Forum - View topicREVIEW: Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Volumes 2-6 Manga Review
|
Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
b-dragon
Posts: 630 |
|
||
|
I'll admit that age gaps in romance can bother me. That's not really the case here- for me, at least. An age gap is generally accompanied by a gap in power or maturity, and those are far deeper concerns. Those aren't present here: its just two wage-slave adults connecting. So I'm fine with that. Reader mileage will vary, of course, but I'm definitely more aggravated by the lack of any progression.
|
|||
|
|||
justsomeaccount
 Posts: 543 |
|
||
|
And now I'm going to be the one who gets annoyed at people's expectations about romance as if they're just reading the series expecting to get to the "lovers" finishing line instead of engaging with the moment the characters share and their reason to do so and stay there. I'm not reading this series so they can get together; heck, in fact I'd be totally ok if they never do or even try, because their charm are all about the special moments they share within that particular context, comfort, and feelings that are a mix of wanting to go somewhere or just enjoy the present they have, as well as the fear of that changing. I feel when people see that in some series they just think about it as annoying stalling that gets in the way of them getting to the finishing line, and whatever moment they share dependent of whether they get there and therefore nullified if they don't; and for me that's just annoying and stops people from enjoying a lot of relations between characters that don't fit in the specific boxes of "friends" or "lovers who will do what you expect of them to do", only tolerating the path from one box to another if it goes at enough pace but not tolerating if they doubt or stay in that middle/undefined ground.
I know ultimately many romance series are built with that assumption to hook people and amatonormativity dominates everything, but I feel people are just letting those boxes get in the way of the actual story, and that staying in the ground they are, whether they step in one or other direction, is just as meaningful or even more depending on the context or person. With this mindset I've been able to enjoy waaaaay more series and relations/relationships both from romance series and those who are not; and that's also why I love this one, I don't feel being forced to a particular result, just watching their special relation go however they want is way enough for me, no matter how it ends. Spoilers from the manga of You and I Are Polar Opposites: spoiler[That's also why I'm perfectly content with how Taira and Azuma end in the second to last chapter. There was a delevoping crush on behalf of Azuma to Taira? Yes, but does it matter? No romance was going to top the vulnerable sincerity and rapport they shared in the second to last chapter, that's the big great payoff and catharsis and their moment there is one of the most solid regardless of how they end up later, and the series kinda agrees. And I feel the ones who see those moments as "yeah yeah cool whatever but where are you going to the box" are just limiting their enjoyment.] Anyway, my complaint about the series is that is cool smoking propaganda for the new generation and that sucks and I wish they'd stop making smoking look cool and destroy the industry. But oh well, I'm still someone brainwashed by the coolness of it (in fiction), and I still love the series (?) |
|||
|
|||
Flared
 Posts: 116 Location: United Kingdom |
|
||
|
The smoking aspect and slow pacing will put a lot of people off, but this series is great as a comfort read on a periodic basis. The relationship between the main two is built up very well and doesn't need to rush any romance imo.
Vapes are currently a much bigger threat to public health than traditional cigarettes, which have already got their generational campaign against them. Here in the UK it is illegal for anyone born after 2008 to buy cigarettes, so eventually no one will be able to buy them. Outside of performative smoking in media, traditional smoking it not really seen as cool anymore. Vaping is very popular with younger people though, especially gen alpha. I too think that smoking is an awful habit, but if this was called "Vaping Behind the Supermarket with You" I would agree with you it being "cool propaganda" as it would actually be relevant to today's market. |
|||
|
|||
|
justsomeaccount
Posts: 543 |
|
||
|
I was being tone and cheek with my last paragraph, haha. Though norms are different depending of the country, I didn't know in UK it was already illegal for people born from 2008 onwards and I don't know if there are other countries like that, from where I am (Spain) it's still legal for 18+ people, though I think there's a plan to put a fine not only to the shops that sell smoking and alcohol to minors but to the people who buy them or their parents, but that's it. Here you may had seen someone vaping almost a decade ago, but now nobody does it, it's just traditional cigarettes. Of course it's not like it's rising, but I definitely think one reason it still persists is because it stills bears that cool image ingrained in our subconscious, but I mean, not really a jab towards the series, it's just a "here's my favorite bad thing propaganda series and I love it so much" joke.
|
|||
|
|||
|
Flared
Posts: 116 Location: United Kingdom |
|
||
|
It's only just about to come into law here in the UK, that may be why you hadn't heard of it too.
Oh I am the same. I find smoking pretty deplorable but I adore this series lol. |
|||
|
|||
Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 10365 Location: Virginia |
|
||
|
@justsomeaccount Smoking persists because it is highly addictive and the current generation will mostly have to age out (die). Before it completely goes away.
I would argue that the series does not glamorize smoking. They get together because there is nowhere else in the area to smoke. They are sitting on upturned milk cartons, likely a few feet from the bin where the rotting produce is discarded. spoiler[They exchange tips on covering up the smoke smell that causes complaints from customers and bosses. He has a serious health scare.] Compare this to the movie and TV images of glamourous people in bars smoking over cocktails of the prior generation. Here in Virginia, arguably the mother source of smoking as a pastime, they are paying farmers to plant something else. Most of what is produced is being sold to developing countries (gotta' maintain those profits!). Oh, and a carton of cigarettes is going for US $100 and up. |
|||
|
|||
|
justsomeaccount
Posts: 543 |
|
||
|
I hope we're not getting too off-tangent with this discussion, haha. Yes of course that it's addictive is a given, but the reason it's prevalent in society in the first place is because, for one, it's a drug that doesn't have huge apparent behavior alterations like others that facilitate people from thinking it's okay, and most of all, a whole century of propaganda by smoking companies using all that to their favor by selling it as a way to show how cool, badass and powerful you are and that it's also your way of blowing off steam (mostly caused by the abstenence of smoking in the first place), which is why the deals for famous hard-lined actors or shows existed, or in some countries until a decade ago smoking was seen as a requirement in compaines to get credibility. And this legality and coolness is why society keeps perpetuating it as much as it can, advertising of smoking companies or not, even with the young, even if it's slowly fading out. When I was young in some parties I had to get aggresively adamant on not smoking because the social pressure really wanted you to do it as a way of cool bonding, among other unpleasant experiences (poor people who can't stop it and pay for all of it, passive smoking thanks to family members, the stink, etc.). But I digress.
I agree though the series doesn't intend to promote smoking or anything as its goal, it's more of a casual hanging over a dooming activity in isolated places that gives them comfort, like the lowest-stakes possible mono-no-aware series, and that's one of the big charms of the series and why I empathize with it. It's just it really makes smoking look cozy cool as hell, hence my joke, but that's it. |
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group