(L) Ai Yori Aoshi manga discussion

[velvet nightmare]

Originally Posted by CotFI2

I got so wrapped up in this manga that I read it far too quickly. So, I have some things that have been nagging me.

I liked the way that this series took the traditional cliches of harem manga and gave them a HUGE dose of character development.

Still:
1) Why didn't Kaoru just let the girls down early? He couldn't really be that dense, could he? I mean, Chika and Mayu were BLATANT. Just tell them "no" and be done with it. Letting them think he was available was just... well, cruel. And manipulative. He seemed too much like a Hanabishi...

2) Aoi... she's waaay to into the whole "perfect bride" thing. Even though the ideal is out there, it seems so... unrealistic. I am told some folks claim to know women who are similarly obsessed. However, given how psychologically broken so many of the characters are, maybe she really IS obsessive...

3) Miyabi.

Spoiler for Final book:

She gets adopted ... as a replacement for Aoi? It seems that way. Aoi is living a poor life at the end, and Miyabi is actually working in the family business... being tailored as the heir, with no pressure to marry off?!? She's practically an "old maid" by traditional standards. At least the anime implied that Mayu's chaperone was puttin the moves on her; I'd expect that, due to the next point, Miyabi would be under pressure to hook up with the bum behind:

4) The sudden reveal of

Spoiler for Grand finale:

the previously unknown relative. The fake "Kaoru" made me mad. Not only did it undo any sympathy for Aoi's dad that the earlier confrontation created, but it crapped all over the memory of Kaoru's dad, which we really didn't know much about in the first place. That whole part of the story seemed forced, as though they were trying to cram as much depth of character into the fraud as everyone else got, in far too little time. I could not believe that the real Kaoru would simply hand over the Hanabishi fortune to him, knowing that to do so would cause Aoi to lose her family. Even combining his overblown sympathy with his desire to be rid of the Hanabishi, he was so adamant that Aoi not lose her place before... What the heck happened!? It felt like the writer had created such a Gordian knot of relationships that the only way to resolve the plot was to hack it in half with a sword.

Still, the series did such a good job of putting real emotional content behind what would have been treated as hokey comic gimmicks in another harem manga, most of the other plot maneuvers like these seem to make some kind of sense. I have to say it's been a long time since I had such a good read... although I got sore from being choked up so long.

1) it's because of his whole 'i can never turn anyone down' attitude, and it's not like the other girls didnt have a clue either, they kind of saw it from a mile away. i guess it was a 'touchy' subject for all of them

2) it's japanese culture tbh, their families are very traditional to begin with and for someone to have their personal values match their traditions (like aoi), may be uncommon, but hardly impossible

3) i think her adoption was more of a change of formalities. since aoi has officially been married off, her official job as her guardian/educator is complete, and they always treated her as family anyways, so might as well make it official with adoption

4) the problem i have in general with kaoru is why he didnt stay with the family in the first place. yes i know they're 'evil' and all, but the thing is if he bites the bullet he gets an empire by the time he's 20 and get aoi. and he can change the hanabishi culture or even disband the whole clan if he felt like it. personally i would have done this, but you can also argue that there's a chance he wouldn't have turned out to be the same person he is now and met chika and what's her name, the maid (who are both useless imo and provide nothing more than fanservice for people who like maids in glasses and a loli)

Originally Posted by CotFI2

The more I think about this, the more I have to wonder about how much might have been just a little mixed up in translation.

1) Disownment.

Spoiler for Final book:

At the end, Miyabi says she was "cast out" of the clan, I believe. It implied that she'd been fired and "disowned" as well, having been a ward of the family in some way. In the final chapter, though, it's revealed she's been legally adopted, as well as re-employed in a much less prestigous capacity, but still on a management track. Since I'm not a cultural insider, how hopeful is it that she might be getting groomed as an eventual SINGLE FEMALE successor to the fortune? It would seem a huge break from her new dad's past behavior, but mom seems to be a tough cookie...

But if Miyabi doesn't produce an heir, could SHE be in a position to reinstate Aoi, or at least Aoi's kids (which I hope would be inevitable)? Is there still hope? I don't know the culture well enough!

2) This is tougher: the use of the term "entrust".

Spoiler for Final book:

Kaoru turns control of the Hanabishi fortune over to the imposter, but in the English translation I read, he does it by saying that he "entrusts" it to the new Kaoru. He didn't "give" it, and he never explicitly disowned his claim. Turning something over "in trust" means that he didn't give up ownership, merely direct control, like a trust fund. If Kaoru had pulled that stunt in the US, if he ever got a good lawyer, he could sieze control of the Hanabishi empire again by dissolving the "trust" and reinstating the terms of his grandfather's will. Hell, if his grandfather's lawyers were so dumb as to let a will bequest like that get by them in the first place, Kaoru should be able to beat them... in fact, didn't it say somewhere that either he or Tae-chan were actually in the law program in school? Is that simply a mis-translation, or is the legal implication different in Japan?

1) it's all moot, anyone can be appointed successor on paper, just like how on the hanabishi will it was 'whoever aoi chooses to marry'


2) i'm pretty sure it's 'entrust' as in full give over responsibility. firstly, kaoru goes back to using his honjou name which pretty much means he's cut his ties from hanabishi permanently. secondly, he wouldn't be living in a crappy house (well i shouldn't say crappy). which brings me to question why he didnt just get their old mansion back before handing over everything to fake kaoru, or at least a handful of cash because he's always been poor. but i guess it goes back to kaoru's 'personality' that, for example, if he found $100 on the ground he'd probably spend the whole day trying to find it's proper owner kind of deal



in any case, anyone else feel that all the 4 year later versions of the characters look really ugly? like wtf happened to their faces, they all got fatter or something. they said mayu was looking prettier but i dont see it

[yezhanquan]

Well, it was only one chapter, and I get the feel that the sensei just want to get it over with.

[Hoboishjoeishme]

Good read, definitely worth my time. However, I think me along with everyone else who read this could see the end coming a mile away.

I mean the whole story revolves around the fact that Kaoru and Aoi were betrothed when they were little! They're obviously going to be married at the end! The writer obviously tried to spice it up a little with the various flings Kaoru had with the other girls but none were serious enough to really deter Kaoru from marrying Aoi. Which for me would have turned this good read into a great read.

I think his little fake date with Tina came the closest but none of them became "real" roadblocks for Kaoru. Although this does tie in a lot with the fact that Kaoru is not the typical archetype in these types of mangas. He's a lot more level headed and cool and strong willed which was probably why he didn't really have roadblocks because he kept going back to Aoi.

But I mean seriously, HOW COULD YOU NOT SEE THE END!!!!??!?