Alioth
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Update/spoiler
🕑 Added 2025-07-18 17:24:17 +0000 UTCPlease vote or comment on what you want me to do, so I can make the edits. The chapter will resume from tomorrow as usual.
as i was reading ahead and try to edit/change the face-slapping, i came across a good chapter about how he deal with the publishing house, and another one about saya confronting Haruki . this is a spoiler: if you can't take Haruki’s development—
first part,Airi gives him advice about why he’s at fault for ending two flagship magazines without giving them enough time. She says, if you have an idea for a new manga, why wait? You can share it now so they can assess the work and start on it, preventing damage to the relationship between you and Echo Shroud. Then, in some way, he realizes he’s been selfish, but this happens in a superficial way, which I could use to deepen his character development. but this comes like when Madoka Magica releases, like 4 episodes after.
Then comes Haruki’s development. I was honestly pretty frustrated with how it was going, and I tried to change it without destroying the character’s personality. Right now, I’m watching BoJack Horseman, which helped me understand why he is acting that way. If you haven’t seen BoJack, you should. It’s a great TV show about character development in a real way. It starts off with the first 4 to 5 episodes feeling like nothing groundbreaking happens some generic stuff but it gets really good after that.
so where were we, hah.
About Haruki—I’m telling you his thought process. First, he has rejected Ryuko’s advance, and Ryuko thinks that if she keeps trying, he’ll eventually move toward a relationship. But Haruki sees her as a friend, someone he shares a genuine connection with and he doesn’t want to shut her down with a hard “no” that could break that away.
If he tries to distance himself from Ryuko by telling her this isn’t going to happen, he risks losing the only friendship he has. And that gives him cold feet, which isn’t fair to either of them—I mean, he wants friendship, while Ryuko is asking for something more.
and i know we all started reading for slice-of-life, but it seems the author is trying to focus too much on realism and character—which is a good way to improve your writing and story,
but it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
so what do you want me to do?
Comments
Banana19
Right. The Ryuko was is driving me nuts. The arrogance he is showing with publishing house is driving me nuts.
Sondre - Asumodeus
change it up, the mc has started feeling like slab of rock more than a person, I trust you more than the OG author.
Hersh Jobanputra
Firstly, I’ll admit—I haven’t seen BoJack Horseman, so I can’t speak to the comparison directly. But I do want to say this: even if Haruki doesn’t return Ryuko’s feelings, he has to communicate that clearly, even if it risks damaging the friendship. Because what’s happening now—where he knows she wants more and still lets the dynamic continue—is unfair to her, whether he means it to be or not. From what you’re describing, Haruki’s position is fixed. He’s not going to change his mind, no matter what Ryuko does. But she doesn’t know that—she thinks if she just keeps showing up, keeps trying, he might eventually feel the same way. And that’s where the problem is: she’s clinging to hope, while he’s quietly settled into a “no” that he’s never said out loud. That’s not just a messy situation—it risks painting Haruki as someone who’s emotionally dependent on Ryuko but unwilling to give her honesty in return. I get that he doesn’t want to lose the only real friendship he has, but by staying silent, he’s letting her invest more and more into something that’s never going to happen. That’s not just poor communication—it starts to look like emotional self-preservation at someone else’s expense. And even if that’s realistic, it’s not admirable. You mentioned realism—and I get the intention—but I’d push back a little on that too. Realism doesn’t always mean someone stays cold and distant no matter how much another person shows up for them. Honestly? In real life, people do change. When someone confesses to you twice, when they go out of their way to do kind things, when they make their feelings plain—it’s rare that the other person remains entirely unmoved. Especially if it’s someone they already value deeply as a friend. People aren’t statues. Even a heart that doesn’t fall in love might at least open up, or wrestle with conflict, or feel more visibly conflicted. And let’s be real here—if the roles were reversed, if it were a guy doing all this for a girl and she kept him in that emotional limbo? That’s a dynamic that gets called out quickly. So if you’re aiming for realism, this version of Haruki’s behavior might actually feel less grounded to some readers. Not because the emotions aren’t valid, but because the silence feels like avoidance, not depth. That said, I respect what you’re doing—translating while also interpreting, trying to bring deeper nuance into the character work. And I think that kind of work is hard. So please don’t take this as a knock on your process—just a thought from one reader to another. If Haruki’s arc is going to be compelling, he needs to reckon more openly with the emotional truth of what Ryuko’s putting on the line. Otherwise, it risks feeling like he’s just skating by on her feelings without ever truly acknowledging them.
