Ranked #620

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu (Novel)

The joys of reading light novels is that you can basically just read it like you would any normal book. You can engage in reading while on the subway, or while it's break time in school, or even as you go to sleep. It's really the closest you can get to taking your favorite characters anywhere you go. It just so happens that in Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu, not only would you read in public; you'll look like an idiot at the same time, simply because you're laughing way too much just for reading some blocks of text. To be precise, you'll feel like you're one of the idiots this great light novel is named after.

For those of you more oriented with animé and manga, you'll know that this very same series spawned a 2-season animé series last 2010 and 2011 (plus a 2-episode OVA) and a manga series. However, the animé had some departures from the details of the main story, and as of now no announcements have been made for a third season. The manga, on the other hand, follows the light novel more closely, but only a few chapters have been scanlated for people like me who have no access to the real volumes. (And, as far as I know, not much volumes have been released anyway.) As such, if you wanted to know the rest of the story, the only way to go is to read the light novels.

And true enough, reading the light novels was definitely the right way to go, especially for avid fans of the series like me.

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu is an ongoing light novel series by Inoue Kenji which started in 2007. It follows the story of Yoshii Akihisa, the namesake idiot, and his trials and daily troubles with his group of friends, Class 2-F, and Fumizuki Academy. The school employs the exclusive Exam Summoning Battle (ESB) system, where each student gets a summon whose power depends on his performance in school, and where each class is separated by their overall academic performance. Facilities are also given to each class based on performance, such that Class 2-A gets the reclining chairs, air conditioning, personal laptops, and LED TV screens, while Class 2-F gets... Japanese tables, seat paddings, and chalkboards with no chalk. Yoshii, together with his friends and classmates, band together to prove to the other classes that grades aren't everything by engaging in battles.

Story: 9/10

The story is entertaining and, frankly, hilarious. Readers will never run out of laughs, with each paragraph written with vibrant words and hilarious dialogue between characters. Yoshii's ramblings with his close friend, Sakamoto Yuuji, will always give you laughs at every instance. Even the short snippets provided before the start of each chapter is equally as entertaining as the main story itself. The series isn't a gag story, though; there are instances of seriousness as well, though certainly not so serious as to completely disregard humor. Class battles and exams provide the setting for combat between summons (with the occasional instance of Yoshii getting beat up for being a negotiator to declare war). Romance is also abound in the story, with its focus on a triangle with Yoshii in the middle. (Though it may also turn into a square...)

Also, while being humorous and entertaining, the story continuously refers back to the main driving force of Class 2-F--that is, to prove that grades alone won't define a student (or person in general). It continuously challenges the notions in the reader's head about the differences in being an excellent person and in being a good one. Class 2-F challenging higher classes and main characters pushing their own limits with regards to academics and other things--all seem to be driven to prove to the world that they aren't so different from the high-scoring students after all.

In any case, the pacing is excellent as it manages to maintain the story and humor that it brings. There's also enough chapters released to get you reading for hours at a time, so there's no issue there.

Art: 8/10

Not much can be said about the art, since this is a light novel. However, one-page illustrations and cover artworks for each volume show vibrant illustrations of characters, whose images will look just like how you imagined them to be anyway. Clean, simple, and descriptive--just like the light novel itself.

Character: 10/10

It's in the character aspect where Baka to Test shines. Each character is described with a certain specific trait that defines who he or she is, such that certain dialogues don't even need referrals (e.g. "[dialogue]," says [character name].) anymore. And I can assure you that all of them are lovable.

We have the main protagonist, Yoshii Akihisa, a complete idiot with a kind heart, also named the "Punishment Inspector" (the teachers made his summon the only one able to touch physical objects; basically, they order him around); Sakamoto Yuuji, the delinquent-like class rep and close friend of Akihisa; Himeji Mizuki, a cute pink-haired girl with scores enough to rival the top student of Class 2-A; Shimada Minami, a rash girl who's the resident math student in Class 2-F behind Himeji; Tsuchiya Kouta, a silent guy whose nickname is "Ninja Pervert" (I'll let you imagine why); and Kinoshita Hideyoshi, the actor who's also a bishoujo (a trap, basically).

It's a parade of different traits for the main characters, and the supporting ones are just as distinct, just with less appearances in the text. All this sums up to Baka to Test having the most assorted cast of characters ever assembled for humor.

Enjoyment: 10/10

Well, I'm a big fan of the series ever since I read the manga, and I was just plain excited to know that the story in the animé is barely just half of the entire story so far. I've read up till the latest chapter translated by Baka-Tsuki, and needless to say I enjoyed myself to the very last paragraph. I certainly did look like an idiot grinning as I read through blocks of text. In short, it's great to pass the time with this light novel. You might find yourself unable to put the laptop (or smartphone or tablet, whatever you use to read PDFs) down even if you're just a few paragraphs in.

Overall: 9/10

In a nutshell, reading Baka to Test is a blast. Inoue Kenji, along with his illustrator Haga Yui, stitched together (and is still stitching) a plethora of quirky lovable characters with a unique setting and hilarious scenes to give us an excellent light novel whose root is enough to give you inspiration, and whose execution is enough to give you laughter for hours. Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu is definitely a must-read, for fans of the series or for newcomers. read more