I've gathered more thoughts on Nisekoi, since I'm virtually caught up at this point:
! First off I think I've figured out the time frame Komi has in mind….Raku and Chitoge made sure to point out at one point they've been doing this for a year and half, or the middle of their three-year high school career. Then a much later chapter with Chitoge almost having to move away leads to her dad declaring "okay, you can be with your friends at least until you graduate"
! In a way, it may be a soft time lock, but it gives the reader the sense of anticipation. And it'd be hard to pull off this story where everyone is headed to different colleges and stuff.
! More love interests have ended the satellite, but not to the extent of Chitoge, Onodera, Marika, and Tsugumi.
! First off is the younger Onodera, Haru, who at first angrily and mistakenly pegs Raku for a giant pervert after her sister, while at the same time admiring a boy who helped her when she was in middle school....not knowing it was Raku. Over time she does grow fond of him, and yes, develops feelings. But since she shares personality threads with Chitoge - tsundere, that is - naturally she denies it when pegged by her friends. What's interesting is that she eventually aims to set up Raku and Kosaki (her sister) while trying to push her own feelings aside for a better purpose. It's admirable, and it's why a lot of people seem to prefer her to her sister - in Komi's world of romantic dickteasing and cliches, Haru has had clear and valid character development, a lot more in a smaller time frame.
! But while I hate to push "first girl wins", I think Haru was introduced too late into the story to really be in the running or for me to be invested as much as I am in the other characters. Still, she's earned her place.
! Then we have Yui - another childhood friend of Raku who becomes the head of a Chinese crime syndicate AND becomes the new homeroom teacher.
! In case my italics and capital letters didn't tip you off, I'm not the biggest fan. Really Yui seems too…perfect? in my eyes, and it doesn't help she's also involved in this locket-storybook situation. Yes, storybook, as Raku changed the ending of a story to console one of the girls long ago, and his situation seems to follow the rest of the story - there's a princess (the winner?) and girls with multiple keys (?)
! But to be fair, it does seem like Komi is pushing her to be more of a sister-like character.....while kinda throwing her hat into the ring as well. Sorry Yui, but you're just not that interesting to me.
! Other colorful characters have been here or there - Chitoge's high executive youthful mother (who I mentioned before, she's so damn cool), Tsugumi's rival and partner from the Beehive (Paula McCoy), Marika's bully-turned-friend (a female who acts extremely perverted towards other girls, I really didn't see the point of her)
! Raku's progression with each girl could be thought of as a chess piece moving - it moves in one direction, but some other piece counters the movement. It feels as if he's getting nowhere and everywhere in each direction, but like I said before, the story can't and shouldn't jump to some situation where he gets all of the girls unilaterally. For all of its eyerolling moments, Nisekoi deserves a lot of credit for not jumping down that road.
! At the same time, some moments are still aggravating. I've grown more used to seeing Tsugumi as a choice, but I have to groan at every chapter where some wacky Beehive science gizmo forces her and Raku to be closer, resulting in misunderstandings. But I can see for all of her conflictions of liking Raku - and not knowing what to do - she puts the perceieved relationship of her mistress Chitoge and Raku first. And that must be hard.
! Marika is another interesting case. It seems many do not like her (always gushing over Raku, that kind of type), but like before, I'll admit I like her. Is it the posh attitude covering her rough background, the design (sunflower in her hair <3), or the fact that unlike the other girls, she is 100% open with her desire to win Raku's heart? And she does develop, despite her underhanded tactics - she was glad Chitoge got to stay in the country, implying she sees her bitter rival as a friend.
! Kosaki Onodera (feels weird to use her given name)….seems to be lagging behind. Perhaps it's Haru's and Chitoge's developments making her seem all the more "plain", but I am concerned as to what Komi is intending to do. Raku STILL hasn't taken the hint she likes him, but to be fair, she hasn't seen his painfully obvious side of the coin either.
! Now let's move on to Chitoge.
! As stated earlier, Chitoge goes from despising Raku in their forced fake relationship to actually developing feelings for him, and the tension plays in different ways - Onodera doesn't know she likes Raku and vice-versa, Tsugumi hides her affections for Raku from her mistress, Marika and Tsugumi still think the two of them are a "couple" (Shu, Ruri, and Kosaki know the truth), and of course Raku is dense as a brick. She definitely has had the most significant character development of the main 4, even if you don't fancy the tsundere-inspired character moments (although that is an oversimplication)
! Chitoge herself is a complete stranger to love, and that's what makes the situation all the more difficult for her - how does she even proceed? She's been in the reader's line of sight since chapter 1, as Raku and Kosaki. But I get the sense Naoshi Komi has the endgame planned for her and Raku - it makes the false relationship idea come full circle, and going back to the recent arc I mentioned, Chitoge did not want to leave. She pushed, planned to leave her family, tried to convince her circle to let her move in with her "boyfriend", and Raku was not willing to let her leave.
! Yet the cards were dealt harshly when at the end of it all, Raku happily admitted she was his "best friend", yet the scene was framed to make it seem like a confession. Naturally, at that point in time, a confession in Raku's part would be sudden and hella contrived, killing the legitimacy of it all.
! As dense as Raku is, he does have his honest and tough moments, and he himself is still figuring things out. While he was so certain his love would be Kosaki, so much stuff has happened to make him wonder....what is the answer to it all?
! I read a theory, that the title, "False Love" will show itself at the very end, when Raku doesn't get any girl. Chitoge and Tsugumi are both novices to the notion of love, so maybe they're associating that brand new feeling with actual emotions for Raku? Marika has dedicated her whole life to marrying Raku, but she hasn't seen him for 10 years prior to the story. In a way, that is also "false love".
! I would tip my hat off to Komi if he made the ending like that, but at the same time, I would be kinda disappointed too. How on earth is he going to set up the stakes for one girl (most likely Chitoge now), and have the others move on from it? It's mainly why I'm still sticking by, although the comedy is still very endearing.
! also Ruri X Shu for best beta couple?