A review by hyghly
My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected, Vol. 1 (light novel) by Wataru Watari

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.