Jul 5, 2018
(Before reading this series do note that the series has an abrupt ending because the magazine it was being published in was terminated.)
Jikkyou!! Izumi-kun no Koi Moyou is the story of an introverted high-school student with a communication problem. This wouldn't be the first time a story with this premise has been written. But an idea is only as good as its execution, and this a manga that I can say has been executed very well.
While the main character description doesn't sound all that unique, it can be an interesting premise for a story to develop around, especially when dealing with a story about character
...
growth. And that is kind of imminent with what we have so far.
The protagonist, Izumi-kun, doesn't talk to people himself but has a great love for commentary. And because he doesn't speak, he silently commentates about the world around him live as it moves, something he finds fascinating as an observer. This worldview of his, however, changes when the girl sitting in front of him, Shinohara, decides to talk to him one day. A simple session of small talk quickly leads to him getting roped into her world which is full of lively, cheerful and loud people.
As an outsider to this world, we see Izumi-kun experience things he has never tried before and grow from it. This growth is portrayed in the form of him accidentally revealing his commentary side to the world. Shinohara, finding his voice charming, pushes him to talking more, which then becomes a personification of his growth as a person. The driving force of this manga is certainly the charm of Shinohara as she breaks away a Izumi-kun's shell bit by bit.
It might be because the portrayal of Izumi-kun's character hits very close to home for me that I find him such a fascinating subject to deal with. His feelings of anxiety and loneliness when he is talking to strangers, his feelings of excitement when he is talking to Shinohara, all of these have been very well executed, in as believable a manner as possible for a comedy manga.
The art isn't very spectacular, although it does have a charm and does grow on you.
All in all, Jikkyou!! Izumi-kun no Koi Moyou is a well portrayed manga about an introverted high-school boy as he experiences the world outside of his shell. It is a series that can either propel forward in a more meaningful manner, giving us an enjoyable journey of growth and maturity, or it can plummet into the depths of cliched mediocrity. Either way, it is a matter of time.
(This part has been added after the series' ending.) With the series meeting an early end due to the magazine getting terminated, it is really disappointing to have things end the way they did. With solid characters and decent premise, the series had immense potential to be a great character driven romance. That said, the open ending does leave you with a pleasant feeling, knowing that there's a bright future ahead for Izumi-kun and all the others. Other than that, I am certainly looking forward to what the author brings next.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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