Umi no Misaki

[DragoZERO]

Originally Posted by frubam

what a perv .

Poor chose of words...I meant in the drama sense.

[DJ Trouble]

Originally Posted by frubam

I don't know about that. It seemed like she would do something that wouldn't arouse much suspicions. Or maybe she'll get Rinne to use some puppy dog eyes. Seriously though, kidnapping seems a bit much. Unless Mike's the one doing the kidnapping. Or Shizuku (>.>).

I was thinking she'd send Rinne to do something as well, but not puppy dog eyes. I was thinking more like having her go rape him in is sleep or something . . .

Or maybe get Rinne to talk one of the girls into doing it. Or talk all of them into doing it. That could be fun.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by Drago

Poor chose of words...I meant in the drama sense.

I know what you meant. Just joking with ya .

Originally Posted by DJ Trouble

Or maybe get Rinne to talk one of the girls into doing it. Or talk all of them into doing it. That could be fun.

Are all guys' minds in the gutter? This sounds quite plausible though actually.

Rinne: Nee-nee, if you want to keep Nii-nii, you're going to have to sleep with him.
Karen: W-W-WH-WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT RINNE!? I-I-I can't just DO something like that.
Rinne: You don't love Nii-nii?
Karen: It's not that. It's just that....y'know..
Soyogi: Actually that's quite a logical idea, if we want to keep the Dragon God's focus here on this island.....

Let me stop before I end up somewhere the story was never meant to go .

[Irie]

I'm seeing this from a different perspective. I think Mike is trying to motivate Shizuku. There was too much time spent describing Shizuku's personality weaknesses which Mike is now exploiting. If not for the earlier chapter, Mike's motivations would seem more suspicious.

I'm betting we are going to get a field trip to Tokyo in the next arc. Since most arc's focus on one girl, it looks like Rinne will be going. I would be disappointed if we don't get more of a resolution with Shizuku. I would hate the "bun" comment to be a sign of her big emotional growth.

As to the pace, I'm happy with the way it's going. Problem with going too fast it leads to the inevitable ending. Once Nagi sleeps with one of the girls, you get a totally different story. It's pretty Innocent right now and we have alot of sexual tension. I would hate to lose that so quickly.

Anyway. Mike is doing what we all expected. Shaking things up.

[Flower]

Am still pondering ch 71 ... atm it is unclear what Mike's intentions actually are. Objectively, from the point of view of readers and the story I agree with her being an element of shaking things up, of course. But from the perspective of how the author is presenting her "rationale" it is not clear to me yet what angle she is coming from.

She says it is the island and its people itself that allow her to be herself, she also seems to personally like Karen and Shizuku (and Nagi, of course) ... is she "serious" about trying to pry Nagi back to Tokyo? Somehow I get the impression that part of her heart would not mind, but this is from a "it would be nice"/wishful thinking/emotion only based level.

Yet at the same time it seems that she has a good heart and genuinely cares for the 4 main characters of the manga (a la her advice and interaction with Karen and Shizuku). I could easily see her trying to playfully pull their strings to being about results she deemed would be "good" for them while having different swirling emotions in the background. In this sense her portrayal is a very "real" one.

It will be interesting to see where the story goes....

Oh yes, forgot to mention - Rinne is a character that has not really been developed yet and which I am very much looking forward to seeing. It seems that she was the first of all the people on the island to somehow "pick up" on Nagi being something special and out of the ordinary - one glance was all that was needed.

[DragoZERO]

Rinne could close in on Nagi and fill a little sister role more. Just give him another reason not to leave the island.

Or Mike might get wacked.

[Johnny]

Authorities find her body sometime later in a shallow grave filled with rotting Mec Burgers...

[Irie]

[QUOTE=Mycanid;3242940]Am still pondering ch 71 ... atm it is unclear what Mike's intentions actually are. Objectively, from the point of view of readers and the story I agree with her being an element of shaking things up, of course. But from the perspective of how the author is presenting her "rationale" it is not clear to me yet what angle she is coming from.

She says it is the island and its people itself that allow her to be herself, she also seems to personally like Karen and Shizuku (and Nagi, of course) ... is she "serious" about trying to pry Nagi back to Tokyo? Somehow I get the impression that part of her heart would not mind, but this is from a "it would be nice"/wishful thinking/emotion only based level.
QUOTE]

Mikes an unknown at this point but she's begun to realize how much of her life is a façade. Will moving Nagi to Tokyo change her professional & personal life, probably not. She said it herself that "no one would accept the real her". If anything, she would need to consider leaving her other life and become part of the island. Not sure she is anywhere near ready for that. I think the author did a few things well here. Mike is older and socially established. She also seems to understand Nagi is not a serious potential partner at his current age.

That pretty much leaves her as the friendly foil for the girls to realize their feelings and help them overcome those things that are holding them back. I'm glad it's being handled this way than introducing another guy to undermine Nagi and work the jealously factor.

It's going to be nice to get more Rinne time. She does make the perfect little sistem who only has Nagi's unconditional best interest in mind.

[Shiroth]

Chapter 71: Now that's what i call a foot shot. <333

[Flower]

Originally Posted by Irie

Mikes an unknown at this point but she's begun to realize how much of her life is a façade. Will moving Nagi to Tokyo change her professional & personal life, probably not. She said it herself that "no one would accept the real her". If anything, she would need to consider leaving her other life and become part of the island. Not sure she is anywhere near ready for that. I think the author did a few things well here. Mike is older and socially established. She also seems to understand Nagi is not a serious potential partner at his current age.

That pretty much leaves her as the friendly foil for the girls to realize their feelings and help them overcome those things that are holding them back. I'm glad it's being handled this way than introducing another guy to undermine Nagi and work the jealously factor.

It's going to be nice to get more Rinne time. She does make the perfect little sister who only has Nagi's unconditional best interest in mind.

Exactly ... I also like the way the story is being handled using Mike as a catalyst of sorts. Hmm. I also will be interested to see if there is any interaction with Soyogi in a similar vein as Mike did with Karen and Shizuku. I like all three of the Cape Maidens, but of them all I find myself most "invested" in watching the inner development of Soyogi.

Rinne as the "ideal younger sister" figure eh? Well, I could see that. But somehow I primarily see her as more of a sort of "mystic/intuitive" figure in her interactions with Nagi. Not to say this is a black/white thing, of course. "Ideal younger sister" is more than possible in this context. Not sure if I am successfully getting across my impressions here....

[Dark Mage]

I loved the latest chapter as it finally broached the topic I wanted the girls to think about the most. I mentioned it once before in this forum. That is, I wanted the girls to feel threatened, to think about Nagi going back or choosing a girl from Tokyo. It seems like the mangaka is finally making th girls think.

[Nosauz]

With what Oba-san said, and Mike's hints about what she plans to do it seems that the purpose of Mike is to be the connection to the "old" the world where he is not the dragon god, maybe even in some sense a return to a place where he can be himself, because he is literally thrust into the role of dragon god. Still with the main focus of shizuka, I find it a bit too boring, just not enough tension building up, especially since Mike can really bend the girls to her will.

[wingman32x]

Good chapter. Man, that last page was a bit foreboding IMO. "we have to take measures so he doesn't feel homesick". What does that mean? IDK, maybe I'm overreacting. I've always had a bad feeling about this Island and the dragon god ritual.

[Dark Mage]

Originally Posted by wingman32x

Good chapter. Man, that last page was a bit foreboding IMO. "we have to take measures so he doesn't feel homesick". What does that mean? IDK, maybe I'm overreacting. I've always had a bad feeling about this Island and the dragon god ritual.

Same here! I just cant shake off the feeling that there are more dark matters that are being kept secret. Nothing can be this good without a price, especially since these cult religions are pretty dodgy in the first place.

[Flower]

Originally Posted by wingman32x

....Man, that last page was a bit foreboding IMO. "We have to take measures so he doesn't feel homesick".

What does that mean? IDK, maybe I'm overreacting.

I've always had a bad feeling about this Island and the dragon god ritual.

A bad feeling in the sense that you think the story might take a horror genre turn? KLGChaos also seemed to feel things might wander into cult'ish territory as well. But I have not picked this up yet.

I have not personally had any "bad" feelings from the island inhabitants thus far - least of all from Oba-san. The only hint I can recall thus far is when Nagi and Tamae visited the first "dragon god festival back in chapter 7 and the other inhabitants of the island looked at them with suspicion.

I certainly hope things do NOT go in this direction with Oba-san and the island's inhabitants. Maybe with an individual on the island proper, but with it being an exception to the general rule. (Perhaps an example where possible extreme zeal might pop up would be with Shizue - Soyogi's "fan" from high school ... see chapter 37.) Just my personal taste in the matter though.

Originally Posted by Dark Mage

Same here! I just cant shake off the feeling that there are more dark matters that are being kept secret. Nothing can be this good without a price, especially since these cult religions are pretty dodgy in the first place.

For me the feeling I get is not so much that it is a "cult religion" as it is a local remnant of ancient Japanese "paganism" if you will.... Not to say that cultish type behavior could not pop up in such a context, of course (it can pop up in ANY religious context for that matter ... or even outside of a strictly religious context!), but to my mind modern cults and ancient paganism are slightly different in their character and what sort of psychological "stamps" they tend to commonly "evoke" in their followers. Just more of a personal opinion, though, I guess. Perhaps this presupposition of mine contributes to my thinking the story will not head in the cult'ish direction.

I DO, however, agree that there are matters that are being kept secret, though.

[wingman32x]

Originally Posted by Mycanid

A bad feeling in the sense that you think the story might take a horror genre turn? KLGChaos also seemed to feel things might wander into cult'ish territory as well. But I have not picked this up yet.

I have not personally had any "bad" feelings from the island inhabitants thus far - least of all from Oba-san. The only hint I can recall thus far is when Nagi and Tamae visited the first "dragon god festival back in chapter 7 and the other inhabitants of the island looked at them with suspicion.

I certainly hope things do NOT go in this direction with Oba-san and the island's inhabitants. Maybe with an individual on the island proper, but with it being an exception to the general rule. (Perhaps an example where possible extreme zeal might pop up would be with Shizue - Soyogi's "fan" from high school ... see chapter 37.) Just my personal taste in the matter though.

Not neccisarily. I don't think it'll go the horror route. Still though, something about the setting and the ritual bothers the hell out of me. Speaking of the ritual, we know nothing important about it. There is one MAJOR piece of the process being kept in the dark to us readers. That is, what happens to the two that don't get favored. Now, I'm not saying the villagers are going to cook them or any crazy shit like that. But the fact that we know next to nothing about this part of the process leads me to believe that it won't be all sunshine and rainbows for the unpicked.

Also, they hinted at self sacrifice. Ever since they alluded to that it was never brought up again.

Overall, I just find this whole thing a bit uneasy. This chapter kind of reaffirmed my belief of that. Now, I know it's hard to tell tone in manga, but Oba looked pretty serious when she said that. She seemed a bit more serious then the grandma figure we're used to.

[DJ Trouble]

Originally Posted by frubam

Are all guys' minds in the gutter? This sounds quite plausible though actually.

Rinne: Nee-nee, if you want to keep Nii-nii, you're going to have to sleep with him.
Karen: W-W-WH-WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT RINNE!? I-I-I can't just DO something like that.
Rinne: You don't love Nii-nii?
Karen: It's not that. It's just that....y'know..
Soyogi: Actually that's quite a logical idea, if we want to keep the Dragon God's focus here on this island.....

Let me stop before I end up somewhere the story was never meant to go .

Actually, a few chapters ago Karen was about to rape him in his sleep, so I don't think she'd need too much convincing, which is why I mentioned it. I actually think it's slightly possible.

[Flower]

Originally Posted by wingman32x

Not neccisarily. I don't think it'll go the horror route. Still though, something about the setting and the ritual bothers the hell out of me. Speaking of the ritual, we know nothing important about it. There is one MAJOR piece of the process being kept in the dark to us readers. That is, what happens to the two that don't get favored. Now, I'm not saying the villagers are going to cook them or any crazy shit like that. But the fact that we know next to nothing about this part of the process leads me to believe that it won't be all sunshine and rainbows for the unpicked.

Also, they hinted at self sacrifice. Ever since they alluded to that it was never brought up again.

Overall, I just find this whole thing a bit uneasy. This chapter kind of reaffirmed my belief of that. Now, I know it's hard to tell tone in manga, but Oba looked pretty serious when she said that. She seemed a bit more serious then the grandma figure we're used to.

Yes indeed ... I have also thought that there would be some element of self-sacrifice involved in the story down the line.

I also agree that Oba-san looked very serious. She seems to be the sorta "spiritual mother" of the island - in particular in watching over the Cape Maidens, and in many ways. (Remember when the Cape Maidens went to the beach barbecue with Nagi and she and the school principal were looking on and discussing the fact between each other?)Part of me has thought that Rinne might be her "future successor" (maybe neither here nor there).

But looking back on the author's previous work one of the themes was the main characters (Aoi and Kaoru) "breaking" with "old traditions", if you will. I would not be surprised if that theme was brought to bear again here - perhaps even with Nagi sacrificing himself somehow for the sake of the Cape Maidens? (Just speculation though.)

[DragoZERO]

Originally Posted by Mycanid

But looking back on the author's previous work one of the themes was the main characters (Aoi and Kaoru) "breaking" with "old traditions", if you will. I would not be surprised if that theme was brought to bear again here - perhaps even with Nagi sacrificing himself somehow for the sake of the Cape Maidens? (Just speculation though.)

I think Nagi and whoever he ends up with, if not all of the girls, will leave the island when all is said and done. The island really does hold them all down, especially Shizuku.

[wingman32x]

Originally Posted by Mycanid

But looking back on the author's previous work one of the themes was the main characters (Aoi and Kaoru) "breaking" with "old traditions", if you will. I would not be surprised if that theme was brought to bear again here - perhaps even with Nagi sacrificing himself somehow for the sake of the Cape Maidens? (Just speculation though.)

That's my guess. I think Nagi will bring about change in the island. It's going to be VERY hard to do. Much harder than Kaoru's position.

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

I think Nagi and whoever he ends up with, if not all of the girls, will leave the island when all is said and done. The island really does hold them all down, especially Shizuku.

How they get off the island will be interesting. Oba made it perfectly clear this chapter that they're not about to let Nagi up and leave. It's going to be a very hard struggle.