[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.