My Girl

At least, that's just what I've gathered from my own personal experience.

Closure is very important for anybody with any sense of commitment. When the one you love dies (and was on good terms with you), they're going to be preserved as that person you love(d) forever. Someone else may come along and gradually make you forget them, but it takes either a very long time or such a deep and full connection that it trumps anything you've felt before. Unfortunately, the latter is so rare it almost never happens, partly because of those preserved memories.

Typically, someone new entering into a pseudo-widow(er)'s life may think they're prepared for the long haul but their idea of that is based on someone who isn't still (perpetually) grieving. Loving someone who (still) loves someone else is going to stress things from the start. When you love someone, you want it to be mutual. Many people say they'll work for it but few ever really do.

Time to confuse the masses:
Person A loves person B. B dies. A never had any closure, so A's love for B is preserved. Person C comes along and falls for A. C thinks the situation can be treated like any other relationship where A meets B, sparks fly and they all live happily ever after. That's wrong. C is not B because that place in A's heart is being preserved. B is C's challenge. Only when C can overcome B in A's heart can C become the new B. Unfortunately, C almost always greatly underestimates this task and eventually gives up, reinforcing Bs preservation as an infallible memory.

Of course, A should also definitely be putting some effort into it. An A that shows no effort is just a pity party looking for handouts. A and C need to work together.

Well, I sure hope its a good conclusion then.

For everyone hoping for the laundry lady to appear again...I wouldn't hold out too much hope. This series is only 5 volumes long.

That office lady is sure childish, she talks big at the start.. pretends to be a hard worker in her love but she gave up rather easily considering she's an adult and all her were pretty childish.
It's a disappointment, in her love was only a crush and she measured too lightly what it means to barge into a relationship of a single father whose love is dead. Her own lack logic and actions were to blame and nothing else. Love isn't impatient.. it endures for what it holds dear.

I do hope the laundry lady will get more into the story as she seems to like Koharu genuinely and not a pretender like the office lady.

Perhaps what they need is a single mom? Love is good, but i think that's not enough for this case.

So... is this where laundry lady comes in?

Though I admit it'd be pretty shallow of him to like her just because she looks like Youko. But I just don't know if he'll ever move on at this point.

Is it bad that I feel more for Masamune than Katagari in this chapter?

He needs to move on this is getting ridiculous...

GOD someone punch masamune please

@frost: it actually not bad at all to me, this is the time for koharu to make her move hehe

Yowch. Poor Koharu. I know the chick from work doesn't mean any harm, but she really should watch what she says. Her friends tried to warn her from the get-go that it'd be hard being with a single father, but she was both too immature and too impatient. After all, Masamune himself said he wasn't quite ready yet. She probably should've stayed in the friend zone for another few years before trying to date the guy. Hope she pulls through!

This author and Inoue Takehiko are def my favorite authors.

If you haven't read REAL here you go:
http://vatoto.com/comic/_/comics/real-r2498

Introspective manga/manhwa are the best

Yea it's definitely complicated, I can see how Katagiri can get frustrated with everything that's happened but at the same time he did say he hasn't gotten over it yet, so it's not like she was given any false expectations or anything.

I'm sure she didn't really mean what she said, since she should have already known he had baggage. It was still pretty harsh, but I think what made it worse was that the kid overheard her.

@adva
He told her straight up that he had some baggage still and that it would take a while to go through. He told her that if it was fine with her, then he could try accepting her into his life and they could see where things go from there. I feel a little sorry for her and think it would have been best if she had just said no.

Trying to date someone who has a kid is tricky. If the kid starts to like you and then you leave it's really hard on the family.

It's really hard to feel for Katagiri after this last chapter. I understand her frustration, but to put it in those words borders on unforgivable. While it's probably her co-worker's fault that she's saying those things, which makes her mostly innocent, and Masamune certainly isn't blameless...I just really wish the laundry lady would come back.

It's clear that Katagari-san loves him so much and he is either reallllly dense or he knows and just doesn't want to make a big effort to change. It's sad because he's the main reason that all of this is happening. It's clearly hard for him to forget Koharu-chan's mother but he doesn't have to make it so obvious, he can move on whilst still remembering her, even Koharu-chan is making an effort.

Wow, that a douche. I hope somebody will punch him really hard in the face.

well he plain sucks on a date.

The co-worker is trying so hard, hope it works out. Thanks a lot for the update Random Fan and Futari wa Pretty Anon!

I think the mangaka is indeed illustrating a common occurrence in Japan. Mangas are useful to see a culture from the inside, and realize how much we have in common with Japanese (or Koreans), but also to have some WTF moments, when we realize some important cultural difference.

In my case the same happened with a common theme that pops up in mangas: kids from divorced couples totally losing contact with one or both parents. At first, I thought this was some overdramatization by the mangaka, but after seeing the theme again and again in mangas, films, books, I came to realize that it is a reality of Japanese society. When a couple divorces, and each parent creates a new couple, their children can be seen as a real problem. Either one of the parents completely cuts contact, or the names of the children are changed, to "enter" the new family. In both cases, there is a negation of the kid's identity that would be unacceptable (and even unlawful) in Europe, where you can't change your kid's name to fit your new couple.

In any case, manga is sometimes a useful medium to have some penetrating insight into a different culture.

I think the mangaka is indeed illustrating a common occurrence in Japan. Mangas are useful to see a culture from the inside, and realize how much we have in common with Japanese (or Koreans), but also to have some WTF moments, when we realize some important cultural difference.

In my case the same happened with a common theme that pops up in mangas: kids from divorced couples totally losing contact with one or both parents. At first, I thought this was some overdramatization by the mangaka, but after seeing the theme again and again in mangas, films, books, I came to realize that it is a reality of Japanese society. When a couple divorces, and each parent creates a new couple, their children can be seen as a real problem. Either one of the parents completely cuts contact, or the names of the children are changed, to "enter" the new family. In both cases, there is a negation of the kid's identity that would be unacceptable (and even unlawful) in Europe, where you can't change your kid's name to fit your new couple.

In any case, manga is sometimes a useful medium to have some penetrating insight into a different culture.

@comadrin: it is just normal in Japan, a country where every one are put under the pressure of work and stuff. It is normal for them to find something to pour their pressure on. But the story here, I think is to show love will come out shining even after so much difficulties.

Damnit, I just wrote this huge post about this manga and it disappeared into the ether. I am pissed. It was about how all the co-workers acted liked total scumbags over the fact that two of their fellows were about to enter into a relationship that both of them desired. Everyone, other than the two mc's, did their best to pour rat poison into their relationship. Is this normal, is this rational? Is this what happens in Japan when two people find mutual attraction?

Something is wrong here. Where I come from (the US, specifically the US Marines, and retirement in Southern California) we usually cheer on a couple from the area we work in. Is there company so devoid of real people that they all have to try and destroy a relationship between a single father and a women who loves him?

What is the mangaka trying to tell us? I love this manga, with the great relationship between father and daughter, and the attraction of the girl for a caring senpai. It is wonderful. Why do these a**h***s have to try and destroy it? It is really sad that even the women who went to an arranged marriage meeting with the mc has to badmouth him. She should be ashamed of what she said, primarily because it seems to be caused by jealousy. If I am wrong, and some poster excoriates me for my total callousness in this post, I apologize. Sorry, but I cannot see it otherwise.

I put in a post on "The Friendly Winter" where I exchanged posts with a couple of other posters where I explained a great may points, and got excoriated for writing too much. Go there, if you want more of my opinions (small chance).