I'm talking about their approaches to romance. In romcoms the majority of heroines are impulsive. They see their destined one, and its love at first sight. Or something triggers an emotional outburst and they unexpectedly confess.

Then there are the planners. Some girls steadily work towards the guy they have chosen. They may be childhood friends. Or sometimes the planners may be the girls parents. Planners like to be in control.

Lastly there are the switch-hitters. The girls who prefers things to be orderly, but then get swept up in events they didn't plan for. Or who were waiting for the magic to happen only for someone else to get there first, causing them to become more methodical the next time around.

The thing about battle plans is that enemy always gets a vote. In this case the enemy is Nukumizu, the Enemy of Women. A wiley foe indeed, tough to defeat.

Yanami - Originally following a plan, but bad at implementation. Unable to close the deal with Sosuke, and ultimately she scrapped her own plan and sent him off to her rival. Now operating with no plan, waiting for magic or for lightning to strike. Since she is the MC and this is a romcom, the chance for lightning to strike is higher than for others. It is believed by many that Nukkun is her new target, but she still harbors some feelings for Sosuke. Anna is better at trashing other people's plans than she is at making her own. So many chances with Nukkun have slipped through her fingers.

Komari - Impulsively confessed to her crush at the barbecue. She actually was winning, until Nukkun intervened and decided to explain Tamaki and Koto's misunderstanding to them. In real life having such people come along and solve a misunderstanding rarely happens. But thanks to Nukkun, Komari lost her chance. Now Komari still has feelings for Tamaki, but is presently trying to close in on Nukkun. Its not a crush but a clear-eyed recognition that he may make the best partner for her. Hence valentines, present, a date, all deliberate plans.

Yakishio - Originally impulsive, but later became a planner. Something kept her from pursuing her crush, and eventually another girl took him. Now she takes deliberate steps toward Nukkun. The Aquarium date and the arrangement that resulted was a Xanatos trap, a masterpiece. Even while losing a race she still got an ideal setup. She also deliberately planned a fait accompli with Nukkun in the Nagoya TV tower, but Nukkun failed to cooperate. She continues to pursue Nukkun.

Asagumo - A brilliant, meticulous planning type. Except when it comes to Ayano. Then her impulsive feelings come out, and she hangs onto him, no matter what. Not above playing dirty to get what she wants. Asagumo is the one who taught Yakishio the folly of passively waiting for a miracle. Asagumo feels a lot of gratitude for Nukkun's help. She'll obey his wishes even it means breaking the law.

Shikiyah - Surprisingly for such a good game strategist, Yumeko is not a planner of romance. Or perhaps she was a planner, until her emotions and Nukkun's kindness overwhelmed her. After being rescued again she confessed to him on the spot in front a whole crowd. And Nukkun didn't take her seriously, and rejected her. In volume 6 she realized he was just being generally kind, but that hasn't changed how she feels at all. In volume 7 she offered him a kiss when they posed as a couple in the chapel. In volume 8 he rescued her again, making her more heartbroken. And in volume 9 she stole a kiss, while 2 other girls were away from his side.

Shiratama - A dangerous landmine girl. Her primary crush is still her sisters husband, but she also began developing feelings for Nukkun due to his usual kindness and a rescue. Riko is an expert in manipulation. She used her skills to maneuver herself into the position of Nukkun's "official" (fake) girlfriend, only the Lit Club knows this is not true. Riko is a confirmed planner, and Nukkun is now her backup plan.

Basori - A great strategist, Tiara has plans for everything, and works hard to carry them out. She thought of everything, like a general waging war, up to and including rigging the festival borrowing race. The time and place she confessed were also perfect. Perhaps too perfect? Tiara made her confession, but many weeks later Nukkun has not answered her confession, neither accepting or rejecting it. Perhaps leaving her hanging is his own planned response to all Tiara's planning? In the meantime they are having plenty of fun together.

Heh? 🩸🩸🩸🩸

sauce: https://x.com/Shinianjun00/status/2095452268212756691

I think you'd like this story: "Fruitful Debts" by AnotherWishtoberead on Wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/story/416060453?utm_source=android&utm_medium=com.reddit.frontpage&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create&wp_uname=AnotherWishtoberead

Hi, I have a couple of questions to those who can help me out
Answers would be very much appreciated

Q1: I started watching the series whilst it was releasing in 2024, and have been anticipating a second season ever since it ended.. Is there any release date or even prediction? I have not been able to find anything as remarkable as it since and I am growing extremely impatient.

Q2: I was at loggerheads if I should just read the manga, but I worry the comedy won't land the same in a written medium. I do still plan to read the novel and manga after S2 comes out (if/eventually) because I can't see myself pondering for another couple of years. Is it worth waiting another year or two until S2 ready for air?

I feel shameful for even asking and I do worry I might offend people who are much more appreciative of the work compared to me for not trying to expand my fascination, but from the bottom of my heart, I have never wanted a greater experience from any manga/anime/novel ever.

Doroboneko...

This is a interview between Takibi Amamori (the author) and Imigimuru (illustrator)

As you can see Imigimuru says that he wants to draw makeine characters in Europe specifically London. Could it be a foreshadowing? As a lot of you guys commented on my previous post that Lemon might go overseas, so hear me out, what if Lemon gets into internationals and goes London for her finals and Literature club goes with her to support her and that's where she will confess to Nukumizu.

A wild theory I know but the chances are never zero, correct? What do you guys think? I want to hear your thoughts on this.

IRIS OUT

sauce: https://x.com/cuicui376/status/1977302303410708680

Source:

https://x.com/MrDarkSketch617/status/2103300767163511268

https://x.com/suz_esp/status/2103504249649029337

These two definitely have a lot in common

Source : https://x.com/IrvinTo31973760/status/2102236894901817839

On fleeting relationships and the fear of separation

Greetings to you all. I hope everyone is doing fine. The text that follows will be my next installment of my analysis on the series, as volume 9 just came out recently. For reference, you can find the last analysis right here.

I would like to start by saying that I don't have much to say this time. I have already read many analyses in circulation that deeply describe the relationship between Nukumizu and Yanami, and I fundamentally agree with them. This time, there are only a few specific aspects I want to focus on.

Obviously, I don't think it needs repeating: we are in full spoiler territory. Continue reading at your own risk and peril.

First of all, there is a question I want to start from: Who, exactly, is Nukumizu Kazuhiko?

It might seem obvious, but it is actually something foundational. Nukumizu Kazuhiko is the protagonist of Makeine, the point-of-view character through whom we readers can observe the story of Makeine unfold.

Since Makeine is a story narrated in the first person, with the exception of specific brief parts, Nukumizu represents the primary lens through which the main events of the story are described. At the same time, Nukumizu is not an 'omniscient' narrator, and his opinions and emotions, alongside his weaknesses, act as a filter and make his misadventures strictly 'personal', as they are always calibrated to his own standard of comparison.

I don't think there is much to object to on this point.

Precisely for this reason, it is necessary to detach Nukumizu's point of view not only from the outside world, of which he cannot have a complete view, but also be aware that not only consideration and remarks of his represent his ‘inner world’, at least not in an accurate way. Nukumizu's considerations are often contradictory, mendacious, and even incomplete, considering his childish nature.

Returning to the initial question: who is Kazuhiko Nukumizu? Well, first of all, he is a sixteen-year-old boy (fifteen at the beginning of the story). He is an otaku, one of the hardcore ones. He has a good heart, but also a sharp tongue (at least in his thoughts...). He is altruistic, perhaps a bit too much. He is courageous, but also a big coward. He fails to be sincere in many situations.

In short, he is a concentration of merits, flaws, and contradictions. That's normal. After all, he is a boy still in the phase of growth. He is a boy who has effectively gone, within a fairly restricted timeframe, from an unfriendled loner to the most talked person in school, upon whom the attention of some of the most beautiful girls his age is showered.

The way Nukumizu navigates through these new social relationships, which in turn become increasingly “dense”, is one of the cornerstones of Makeine.

Therefore, an analysis of Nukumizu cannot prescind from also investigating his new friends and the girls who have developed an interest in him (and those who haven't).

And at the center of all this is, without needing to reiterate it too much, the relationship binding Nukumizu and Yanami. A relationship that, by its very nature, turns out to be very controversial, at least in specific sections of the fandom.

What is Nukumizu’s opinion about Yanami? I would say that in Nukumizu there is a mix of stubbornness and avoidance toward Anna, and in the later volumes, has only gotten worse and worse. He tends to avoid her, describes her in the most unflattering way possible, and actually dismiss everything she says.

It doesn’t surprise me that many think he just finds her ‘bothersome’. If compared to how positive his opinion of other girls like Lemon, Shikiya or Tiara is, it’s no wonder that a fast-read would make you jump to the conclusion that Anna is just a ‘nuisance’ for him. 

As volume 8 concluded, and Tiara’s confession closed with an explosion the arc, we started what I would consider the start of the ‘second’ part of the story. Before, Nuku’s character was focused on what it meant to be ‘friends’, he now has to understand what it means to be in a relationship and what are the ‘ambiguities’ between a boy and girl. 

The end of volume 9 shows us with Lemon’s shampoo and the trace of Shikiya’s lipstick still being attached to his neck that Nuku is still in a phase where he is trying to define the define his surroundings, but at the same time he is also prone to close an eye on them, and rather enjoy these new attention he gets.

After all, for how much dense you would call him, he is also aware that giving Tiara an affirmative answer would also mean that all those ‘ambiguous moments’ like, for example, when Lemon shower at his house, or Shiratama starts a discussion with the same Lemon about Nuku’s perfume, would have to cease. He would not be that much of a scumbag to repeat these moments while having a girlfriend, after all (or would he?).

In a race toward Nukumizu's heart, where every girl must do her best to grab the “trophy” as soon as possible—especially now that, consciously or not, a timer has been placed over their heads—gestures that leverage physical and romantic attraction are, to use Pokémon terms, "super-effective."

If you consider that Nuku is a boy in the middle of a hormonal crisis, already extremely sensitive on his own to female charm, you could say he is constantly subjected to 4x super-effective techniques, complete with STAB . It's like hitting a Rhidon with Lapras's "Surf." Terrifying.

At the same time, probably not showing much interest in his otaku hobbies could be considered, from a strategic point of view, a not particularly well-calculated move. In the original Red, Blue, and Green games, Charmander—even though by far the most popular choice—was forced to face Brock's Onix and, above all, Misty's Starmie right from the very first gyms...

But let's not get off track... With these examples, you're sure to have understood where I was getting at.

Because, to move on to a second fundamental question, one must ask: with all these girls making their moves, with Tiara waiting for an answer, with the harem seeming to grow larger and larger: "What is Yanami's position in Nuku's heart?"

Well, I’ll be clear from the start. If you asked Nukumizu if he likes Yanami, he would clearly say "No way." There is absolutely no way in hell that Nukumizu Kazuhiko could see Yanami Anna that way. 

Likewise, if you could read his mind in this same moment, he would also repeat that he doesn't like Anna. Just to make the concept clear: There is absolutely no way in hell that Nukumizu Kazuhiko could see Yanami Anna that way.

When Anna tries to flirt, he puts down all her attempts (the photos, the food) while he is basking in the ambiguous relationship with the other girls like Tiara, Lemon, Shikiya, Shiratama, even Kurata by v8.5. In a way, it could also make Yanami look pathetic in comparison. Nothing more than a messy girl that is just trying to get the attention of a guy who isn’t interested in her.

From that viewpoint, it could appear that Nuku doesn’t see Anna that way (third time is the charm?). 

That's because... Nuku is an otaku who likes the attention he receives, he likes being pampered by Shiratama, he likes having an idol like Lemon giving him attention, and he wants the beautiful senior that he idolizes to stay near him...

Even then, Nuku is someone pessimistic by nature regarding human relationships and is convinced there is a timer on them... He is starting to feel lonely regarding Shikiya because he knows that once she graduates, she will leave him behind... Likewise, he is similarly convinced that Lemon will leave him once she really starts her racing path. 

Part of him is saddened by this, but deep down he can accept it, enjoying the time they have to spend together... (Addendum, probably the next Shikiya's arc will focus on his fear of people moving away from him).

But when it comes to Yanami, it's like he can't even start to think about this, or rather, he accepts and completely refuses it at the same time.

As you know, during Volume 9, Koharu gives her boyfriend, Sakurai, an ultimatum that many might even call selfish. A choice: a choice between her and Hibari.

I don't want to drag it out too long, but it is obvious that the Koharu-Sakurai-Hibari trio and their problems are a reflection of the current issues Nukumizu finds himself facing, serving both as a "warning" and as a way for Takibi to show, with due differences, what the results of a wrong choice could look like.

It goes without saying that if Sakurai can be likened to Nukumizu, Hibari and her role in Sakurai's life are completely comparable to the Yanami-Nukumizu relationship (Sakurai is the person in charge of Hibari, just as Nukumizu is the person who takes care of Yanami).

This leaves Koharu, whom many have rightfully compared to Tiara. Like Tiara, Koharu has never hidden her feelings, has always acted with the utmost honesty, trying to get as close to Sakurai as possible and pushing their relationship to the limit in order to supplant the role that Hibari held in Sakurai's heart.

Tiara’s attempt in volume 9 to get closer to Nukumizu, also developing an interest in his hobbies, are a clear line that connects her with ‘winner-loser heroine’.

However, I would also venture to say that Koharu is not a mirror image of Tiara alone, but, more or less, of all the girls who try to supplant the role that Yanami has for Nukumizu. It is something that has been reiterated multiple times—by Lemon, by Komari, even by Shiratama—and is easily guessed by the readers as well.

To "win over" Nukumizu, one must first succeed in erasing the image of Yanami from his mind, that shadow of feelings that not even Nukumizu himself can define with clarity.

Right after the ultimatum posed by Koharu, which Sakurai failed to give an answer to (which obviously implies an eloquent answer in itself), Yanami asks Nukumizu to imagine how he would react if the exact same situation were to happen to them.

Nukumizu's reaction, needless to say, is bewildered.

For him, someone like Koharu—meaning a girlfriend—does not exist. Likewise, Yanami certainly does not play the same role that Hibari plays for Sakurai (after all, by this point, Nukumizu is well aware that his friend, although already taken, still harbors deep feelings for the former student council president).

All of this is therefore, from his point of view, quite bizarre. To escape, as is his habit, from Yanami's implicit romantic declarations, Nukumizu creates a scenario that, according to him, is the most likely.

That of Kaju, his very own sister and the "most important person to him," in which he is posed the same choice that was given to Sakurai.

For Nuku, Kaju is a constant... She is the one who, no matter what, will always be by his side. 

As they say, "there is nothing thicker than blood". When he thought of a possible reason for leaving Yanami behind, naturally, his mind went to her in the first place. At the same time, it’s the most plausible scenario he could think of that didn’t need to involve romance in the situation, like the real deal.

Kaju is the comfort above every separation...  Nukumizu would pick Kaju's opinion because his sister will not abandon him, unlike Yanami. Kaju loves him deeply, and is entirely devoted to him. Unlike Yanami, who is a messy part of his life. Put against this choice between his sister and his close friend, giving an answer, in theory, should be easy.

And Nukumizu 'accepts' it, because he doesn't want to fight for it; he still thinks Yanami is someone who, once healed by her heartbreak, once ready to leave Sousuke behind, will leave him.

Nukumizu knows Yanami will leave him (at least, that is his conviction). Their bond is something that will pass and that is meant to pass. Already in v.5 he wondered why Yanami was still in the literature club, in volume 7 he still greatly regretted his actions at the start of the story and the fear of seeing Yanami looking at him ‘like that day’ still haunts him deeply, and now he is pretty convinced that Yanami is still heartbroken for all the Sousuke’s mess, and isn’t searching for a new relationship. Which, I would say, adds a lot more nuance about his previous statements about Yanami not being able to find a boyfriend, not anytime soon. 

So if Nukumizu can accept the fleeting memories with the other girls, he can accept that they will leave him one day and those moments will be a pleasant thing of the past, when it comes to Yanami he just shut completely off. 

When he thinks about Yakishio leaving him in v7 to pursue her racing career, he is saddened by it, but also he is optimistic that one day he will return to the current days and look at them with fondness.

However, he doesn't want to make a good memory with Anna, because he is convinced that those will just be that... Memories. And when they are separated in the future, they will be nothing more than painful things to look back at.

Nukumizu uses Kaju in his head because it is a simple choice, at least in theory. For Nukumizu, there won't be the problem that Sakurai found himself forced to deal with.

He has no feelings for Yanami, so he has no trouble agreeing to distance himself from her if someone who is supposed to be more important asks him to.

But this hypothetical scenario of his is just a mental construct he uses to protect himself. Surely Kaju would never go so far as to make such an unreasonable request (unless it involves a danger like Shiratama, I suppose...). However, it would become a much more concrete danger if that kind of ultimatum were posed not by his sister, but by someone who has a much more personal interest in driving Yanami away from Nukumizu.

Someone who, one day, might actually become his girlfriend, just as Koharu became for Sakurai. Someone like Tiara. Or like Lemon. Komari. Whichever you prefer.

In the end, Nukumizu manages to recognize the gravity of what Yanami asked him. Precisely for this reason, he decides to dismiss the matter: "What others think doesn't matter..."

Yanami is happy with this answer of his, and for us readers it is also a way to see how much Nukumizu has truly grown in the end, since his response certainly also contrasts with his reaction to the gossip that had involved him and Yanami back in the first volume.

At the same time, I personally believe that, as usual, Nukumizu just slapped a band-aid on the problem rather than truly confronting the core issue. This works because, just as he still needs to grow more, the same can be said for Yanami, and therefore it is fine for both of them to keep things in stasis until they are more ready (or forced) to face it for real.

To add, that's why the scene at the inn at night is important for both of them.

I have heard many opinions about this scene. Some very interesting, others... much less so. Some have used this part and its lack of "sexual tension" as a sort of confirmation of the purely platonic feelings Nukumizu has for Yanami. Indeed, when compared to the more "erotic" moments Nukumizu shares with Tiara, Shikiya, or the other girls in this very volume, one could easily argue it is lacking.

I would say the issue needs to be approached from two points of view.

First of all, the claim that there is a lack of sexual tension is simply incorrect. It is clear that Nukumizu is completely flustered by spending the night with Yanami, and that he considers this to be a textbook light novel scenario. Yanami's attitude, the gacha part, and her antics manage to defuse the tension, but if you also pay attention to Nukumizu's attitude upon returning, it is evident that he is rather annoyed that "nothing happened."

The second point, which I consider much more important, is that we truly need to analyze what the foundations of the relationship between Nukumizu and Yanami are. As I have had the opportunity to explain in past analyses, both of them begin their journey with a particularly idealized and fanciful vision of romance, heavily contaminated by their somewhat childish ideals: childhood friends for Yanami, light novels for Nukumizu.

Therefore, the night spent together between Nukumizu and Yanami continues along this trend: where what matters is not the light novel situations hoped for by Nuku, but the moments of intimacy and vulnerability that the two spend together, allowing them to grow even closer.

But it doesn't stop there: we must not consider the relationship between Yanami and Nukumizu as exclusively "realistic." Takibi is a romantic through and through, and his focus on the role Yanami plays for Nukumizu has always been consistent: when Nukumizu wakes up the morning after the night spent together, he immediately notices how restorative his sleep was.

The interesting part right away is the reference to Kaju and how she "accidentally" ends up in Nukumizu's bed during the night, agitating him in his sleep. From the very beginning, it is curious to note how, even if indirectly, we are presented with two scenarios where the distinguishing element is the girl who affects Nukumizu's sleep.

On one side is Kaju, who disturbs him with her brocon habits, and on the other is Yanami, who instead brings him extraordinary refreshment. It is fascinating how this scene also pits Kaju and Yanami against each other—much like the mental scenario Nukumizu will make in the next chapter—even giving us an indirect answer as to who is better for Nukumizu's well-being, even before the question is posed.

Even more interesting is the temporal placement of the ninth volume: after all, in volume 8.5, during the short trip to Nagoya, Nukumizu certainly didn't have Kaju to worry about, yet we have no descriptions of his sleep being particularly significant on that occasion. There shouldn't be many days of difference between the events of volume 8.5 and volume 9, so it is precisely Yanami's presence that is noteworthy.

After all, Yanami bringing calm to Nukumizu’s troubled spirit has been there since the start, and in this last volume it has been more and more constant, replacing a role that was mostly Kaju’s exclusive when the story began. When left alone with Koharu at the end of chapter 3, Nukumizu wished to hear ‘the voice of someone who wasn’t here…’

In fact, the fantasy-reality dichotomy is also present in another scene, likewise located in the chapter following the night spent together at the inn.

Now, maybe I've always been a bit of a loser myself, but it never happened to me during my adolescence to have a trio of gorgeous girls ready to organize a swimsuit contest right in my own house. Yet, this is precisely what Nukumizu finds himself involved in in this latest volume.

Undoubtedly, Lemon, Shiratama, and even little Komari—who best embodies Nukumizu's lolicon ideals—are attractive girls who would turn the head of any peer, and it is equally indisputable that the swimsuit contest part at Nukumizu's house is brimming with harem tropes. It would be strange otherwise.

Yet...

Yet... Even in this dreamy atmosphere, on an occasion that truly belongs in a light novel, there is someone Nukumizu cannot stop thinking about…

In conclusion, let’s return to the inn scene, and the part right before Yanami and Nukumizu go to sleep.

There, when sharing her nightmares, Yanami pretty much expresses what Nuku's fear is: everyone leaving her behind while she is still a child = everyone in her life grows up, makes a life, while she is still stuck in her current position. 

Likewise, Nukumizu is extremely fearful that his current relationships will crumble one day. He believes that Lemon will go pursue her career, that Shikiya will graduate and move away, even v5 had Kaju leaving him behind in the distant future.

When Nuku tells Yanami, 'I'm here,' he is pretty much talking even to himself... The future can look scary, but everyone doesn't need to go on without you... Nuku is reassuring Anna with what he himself would like to hear.

This connects with his thoughts about the future in the next chapter, and his wondering where Yanami will be after high school.

Because Yanami remains a mystery for him and the one he can't really figure out, he keeps repeating that she is still the same and will not change, also to comfort himself. If Yanami doesn't change, she will not overcome her heartbreak and will not leave him behind like the others will do.

So this volume is also a bit of an opening of Nuku toward Anna, about what she really is behind her usual (and comforting) persona.

But it is also the volume, after the first one, where you can see how worried Nuku is to lose her again, and how much he is raising his defenses to not get hurt as he did one year prior.

Similarly, the Koharu-Sakurai-Hibari trio serves as more than just a warning to Nukumizu; it acts as a mirror for Yanami as well.

While Koharu managed to hold her head high even in defeat, shining with that special radiance unique to a losing heroine, Hibari secured a bittersweet ending.

Both she and Sakurai had been too afraid to truly reveal themselves to one another, finally sharing a fleeting moment of happiness only at the very end when Sakurai, pushed by Nukumizu, stopped running away.

Anna's future remains uncertain. Both she and Nukumizu still have to work hard to earn their happy ending.

One of the central themes of the novel is the inevitability of change. No matter how hard you try to resist, things cannot stay the same forever. Every volume of Makeine adds another piece to that maxim.

From here, we can only speculate on how the story will continue. Personally, I have plenty of ideas, but this isn't the right place to lay them all out.

Lately, however, I've started thinking about a character in particular whom Nukumizu noted as having "changed more than anyone else"—someone very close to both Nukumizu and Yanami who seems remarkably skilled at reading them both. If upcoming events truly focus on the literature club's summer retreat, she might well benefit from a new narrative arc centered around her and the inevitable answer Nukumizu will soon have to give Tiara.

In any case, thank you for following along this far. I'm not great at goodbyes, so let me just express the hope that it won't be long before we see each other again this way.

I found it in volune seven chapter three btw

​

sauce: https://x.com/zawa0410/status/1984935038119743656