I quite liked the awkward flow in their conversation. Interested to see where this goes.

I mean it could be argued that by revealing this "scheme", the TL org can no longer be trusted with any public statements it's made. They seemed to portray themselves as taking the moral high ground but were actually straight up dishonest about their intentions. The hypocrisy is one things to consider, but I think the bigger issue that doesn't sit well with people has to do with integrity, and the question is if they're content with trying to fool their followers this way, couldn't and wouldn't they have misled and lied to these followers before? For how long? Were the management of this org morally bankrupt the whole time?

The same could be asked of the other orgs, but they didn't open themselves up to scrutiny the way TL did.

I think if anyone has issues with this, they ought to question why TL or any other org participated in this tournament in the first place. By being involved in any way, they're all complicit in tolerating the unethical practices of Saudi Arabia, in exchange for financial gain. Team Spirit could give every dollar they earned in winnings from this tournament to charity and they'd still be guilty of playing for this dirty money.

It's an uncomfortable truth to think about, and that extends to the esports scene at large with the increasing reliance on betting as the main influx of money, so I think calling TL out here for hypocrisy is in itself a red herring that pulls attention away from the bigger, more sinister and insidious problem of an unethical esports structure.

It's 5am, and I've stayed up all night watching games. Was it worth it? HOLY SHIT YES IT WAS! I haven't been this hyped since the LiquidvThunder match and that 1hp infest play by Matu! Incredible day of dotes!

What other media do you consume? Books, movies? Any genres you enjoy? Any favourite piece of literature? I think I speak on behalf of most manga enthusiasts when I say we'd be more than happy to help you add more manga to that to-read list!

I chanced upon this unassuming series by the name of Haraiso Days. The art's a little dated, but that just adds to the charm, and this story just exudes charm! It's cosy and endearing, it's mellow and melancholic. I highly recommend this little gem if you're looking for a good seinen slice-of-life to indulge in.

I see. Thanks for the clarification. Unfortunately, it doesn't make it any easier to read, but points for the effort to the creator, I guess.

This, Akane-banashi and Polar Opposites give me so much hope for Shounen manga.

I'd read this... If it had some proper translations. This looks worse than some MTL stuff out there, and this was published on the official app??

Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, it got frustrating at times watching Nakano and Toda fumble and agonize over a couple of silly things, but things worked out, and more importantly - Mana-chan! What a turnaround from what she was at the beginning! Hands down one of my favorite characters.

So adorable, these two.

DUGONG DUGONG

That was a special era indeed.

You're in for a great time. It has one of my favourite side character glow-ups in any manga I've read, and you'll know when the time comes. I'm hoping you'll grow to love that character too!

If I had a say, I'd hope for MORE manhwa and manhua, to add to the variety of content and discussion that we get here. The manga subreddit in its current state is so homogeneous and stale, it's an absolute slog to find anything remotely unique or noteworthy there, and I've been a bit burnt out by manga as a result.

Nothing much to add, I just wanna say DAMN, MangaRock, now that's a throwback.

It's been awhile since I've had the time and motivation to read manga, and even more since I've written about it, but I'm in the mood to procrastinate so here's something I've re-binged recently:

Ore no Himekutsu o Haite Kure is about a skilled shoemaker struggling with a foot fetish and a chance encounter with a high school girl who wants a special pair of shoes restored.

That's right, there's romantic tension involving an age gap. No, it's not erotica (but it is ecchi). No doubt about it, the subject and context are straight up taboo, but I ended up adoring this little series that seems to have never appeared on anybody's radar. It's an uncomplicated story - the set-ups are straightforward, the characters aren't convoluted, the twists and conclusion are almost predictable - and it makes for a very mellow and pleasant read.

I really, REALLY don't like romance stories with age gaps - many of them involve the older party knowingly manipulating the younger one, or just making irresponsible decisions as the adult in the situation - but I've a soft spot for this one and how benign and tender this story turned out. I've read it several times since its serialization and I'm glad to say it hasn't lost its charm.

Have you read Mousou Telepathy by any chance?

Agreed on your second point - how did these things happen in an international tournament involving large amounts of prize money in the first place? And was this something that other TOs had successfully prevented, that the current one dropped the ball on? Or was this always a security and integrity lapse that existed and that we've only just spotted, which would imply the possibility of this happening in previous tournaments or even the DPC without being detected? They can't ALL be THAT incompetent, right...?

About the penalty that BB received, I'd be fine with it if it didn't seem like it was pulled out from thin air, but it does so it irks me a little. Again, just a lack of prep that makes the officials look incompetent, and really doesn't inspire confidence in the state of future tournaments.

Another very personal and maybe uninformed opinion is that I think he was a very stupid and immature kid when the previous incident happened and barely any different now, but with both cases I feel like there's no malice involved - Hanlon's razor.

Pinning responsibility on Valve seems like the easiest thing to do, but I think they should be the ones deciding if he should be allowed to play in pro tournaments - organizers differ in their rules books and stances but the common denominator is that they're playing Valve's game.

There's a lack of consistency in the principles behind many of the things said and actions made by TOs, teams, players and spectators, and I may be asking too much here - iTs JuSt A gAmE - but it'd do so much good for the image and reputation of everyone involved if a decent amount of effort were put into running things professionally and consistently.