’s completely insane and would do anything to get Daisuke’s attention. This chapter served to redeem her… or at the very least, put her in better light. I still can’t forgive her for what she’s done… and I’m not too sure about the sincerity of her words. The part about “addicted to love” bothers me but on the other hand, her tears seemed honest.

I thought Izumi already left for Tokyo. Apparently, I’m wrong. She seems to have returned to the plot, probably being the key factor to persuade Hinako to stay… rather than move back with her mom. Izumi might confess about how her relationship was and how it’s similar to Daisuke and Hinako’s. Maybe she’ll get the girl to reconsider… or stall her enough for Daisuke to make another appearance.

Overall, this chapter was a bit disappointing. There wasn’t enough… emotion. Compared to the previous two chapters, this is like nothing. The focus was on Daisuke and Kazuki’s date. Though there was an important development, it contrasted too much with Kazuki’s previous behavior. There’s still a chance for my predictions to come true… but the possibility of a peaceful end is growing in likelihood.

Her Grief…

Confessions and despair. The pain of revealing all your secrets to the one you love…

Brief Summary

Not wanting their relationship to fall apart before it even began, Daisuke reaffirmed his feelings… but Hinako still had doubts.

x x x

x x x

She still believed love isn’t for her. The her child she birthed and gave away is just something that their relationship could never overcome.

Putting everything on the line, Daisuke admitted that he was the one in the confessional. Now… no more secrets remain between them.

x x x

x x x

Realizing what he knows, Hinako just couldn’t deal with it anymore.

x x x

Grabbing her, Daisuke confessed that he didn’t intend to fall in love with her… but somehow, he did.

x x x

But this personal moment was interrupted in the worst case scenario. Kazuki revealed herself, standing just behind the infirmary’s door. Running after her, Daisuke questioned the self-proclaimed girlfriend what she overheard.

x x x

Instead of answering, Kazuki made a demand for a birthday date. Using her knowledge as a bargaining chip, the deranged girl grinned as Daisuke succumbed.

x x x

Later that day, in the very same church where Hinako confessed in, Daisuke prayed. He prayed for God to forgive him and to help Hinako.

x x x

As for Hinako, she laid on her bed crying, not knowing what to do. Then her phone rang, her mom calling. With tears falling, the girl wished to go back home… to where her mother is.

x x x

Impressions

It took at turn for the worse… just when everything seemed to point to a happy ending. But that’s what I enjoy the most, the more realistic edge in this series. I’m glad that Hinako reacted in that way though others might disagree. Having secrets is human nature… and if someone knows all of them, even if he/she is your lover, that’s not a good thing.

Kazuki is going to be the main focus in the following chapter(s). Her appearance and the demand she made made chills run down my spine. Kusonoki Kei definitely succeeded in making a villain that nobody could sympathize with. And this all leads up to my prediction that Kazuki would try to harm Hinako… which seems more and more likely. Hopefully, that won’t happen in the next chapter…

As for Hinako running away, I’m sure we’ll see Daisuke hold his promise from previous chapters… to follow her wherever she goes.

Even so, I love her…

A heart broken and a love ended… A broken heart mended and a love beginning…

Brief Summary

Realizing that Yuzu told Daisuke her secret, Hinako couldn’t help but run away. Blaming herself for falling in love, she broke free of his grip and with tears running down her face, told him that this was who she was. Someone who gave birth and abandoned her own child…

x x x

x x x

Left with Yuzu, the girl tried to apologize… but got a fierce glare instead. Daisuke grabbed her and asked who else knew about Hinako’s birth. Admitting that she overheard a conversation with his sister, he realized that Izumi knows. Surprised by his calm response, Yuzu asked if he knew about it already. No words were said… but the answer was clear.

x x x

x x x

Yuzu tried to apologize again, reaching out to him. However, Daisuke threw her hand off and coldly said that she should apologize to Hinako, not him. Right then, she realized just how much he loved her… and that she had no chance to win his heart.

x x x

Knowing that Hinako will try to run away, just like she did to get to this school, Daisuke vowed to chase after her. Meanwhile, Hinako was in the infirmary, crying uncontrollably. With nowhere else to go, she doesn’t know what to do anymore…

x x x

After class ended, Daisuke decided to bring Hinako her schoolbag, taking it away from Yuzu who was going to do it at first. Kazuki complained as usual, saying that he promised to walk home with her. However Yuzu intervened and stopped her. Telling Kazuki the truth, saying that he’ll never fall in love with them, the crazy girl was about to start a fight… until she saw the tears in Yuzu’s eyes.

x x x

At the infirmary, Daisuke went with his first tactic, playing the news as a joke.

However, Hinako saw this as a chance to tell him the truth. Seizing it, she confirmed Yuzu’s words.

x x x

x x x

Before her tears could fall, Daisuke moved forward and raised her head. It didn’t matter to him. He still loves her.

Impressions

I underestimated how emotional Bitter Virgin is. Even though it’s been so predictable, I found myself holding my breath by the time I finished the chapter. Yuzu’s realization. Hinako’s reaction. Daisuke’s resolve. Everything built up for that dramatic “I still love you” scene. I knew that it was going to happen this way… but wow, so powerfully romantic.

The series still have half a volume left to go, more than enough time to deal with the Kazuki issue. Some people who’ve read this spoke about how rushed the pacing was. I feel otherwise. Nothing is compromised and the plot holds strong.

So CUTE!!!

What I’ll love to see… is if this gets adapted into an anime. I’m envisioning Makato Shinkai animation with Tenmon composing the music. If that were to happen, this would be an instant #1 favorite, beating out my precious Voices of a Distant Star.

Her Step

His feelings were returned… but will they last?

Brief Summary

Hinako had a sleepless night, kept awake by the thoughts running through her mind. After hearing Daisuke’s confession, she realizes just how much she had changed. It was a big step from shying away from love… to loving someone.

x x x

x x x

x x x

She wasn’t the only one that didn’t get any sleep. Neither did Daisuke but his problem was the way he ruined his confession.

About to play it off, he was surprised by her cheerful greeting. Asking if she hates her, she denies it… only to be interrupted by Kazuki. However, before she left, Hinako told Daisuke that she loves him too, words that made him fall to his knees…

x x x

But while walking away, Hinako stopped in her tracks, terrified by his reaction to her secret. She wonders if he’ll still love her, knowing that she had already given birth.

Yuzu arrives and silently told herself to bear the other girl’s secret. It would be unfair and overly cruel to reveal it. However, she also noted that if Daisuke and Hinako were to love each other, it could only have a tragic ending.

x x x

As for Daisuke, Kazuki glued herself to his arm and persisted in her attempts to win him over. When he turned her down, saying that he’s still in mourning, she blew up on him.

x x x

And of course, her psycho, selfish side reveals itself. That put Daisuke in a desperate situation, not knowing what to do with such an unreasonable person. That led Yuzu and begging for her help.

x x x

Though agreeing to divert Kazuki’s attention, Yuzu poked at Daisuke’s weak spot, his not-so-secret feelings for Hinako.

But everything changed when Daisuke revealed the confession he made… and the response he got. “I love you.”

At the same time, Hinako finally gathered the resolve to tell Daisuke her secret. She began making her way toward them.

Yuzu started losing her sanity, realizing that Daisuke might truly love Hinako… and that if a relationship were to form, it might not be so tragic as she initially thought.

Throwing everything aside, she blurted out Hinako’s secret, asking Daisuke if he’ll still love her knowing that she gave birth.

x x x

Trying to stop Yuzu from continue, Daisuke looked up… only to see Aikawa standing nearby.

Impressions

Yuzu actually had the good intentions to not reveal Hinako’s secret… but she finally lost it when talking to Daisuke. Once she heard that the two loved each other, she just couldn’t let the friend she loved since childhood go… and that will definitely spell dire consequences, ruining not only the friendly relationship she has with Daisuke but also putting Hinako in danger. Crazy Kazuki is still around and she’ll definitely use such information to her advantage.

After reading the chapter, I enjoyed it… but I can’t say that it’s as touching as previous chapters. In fact, I felt as though it got a lot more predictable. Hinako walking in on their conversation was just too obvious and I’m worried that my predictions for the remainder of the series… will be a textbook drama/romance ending.

What does that mean? Well, Yuzu will feel sorry once she realized what she’d done. At the same time, she gives up her chance to be with Daisuke since she betrayed him as well. Hinako’s secret is not a secret anymore… As for Kazuki, she’ll go insane over such information and take it upon herself to rid Daisuke of such a girl. She’ll probably try to kill Hinako… only to have Daisuke and Yuzu stop her. That way, Daisuke and Hinako could have their fairytale ending. Yuzu is forgiven and Kazuki would be behind bars, where she belongs. The end.

Will it happen like that? I’m hoping not but my instincts beg to differ. Regardless, there’s only four or five chapters left to prove me wrong.