Jan 27, 2022
This is my first time writing a review. The one other person who wrote a review on this had spoilers in it, this one will not.
The Beginning:
Number Girl is about 16 clones who are all 100% identical in mind and body. If you were to play rock paper scissors with each one separately, they'd all play the same thing. The only difference between them at the start is their number inscribed on their right eye. They refer to each other by their numbers since they have no names. They know almost nothing about the world around them. They know basic things like talking, walking,
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eating, where to use the bathroom, and the fact that you shouldn't go in public without clothes. Aside from that, they're blank slates. They all get put in a school setting by the scientists who created them, and are taught things like common sense and academics. Since they know literally nothing, they're very stupid. At one point, someone says that some scientists there see the clones as actual people while others see them as lab rats. Despite that, they're of course all treated with the same respect you'd treat a human with and are well taken care of. It's a pretty wholesome manga. I should get off that tangent now. Aside from their academics and learning common sense, they exist with one mission. Their goal is to be different from the others, and develop individuality.
How it goes(spoiler free):
The scientists figure that giving them slightly different experiences will give them slightly different growth, which will then cause them to deviate from each other and become different. This ends up being the case. The clones slowly become different. They're all very similar throughout the entire manga, but they have many differences that they acquire over time too. Another measure taken to develop individuality is giving them all allowances and full permission to wander freely in public places outside of class. They're allowed to go to stores, restaurants, karaoke, etc. When they begin to become different, they even develop different opinions of each other too. They might think sixth is annoying or think tenth is a weirdo. They're a bit mean to each other sometimes, but it never ends up becoming bullying and they don't really hold grudges. I think one of the most enjoyable things about this is watching them learn and grow. For example, in the first chapter(I'm using the first one since at this point it's not a spoiler) they are encouraged to do things like change their hairstyle. The problem is, they have no concept of what hairstyle looks good, what looks weird, or what looks ugly. They all end up doing really random things with their hair that look funny in attempts to be different from the rest. Since that's chapter one though, they don't do a good job of looking different because their minds are still the same as of that moment since they haven't had separate experiences yet. Another way they change is from overhearing things. If one clone overhears someone saying something and the rest didn't, they just had an experience that the rest didn't have and therefore deviate more. On top of that, they usually act on what they hear because their entire goal is to be different. Something I found interesting is that, whenever they do any sort of team activity, their teamwork is nearly flawless because they all think mostly the same and they can usually guess the plan of the others.
Conclusion:
I love this manga. I read all of it in one day because I didn't want to stop reading. It's almost always mildly or moderately funny and will occasionally make you audibly laugh. I got a few weird looks from it while I was reading it in school. It's extremely thought provoking, but at the same time, it doesn't require thought to enjoy it. You don't need to over-analyze anything, all you have to do is read and enjoy. I probably sound like some sort of fanboy or something, but I recommend this to everyone because I honestly think anybody can enjoy this. It doesn't really target a specific group of people since they take interest in all sorts of things. It's really all over the place but it's not in a way that's too fast or confusing, it feels natural and fun. This manga is completely worth reading, so please read it. Your only regret will be not reading it sooner.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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