Shin/Lena, Vols. 7-9 - Why?
Finishing Vol. 9 right now, and I keep asking myself why Asato wrote the Shin/Lena arc this way. We had an (extremely) slow burn from Vols. 4-7, which was great - awkward and funny at times, heartfelt at others. But it was clear in Vol. 7 that everyone, Lena and Shin finally included, were painfully aware of their feelings and desperately wanted them to confess. There was so much setup done, both by the author and all of Shin/Lena's friends, to set the two up. And, after a few awkward near-misses, the stars finally aligned on their final night on leave. FINALLY it felt like our two main characters were in step with one another. I loved how Lena waited for Shin to express what she meant to him - from basically the beginning of their relationship - before their first kiss. All fantastic - well set up, drawn out, and a great way to begin their time as a couple. And then... the afterword.
Why? Lena had already had so many awkward moments where she felt unsure about her feelings, or whether or not Shin would reject her, or whether she deserved to be by his side, etc. etc. But that night, it seemed like both had finally worked up the courage to express how they truly felt. And then we get "no, this is wrong...Goodnightsweetdreamsgoodbye!" Why?
Then I think "okay, Asato's doing this as a sort of cliffhanger that'll be resolved likely at the beginning of Vol. 8." Nope - forget the beginning, there was no confession in the entire volume! I'm not criticizing Vol. 8 as a whole, just the omission of this specific event. Even though Lena did clearly love Shin, kissed him of her own accord, and everything in her character development indicated she was more than ready for it - she was about to tell him herself!
Forget the torture of waiting months for someone to return your first-ever confession of love - what if Shin really had died in the final battle? What was all that stuff everyone told Lena about getting her feelings out? Because once someone's gone, the only thing you'll be left with is regret.
Then we get to Vol. 9 and Lena's confession early on. I still enjoyed the scene, but felt the timing was off - far less buildup and a much more somber atmosphere, with Shin having just visited Theo, who can no longer fight after losing his hand. Didn't feel nearly as meaningful as it would have had she returned his love at the end of Vol. 7. I genuinely believed Asato included the afterword to show Lena returning Shin's confession, but ended up completely baffled after such an amazing initial payoff.
Would love to hear others' takes on the benefits of this approach, because I'm really trying to see the positives of this (beyond just keeping readers hooked as they continue waiting for Lena/Shin to get together after 7 whole volumes lmao).
In short - Vol. 7's 'Afterword' scene made no sense, especially considering that Lena only confesses two volumes later, when the timing, buildup, and payoff were nowhere near as good.