I stopped reading in the middle because I'm having a hard time focusing on anything in general and I feel like I forgot all the Japanese words I ever knew. I don't even remember their names 😔
But let's try to pull ourselves out of this rut!
In volume 2 we explore the reason why Satoru is so suspicious of love: it's not that he prefers 2D, which is what I would have assumed from an otaku and self-proclaimed fudanshi. It's because his mother left the family without warning and their father barely gave a fuck. Satoru doesn't think love lasts. From his experience, couples grow up hating each other and leaving, and that scares him. It's why he kept his distance from people and never truly made an effort to make his past relationships work.
I don't hate it and I think Chiaki Kashima put a lot of thought in how to work with Satoru's trauma. But I guess it doesn't click as much in my brain because it's a more specific kind of fear compared to, say, the trauma Anezaki has in 「俺と上司とかくしごと」. God these titles are so long. Uh, the English translation seems to be The Secret of Me and My Boss, so let's call it TSMMB 😂
So in TSMMB, Anezaki's distrust of love comes from having been betrayed by a former lover and the general fear that he would grow old alone because he's gay. Even so, Anezaki doesn't push Mikado away or act coldly towards him, which is why the manga manages to flow a lot more smoothly even if it's just one volume.
Can't stand any longer (CSAL) is a lot rockier. Satoru lies. It's not that he can't feel love, he just doesn't allow himself to become close enough to other people to care about them. He makes a mistake with Shishio, and that's because Shishio appealed to his fudanshi/mangaka side. It probably also helps that Shishio's a bit older and more mature? He has a lot more experience socialising with people and being in a relationship (compared to Satoru who is also an otaku even though he's more adjusted to society compared to his older brother).
Actually, now I've sit down and thought about it, yeah I like it better than I initially thought. This whole thing can honestly work (maybe better) without getting tied with with Akihabara Falling Love since that was years ago and Chiaki Kashima's storytelling has gotten stronger, but it's nice seeing familiar characters I guess 😂