Sigh-

I’ve personally seen Morinaga get way more hate than Senpai though...even though I think a lot of the complaints towards both parties - all these complaints about senpai being abusive and too cold, morinaga being too pushy and overbearing - show a lack of understanding of the characters and the story.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been reading it for some long, but I can’t see how anyone can only claim one party is putting in all the work. They BOTH show their love differently but they both show it equally, in their own unique ways. And they have both changed and comprised a lot for the other. I think it’s a case of if you relate to Senpai more, you can’t understand Morinaga and his love so it’s easy to find him as just “this” and “that”, instead of understanding his POV, and his feelings, and vice versa with people hat relate to Morinaga more being critical of senpai.

I love them both, they are my ultimate favorite couple, I just notice that every time an update comes up now all anyone talks about is how Souichi doesn't love Morinaga and he deserves better, and because of my unhealthy love for them and their development I just don't understand how people fail to see that they're just a couple and that's their dynamic. Like I said, I've accompanied this thing for 8 years, I'm aware of their flaws.
But yeah, people are too quick to judge their relationship while forgetting MAJOR details, so just pointing some things out.
i love their relationship, I love them both more than I should, I'm just devil's advocate because the yaoi fandom is so biased that it hurts my brain.

are you me lol? Everytime an update happens, the comments make me want to roll my eyes. I understand some complaints like the slow pace and such but when it comes to trashing senpai or morinaga, it’s always the same arguements. The same stuff that’s already been addressed and explained in the story so many times and if you can still complain about these things, it’s like how can you still honestly read this series and enjoy it when you misunderstand it and it’s characters so much??

Like it’s the same complaints of senpai “not being affectionate enough” despite him already having a chapter explaining, a couple chapters actually - one in the hot spring, one in volume 8 when he slaps his hand away - about how his comfortably with touch is simply different to Morinaga’s, it’s not somethings that’s going to change because it’s not a problem with senpai. It’s just a part of who he is. He and Morinaga just are different individuals when it comes to their levels of comfort with physical affection. He feels bad when Morinaga got hurt at this, and thought really hard how to explain it to Mori that he wasn’t rejecting him, and “That he accepts him unlike his parents”. Senpai may not show his affection with casual intimacy. But he shows it other ways; like how said he took the time to really stop and think about how to make Morinaga feel better, and is always considering how his actions can sometimes clash with and worsen Morinaga’s low self esteem, and struggles with rejection because of his painful past. Senpai doesn’t like seeing Morinaga hurt, and is always trying to comfort him, even though being emotionally open is something he struggles with, but does so for Morinaga’s sake. I think in that way, Senpai is very nurturing towards Morinaga. But ofc it’s the same complaints every chapter of “senpai isn’t physically affectionate enough” / “he’s too cold”

Then you have the people that hate on Morinaga with the same complaints of him being too pushy...when they are the same people that believe senpai has the right to not feel comfortable with touch, they don’t seem to give Morinaga the same consideration with how physical intimacy makes him feel and maybe how important it is for him in a relationship. Why is Senpai’s needs put before Morinaga’s to them? Morinaga is a very physical person, he likes to show his love through physical acts of intimacy and that’s completely normal and fine too. Morinaga isn’t in the wrong for being a more physical person than senpai is. Is the solution to a better relationship according to people to be Morinaga giving up on seeking physical affection, for senpai’s sake? Should he have to accept with not being satisfied in the relationship so senpai can have what he wants completely? That brings me back to why they think senpai’s needs go over Morinaga’s. This is a 50/50 relationship. Requires work from both sides. And both sides deserve to find a happy medium where they can be satisfied. Which they *both* recognise and are working on. They have both made so much progress in their communication and realising how different they are to each other but wanting to change for the others sake.

I mean these are just few examples, and I could write an entire essay about the same tired arguements people give but hopefully I made my point. I’m biased since I love this series so much but tbh I haven’t read many yaoi series that show such a deep and more nuances emotional development in a relationship than this series, but people say there’s none and it’s like?? Are we reading the same series??

Exactly, their contrast in personality is what makes this whole series so special. They actively work toward understanding each other and nurturing each other, it has a lot of "uh." moments because this is an older series and the whole culture of yaoi has some questionable things when it comes to sex, but you know, the characters themselves didn't just let that go unnoticed and it is a topic they've discussed between each other many times, like when they reunite in Canada and Morinaga says that he swore that he wouldn't touch Souchi if he didn't want it, and how later on Souichi explains that he will phisycally reject him if he doesn't want to be intimate with him.
This series is so special to me.
I love Souichi's love language because he is reliable and responsible and he's smart and pays attention to every little detail, him bringing Morinaga's favorite wine as a gift when he comes back from visiting Tomoe and later on that night noticing he's upset and suggesting they go back home, him noticing Morinaga being sad when Tomoe announces his marriage and comforting him, noticing that he's jealous and uncomfortable and suggesting they leave the Professor's party, suggesting that they go visit Morinaga's parents and offering his support.
And I Love Morinaga's love language because he is a big softie and is just so caring! He's happy doing literally anything for Souichi and admires him so much as a person, he will cook, clean, work overtime it truly doesn't matter what it is, he's just happy to support his partner. People also don't take that into notice, he's a sacrificial person who actually enjoys acts of service instead of just physical love, I mean, man's almost died trying to get a photo album in a fire-
They compliment each other perfectly, Souichi has the rationality that Morinaga lacks and Morinaga has the emotional openess that Souichi lacks.

Anyways, these new yaoi readers try to be considerate and understanding but they really end up falling really short and just being shallow, they don't see the dynamic of the couple or the setting and most of all they don't know how to separate their actual preferences from real critique. There are so many couples that would please them but they prefer to just come up empty handed with really poor excuses to judge an author's work when it's just complete bias.

Also the "slow paced" thing- hmm have you read sekaiichi hatsukoi? Lmao. Nah but for real, we just gotta understand that the timing in the story is not the same as for us, it's probably been like 2-3 years at most for them while for us it's not like that ╮(￣▽￣)╭ we gotta be patient. I'm willing to wait any ammount of time tbh, I'd hate it if this story was rushed.

I’m so glad to find someone that understands. I agree with you completely. I already wrote a long ass paragraph on how well I think they compliment one another because people think them having differences and problems in their relationship means their relationship is doomed to fail and forever be toxic and they simply aren’t compatible. http://www.mangago.zone/home/mangatopic/6969475/

I will die on the hill of this being one of the best yaoi series there is lol and I think to appreciate it fully, you can’t just be team senpai vs team mori and villainIse the other party. the fun is seeing both Mori and Senpai, despite their big differences, express their love and grow, overcoming all their obstacles, together.

Reading your paragraph made me wanna read the story again-
I'll be so sad when the story ends man :')