Rice Cake's Topics (245)

One thing I love about this mangaka is that some of their side characters are absolutely fantastic. I loved that high school couple, and how the girl just understood when she saw the situation. I love the granny. They are so precious...I hope the main couple sees them again in the future.

Confusing ending? I don't know when his father complex started factoring so much into the plot but DAMN the dad was creepy. Especially that part where he said his son had been doing silly and "frivolous" things since he was a child?!

And that last part where Takahiro says he isn't crying for his dad...and him becoming a politician...I feel like he is trying to fix the mistakes his dad made and only then will he be completely gone from his mind, and only then will he be able to face jack, maybe?

I feel like the two characters were made to contrast each other. Jack, who had nothing but was content with life, and takahiro, who had everything but could never get his father's recognition. I agree with it gling downhill after ch6, haha, but Jack and his learning disability and his progress through the story of overcoming it was really sweet. Anyhow, I think we can all agree that this mangaka's works truly are dramatic.

Hello! I'd just like to present something to think about (in relation to the manga, but not necessarily about it). Please consider that east asian culture has strong influence from confucianism, which stresses a relationship hierarchy that places sons under their fathers (sorry Confucius. I guess you are known to be wise and all but your ideology is pretty ridiculous considering parents are also human, and can be wrong). And if his father grew up in such a hierarchy, he might expect that his son should follow what he says. I also feel like people in East Asia are more conservative, and they're not likely that open to change, and I believe the father's own dad raised him like he is raising his own son today. It's the way he grew up, and its the way he expects the world to work. Liberalism only came around within the last few centuries or so, and is a relatively new concept, even more so to Asia.

I really think better communication would have solved this problem. The dad probably should've gotten the incentive to ask his son why he wanted to leave and listen. But again change is hard. I'm not trying to be a dick to defend him a bit (there might be other points that I didn't address), but he is human, and humans make mistakes.

I'm saying this as someone with parents who are immigrants from East Asia (just so everyone knows I'm not putting BS on here), and they are considerably traditional people. I personally have family members and friends who have strained relationships with their fathers and they barely talk anymore, and I just found this story kind of relatable. But in some cases, their fathers really loved them, it's just that they didn't know how to express it except force them to do things they thought would be the best for them. Communication is really important, and it works out SO well if both parties are willing to listen to and voice their opinions. This is fiction and all, but i'm really glad everyone pointed the dad out, and I hope this made people consider having an open mind and listening to their (future) children so that they will grow up happy.

....(end of my point, but stuff about the ex and Kima after here)

In addition, want to address the ex, and I'm really glad they got to make up. Because I understand being young and making bad decisions, and the two of them reasoning things out in a calm manner is evidence that they have grown and learned from their experience. I'm glad the ex was mature enough to go and talk it out. Love does not always work out, and that's ok.

But the blonde, Kima...I just didn't like him. I didn't see a problem with Kadokura leaving. He didn't like his situation, and I understand that he wants to leave and that he is old and mature enough to make that decision. It is DEFINITELY NOT being selfish and running away from his problems, but more like him trying to fix it by leaving the bad environment he was in because it was causing negativity to him. I feel like it's sending the wrong message to people, as in "you shouldn't run away from an abusive situation, but instead stay there and face it" (though that may be a bit extreme) and that is not good at all. For me, Kima was just.... :///

And i didn't like how he went back to cooking for everyone. He obviously didn't like it. But now...he's fine with it? I guess?

Anyways, I like expressing my thoughts in a long rant, haha. Thank you so much for reading!

I think I was able to put an a few pieces together right now, and seeing that theres no other explanation on here, here's my crude analysis of this (skip to the end for my interpretation of the ending):

Im going to start at the last chapter for the main story (ch6). I don't know if everyone figured this out already, but this chapter shows the events that happened BEFORE the first chapter. Taisei is pretty well off, since he has a job and partners and all. But after a few pages, we see that he's dissatisfied with his life. We see that he goes back home to see kouta (who says "taisei" when he sees him), and that is the same scene in the beginning of the story.

In the last (prologue) chapter, when taisei said he'd always hated "these white hands of mine". I'm considering the idea that taisei had an inferiority complex to kouta, which was a reason why he never got into the family business and instead went away to work.

On mangaupdates, one of the tags this manga was listed with was "unexpressed feeling/s" and i believe that in the past, taisei was confused about his feelings for kouta, so he kissed him brother and then left his brother, who was completely confused. And later on, he regrets it, which is why he returns home, because he "wants to ascertain those feelings".

There were a lot of comparisons with indigo throughout the manga. Taisei said he was "not going to stain (kouta)" with his feelings. Taisei's feelings for kouta were also compared to the short lifespan of indigo at the end of ch4, and he is probably insecure about his relationship with/love for kouta, and cant express them to him? Not to mention he is still confused about them. In ch2, he says "the day may never come when i can put (these feelings) into words". Well, they say that their relationship was "neither brothers nor strangers". But maybe it's something that can't be defined with a label, cheesy as it sounds.

A major theme i noticed in this manga is "family". Kout is really hurt when taisei says he never thought of him as a brother. I dont think he felt that he belonged in taisei's household. And taisei's family kept mentioning, "what connects us is not our blood, but the deep indigo stain". They accept kouta as a part of the family. But kouta is still uncertain, which is why he leaves.

On the first chapter, taisei wonders if it's too late to become an artisan. Maybe he really was dissatisfied in his previous job, and now he wants to go back to his roots? Or maybe he is trying to reconnect with kouta? In the end, we see that he has gotten a job(?), teaching children how to dye. I can't see his fingernails, but i can almost bet theyre stained with indigo. Maybe it symbolizes how he and kouta are connected.

In the end, kouta came back. Taisei knew this would happen, and was patient enough to wait. Perhaps he knew kouta had to figure his feelings out? Before, kouta says, "taisei...there's something i never told you" (he later says it was that he was thankful taisei held his hand during his father's funeral), and after, taisei says, "kouta, there are words i want to say to you." I'm thinking that this is a sign that their relationship is slowly beginning to develop, but they just havent spoken the words that they want to say to each other yet. Again, it's "unexpressed feeling/s" and taisei says "the day may never come when i can put (these feelings) into words". But i think they just need a little time and communication, and that this is the beginning of a love story, and it leaves how it plays out to your imagination. But i do think that they will very likely work out.

I mean, there's still a chance that the mangaka completely BSed this story, but I believe art conveys something, even if unconsciously. Thanks for reading! I probably veered off a but as I was typing this, haha. Took too much brain juice...but I'll see if I reread this in the future and understand it better :)

Lmaoo i was wondering why hayase-san would try to attempt arranging a fake marriage. And i remembered gay people would sometimes get into a heterosexual marriage with another gay person as like a cover to protect each other from discrimination while also continuing their lifestyles. And i thought hayase-san was asking nonokawa to do that. I think i confirmed it with the last page, actually...

WTF we don't get to see that rapist get retribution??! I want his dick cut off! Or at least decked across the face!!
(╬￣皿￣)凸

What a rude fricking customer. Hope he's at the very least arrested for assault

BECAUSE NOTHING WARNED ME ABOUT NOT READING THIS AND NOW I FEEL PAIN, THIS IS A PRETTY TRAGIC MANGA

i mean... the first two are left open, so it's not like its impossible for them to meet again. Especially the first chap. I sincerely believe it will work out between yasu and takashi. The two will see each other again! It's only a train ride, and even if he doesnt go back until he finished university, it's only going to be a few years. They are still in the same country! it's not like takashi is going to the sahara desert goshdarnit—

Man, I'd really like a story for issei. He's so precious! And the girl, Ulala, is it pronounced oolala? Because that's how i read it the whole time, haha