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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
Okay, this is probably going to be a long, rambling review so for those who don't want to sit through that (can't say I blame you), here are the important parts:
-I really like Chizuru, she's probably one of the few shounen female protagonists that has common sense, a temper that she's capable of controlling, AND is morally sound. Also, her designs cute as FUCK and I love her personality.
-Kazuya is kind of a dick and I can't say I like him, but I will say he's one of the more realistic young adult characters in manga/anime and I love that Miyajima is willing to put every deplorable part of his personality on display (more on that later).
-I don't really get Mami and who she is as a person aside from a rude little shit who thinks she can say whatever the fuck she wants and get away with it cuz everyone's on her side. For some reason (more on that later, too).
-I fucking LOVE Kazuya's grandma! She is the absolute BEST character and she has precisely ZERO fucks left in her life and it's HILARIOUS!
-The artwork/art styles cute and I love it.
Okay, main points over with, let's dive into what I REALLY want to talk about.
What interested me the most while reading was how much emphasis was put on Kazuya being a virgin at 20 and how he appears to others, especially the opposite gender. Mami at one point goes on a rant complaining about him, saying he had a scary look in his eyes when he was being "pushy", he always wanted to hold hands, how he got hard when she was wearing a miniskirt, how she kissed him once and then he "demanded" that they kiss all the time even if his breath smelled bad. Others, including his "friends" which I hope he ditches in future volumes because the are the WORST, say that he looks creepy and are constantly making comments about him being a virgin. The reason why this interests me is that if Kazuya wasn't a virgin, would Mami have complained about him? Would his friends not make comments about women being "out of his league"? It was a question that plagued me quite a bit, mostly because there's nothing unusual or alarming about him that, to me, justifies everyone's rudeness. Yes, he lies a lot and he lied specifically to show up his "friends", and yes he went off on Chizuru despite her not doing anything wrong, but from what I can tell from this first volume, he seems like a typical male college dude. No, he's not the gallant, mature, handsome husbando-type readers are used to, but there's nothing dangerous about him either. So it kind of bothers me that everyone's an asshole to him about being a 20 year old virgin and allegedly "creepy and scary" when he's behaving like a realistically horny college student.
That aside, the other thing I want to discuss is how dating culture is heavy handed in this world, specifically in the woman's favor. Mami is the one who ends things with Kazuya, but Kazuya's friends and even Mami herself act like she's a VICTIM or something. I have heard that Japanese couples are not as outwardly affectionate as couples in western nations so I can understand why Kazuya asking to hold her hand all the time or wanting to kiss her would make her uncomfortable, but SHE dumped him, BLOCKED him on Twitter, AND is ALREADY SEEING SOMEONE ELSE. Oh right, AND she went on a VERBAL TIRADE about all the things that bothered her while they were dating IN FRONT OF CHIZURU, AND acted like she wasn't badmouthing him, just making conversation. And Kazuya? he just sits there and takes it, never insults her or anything. I bring all this up because, like I said earlier, everyone acts like they have to console her or be careful what they say around her because of her's and Kazuya's break up, but the ONLY PERSON who stands up for Kazuya is Chizuru, his RENTAL GIRLFRIEND. Not his "friends", not other people at the party, JUST CHIZURU. What this implies is that the guy is expected to just bounce back from a bad relationship and take whatever crap is thrown at him, but the woman has to be consoled and pampered. Maybe I'm looking too much into this, but that's something that I picked up and I'm curious to see if this continues throughout the series.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on this volume. I'm honestly super hyped to continue with this series and have already pre-ordered the second volume, I can't wait for that to come! This may not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed this.
-I really like Chizuru, she's probably one of the few shounen female protagonists that has common sense, a temper that she's capable of controlling, AND is morally sound. Also, her designs cute as FUCK and I love her personality.
-Kazuya is kind of a dick and I can't say I like him, but I will say he's one of the more realistic young adult characters in manga/anime and I love that Miyajima is willing to put every deplorable part of his personality on display (more on that later).
-I don't really get Mami and who she is as a person aside from a rude little shit who thinks she can say whatever the fuck she wants and get away with it cuz everyone's on her side. For some reason (more on that later, too).
-I fucking LOVE Kazuya's grandma! She is the absolute BEST character and she has precisely ZERO fucks left in her life and it's HILARIOUS!
-The artwork/art styles cute and I love it.
Okay, main points over with, let's dive into what I REALLY want to talk about.
What interested me the most while reading was how much emphasis was put on Kazuya being a virgin at 20 and how he appears to others, especially the opposite gender. Mami at one point goes on a rant complaining about him, saying he had a scary look in his eyes when he was being "pushy", he always wanted to hold hands, how he got hard when she was wearing a miniskirt, how she kissed him once and then he "demanded" that they kiss all the time even if his breath smelled bad. Others, including his "friends" which I hope he ditches in future volumes because the are the WORST, say that he looks creepy and are constantly making comments about him being a virgin. The reason why this interests me is that if Kazuya wasn't a virgin, would Mami have complained about him? Would his friends not make comments about women being "out of his league"? It was a question that plagued me quite a bit, mostly because there's nothing unusual or alarming about him that, to me, justifies everyone's rudeness. Yes, he lies a lot and he lied specifically to show up his "friends", and yes he went off on Chizuru despite her not doing anything wrong, but from what I can tell from this first volume, he seems like a typical male college dude. No, he's not the gallant, mature, handsome husbando-type readers are used to, but there's nothing dangerous about him either. So it kind of bothers me that everyone's an asshole to him about being a 20 year old virgin and allegedly "creepy and scary" when he's behaving like a realistically horny college student.
That aside, the other thing I want to discuss is how dating culture is heavy handed in this world, specifically in the woman's favor. Mami is the one who ends things with Kazuya, but Kazuya's friends and even Mami herself act like she's a VICTIM or something. I have heard that Japanese couples are not as outwardly affectionate as couples in western nations so I can understand why Kazuya asking to hold her hand all the time or wanting to kiss her would make her uncomfortable, but SHE dumped him, BLOCKED him on Twitter, AND is ALREADY SEEING SOMEONE ELSE. Oh right, AND she went on a VERBAL TIRADE about all the things that bothered her while they were dating IN FRONT OF CHIZURU, AND acted like she wasn't badmouthing him, just making conversation. And Kazuya? he just sits there and takes it, never insults her or anything. I bring all this up because, like I said earlier, everyone acts like they have to console her or be careful what they say around her because of her's and Kazuya's break up, but the ONLY PERSON who stands up for Kazuya is Chizuru, his RENTAL GIRLFRIEND. Not his "friends", not other people at the party, JUST CHIZURU. What this implies is that the guy is expected to just bounce back from a bad relationship and take whatever crap is thrown at him, but the woman has to be consoled and pampered. Maybe I'm looking too much into this, but that's something that I picked up and I'm curious to see if this continues throughout the series.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on this volume. I'm honestly super hyped to continue with this series and have already pre-ordered the second volume, I can't wait for that to come! This may not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed this.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A mainstream harem series? I actually forgot they existed. I understand the intent behind wanting to create a nouveau Love Hina, for the next generation (not that I agree), but god, I couldn't help but be an active hater reading this. I read this with very little knowledge of the plot, but it was hard to ignore how irritated and forced the situations became. I can't ignore bad writing and character development! Anyway, I'm glad I finally know what this series is about, but at what cost?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexual harassment
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I've discovered that I'm not a huge fan of the 'dumb virgin boy with no social skills or knowledge whatsoever who is powered solely by his ridiculously high libido' MC. When stories are told from this perspective, it inevitably means a ton of page time dedicated to him thirsting over anyone with boobs in his vicinity and... using his fair share of tissues.
There's no denying the art is gorgeous and the character design for Chizuru is super cute. The comedic timing of the story works for what it's trying to achieve but the story overall suffers from it's protagonist being really whiny, pathetic and unlikeable and then walking all over the FMC.
In a similar vein to Quintessential Quintuplets, I'll continue reading to see if I warm up to it. In contrast to QQ, the plot/concept is more up my alley so although the MC was unlikeable, the plot and some some other characters made up for it in terms of my enjoyment.
There's no denying the art is gorgeous and the character design for Chizuru is super cute. The comedic timing of the story works for what it's trying to achieve but the story overall suffers from it's protagonist being really whiny, pathetic and unlikeable and then walking all over the FMC.
In a similar vein to Quintessential Quintuplets, I'll continue reading to see if I warm up to it. In contrast to QQ, the plot/concept is more up my alley so although the MC was unlikeable, the plot and some some other characters made up for it in terms of my enjoyment.
Cuter than I expected
I was on the fence about this but it was as pervy nor as fan service-y as I was expecting. Its a fun book and I think I'll watch the show too.
I was on the fence about this but it was as pervy nor as fan service-y as I was expecting. Its a fun book and I think I'll watch the show too.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Just a tracker for personal use will write full review after series is finished. Rating is based on what I have read so far. On volume 16
I did not care for the main dude AT ALL. If I have to hear him complain about being a virgin one more time I will scream. This book was written by a man and it shows.