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SKET Dance
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Alternative Titles

Japanese: SKET DANCE

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 32

Chapters: 288

Status: Finished

Published: Jul 14, 2007 to Jul 8, 2013

Genres: Award Winning, Comedy, Drama

Theme: School

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: Shounen Jump (Weekly)

Authors: Shinohara, Kenta (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.40¹ (scored by 12,184 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #231²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #535

Members: 32,818

Favorites: 1,479

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 16 / 16

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Filter Preliminary Spoiler

Mar 23, 2015

fodderchara18

Recommended

Note: More than a review, this is more like a short, personal reflection after reading the entire manga, so if you are looking for a very specific or detailed review, you won't find it here.

Nonetheless, it would make me happy if you still decide to give it a try after reading this^^

Having said that, on to the actual review:

It's always sad when a story that you like a lot eventually comes to an end. I must say that chapter 286 made me tear up a bit, which is something that I rarely do whenever i'm reading/watching something, even if I like it an awful ...

Jul 26, 2009

Eep

Recommended

Preliminary (97/288 chp)

This review is by me as of chapter 97, so its actually up to date...

The manga is essentially comedy based; its shounen after all. However, the characters themselves are what truly make the manga.

In the series you'll find several characters each with their own trials and tribulations they are trying to overcome. And in between the AMAZING comedy (I laugh out loud IRL like every chapter) which includes many inside jokes from the series itself, and gets more funny as it goes on, there is a level of drama that is unexpected at all for a series like this.

The way the characters and stories are ...

Dec 9, 2007

radiantfire

Recommended

Preliminary (18/288 chp)

Reviewing the Cases
by radiantfire

Context:
For this review, I will be analysing Sket Dance by Shinohara Kenta. I have read 18 chapters at the time of this writing.

Story:
Sket Dance revolves around 'Sket Dan' - a campus support group established to help students and staff with their problems. The chapters are generally episodic, in which they are simply referred to as a "Case." One-off cases are simply that. Some cases, however, span 2 to 3 chapters. These are often my favourite to read.

...

Mar 25, 2012

WindChange

Recommended

Preliminary (184/288 chp)

( Sorry english isn't my first language (; 3 ;) )

With endless sequel of comedy, sket dance is one of the best gag manga I've ever seen. This manga is a great choice if you want to relax from your busy time or when you want to read together with your friends. This is the manga that can make you laught as hard as you can, bwahaha....

Story 8 :
Sket dance's story tells about an activity of highschool club that accept all the request of the other students. But, the request is not an average request. Every chapter have their ...

Apr 2, 2018

iMysteriousAura

Recommended

This is my review for SKET Dance. I'll be referring to the characters by what they are most commonly called in the manga. Please note that this review is structured around how I personally felt about the manga: objectively, it deserves an overall rating of 9 (individual ratings being 8/8/10 for story, art, and character, respectively), but subjectively, I give it a 10.

Story: 9/10

As this is a mostly a comedy shounen series, it does not have much of a plot. We get chapter and chapter of hilarious moment by the SKET Dan. So why did I give the story a 9? That's because of the ... drama in this series, which many people tend to overlook because it is mainly just comedy. Sprinkled throughout the chapters are the backstories of our three main characters, Bossun, Himeko, and Switch. These arcs are extremely well done, and they serve to remind the reader that the manga isn't all light hearted fun and games. As you might've figured out by now, these sections are all extremely sad, but we get to see their emotional development as they battle through their problems; these backstories explain how each of our three main characters came to be the way they are presently. They are also not one and done, as all the backstories are only explained halfway, only for them to pop up later on when the reader probably forgot about them. The manga wraps up all the problems presented in an excellent fashion, as all of them are resolved, except for one of them, which will become obvious as you are nearing the end. The characters tend to break the fourth wall very, very, often, so be on the look out for this as you're reading!

Art: 8/10

Another great aspect is the art. There is nothing much to say here, as it is very cleanly drawn. All the characters are distinct from each other, so it's not hard to tell who is who. We also have art shifts very often, as they are used to enhance the joke or comedy in that particular chapter. Character expressions are also gold as well, especially with Bossun's faces.

Character: 10/10

Hands down SKET Dance's strongest point. The mangaka has somehow managed to create three characters that compliment each other terrifically. These characters in question, of course, are Bossun, Himeko, and Switch. They are all so different that it's a miracle that they can get along, but each individual's qualities make them seem real. All of them tend to have over exaggerated reactions towards the simplest things, and the way they talk and act make them very likable. The supporting characters are nothing to sneeze at either. Although there are tons of them, each one has his or her own eccentricity that even if they don't appear for multiple chapters in a row, you will probably still remember their name once they do appear. A certain someone often makes comments regarding this! I doubt anyone can dislike any of the main characters, despite how seemingly ridiculous and over the top they may seem.

Enjoyment: 10/10

It took me a full 3 months to go from the first chapter to the last chapter, mostly because of my lack of time. SKET Dance's length is a good thing, as there are always new jokes being introduced, and some of the chapters had me laughing like a maniac. If you like comedy, especially the tsukkomi and boke routine, this is the manga for you. After reading the last chapter, it made me stop and reflect on my life, and how blessed and lucky I was to be able to read about the SKET Dan's adventures. It was an awesome ride all the way to the finish, and SKET Dance will always have a place in my heart.

That's all I have to say. Thanks for reading!

May 14, 2021

-ODA-

Recommended

This manga is one of the best anime I might have read. Strangely, there are still few people who have read this manga. Maybe due to the anime. I myself know this manga due to the anime which is also a very interesting anime for me. I watched it a few years ago and it's only this year that I can taste the manga.

Many say SKET Dance is the school version of Gintama. Not really wrong tho. Even so, this manga has its own interests. The characters are many and unique, the story is interesting, the comedy suits me well, and the illustrations that develop ...

Oct 21, 2009

Lamunut

Recommended

Preliminary (98/288 chp)

To be honest, when my brother told me about this manga i was a little skeptical on the grounds that it sounded a lot like another SJ title known as Gintama. That (to this day) is true. In fact the main cast is composed of three leads as well. But there's a reason as to why the two series's share similarities, Kenta Shinohara(the author) oppenly stated that used to work as an assistant under Hideaki Sorachi (the author of Gintama). So it's natural for the influence to be there and ,to be honest, aside from the plot (Three leads do all sorts of nonsensical ... jobs) Sket Dance is a manga that stands gloriously on it's own and is by no means a ripoff.

Moving onto the story, Sket Dance has no all consuming story with a beginning and an end, rather it's composed of episodes. Each chapter chronicles a new case for the Sket Dan and occasionally certain arcs (which can span up to 3-6 chapters) like the: "Sket Dan vs. The student council" arc. The cases are most of the time nonsensical and random: Like the chapters in where they have to deal with the Roman, the girl who sees everything in her 'otome filter' (in short Shojou manga vision). However they may equally be touching and at times sad and very deep. The most touching arcs in my opinions are the ones that explore the pasts of the three leads and how they came to join the Sket Dan. For spoiler reasons i wont explicit on the content of these chapters. Just know that you are guaranteed to at least get teary-eyed at one them.
The story mixes ridiculously funny humor with ,at the same time, drama and suspense worthy of a shojou manga.

Now the characters, the one thing i can say about the cast of Sket Dance is that it's unique and very colorful. The three leads are: Fujisake Yusuke otherwise known as "Bossun" (the protagonist), Kazuyoshi Usui or "Switch", And Onizuka Hime a.k.a "Himeko". Obviously these three characters receive the most development of the cast. Bossun acts rather childish and hot-blooded and in one chapter is even made out to be a "useless shonen hero" by an amateur manga artist. However it's thanks to his talents that the Sket Dan is able to solve many cases. In a way you could describe him as being a sort detective because he is able to analyze, and logically solve most dilemmas that come his way. Then we have Himeko the "straight-man", who ironically used to be a Yankee so feared that she was nicknamed "Onihime" a name which she she, nowadays, rejects. And finally Switch, the apparently good-looking otaku who uses a voice synthesizing software on his laptop to speak.He is stone faced but often willingly gets involved with the nonsensical situations of the show.
The supporting cast equally receives varied levels of development. The most notable being Tsubaki, the student council vice president and possibly Shinzo the phony Samurai.

Sket Dance's art is generally varied in terms of quality. It ranges from a little below average to holy-shit-that's-freaking-godly.To be fair, It was sometimes impossible for me to appreciate the art for the sole reason that the scans were messily cleaned up and they looked rather poor in quality. But the most notable instance of absolutely mind blowing art is arc which explained Bossun's past. I honestly dumbfounded at the level of detail and expression revealed during those chapters. It's clear that Shinohara can draw very well both with comedy and in drama.You really connect with the characters regardless of who they may be. Not to mention certain expressions can just make you laugh so hard.

Overall Sket Dance is an extremely good and cleverly written manga,definitely one of my favorites . I enjoy it very much, most notably ,of course, because of it's comedy but also because of the characters and it's ability to have "a different and truly unique approach to the same idea".
There are no overly negative aspects to the manga. However some may argue that the humor can get a little repetitive, i personally love it.
It's a shame that on the international circuit it doesn't have much a fan base because it truly is one of my favorite SJ titles alongside Gintama and One Piece.I'm confident that it will stay in publication and i sincerely hope it gets an anime adaptation. It is already slated to have a drama CD after all!

Dec 12, 2014

dratsab

Recommended

Fujisaki Yuusuke (bossun) creates a club to help people, SKET-Dan with 2 of his friends, Onizuka Hime (himeko) and Usui Kazuyoshi (switch). this club takes a lot of kind request, from taking care of monkey until find a missing item.

it didn't sound very good, didn't it? but i promise you, your time to read this is really worth it. it toys with your emotion. this manga can make you laugh so hard, whether it's because Bossun's ridiculous action or Himeko's tsukkomi that usually comes because of Bossun's action. it also can make you sad, especially at switch's or bossun's background story. but most of the ...

Mar 5, 2017

megarock327

Recommended

I think this may be a series that you will either love or hate, since it is not the traditional series a person would see in Weekly Shonen Jump. The plot is based on a group of high school students, known as the Sket-Dan, and they assist the people in the community by doing odd jobs. Immediately, you may think that this is a rip-off of the series Gintama, but it does have a few similarities to Gintama. For one, it has a 3 person group that consist of 2 boys and a girl. One being the main character of the story, the other being ...

Jun 26, 2014

Yatorumi

Recommended

SKET Dance written by Shinohara Kenta is a comedy based Shounen series that focuses on the adventures of the academy support group 'SKET Dansu'. And so in this review, I will be writing my opinions on this manga.

Story (10/10):
Sket Dance does not have a plot like common Shounen series. Rather, it focuses on the adventures of the three main characters from the first chapter until the day they graduate from high-school. Most chapters are comedic ones and will make you roll on the floor holding your stomach in pain (Do not drink or eat while reading or else your computer/laptop will have a short ... lifespan, Guaranteed).

While most chapters are comedic and usually take only one single chapter, once in a while there will be sad stories popping up where you don't expect it to. These arcs usually range to 3-6 chapters. The saddest parts of this series from my opinion are the pasts of the three main characters as well as the final chapter. The anime decided to end it on episode 77 and that is not the last episode. Though english scanlation might be late, there are summaries of the last manga chapters on the internet if you look carefully.

Art (9/10):
The art of SKET Dance is in quite unique and is in good standards. The only problem I've had with the art is Himeko's appearance. I don't know, it just feels a bit weird. Or maybe its just me. But I have to say, Shinohara Kenta has a lot of experience in doing manga art.

Characters (10/10):
The most enjoyable part of SKET Dance are its unique characters. Like in the real world, everyone has flaws. And those flaws are what makes you love the characters even more. Lets say for example Bossun. He is the main character of the series. He is reliable, smart and talented in art, but has zero delicacy, gets easily depressed and in many cases very shy.

Other examples include a wannabe samurai, a mangaka who comes up with interesting plots but has no talent in art, a genius who cannot think properly if it comes down to relationships with his sister, a girl who changes personality when he gets touched by a man, the captain of a softball team with a big appetite but vomits whenever she eats boiled eggs, and many many more.

Enjoyment (9/10):
The enjoyment I feel whenever I read this work is outstanding. Sure, maybe a few of the comedic chapters are a bit cliched. And maybe there are one or two chapters where I thought "Maybe I can skip this chapter.". But this series is a very talented mix of humor, drama and angst that I have to go and say it is a masterpiece.

Overall (9/10):
Like everything else, this series has flaws. Its not perfect, but to those who can really enjoy it and understand all of those life lessons hiding behind those 32 volumes, this manga stands above the normal standards of Shounen. A new type that even though it has pretty much no action or fancy storylines, is still brings us the good of Shounen mangas. I say thank you to Shinonara Kenta for writing this masterpiece

Nov 17, 2016

Novern

Recommended

If you looked at this manga and like me, read the plot at first as "Generic adventures of generic altruistic Protagonist and his generic lackeys, Love Interest and Best Friend!", let me warn you: That is false.

This manga is not revolutionary, nor is it insightful, or perfect, or even deep. It's just that it's everything you ever wanted except that. The art might not be unique, or the jokes might sometimes bounce off your ears, but the characters, stories, cleverness, and complexity of the whole web of connections more than makes up for it, with interest.

I think the greatest part of ... this manga is how episodic yet flowing the story is. You might have one character being the focus of one chapter, yet later they continue showing up more and more frequently until they are just as involved in the main plot as the members of the Sket-dan themselves. A good example of this is the baseball captain Takahashi. She first comes in as one of Himeko's friends, only showing up when the main trio is asking around for information and being the first one to question, but she soon becomes the champion of eating competitions and an important friend in Himeko's past. Momoka began as a simple delinquent who Himeko beat in the end but then begins to work her way to stardom throughout the series, completely changing the reader's view of her by the end. Genesis is the crappy game the Sket-dan first learned to play, but it turns out creator, Master Huang, had plenty of others, including board games, video games, party games, and card games, all with confusing rules just like the original sport. The author is never finished with a character or idea, new things are revealed about already recurring characters far after they are introduced. This method of plot-building made room to introduce at least 20 characters, each with their own development that you are aware of simultaneously overlapping on one another.

Every character, chapter, and event connects with at least two more, nothing stands alone without the support of the spiderweb of characters and events. Somehow Sket Dance manages this while still being a gag manga.

This leads me to the second best part of the manga: the perfect balance between comedy and everything else. Nothing is too exaggerated. You will laugh your face off, because that is what Sket Dance is for, but you will cry your heart out as well, because the author expertly weaves the drama in with the fooling around. The gags are in control but they coexist perfectly with the tears you might shed.

Now, I believe I mentioned earlier that this manga isn't perfect. It's true. There is nothing big wrong with it that any critic could see, but like every manga, it's not a one manga fits all. Some negative points about it might be how constant and uniform the gags are. They are thrown at you in groups of five every page, so often that you eventually stop caring to stop to laugh. This is made worse when all the jokes are the same kind of joke. Almost every gag in the series is formatted the exact same way: the Boke and Tsukkomi roles. These are funny, but so overused that the Boke gets more and more ridiculous to the point that it doesn't make sense, which may turn away some readers.

Overall, it's an outstanding manga and I hope you read it. Thank you for your time.

Oct 24, 2017

69thStreet

Recommended

Summary: it's about a club who helps people, nothing really to add on to that really. Hey tho, read the rest of the review before you go on judging on the summary alone, because I assure you, this is a near-perfect manga with a simple plot.

Story (8): I'll admit, this could've been a 10 but the ending kinda left me with a sour taste in my mouth and there's too many chapters that just slows down the pacing. However when the manga gets going, it's perfection, it can make you cry, laugh, smile, eager to know more or angry (in my case the last chapter.) ...

Sep 27, 2018

LanokirX

Recommended

Sket Dance is a comedy gag kind of series, with lots of extreme character and situations that often spin out of control. Many compare it to Gintama, and there are some slight similarities to it.

Not to mention, that the author of Sket Dance, Shinohara Kenta, did work as an assistent of Sorachi Hideaki, the very author of Gintama. This is Kenta's first own work, so there being similarities is to be expected. Not to mention there is an chapter where Gintoki and gang meet up with Bossun and his group in Sket Dance!

Taking that to account, was Sket Dance an amazing and hilarious read, at ...

Nov 23, 2016

Asiandude918

Recommended

Just finished this manga, and I gotta say... It was amazing.
The comedy in this manga was hilarious!!

I love the trio of characters that main in the manga very much. They each have their own characteristics that are original and unique.
As I was reading each chapter, it gave me the urge to continue reading non-stop haha.
From the beginning to the end, it was a wonderful experience and the tsukkomis and bokes were nicely timed, which made my innards hurt xD

Of course like all things, there is an end. I am very sad that the manga has ended. (even though it ended a while back)
The ...

Dec 13, 2020

hexashadow13

Recommended

tl;dr: A manga with solid comedy with an interesting and unique cast of characters, but a story that was pretty weak especially in its conclusion.

With this manga, I think it's really important to go in with the mentality that it is ultimately simply a gag manga. The three main characters are all given pretty solid and serious backstories that explain their interesting circumstances and how they grew to become who they are during the manga. The three of them have their own bonds. There are a number of side characters as well that have stories, though ones that are considerably less developed than the main ...

Jan 26, 2023

Joricardo

Recommended

Sket Dance is a very fun manga, but it can be tiring too. Let's do it by steps:

The episodic pace of the series makes it more complicated to analyze due to following a style of a case centered on an eccentric person at school, whether it be a teacher, student or even outsiders. In general, this makes the work work differently for everyone because humor is something individual, so there were moments when I laughed out loud with Roman breaking the fourth wall talking to the reader and others finding it boring chapters focused on one strange game of certain teacher.

That said, the work also ...