Mmmm, not to make fun but I don't understand why people are so confused about the continuity in Not! because it's really simple and really straightforward. It's in the same universe as Soul Eater. It happens before the events of the main SE series. It is not an AU. It is a prequel. Why is this so confusing?
with the thrown in borderline sexual tension with Kim and Jackie?
Because fanservice.
I never sensed that from the main SE storyline.
Jackie tried to keep Kim away from Ox and gave Kim heartfelt speeches about how as long as the two of them were together nothing else mattered. It's really not a stretch to go from there to Jackie having a crush on Kim. And maybe you didn't sense it, but quite a lot of the fandom did - Jackie having a crush on Kim was a popular piece of fanon before Not! actually made it canon.
so what was that whole thing with Akane and Tsugumi? (although most of me says he was just messing/playing with her)
It's likely that he was just messing with her. It's equally likely that he actually does have a crush on her, because she's the female protagonist and he's the handsome male lead, and that's how these stories tend to go. Either possibility is likely and I still don't see how or why this is an "issue" that needs to be resolved.
And this itself actually kinda clashes with the yuri overtones I'm picking up from the three girls
How does it conflict?! Tsugumi is the main character. It's a fanservice manga. Most of the secondary characters are going to have crushes on her, whether they're male or female. Either way it's still moe-moe pandering for the audience (whether the audience is male or female!). A lot of moe-moe manga features both het and yuri romantic options side-by-side, and Not! is no different.
To continue along this train of thought: I found the SE ending HORRIBLE, so what would be the worst ending to anything you've ever seen?
Haters to the left, I liked the ending of the SE anime. But in terms of the worst ending to anything ever, I have to nominate the Tsubasa Chronicle manga, because not only was it an anti-climatic and poorly-plotted mess, but turning the lovely Sakura/Syaoran pairing into CANON INCEST is something that I will never forgive CLAMP for.
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with the thrown in borderline sexual tension with Kim and Jackie?
Because fanservice.
I never sensed that from the main SE storyline.
Jackie tried to keep Kim away from Ox and gave Kim heartfelt speeches about how as long as the two of them were together nothing else mattered. It's really not a stretch to go from there to Jackie having a crush on Kim. And maybe you didn't sense it, but quite a lot of the fandom did - Jackie having a crush on Kim was a popular piece of fanon before Not! actually made it canon.
so what was that whole thing with Akane and Tsugumi? (although most of me says he was just messing/playing with her)
It's likely that he was just messing with her. It's equally likely that he actually does have a crush on her, because she's the female protagonist and he's the handsome male lead, and that's how these stories tend to go. Either possibility is likely and I still don't see how or why this is an "issue" that needs to be resolved.
And this itself actually kinda clashes with the yuri overtones I'm picking up from the three girls
How does it conflict?! Tsugumi is the main character. It's a fanservice manga. Most of the secondary characters are going to have crushes on her, whether they're male or female. Either way it's still moe-moe pandering for the audience (whether the audience is male or female!). A lot of moe-moe manga features both het and yuri romantic options side-by-side, and Not! is no different.
To continue along this train of thought: I found the SE ending HORRIBLE, so what would be the worst ending to anything you've ever seen?
Haters to the left, I liked the ending of the SE anime. But in terms of the worst ending to anything ever, I have to nominate the Tsubasa Chronicle manga, because not only was it an anti-climatic and poorly-plotted mess, but turning the lovely Sakura/Syaoran pairing into CANON INCEST is something that I will never forgive CLAMP for.