Reviews

My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected, Vol. 1 by Wataru Watari

thepurplepeep's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

strider23's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a quick and fun read. Hachiman is one of the most entertaining characters who I read about in a long time. He can be funny and serious at the same time and his perspective on the world is really interesting. Yen on made a great translation and I was really happy to see that there were a list of the several references at the end of the book which explained what they meant.

lurking's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5/5 or 5/10

Eh, that's my review.
Eh..
I do think it'll grow on me, but for now. Eh

blood_lion's review

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funny lighthearted mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

hyghly's review against another edition

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3.0

Similar to my experience with Monogatari, reading My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected after watching the anime is a lovely way to further interact with a story I thoroughly enjoyed. As a light novel, there's more narration by Hikigaya—this is both a strength and a weakness. I found some of the commentary and humor to be hit or miss, which is normal, but I think the beauty of animation and less reliance on internal monologue obscures the lower points in the anime series. That being said, when Wataru Watari is on, he's delightful:
"Of course I hate stuff like in-crowds and in-jokes. Oh, I like in-fighting, though. Because I'm never part of the 'in.'" (142)
Being the first volume of the series, a good deal of the novel is spent establishing characters and their difficulties with relationships—friendly or romantic. Hikigaya is the quintessential outsider who takes pride in his loner status, though it does seem this is a behavior he has accepted rather than explicitly chosen. Yukino Yukinoshita plays the opposite side of the same coin; she is beautiful and aggressively intelligent, truly "snow beneath the snow" in the sense that she is untouchable. Compounded by her unwavering convictions and direct language, Yukino is just as alone as Hiki—though this is from the perspective of the pedestal those around her obligatorily place her on. Bridging the gap between the two is Yui Yuigahama, their total foil. She is energetic, outgoing, and compelled to please people; in other words, she is capable of conforming to social norms and fitting in.
Despite my heavy reading workload as a graduate student, I'm really looking forward to volume two and seeing how Wataru illustrates the dynamic between these three as they grow and learn from one another's strengths and their own weaknesses.

shinypurplepants's review against another edition

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4.0

Genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. I will not be continuing the series but I can see myself recommending this one to others.

Fair warning if you're going into this blind:
TW: sexism, slut shaming, bullying, jokes about self harm

The main character is horrible. Sexist, homophobic, just generally a jerk with a holier than thou outlook on high school. In fact the main reason I gave this 4/5 is because the illustrations were oddly over-sexualized which really ruined the comedy of certain scenes for me.

buthainna's review against another edition

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5.0

As I delicately waltz into the world of light novels, I try to find a gripping series that's going to keep me entertained all throughout it, and I finally found one

This is the story of Hachiman Hikigaya, a 2nd year high school student who's living a terribly lonely young adulthood.
It's a very entertaining novel, his bitter opinions on the fakeness of high school girls and boys are so funny, but he's also very sensitive to the insults and jibbers his new-found club partners throw at him.

"Watch what you say, Yuigahama, or I might inadvertently kill myself"
"What, are you part of the land mine disposal team in my heart now? Is it your job to dig up every single bit of trauma I have?"

can't wait to read the rest of the series!

militsa's review against another edition

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3.0

Not too bad, not very striking either. Nothing is loos by watching the anime instead.

duske's review against another edition

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3.0

I enjoyed this light read that was worth a chuckle here and there and there were even some sweet moments, although the narrator would deny any.

tstone's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5