(L) Hourou Musuko

[Kieli]

Honestly, Saorin is such a b**ch that I am having a real hard time sympathising with her as a character. Shuu's sister is even worse. They're the two characters that I cannot stand overall. I keep wishing they'd get over themselves and see that other people are suffering because of their behaviour (and not just them).

I'm only up to Chapter 54 at the moment but I'm looking forward to Chapter 58 just to see Yoshino's new look. Poor Mako-chan....the kid's going to have a real complex when he gets older. I'd love it if this manga kept going until they graduate high school. It would be interesting to see how Shuu and Yoshino deal with their chosen identities beyond the sphere of family and childhood friends.

[frubam]

Spoiler for chp 59:

Well, I don't get why Shuu was so scared about telling Anna he liked girl clothes. Like she said, that was how they met, so I'm not surprised she wasn't bothered by it.That was pretty harsh of Maho though, basically calling him a freak. That kind of stuff can really break your confidence. These are SOME chars i tell you, not minding a good friend wanting to dress like a girl. Yoshino, I can understand, but Chiba, Sarashina, Makoto, and now Anna. I guess that almost adult-like acceptance as opposed to cliche' bullying is one of the things that give HM it's charm.

Wonder if Yuki was foreshadowing that Yoshino actually did like Shuu, but they were too young to understand it. I may have mentioned this before, but when Shuu confessed way back when, I also though Yoshino just didn't understand the concept of love, and that's why she rejected him. It doesn't feel that way so much anymore though; they're barely together these days.

Anna said Shuu was like a little sister. That definitely means they are gonna break up at some point in the story >_>.

Originally Posted by Kieli

Honestly, Saorin is such a b**ch that I am having a real hard time sympathising with her as a character. Shuu's sister is even worse. They're the two characters that I cannot stand overall. I keep wishing they'd get over themselves and see that other people are suffering because of their behaviour (and not just them).

I can see why you or anyone else would think that about Chiba, but I just LOVE her personality. She's just a complex girl to understand. She really just wants to be loved by Shuu and nothing else, which makes me just want to root for her all the way. Maho, on the other hand, I'm feeling ya. I don't hate her, but I don't like her either. Sometimes it's justified(like Shuu wearing her clothes), but generally, when she's not with Seya, she tends to be really bitchy >.>

[Kieli]

Gah, tell me about it She's so obsessed with being "normal" she doesn't realise how abnormal-seeming her own obsession with her brother's fluid sexuality is. I think she wants him to change because it bothers her how popular Shuu is. He's adorable and just himself.

What I think is really gut-busting hilarious is..

Spoiler:

...that his sister will totally flip out when she finds out that Anna doesn't mind that he dresses like a girl. The fact that everyone is secretly cheering him on would really make her brain melt. I totally died laughing when Makoto made that crack about him expanding the size of his female harem. Was on...the..floor.

Honestly, though, Saorin needs to get over herself. She's in this "If I can't have him, no one can" phase that I never found attractive in women. Or men either

[Sol Falling]

Originally Posted by Kieli

Honestly, Saorin is such a b**ch that I am having a real hard time sympathising with her as a character. Shuu's sister is even worse. They're the two characters that I cannot stand overall. I keep wishing they'd get over themselves and see that other people are suffering because of their behaviour (and not just them).

Originally Posted by Kieli

Honestly, though, Saorin needs to get over herself. She's in this "If I can't have him, no one can" phase that I never found attractive in women. Or men either

Sorry, but I can hardly see this at all. There is basically one instance of Chiba making 'other people' (just Takatsuki, actually) feel bad with some sort of self-righteous behaviour. Furthermore, if you remember, Takatsuki later realized that Chiba was right and decided to apologize to Nitori-kun. Any other instances of Saorin 'being a bitch' were products of her entirely self-aware prioritization of her relationships with people she was actually interested in.

Your second indictment hardly holds water either. Although Saorin obviously exhibits feelings of envy, resentment, and standoffishness, she has never actively interfered in the relationships of other people. All Saorin has ever done is withhold her own feelings of friendliness, and that is hardly anything anyone is entitled to.

Originally Posted by frubam

I can see why you or anyone else would think that about Chiba, but I just LOVE her personality. She's just a complex girl to understand. She really just wants to be loved by Shuu and nothing else, which makes me just want to root for her all the way. Maho, on the other hand, I'm feeling ya. I don't hate her, but I don't like her either. Sometimes it's justified(like Shuu wearing her clothes), but generally, when she's not with Seya, she tends to be really bitchy >.>

It's a good thing this manga is (at this point) relatively short, because aside from the attractive character designs, Chiba is pretty much the only thing keeping me reading. Even now, Shuuichi and Takatuski's consistent placement on the front covers of every volume is discourages me regarding her future aspects. I don't think Saorin's character is fully encapsulated by 'someone with a fixation on Shuu'. Given what's shown in the most recent chapters, clearly she has discarded any expectations for him and is attempting to move forward with her other relationships; arguably not a bad thing (I am currently fairly happy for her, actually). How I would personally describe Saorin's character is 'someone who loves deeply and powerfully, in a subtle and perceptive way'. I am still astonished over the ease with which she percieved Shuuichi's innermost longings, and her wholehearted acceptance/encouragement of their expression.

Regarding the main issue with her character. I think one early scene with her mother (where she tries to give Shuuichi three dresses, then her mother advises her to start with just one) highlights it perfectly: Chiba might understand exactly what [the object of her love] desires, but she embraces it more fully then they themselves. To a degree it might be a matter of security (a return for her affections): if she can make Shuuchi accept three dresses, then he might necessarily feel bound to her by gratitude, right? Or, furthermore, in a more sinister manner: if she can encourage his inclinations towards crossdressing, to the point that he feels ostracized by society, then he might begin to turn to her as the only one who 'understands' and 'accepts' him. Saorin's actions (including her choice of Shuuichi in the first place, though I'm extrapolating here) basically all reflect the mentality of someone who feels deeply and wants to ensure she is felt deeply towards in return, to the point that her (early, at the least) actions are tinged with manipulation.

...Well. I feel like I could write two or three more large paragraphs analyzing Chiba's character/interactions as above today, but I'm gonna stop here in the interests of saving both your and my (primarily my) time.

[Kieli]

@Sol: Guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

It's a good thing this manga is (at this point) relatively short, because aside from the attractive character designs, Chiba is pretty much the only thing keeping me reading. Even now, Shuuichi and Takatuski's consistent placement on the front covers of every volume is discourages me regarding her future aspects. I don't think Saorin's character is fully encapsulated by 'someone with a fixation on Shuu'. Given what's shown in the most recent chapters, clearly she has discarded any expectations for him and is attempting to move forward with her other relationships; arguably not a bad thing (I am currently fairly happy for her, actually). How I would personally describe Saorin's character is 'someone who loves deeply and powerfully, in a subtle and perceptive way'. I am still astonished over the ease with which she percieved Shuuichi's innermost longings, and her wholehearted acceptance/encouragement of their expression.

I don't really see a problem with Shuu and Yoshino being on the covers. It's all about the journey, not the destination. Despite the covers, the fact that Shuu and Yoshino hang out, converse, and cross-dress with each other far less than in their 5th grade year, not to mention that they've already passed the confession>rejection>moping faze and became 'normal' friends(just as much as anyone else) other than their cross-dressing excursions makes it easily quite tolerable. Shuu even has a diff partner(at least for now), and if that's so, it's not totally unbelievable Chiba will have a chance w/anyone, if that's within your line of thinking.

While I'll say that was an excellent analysis of Chiba's personality, i disagree with the "...clearly she has discarded any expectations for him and is attempting to move forward with her other relationships" part. It's hard to accept that when she was willing to not come to school after Yoshino told her Shuu was dating Anna. I feel that the fact that she was willing to skip school for any # of days with the intention of not going back for the rest of the year kinda points out how much value she had those other relationships. Perhaps that's changed in the latemost chapters; she seems to have accepted Yoshino as the next 'best' friend now(it was Sasa before she started hanging with Sarashina)but she still seems concerned about Shuu's actions; and by that, I'm specifically referring to how she acted in chp 59, when she stormed away when she overheard Shuu and Makoto talking. That doesn't seem like something someone who's forgotten, tossed away, or hidden her feelings(from the reader's perspective) would do, though I will agree that there's more to her char than just liking Shuu(though that's the aspect I like most about her).

Regarding the main issue with her character. I think one early scene with her mother (where she tries to give Shuuichi three dresses, then her mother advises her to start with just one) highlights it perfectly: Chiba might understand exactly what [the object of her love] desires, but she embraces it more fully then they themselves. To a degree it might be a matter of security (a return for her affections): if she can make Shuuchi accept three dresses, then he might necessarily feel bound to her by gratitude, right? Or, furthermore, in a more sinister manner: if she can encourage his inclinations towards crossdressing, to the point that he feels ostracized by society, then he might begin to turn to her as the only one who 'understands' and 'accepts' him. Saorin's actions (including her choice of Shuuichi in the first place, though I'm extrapolating here) basically all reflect the mentality of someone who feels deeply and wants to ensure she is felt deeply towards in return, to the point that her (early, at the least) actions are tinged with manipulation.

Those are very interesting perspectives, but is that really in her character? She never seemed to be the type of person to use such subtle trickery and underhanded tactics and was more straightforward in that regard, though actually, I can't pretend to remember what happened before chapter 33; it's been too long since I read it . They DID work on that play though, and I recall her using that as an excuse to invite Shuu over and dress him up. But from the way she was acting, it's very hard for me to find any ill intent or unscrupulous motives in her doing that, other than wanting to make him happy by letting him do what he likes most, and being happy that her actions made him happy.

[Sol Falling]

Originally Posted by frubam

I don't really see a problem with Shuu and Yoshino being on the covers. It's all about the journey, not the destination. Despite the covers, the fact that Shuu and Yoshino hang out, converse, and cross-dress with each other far less than in their 5th grade year, not to mention that they've already passed the confession>rejection>moping faze and became 'normal' friends(just as much as anyone else) other than their cross-dressing excursions makes it easily quite tolerable. Shuu even has a diff partner(at least for now), and if that's so, it's not totally unbelievable Chiba will have a chance w/anyone, if that's within your line of thinking.

Although Shuu and Yoshino don't see all that much of each other, I still wouldn't call their relationship 'normal friendship'. They have a fairly involved history with each other (as well as mutual acquaintances) and I think Takatsuki's calling off of that definately highlights some tensions. Again, given their prominent placement on the covers, I'm pretty certain their relationship is one of the central themes of this manga and will be revisited in the future. As for how that reflects on Chiba's role in the story, I suppose what I meant is that I'm discouraged because they aren't who I'm interested in and Chiba's ultimate status as a supporting character doesn't leave me confident I will be satisfied with the ending. It's not really that important though; that's just the way stories work, so I deal with it as I've done with others.

While I'll say that was an excellent analysis of Chiba's personality, i disagree with the "...clearly she has discarded any expectations for him and is attempting to move forward with her other relationships" part. It's hard to accept that when she was willing to not come to school after Yoshino told her Shuu was dating Anna. I feel that the fact that she was willing to skip school for any # of days with the intention of not going back for the rest of the year kinda points out how much value she had those other relationships. Perhaps that's changed in the latemost chapters; she seems to have accepted Yoshino as the next 'best' friend now(it was Sasa before she started hanging with Sarashina)but she still seems concerned about Shuu's actions; and by that, I'm specifically referring to how she acted in chp 59, when she stormed away when she overheard Shuu and Makoto talking. That doesn't seem like something someone who's forgotten, tossed away, or hidden her feelings(from the reader's perspective) would do, though I will agree that there's more to her char than just liking Shuu(though that's the aspect I like most about her).

Well, I agree that Saorin hasn't abandoned her feelings or anything but that's why I chose the word 'expectations'. Basically what Chiba's most recent interactions with Shuuichi indicate to me is that she's recognized that her romantic feelings don't really mean anything to him (as he seemed to explicitly demonstrate by his dating Anna while keeping it a secret from her). As a result, she's decided to abandon the futile effort of showing them to him. Her genuine interest in Takatsuki (and Sasa, now, too: before Saorin would say things like how she didn't want to be 'responsible' for Sasa and that it was okay if she left her alone, but now she freely offers compliments about how cute she is and is actually engaged when they spend time together) reflects this shift in priorities: because she no longer expects anything from Shuuichi-kun, because she can no longer spend all her time being in love with him, she is taking a closer, more honest look at the other things around her.

With regards to that scene you mentioned in chapter 59, taking a closer look at it, I suppose it's pretty suggestive that she does still care what Nitori-kun does. But it's also pretty clear that she's holding her feelings back in response to the 'rejection' I mentioned in the above paragraph. I guess I must admit to having fallen in love with that page I linked above; she looked so grim and resigned, but I suppose even Saorin's 'you've broken me' face must falter when she discovers that Shuu's been talking about her.

Those are very interesting perspectives, but is that really in her character? She never seemed to be the type of person to use such subtle trickery and underhanded tactics and was more straightforward in that regard, though actually, I can't pretend to remember what happened before chapter 33; it's been too long since I read it . They DID work on that play though, and I recall her using that as an excuse to invite Shuu over and dress him up. But from the way she was acting, it's very hard for me to find any ill intent or unscrupulous motives in her doing that, other than wanting to make him happy by letting him do what he likes most, and being happy that her actions made him happy.

I wouldn't really call Chiba's actions, at least regarding the three dresses, underhanded trickery (my other interpretation was, admittedly, a somewhat unsubstantiated extrapolation). I think it's just something natural to her, to want to deeply involved with someone. What I was sort of getting at was that, even intuitively, Saorin understood that the kind of personal investment she was making in Shuu just wasn't feasible if it wasn't reciprocated. As a result, a lot of her (early) interaction with Shuuichi is tinged with the desire to bind him to her. Of course, someone asking too much of you is also something one can feel intuitively, so this lead to Shuu being more comfortable in his more 'natural' relationships with Takatsuki and eventually Anna. I think it was only really this factor that might have held back Shuuichi's interest in Chiba. Interestingly though, Shuuichi makes the very same mistake in confessing to Yoshino (asking too much, not being natural). Heh, I dunno. It's rather tragic, I suppose.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

Basically what Chiba's most recent interactions with Shuuichi indicate to me is that she's recognized that her romantic feelings don't really mean anything to him (as he seemed to explicitly demonstrate by his dating Anna while keeping it a secret from her). As a result, she's decided to abandon the futile effort of showing them to him.

Wouldn't that mean the opposite? I mean, if Shuu didn't care, he wouldn't have been so adamant in trying to keep the truth from her. He even talked about it in front of Yoshino. I'm not trying to insinuate that he harbors hidden feelings of love for Saorin or anything as that'd be how I think in stereotypical terms of manga, but he must have felt some anxiety about telling her.

[frubam]

Spoiler for chp 60 ~ 62:

I'm not surprised Maho went on a tangent about Anna accepting Shuu's hobby. I almost wonder(and it kinda hinted at) if she was just jealous of him looking better than her.

Def don't like that Doi guy. He just barged in on Shuu probably because he is interested in Yuki, but its like he doesn't approve of Shuu's hobby. He was annoying before, but now that he's stuck his nose out a bit too far with Shuu, it's easily turned to hate .

Originally Posted by Sol

Of course, someone asking too much of you is also something one can feel intuitively, so this lead to Shuu being more comfortable in his more 'natural' relationships with Takatsuki and eventually Anna. I think it was only really this factor that might have held back Shuuichi's interest in Chiba.

Though I understood what you were getting at before, it's like I see first hand what you are talking about now. It's like Anna isn't too forceful and she lets him move at his own pace which made him feel comfortable.

Love the meeting between the girls and Shuu. Ahh, Saorin wanting to order beer after seeing Shuu and Anna together. I just LOVE it when she acts like that; she's SOOO cute . I knew Saorin and Anna would have a clash of sorts if they met, and was kinda waiting for that for a good while now. It also felt like Anna and Saorin are similar in a certain respect when they were exchanging barbs; perhaps because they had a sort of nonchalant demeanor when they were doing it. Not to mention their[Saorin, Yoshino] relationship with him being put on the floor, all the while the boy in question, dressed like a girl, just sits there and listens . I thought that was just so hilarious and entertaining. Nice save by him at the end for starting the karaoke song.

chp 62 pg 11 confuses me . Someone explain it to me please!

The end of 62 has me worried, that Doi is gonna do something. I'm gonna be really, REALLY pissed if a one-dimensional stupid char like him ruins everything going on right now.

[Kieli]

Originally Posted by frubam

Spoiler for chp 60 ~ 62:

I'm not surprised Maho went on a tangent about Anna accepting Shuu's hobby. I almost wonder(and it kinda hinted at) if she was just jealous of him looking better than her.

I'm not surprised either. Her insecurity kind of showed a bit when she:

Spoiler:

...was at the movies and, in her thoughts, she decided that she couldn't have a boyfriend that was "cuter" than her.

I did crack up when Shuu and Maho went to their grandfather's house and Shuu was mistaken for a girl.

Def don't like that Doi guy. He just barged in on Shuu probably because he is interested in Yuki, but its like he doesn't approve of Shuu's hobby. He was annoying before, but now that he's stuck his nose out a bit too far with Shuu, it's easily turned to hate.

I have to agree. Doi seems like he's up to no good. And Shuu is sort of like the UN...he wants to give everyone a chance and he doesn't have enough "street smarts" to know when people are playing him. It seems like Doi is trying to size up the competition...he probably thinks that, by pretending to be Shuu's friend, he can find out how he managed to get an "adult friend" and what his secret is.

Part of me thinks that Doi is setting the stage to blackmail Shuu so that Shuu will introduce him to Yuki-san.

I like Anna. She's growing on me more and more, mostly because she's taking a direct approach with Shuu without this frigid ice queen nonsense. She may be the best thing for him IMO.

[Sol Falling]

Heh. It's just you guys here, seems like. A bit quiet (I don't want to stand out), but then again I also don't know if that makes spoiler tags really necessary (correct me if you want).

I'm a bit concerned about how Maho's been treated lately. A while back her character's focus seemed to be about how she was learning not to be judgemental and to stand up for her brother, but her two latest issues (ignoring Shuu because she had made friends, being jealous of Shuu because she feels threatened by his prettiness) seem strictly negative. I don't want to think badly about Maho, as she's impressed me as a person on more than one occassion, but it seems like that's the way the story is pushing her.

I also loved the karaoke with all the girls. When Anna told Takatsuki to join her agency, it really highlighted my feeling of "wow, this is a bit of a fated meeting of hot girls". Anna's character has always been attractive to me in a way similar to Chiba's (they're both rather...straightforward, somehow; without regard for superficial displays of friendliness) but I find Chiba more interesting because while Anna's bluntness seems to be founded in self-confidence I'd say Chiba's stems from her desire for deep (non-superficial) relations with others. Anyways, damn, Chiba really knows how to put down others. That line about "I suppose some men are indecisive like that" had me rolling.

[Kieli]

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

Heh. It's just you guys here, seems like. A bit quiet (I don't want to stand out), but then again I also don't know if that makes spoiler tags really necessary (correct me if you want).

Heh heh, it's a bit of a habit, I guess. Didn't want to spoil anything just in case there were people lurking.

I'm a bit concerned about how Maho's been treated lately. A while back her character's focus seemed to be about how she was learning not to be judgemental and to stand up for her brother, but her two latest issues (ignoring Shuu because she had made friends, being jealous of Shuu because she feels threatened by his prettiness) seem strictly negative. I don't want to think badly about Maho, as she's impressed me as a person on more than one occassion, but it seems like that's the way the story is pushing her.

Interestingly enough, I agree with your assessment. I'm not a big Maho fan but this seems a bit much, even for her. For a little while, I thought she was making at least some strides towards maturing and understanding perhaps a little of what Shuu might be going through. The last couple of chapters seem to be unraveling her progress.

I find Chiba more interesting because while Anna's bluntness seems to be founded in self-confidence I'd say Chiba's stems from her desire for deep (non-superficial) relations with others. Anyways, damn, Chiba really knows how to put down others. That line about "I suppose some men are indecisive like that" had me rolling.

This I find puzzling. How can one have deep, non-superficial relations with someone when it seems like they're constantly putting people down with every word they utter? I honestly can't see Chiba as something more than rude. But that's just my personal obseravtion. Takatsuki, OTOH, is starting to worry me with her recent tendency to just blurt out other people's secrets under pressure. This unintentional reflex may have severe consequences once other characters are introduced (such as Doi).

[Sol Falling]

Originally Posted by Kieli

This I find puzzling. How can one have deep, non-superficial relations with someone when it seems like they're constantly putting people down with every word they utter? I honestly can't see Chiba as something more than rude. But that's just my personal obseravtion. Takatsuki, OTOH, is starting to worry me with her recent tendency to just blurt out other people's secrets under pressure. This unintentional reflex may have severe consequences once other characters are introduced (such as Doi).

Heh, it's hardly constant :P. Saorin's reaction towards Takatsuki in that specific instance was based on her cluelessness/insensitivity in agreeing to hang out with Shuu and his girlfriend. That's the same cluelessness, btw, that led her to blurt out what she imagined to be a pacifier in order to 'explain' Chiba's confrontational behaviour. Chiba's just a lot more perceptive than others, and correspondingly quite a bit less forgiving. She may seem like she's rude, sometimes, but she's just trying to live by a higher standard.

As for Takatsuki blurting out secrets, I thought you were just talking about at the karaoke bar, but you're actually also referring to when she told Chiba about Anna, right? Hm, you do have a point that that makes it twice now...on the other hand, the circumstances are a bit different in that for the first one I think she told Chiba out of selfishness, in some minor sort of attempt to hurt her (or Shuu indirectly) while in the more recent case that was more of her attempt to stop (what she saw as) a pending catfight. We'll have to see if those kinds of situations come up again.

[Solace]

Wow, chapter 65 was....amazing. Now I'm depressed that we won't be seeing any chapters for a while.

[Miles Teg]

Originally Posted by Solace

Wow, chapter 65 was....amazing. Now I'm depressed that we won't be seeing any chapters for a while.

It's possible that chapter 66 to 70 will be released shortly, probably starting at the end of the week.

[Solace]

Originally Posted by Miles Teg

It's possible that chapter 66 to 70 will be released shortly, probably starting at the end of the week.

Really? That's great! The message at the end of the chapter indicated the translator was having difficulty getting scans for volume 9, sounds like that was worked out. ^^

[Miles Teg]

Originally Posted by Solace

Really? That's great! The message at the end of the chapter indicated the translator was having difficulty getting scans for volume 9, sounds like that was worked out. ^^

On /a/ when chapter 65 has been released, a kind anon has uploaded the raw for chapter 66 to 70. Problem resolved in less than 10 minutes

[Solace]

Originally Posted by Miles Teg

On /a/ when chapter 65 has been released, a kind anon has uploaded the raw for chapter 66 to 70. Problem resolved in less than 10 minutes

Lmao, chan has an answer for everything.

[frubam]

Spoiler for chp ~ 65:

I figured Doi just wanted to see Yuki. I liked the straightforward way Yuki handled it, not wasting any time in telling him she was a trans and had a boyfriend. But I can't believe that quickly changed him into liking Shuu as a girl so quickly. That's good at least(for now), but I gotta feeling he'll say the opposite if the **** hits the fan.

Normally I'd think Shuu going to Sarashina, with her carefree attitude, wouldn't be the best choice to ask advice from, but surprisingly it seems she's given a considerable amount of thought about crossdressing at school. She knew of the consequences it held, and how people might view her, despite how she made it out to be not such a big deal to everyone else. It's great to see that even she has a deeper side at times. That is, unless she ALWAYS has a deeper side, and just happens to hide it with her playful, energetic personality(it kind of reminds me of how Morita[H&C] is).

I'm glad that Shuu wearing the uniform isn't entirely because of some selfish prick who wanted to see it. I know the story hinted at him wearing the uniform, but it still didn't seem like he was too concerned in terms of going to school with it on, even though Yoshino and Sarashina were doing it occasionally as well. I think here's were it gets interesting, because the 'bullying' might start when he comes to school, and I'm curious as to how the mangaka's gonna pull this off.

And why does a crossdressing Seya look hot ? I see why Maho is afraid.

Originally Posted by Miles Teg

It's possible that chapter 66 to 70 will be released shortly, probably starting at the end of the week.

That's good to hear. This cliffhanger reminds me of 6 months ago . Hopefully it won't be TOO long before we get to see the next chapter.

[Solace]

The conversation between Shuu and Saorin is just her being herself, using a random comment to get a reaction. Her comment to Takatsuki in the bathroom is similar, a vague and random statement that only Saorin really gets and causes others to go "what the hell was that?".

It's just part of her personality, which is why she gets so flustered when Takatsuki blurts out that Saorin likes Shuu later in the chapter. She usually keeps most of her emotions to herself, except for her random outbursts of "irrational" behavior, so she was taken off guard by someone saying out loud how she felt about someone else. Usually she's the one making the bold (if sometimes head scratching) statements.