Alternative Character Interpretation / No Matter How I Look at It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!

• Given who the main character is, Tomoko merits several pages of discussion on her own:
  • Just how much of a jerk is Tomoko, anyway? Yuu's spinoff shows that Tomoko has always been like this, though her jerkishness is shown to be less pathetic (and sympathetic) as she had two other people to bounce her smug personality off to (Yuu and Komiyama). The moment she stepped into high school however, she had to start from scratch, which made her attempts to get attention much more pitiful (and sympathetic).
  • To what extent is Tomoko's situation really her fault, and to what extent is it under her control? Many of the earlier chapters imply that a lot of her problems stem from her desperate need for attention and affection stumbling over her innate cynicism and belief that the world is out to get her.
  • Tomoko's sexuality also gets discussed a lot. Is she bi-curious, or genuinely in the closet? Earlier in the manga, it could be argued that, despite her attraction to other girls (see Yuu), she still had had an end-game goal of getting a boyfriend (and getting laid) in mind. After a certain point however, her attraction to other girls become blatantly sexual in nature (see Asuka), and she barely even thinks about boys anymore.
  • Tomoko has a tendency to, rather rudely and hypocritically, think of fellow unpopular people as being losers, those more popular than her as sluts, and generally has a negative opinion of anything that doesn't have to do with her. Is this her genuinely being narcissistic and hateful, or is she coming up with excuses to give herself a (frankly much needed) confidence boost? Note that she rarely, if ever, actually voices this negativity, and keeps it all inside.
• Tomoki
  • Could he do more to help his sister - or does he have his hands full with her already, since she often acts like an Annoying Younger Sibling, apart from her issues (filching his drinks, etc.)?
  • How much of a jerkass Tomoki is? Is he a fairly Nice Guy that just happens to get his Berserk Buttons pressed fairly often by the girls surrounding him but still acts quite reasonable or is he a Hot-Blooded Jerkass that get's pissed off over minimal things that aren't that big of a deal.
  • It's being theorized that Tomoki is as much, if not more of an introvert that Tomoko, which explains why he's shown often to feel overwhelmed by getting way too much attention and tend to hide in lonely places, especially after becoming part of the play.
• Tomoko's classmates typically don't bully or mock her, but they don't take much notice of her either. Though whenever they talk to her, they treat her normally. Even considering Tomoko's own issues, are her classmates more nice or indifferent people?
• Did Komiyama really want to reconcile with Tomoko for her sake or did she just want to get close to her crush Tomoki? Or both? Was Tomoko ironically on the right track when she accused her of only craving his cock? On one hand, Komiyama only responded to Tomoko's own overtures of friendship when she found out Tomoki attended their school too. On the other hand, she honestly admitted to Tomoko that she didn't like her back then, and said she hoped they could get along now.
• Ogino's lack of subtlety when dealing with Nemoto's wish to become a voice actress. Is she just being her usual bumbling herself or is she purposely trying Nemoto to spill the beans since she doesn't want Nemoto to feel isolated for her career of choice?
• Hina Nemoto in general. Is she genuinely friendly, or is it all just an act? The revelation that she's a Closet Geek muddles things even further. After Chapter 122, the popular interpretation is that while Hina's really a Nice Girl, she's also tired of putting up a public facade in order to fit in with her more normal friends, and has been using Tomoko as an outlet to vent her frustrations at the situation.
• Is Yuu a Dumb Blonde, or is it actually Obfuscating Stupidity? There has been some evidence for the latter.
• Asuka Katou's sudden interest in Tomoko begs a lot of questions, especially since we don't get into her head (via thought bubbles) at all. Why is a hot, popular girl all of a sudden interested in befriending the class outcast? Is it because of Tomoko's social circle noticeably growing to include her own circle of friends? Is it because, due to Tomoko's "I don't care anymore" attitude that she can be herself and comfortable around Tomoko? Is Tomoko just interesting because of her weirdness? Is she gay? Your guess is as good as ours.
• Yuri
  • After Characterization Marches On set in. Is she a highly sympathetic character who has serious issues with loneliness and communication? Or is she a clingy, needy brat with no tact or social graces?
  • On her Imagine Spot on Chapter 200 she imagines herself living with all of her friends as an adult including Ucchi and Asuka (But not Nemoto). Does this mean that despite barely talking with them she does consider them true friends? Or did she just assumed they were gonna be there because of Tomoko's presence.
• Why did Ucchi decided to go against her own plan of going with Tomoko to the Love Hotel in Chapter 200? Did she realized how innocent Tomoko truly was and felt guilty of manipulating her into it? Or the opposite: she felt it was so easy to convince her that it meant Tomoko would go with anyone and therefore she wasn't achieving anything? Also was she trying to go to the Love Hotel for his traditional use or just wanted a chance to spend a night with Tomoko, given how she has never tried something as direct as that in any other point of the manga?
• Chapter 214 heavily implies that Mako also has her own manipulative side similar to Minami and Sachi. This leads to a lot of questions around her character. Is she really the All-Loving Hero she was believed to be or does she hang with them precisely because she can be more open with that part of herself?
  • With this in mind, was Yuri truly overreacting about Mako's less virtuous qualities and constantly treating her like a traitor or was she aware of the true nature of her friend?
• Are all the flaws in A Youth Like This a case of amateurish production or a deliberate attempt from Tomoko and friends to invoke So Bad, It's Good in-universe?