August 21st - 27th
Stuff i read this week
Citrus Vol. 2
This volume expands on the cast a bunch, and our two lead girls grow in a really satisfying way. Volume 1 ends at such a wild emotional place with the whole “that’s not how sisters are supposed to act” scene in the student council office, and this volume does a REAL good job of taking that moment, expanding on how both Mei and Yuzu (and their friends!) got to that point. They are both mentally damaged, lonely girls who just want someone who won’t leave them and wow heck do they express that in the worst ways! It's raw, it's emotional, it's INCREDIBLY MESSED UP, but wow it's good stuff!
I had a look around for reviews of volume 2, it’s WILD how many people don’t get Mei’s character and why she’s like that. Like, I think the text is incredibly clear as to why she’s like that!! She’s been abandoned! She’s been sexually abused by a teacher! She’s been used as a political tool! She’s being forced to protect and inherit an institution! Even if that's what she personally wants, there's a gross weird pressure there! It’s fucking wild dweebs don’t get this?!?!
Citrus Vol. 3
HECK Matsuri is such a scumbag (complimentary) - but dang she has enough emotional literacy to immediately figure out what Mei’s whole deal is and rub it in her dang face… ugh that whole car park confrontation between the two is some great drama, with an absolutely devastatingly unhinged final line from Mei (“that was to take back the kiss you stole from yuzu” - like the fuck is wrong with you girl! Wow!) CITRUS IS SO GOOD
Citrus Vol. 4
Fucking hell Mei your breaking my heart. Ughhh poor kid needs a good therapist. Anyways, It’s an interesting volume - adding in some actual real twin sisters to contrast Yuzu and Mei against was a smart choice. These two kids think and tick incredibly differently to the leads and it works really well. Providing character contrasts is something that Citrus does incredibly well imo.
Citrus Vol. 5
The setup for the plot arc early on in this volume is kinda silly - it’s WILD that an ex-student-grown-ass-adult-woman can apparently just wonder in and arbitrarily enforce school rules with her own personally prescribed punishments, it’s just kida stupid. That conflict and the electioneering after kinda ends up feeling battlemanga-esque, if that makes sense - which is a neat change of pace, but it kinda doesn't go anywhere and just fizzles out.
Also, there’s a panel where Yuzu is playing tsum tsum on her phone and wow heck that’s also what I was doing in 2016, relatable.
Citrus Vol. 6
This volume is about coming to terms with being gay, figuring out how dating works and facing homophobia for the first time, and it’s all good stuff. The full two-page spread of Yuzu smiling after Mei says it’s okay to love each other is probably like, a top 5 all time best yuri manga page layout. It’s so simple but fuck, it pokes your heart
Citrus Vol. 7
Something Citrus does really well when introducing new characters is having them mirror some aspect of Yuzu and Mei’s relationship- but inverted somehow. I mean it’s not anything unique to Citrus or anything like that, it just does it A LOT and its PRETTY DARN GOOD AT IT imo, and that reoccurring pattern just becomes real obvious by Vol 7
Citrus Vol. 8
It’s the summer holiday trip arc, which initially seems to be about relationships maturing and evolving but you quickly realise it is actually just about Matsuri being a gremlin
Citrus Vol. 9
Fuuuuuck. It still punches you in the gut, you know? Despite how stupid drama around arranged marriages and stuff like that feels in 2023
Citrus Vol. 10 (Final)
It’s over and all that. Good book.
I GOTTA SAY THOUGH, HARUMI’S SISTER BEING A BIKER GIRL COMES OUT OF NOWHERE AND IS PROBABLY THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE THING TO HAPPEN IN A MANGA EVER
okay, I guess I gotta collect and read Citrus + now. I've never read that, wish me luck.
Bonus: Audiobooks
Series: Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! Vol. 2
dang this series is so stupid, fun but stupid. Normally when I'm reading the light novel and reading the manga one version will end up being my favorite, but I'm not sure i can make that call for this book. Its just delicious low effort garbage, in the best way. delicious slop, if that's what your after any version is good.
My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned as a S-Rank Adventurer Vol. 4
HOW THE HECK ARE THEY PUTTING THIS OUT SO FAST!?! They put out 4 volumes in 34 months? THEY PUT OUT TWO VOLUMES IN AUGUST ALONE. This is also good garbage but dang there was a moment in this where something happened that I literally shouted out "OH SHIT!!!" whilst washing the dishes, i was so hyped up lol.
My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World Vol. 1
Its okay I guess. Ive read a million light novels like this, and ill read a million more GLADLY
stuff in the pile for next week
Did i read Citrus? Yes. Yes i did. Uhh.. Citrus Plus? i gotta track it down first....
Books read this year: 282
Last week's post
https://cohost.org/LotteMakesStuff/post/2574542-stuff-i-read-this