Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

PROS
-fun OP
-Sakura super kawaii, my most memorable female character in 2014.
-variety of unique characters that actually focus on different kinds of relationships other than romance such as brotherhood, senpai, etc. therefore, I think other demographics besides the shoujo fans can actually enjoy this 12 episode series
-plenty of silly "anime" moments that I wholeheartedly enjoy about anime as a medium
-clever dialogue especially at the "meta" moments
-commits to humor which, when it works, is genuinely hilarious. (moments: the ink, the curry, etc)
-not too serious (compared to sth like Ao Haru Ride) which I appreciate and which I think it works--it leaves a positive atmosphere and a ... mood boost.

CONS
-the anime's gimmick is to take a meta/parody approach to shoujo manga/anime. However, cliches like the Japanese festival or the completely romance-clueless male protagonists were never addressed nor did they try to at least take a new approach. Of course, sticking to a tradition itself is nothing to criticize, but as a viewer, I've always found their complete unawareness to romance to be so unrealistic for high school people that it takes me out of the experience quite often.
-some of the meta-jokes and dialogues missed--when you know just about any cliche is going to be turned around itself, that itself becomes the cliche.
-didn't feel like they pushed the 2 main characters and the plot enough.

Ultimately, this is a bubble gum anime, but I did find myself re-watching it. Personally, I'd prefer to view this as a manga than anime for its strength is the dialogue and the animated scenes can get repetitive and unnecessary. I do praise this anime for being able to garner such popularity despite not resorting to harem-esque scenes and other cheap humor. The best thing about it imo is its light-hearted approach so it's a good anime to watch weekly for a mood boost.

this is my first review ever (on this site) so i'm not sure if there's a certain format i should follow... hope i'm not breaking any rules :D

i just have to say that after watching this anime, i can't remember the last time i've laughed this hard... it was that funny. and i genuinely laughed my heart out, not the "wow what a lame joke haha". i guess you can say its the anime's plus point. its light and funny. something to help you destress after a long day.

plot wise it isn't something to write home about... it was interesting enough. the anime spends a ... lot of time developing character as opposed to plot, but i don't mind it. it was fun to watch as all the characters were unique enough... they all stood out in their own way.

i liked the opening ost... it was really catchy and i felt it captured the feel of the anime. i didn't really pay attention to the ending ost as i can't stand cutey-voices like that.

the voice actors are amazinggggg. they did a good job giving life to the characters. a lot of my faves were in the cast :D

should you watch this: yes, yes please. i'm begging you. watch it. you won't regret it. i'm giving this an overall score of 10/10 just cause it made me laugh so hard.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, although not perfect, is probably the funniest and happiest anime I've seen in a while. The art sets the tone for the show, as it's not too showy nor is it too plain. The show's OP takes the cake for being my jam for this summer season, since whenever it comes on all I do is dance even though I can't dance and lip-sync even though I don't know Japanese. All the characters are lovable/likable (Seo's character being more likable than lovable) and there's a type for everyone. I personally loved Mikorin, since he was so dang ... adorable and stupid. As for the story, it's not really a story, more of a documentation of the little things in the character's life. There's no one goal, but that's cool with me, as long as it's enjoyable in all of it's nonsense. Overall, I really liked this series, and I'll be sure to read the manga just cuz i want more. I really recommend this to anyone who's looking for a good time.

But I have to say, at the last episode, I became so frustrated that I threw my phone and screamed "NOOOOZAAAAAKKIIIIII" because I am so fed up with his shit obliviousness like no. I don't give a shit bout your love for fireworks. Fall in love with Chiyo already! GOD! AKJGDYIHBJKHDIAHDU!

:P

This show is silly. Very silly. It’s silly in the best possible way. Strange characters of all types are brought together because of Nozaki, and they work well off of each other because of their strange attitudes. It shows how people are not 2D, and that characters are not defined by their genre. It bridges slapstick with Japanese humor, and makes for a great watch. Whether you know shoujo cliches well or not, this series can be appreciated for its endearing wackiness. You grow to love each of the different characters for their absurdities, and realize that you actually kind of know people like them. ... I found this show more real than any shoujo series simply because the characters were unique and contradictory. For one there’s Nozaki, a big masculine guy who draws shoujo manga. Then there’s Mikoshiba, a popular attractive guy who’s very insecure. The list goes on and on, and rather than spoil it I encourage you to explore it for yourselves. This series has easily one of the best list of characters I’ve seen in a long time. And the humor is just totally spot on.

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Gekkan Shoujo Nosaki-Kun is most definitely one of the stars of the romantic comedy world, and will be held on a pedestal for me for quite a long ways into the future. The jokes, situations and personalities are on point, making it one of the best animes I have followed during the summer season.

As far as the story goes, Gekkan is adapted from 4-Koma comics, meaning there is not a mysterious over branching plot, and the series relies on its bountiful humor, but this does not disappoint. The story begins with young Sakura Chiyo confessing to her crush, Nozaki. Sakura, being terrible with words, decides ... to confess in such a way that Nozaki mistakes her for a fan of his manga. A love story between the tall, monotone mangaka and his twin-bowed companion ensues, rife with incredibly amusing situations around every corner.
This is of course a slice of life anime, but it is among the best. The day by day account of the students working in the manga world is a colorful one, and it makes for an onslaught of great punchlines.
My one blip is viewers may find a touch of unsatifaction regarding the love story itself, but other than that each episode is something to look forward to.

The art is nothing too out of the ordinary, but each character is color and wonderfully expressive. It is not hard to lose track of who's who, and the bright colors bring on a great enthusiasm, fitting the tone of the entire show.

As for sound, the OP, in my opinion, is very catchy, and a nice change from the usual j-pop associated with most rom-coms. Instead, viewers are created with an interesting beat layered over a colorful, fun atmosphere. The ED is rather irritating, and everything in between suites and assists Gekkan's portfolio of humor.

Each character within the series is well crafted and fun to watch; everyone has a specific relationship with each other, and each relationship is unique and almost always humorous. The pairings having a new flair to them, dragging them out of the typical tropes of 'the tsundere' and 'the prince'. Your prince is a clueless female who gets more girls than the men of the series, your best friend is an unapologetic delinquent, your usual pervy guy is adorably embarrassed by whatever junk spills out of his mouth. All in all, I believe the freshness of each individual is what makes Gekkan so enjoyable.

Every joke and situation in Gekkan is played out on point, leaving your appetite for enjoyment well fed. It will be difficult to reach the twelfth episode without a favorite character, and without a good laugh. I encourage and implore all of you to jump right into Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun to raise your stand for comedy anime, because this is one of the funniest I've seen. Well done.

Adapted from manga with same title, I have heard many good reviews for this. A refreshing romcom with manga at its base, I must say it exceeds my expectation. Not only the characters are unique and hilarious, it also has great quality of art and sound. Well, I just can’t stand series with bad quality of art after all. xD

Okay, let’s begin my review!

Music - 10/10

Frankly say, i love both the opening and ending song. For the opening song, dunno why, but I get the comedy-secret-agent-club feeling at first hear it. The melody just brought me to this kind of atmosphere. Then, I fall in ... love in the chorus. What a nice harmony between the melody and visual. And for the ending, i like how they repeat “hantai no” many times. It gives me that cute feelings. And, Sakura Chiyo as the background picture just make it better!

For the background music, I amazed at how it blend with the situation. Mostly when, the comedy yet serious scene. How this series using serious music in comedy scene just hilarious. And not just that, there’s one more thing which is more hilarious. That is… when someone give idiotic advice, yet the music play a mellow piano as the background. HAHAHA. This show always make my day.

Visual - 9/10

Effect-wise. That’s a perfect word for this series. They know well when to use effect and do not overused it. From the first episode, I have known it has a great quality of art. Colorful environment which adapt every situation. When romantic scene, it becomes warm and comfortable (well, it is afternoon and they succesfully build the environment romantic). And when the comedy comes up, it adapts to shoujo situation which is hilarious.

One more thing, I loved it when the “manga” scene takes part. How it moves between pages is beautiful. And, how the background music and voice actor blend with this situation just makes it better. I don’t really know why this scene leave good impressions in my heart, but I just can’t forget how I enjoy this series in my looong holiday.

Character - 10/10

This is one thing I truly like from this series. Why? Because, there are so many unique personalities here. Let’s say Mikoshiba, a narcissist but shy. Saying really cool things but can’t act after it. Or Kawashima, a prince (or princess?) but… a true fool. Oh wait, all of them are fools anyway. But, i just can’t hate them, they are lovable in their unique ways. Gekkan shoujo is charming because of its foolishness, and it’s a perfect way to produce comedy.

Way better, all the characters have the room to develop properly. This is why the environment seems lively and not rigid. All of their fool actions connect each other. Well, they are a “group” with every single person have unique characters. And, when a unique person meet others, the comedy starts. In my opinion, this is the hardest part to built romcom story, when we need to connect all the characters but still at its track. But, this show done it beautifully.

Story - 8/10

Well, it’s common knowledge that comedy film doesn’t need a decent plot. If we can enjoy how the story flow, then it succeed. This series’ plot is quite simple, just revolve around how mangaka (in this case, Nozaki) live his lives. But, the spices make this series enjoyable. A fall-in-love assistant, a true fools friends as model characters, and an idiot editor. Feels like a simple white rice, but with nice choice of ingredients. With it, they changed the “simple one” to “amazing one”.

Ah but, I can’t give it full points because the originality of this series. There a lot of anime with this kind of thing out there. Manga, highschool romance, unique person. The difference lies in how it develop. Personally, I don’t think how the story starts is the most important thing. How the story flow is key to make one show interesting. That’s why I still love this series although its originality.

That’s all from me, thanks for reading! c:

***spoiler free***

This was probably the best RomCom of the Summer and of 2014!
When at first I started watching I had no idea that a "good" or "nice" anime at first, would grow so much in only a few episodes. This has the whole pack of what a good anime is all about!

Story is very good, very interesting episodes mainly because of brilliant touches made in the characters.
Very good art and music, they did a great job there.

Overall, if you want an interesting funny anime, definitely see this one!

8.5/10

A show about a guy writing a shojo manga who somehow forces a girl that likes him to help in writing/drawing this manga (along with a couple of other guys who are pretty embarrassed about it).

So, I’ll start off by saying the art in this, I thought, was really appealing. Nothing was hard to look at, there were no times I kinda had to casually just look up to avoid embarrassment at seeing some ecchi sort of shot and everything was just nice to look at. The character designs were really good (it made me want to style my hair like Sakura’s haha) and pretty. ... I’d give it about 8/10.

Next, the characters. I generally just enjoyed them. I typically don’t watch a lot of anime in this kind of genre, so they might be typical characters of shows like these, but I wouldn’t know and, frankly, I wouldn’t care. There were an array of characters that ranged from the overly confident ‘playboy’ who had major self-confidence issues when he wasn’t trying to show off (God, Mikoshiba was adorable) to the practically psychotic girl who laughed as others died in a movie, was way too blunt and had a secret talent that wasn’t a secret to everyone but the boy she liked. I personally thought they were funny, and interesting, and I found I could relate in some way to most of them. Even if they are your kind of ‘oh, we always get these kind of characters’ characters, well, I don’t mind because they’re entertaining as hell, or, at least they are for me when I need a good, solid stress reliever. So, another 8/10, I suppose.

The plot isn’t much to go by. It’s literally explained in the first sentence of this review and it doesn’t go off much from that. A few “Oh, did that really just happen?” moments here, a few, “Why am I even watching this?” moments there. All in all, it’s pretty much more centered around the relationship between Sakura and Nozaki, as well as what’s going on with the other more minor characters (Nozaki’s characters in his manga included). I liked the progress of the relationships going on. I thought they were well-paced, nothing happened too fast, there was just the right amount of teasing for me to swear at the ending, but also feel really happy about how it ended. I wasn't quite expecting that, but I'm glad that was how it was. I think it fitted well with how their relationship had built up so far after I thought about it and I'm glad they didn't push that last scene. It just made it all the more satisfactory for me. So for pure plot, I'd give it like a 5/10.

As for enjoyment, however, I must say that, damn, did I enjoy this. The amount of times this show had me cracking a goofy grin, trying to stifle a giggle and shaking my head were crazy. I probably questioned why the hell I was watching this more than five times, but that's when I know I've enjoyed it. It's been great for me personally because I enjoy silliness and lame moments and awkwardness in a show. If you perhaps can't stand that, then maybe it's not for you. But, hey, it doesn't hurt to try, right? I know people say this all the time, but you don't know you won't like it unless you try it. I think a lot of people can enjoy this.

All in all, I'd give it an 8/10 based purely on how much entertainment I got from it since that is what anime essentially aims to do.

This is my first review, excuse me if it is not that great.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun (Girls Monthly Nozaki-kun) was a rare and amazing anime for me to find. I tend to not go anywhere near romance in anime, probably because I find the female characters clingy and annoying. But after the first episode of this anime, I was in love. Many of the items that I would find not that great in other romance anime, or sometimes other anime in general, will make up for it here.

Story: The story and plot is similar to most romance anime. A girl falls for a guy, not having ... enough courage to say, goes through many problems and good times with him and friends. You would think it would be an average romance/school anime, but it exceeds that. Sakura, a regular high school student, ends up falling in love with a tall, regular looking guy. Only to find out he's a famous mangaka. They become good friends, meeting new people who all together with Sakura, help out Nozaki on his books.

Art: The art was very bright and beautiful, I never got tired of it. I don't usually dislike the art of an anime, so I would find it nice. But this anime's art and faces the characters make are beautiful and priceless.

Sound: I don't particularly like the sound/music of anime. I tend to skip the opening and ending songs, but I could listen to the opening a ending songs over and over if I wanted. They were light and very nice sounding.

Character: All the characters have their own style. A girl who acts like a prince. A guy who charms girls, only to be completely embarrassed about it and shy around any new people. Nozaki, who is not afraid to try on a sailor costume at a store, only to be sad he is not a slender "bishounen" and is completely oblivious to everything. They are all unique in their own ways, and they all make the show more amazing.

Enjoyment: I enjoyed this anime much more than I thought. When I started it, it only had 2 or 3 episodes out, so when I got caught up, I was wanting to see much more of the show and the characters. The humor is great. You will laugh probably every minute. Once you think the moment will be cute and light, Nozaki brings something weird in.

Overall: 10/10. This was an outstanding series I did not think I would ever enjoy as much as this. I highly recommend this, for romance, as you can ship and there is romance with about everyone in here, but also just for the comedy and moments.

Have you ever had ramen but got the wrong order, but then end up really liking the mistaken order? This is what the anime is. Its an anime that doesn't really stand out at all but excels with its well written story, witty puns, and very well developed characters, never leaving anyone out or making them feel like a side character. The anime also has great art, with vibrant colours that are pleasant to the eye, but doesn't make it feel like you are looking at the end of a unicorns butt. It has great use of music that is correct with the setting and ... background. The characters have properly matched voice acting, sometimes making you forgot you are watching an anime. Once again, it is like a ramen you ordered but got something else by mistake, but you finish it with enjoyment, drink the soup until there is no more... until another bowl comes.

Neko again here, it's my first time writing review for popular anime series, so I'm a bit nervous to write and dunno what to write. But I'll try my best to present something from what I've seen in this anime.

I usually decide to watch a anime from what I saw in the art & illustration. Then I dropped this anime before watching it, since it have shoujo-themed art. But suddenly my friend recommend me this anime, I watch the first episode and I really enjoyed this while laughing my ass off..

This is different from what I see, I mean, the art have shoujo style, the ... male character is really 'beautiful-teenage-guy'. But the story itself is really funny. I looking forward to watch this anime every week. Even I might compare this anime to Daily Lives of High School Boys as equally hilarious!

The story is about a damn-she-is-really-cute-i-wanna-hug-her maiden in love Sakura Chiyo, and her super-airhead-scary-faced-guy-crush Nozaki Umetarou. She confessed, but what was she saying is like 'liking as a fan of her work since nozaki is a comic artist'. Then, typical misunderstanding-teen-anime situation occured.

Every episode is filled with comedy. Absurd imagination of Nozaki and his friends make the anime really funny. Every misunderstanding situation is epic. Then Sakura always played the role of straight-man wonderfully. This is best anime of this season. (source : my local club in MAL)

You might watch some cute expression of Sakura Chiyo when she blushes. But since Nozaki is airhead male character, don't expect romance story.

Idiot, is the very first impression of me about Nozaki anime. Why? Because.. Because.. It's him!! I couldn't even understand the way he think!! Yet he's soo hilarious!!!

Okay, I'm back to normal, forget what I'm sayin', feel free to push helpful or not helpful button. See you later on my another review..

(This review will be updated once I can catch up with all the series on my "currently watching" list.)

Goddamn this show was funny. If you think this is going to be a tension filled, tear jerking, romantic drama, reread the genre list tags. COMEDY. Yeah. And lots of it.

Nozaki-kun was a show I was looking forward to since its anime adaptation announcement in March. I'm happy to say, the anticipation that I had for this show did not go to waste. In fact, instead of matching the bar I set for it, Nozaki-kun easily surpassed it.

First, we have Chiyo. Chiyo has a crush on her ... classmate Umetarou Nozaki. Due to a failed confession, she now finds herself in a world she never knew. Who would have known that her classmate, Nozaki-kun, was a popular shoujo manga artist! Next, we have our male protagonist, Umetarou Nozaki (Nozaki-kun for short), who this series is named after. A shoujo manga artist, Nozaki-kun is mostly stoic individual, who is COMPLETELY oblivious to Chiyo's feelings. Then we have the other characters: Yuzuki, Kashima, Hori, Mikoshiba. If there was one thing to describe ALL of the characters in this series, it's that they are so eccentric, so out there, that if you locked them all in a room and left them to interact with one another, you would have scenarios so funny that they would give you a heart attack. In short, the characters are hilariously interesting. They ARE the driving force behind why this series is so funny and easy to watch. If it weren't for them, I feel as though this series wouldn't have received such high marks.

Now, as for the story, there isn't really an overarching plot to this show; it's pretty straightforward. The story consists of putting the characters listed above in situations that lead to back-breakingly funny outcomes.

If you want a series to pick up that will leave you laughing (or at least grinning) throughout each and every episode, be it because you want a breathe of fresh air from a serious or sad show (ex. Clannad or Anohana), or perhaps you just love the comedy genre in general, check out Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun. If you don't at least laugh a few times, I'd be pretty surprised.

Let me be honest. When I read the manga I didn’t find Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun that funny. Sure it has it’s moments but ultimately it might not pull you in…until you watch the anime. It was one of those cases for me that the anime surpassed the manga. the quality here is simply amazing and I am not talking about the quality of the animation. I am talking about the amount of detail and care you can see in this anime. Specially the voice acting that really gave soul to the whole thing.

The story is about a girl that fell in love with a Mangaka ... named Nozaki and become his assistant so she can win his heart. She gets to know a bunch of weird people through Nozaki and vice versa and lots of funny situations arise from their encounters. Fortunately characters are mostly already paired and there is no unnecessary harem. (not against harem just find most of them unnecessary). Each character as you can expect has it’s own unique joke but fortunately they don’t feel forced and the timing for most of them are right. Sometimes some jokes are just repeated to show you that the story still remembers the things that happened previously.(drawing a house as a background joke) The anime had to cut some of the stuff sadly even though they were funny (Nozaki saving all of his ex-editor’s messages so he can tattle him later and OMG NO BEACH EPISODE) while leaving some unnecessary ones in.

The good part of Gekkan Shoujo is where it pokes fun at Nozaki’s manga. sometimes when you read a manga you find things that are unintentionally funny, Gekkan Shoujo focuses on that aspect sometimes. For example Nozaki’s manga is about a girl named Mamiko that fell in love with a boy named Suzuki and at some point Nozaki’s new Editor notices some panels are exactly the same with Mamiko saying “Suzuki-kun” over and Over again (this reminded me of Orihime from Bleach). Another funny example is when Nozaki found it easier to leave backgrounds black (again Bleach? :P). As I said the anime has a good amount of details. For example they cared enough to show you a basketball poster in Nozaki’s room just to foreshadow his previous involvement in Basketball and his friendship with Wakamatsu.

The best part of the anime is the voice acting and is filled with experienced voice actors.(Ari Ozawa, Sakura’s VA is still new and it is her debut role as a main character and she really done a great job). Sometimes they make even unfunny jokes funny. As for most of comedy shows there are no memorable tracks or music but it is fine. The animation while is good is not something special either. Character designs are faithful to manga and everything is smooth. also i find the OP good and silly at the same time. also thank god for the character designs. sometimes only main characters are drawn good but here everyone feels the same and the whole world is pretty not only the main guys !

It’s not like Gekkan Shoujo has no weak points at all though, for example some characters act ignorant or stupid very convieniently sometimes(Seo is probably doing it on purpose, at least to Wakamatsu) or they act way too unreal.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun can be a weird anime. It is one of those that you think it is not that good but you keep watching it and keep enjoying it. Ultimately Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun and Barakamon are my comedy suggestions of Summer 2014.

A Comedy of Misunderstanding’s

Hilarity comes from many parts of life. But, misunderstandings can create some of the biggest laughs. Think back on your life, the most embarrassing instances. I’ll bet quite a few of those moments can be chalked up to misunderstandings. Yeah, those moments might be embarrassing, but put yourself in someone else’s shoes and thinks about those moment in your life. Chances are you might laugh at those misunderstandings. Hell you might even laugh at those moments as you grow older, and as you recount the stupid mistakes of you past.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is a comedy all about misunderstandings. From Nozaki misunderstanding Sakura’s ... confession to Hori-sempai mistaking Kashima for a man. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki Kun thrives off of misunderstandings, and this drives the comedy that is the center piece of the show.

The Story is a simple one. Sakura, Chiyo is girl in love with a boy named Nozaki. She confesses to Nozaki that she has always been his fan. But, unbeknownst to Sakura, Nozaki is a famous shoujo manga writer. So Sakura instead getting a date, gets an autograph, and an invite to Nozaki’s home, but only to assist him with his shoujo manga. Thus begins the comedy of misunderstandings, which only continues with more misunderstandings as we are introduced to the cast of assistants and inspirations of Nozaki’s manga. To give away anymore would be criminal, because the comedy is again experienced from the misunderstandings, and the shock value of some them will have you rolling on the floor.

For those expecting your traditional Rom-com though be forewarned. Nozaki-Kun is not a traditional Rom-Com. It is Rom-Com, heavy on the Comedy, with just a sprinkle of Romance. Most of the Comedy comes from the cast’s misunderstandings or analysis of Romance. This could be from the almost eccentric Nozaki’s study of Romance for his inspiration, or the confusion of a cast of characters experiencing love for the first time. However, there are a few tender moment’s (and I mean very few) that will have you squeeing your little fanboy and fangirl hearts out. At least until you smacked in the face with by the blue ball gods who will have you wishing for more, as laugh through tears.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun is easily my favorite Rom-Com of all time. I’m hard pressed to find any faults with it. You won’t understand why until you see it for yourself. I know I will be re-watching this show, as I patiently wait for a second season, which I hope will someday come. Hopefully someday soon.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun: Don't judge a manga by its cover.

First and foremost Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is a romantic comedy, and although it never strays from that path it also never bogs itself down with many of the typical trappings that often accompany shows of this genre. Relying more heavily on the comedy aspect for the greater part of the series it offers a solid overall balance of comedy and romance often at times forgetting about the romantic interactions completely. Gekkan Shoujo paces itself slowly and deliberately and isn't afraid of placing it's side characters in the spotlight for an entire episode at a time. ... This however is one of the more glaring faults to it's credit, as it causes episodes with little to no story progression and the characters placed at the center of these episodes garner no development themselves, but rather are simply used as tools to promote various gags or misunderstandings of comical nature.

One of the driving plot points and a recurring theme throughout the anime is a parallel that is continually drawn between the manga that Nozaki is writing and the actual events taking place within the show. The first of these parallels is that the characters in Nozaki's manga are directly based off of his friends, the second being that he draws inspiration for his plot by simply watching the interactions between him and his friends and then casually edits it to fit the shoujo genre. These parallels are one of the two main sources of comedy that this show uses, often changing the mundane happenings of Nozaki's life into outlandish shoujo manga settings, and the other way around.

The character cast is not anything that could be considered surprising for a a show of this nature. The two mains consist of Chiyo Sakura, who is energetic, cute, and always willing to help. Then there is her counterpart Umetarou Nozaki, who is quiet, calm, and has a penchant for misunderstanding the situation. Although this balance of characters is quite common overall it is certainly played out to the best of its abilities, knowing when to use the comical nature of such a pairing, and when to slow the pace for the more romantic scenes.

The plot mostly revolves around these two as Chiyo helps Nozaki with his manga not only by working directly on it, but by explaining and helping him understand certain misconceptions he has about girls in real life compared to girls in shoujo manga. The second main culprit of the humor in this series is derived from the misunderstandings that Nozaki has with both real life and fictitious girls and romantic interactions, often to the point of complete obliviousness on his part. Chiyo, unlike Nozaki, is often quick to understand the situation at hand, though sometimes she still falls victim to Nozaki's misconceptions.

The remaining cast of characters follows suit in that none of them particularly stand out, and generally follow typical shoujo character designs, aside from certain twists. The first twist, and general pattern that the side characters follow, is that they all are somewhat gender swapped, that is to say the males are usually put into situations that you would commonly find female characters in and vice versa. This is made more obvious during the series as Nozaki uses his male friends as inspiration for the female characters in his manga. The second twist, only applying to some of the side characters, is that they are stereotypical shoujo characters on the outside, but almost completely different on the inside.

Among these characters are Mikoto Mikoshiba, a smooth talker who is never afraid to be a braggart on the outside. On the inside he is easily embarrassed, often embarrassing himself with the way he speaks, and needy, complimenting others or acting aloof as to gain compliments or attention himself.

Then there is Yuu Kashima, playing the part of the ever charming "prince", except she's a girl. Always willing to sweet talk other girls she is seemingly charming and charismatic. She has a problem remembering the names of her followers and is easily misunderstood, often trying to make a positive impression, only to have the end result be the polar opposite of her intentions.

Lastly is Yuzuki Seo, for those who are unfamiliar she may appear as a talented beauty, being referred to as Lorelei, the Adonis of the choir club. To those that know her she is a wrecking ball of energy and crass behavior and can often be found laying waste to the boys basketball team, even though she believes she is helping.

As far as the musical score is concerned Gekkan Shoujo boasts a slightly above average sound track. The best of the tracks being the fantastic opening song, both unusual and catchy it's an energetic way to start each episode on a high note. Otherwise aside from a well placed piece every so often the background music is fairly standard, nothing overly dramatic, and also nothing worth complaining about.

Overall Gekkan Shoujo is a pleasantly funny, if not slightly standard, romantic comedy that is certain to make you laugh more than feel for the characters. I would recommend this show to those who are fans of either romance or comedy, but would suggest that those looking for more depth from their romances look elsewhere.

I gave Gekkan shoujo Nozaki-kun an overall score of 7/10

Thankfully short. Spoiler free.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is a charming, light romance anime that takes those popular shoujo romance tropes and subverts them. Our leading man, Nozaki, is a manga artist who creates popular shoujo romance with zero personal experience. Our leading lady, Sakura, is an art club member who bungles up her confession and ends up as a Nozaki's inker. A wonderful partnership is born.

Warning: This series has more manga-making than romance.

The deconstruction of shoujo tropes was very well done. Much of the comedic material hinges on the “real life to manga to real life” deal. Nozaki takes inspiration from his friends with plenty ... of misunderstandings and even experiments on himself, without the malice or angst. One thing you’ll love about this series is that the supporting characters shine, not only our leads. Most of Nozaki's resources and quests for inspiration are written for hilarity, however, upon reflection, some may not be as funny. But don't let this stop you. If there’s a low comedic point in its 12 episode run, it isn’t noticeable.

The anime is a success as a parody. Under that self-effacing humor is something quite cerebral. If you enjoy shoujo romance without putting it on a pedestal, this series is for you.

DISCLAIMER: Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun IS NOT A ROMANCE COMEDY. IT IS NOT A ROM COM. (Romcoms are Toradora, Kare Kano, Golden Time, Lovely Complex) IT IS PURELY COMEDY. There are sweet moments in the anime, but that should not be seen as romance. Romance requires development of some sort. A one sided crush, is simply a one sided crush. And it's used for comedy.

This anime is glorious. Doesn't rely on tropes and even though it doesn't have a plot, it's episodic nature keeps you entertained. Part of the humor is taking apart gender roles and stereotypes. While this isn't the first anime to ... do it, it is one of the first I've seen that can do it in such a comedic way. The jokes are a constant reversal of expectation, and while you know this, it doesn't make it less funny.

There is a lot of space for a cynic to hate on Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. In the most sarcastic internal voice you can muster, you might think to yourself watching the first episode: ‘Oh great, another romance anime with one of those clueless protagonists who can’t take a hint. Just what we need’. You would be right – it turns out another one of those anime was exactly what we needed, because rarely is the concept so well executed, or stretched to such hilarity, as it is in Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun.

Gekkan Shoujo is about Nozaki-kun, a high-school student who is secretly a shoujo manga artist, ... and his life. (The anime is based on a manga as well, so I guess it’s manga-ception?) Now Nozaki-kun is not the world’s most perceptive character, and so when his adoring fan and the anime’s main character Sakura tries to ask him out, he infers that she wants an autograph, much to his satisfaction and her dismay. Similarly dense moments make the biggest running gag of Gekkan Shoujo. This is a show that creates scenarios so that the relationship between our protagonists might develop, only in order that they can be shut down in the most hilariously tragic way possible. You might be wondering whether it’s a parody of the shoujo genre or just a funny shounen? It doesn’t really matter when you’re laughing.

Sakura is a feisty protagonist if I ever saw one, the polar opposite to the Nozaki’s docile silence. But she’s very sweet and loveable all the same, such that you’re always excited when her relationship with Nozaki seems to be getting better. And what better way is there for it to improve than to help Nozaki with his manga? That’s right, not only is this show funny, you’re getting an insight into how manga is made at the same time! It’s not Bakuman levels of complexity, but it’s nevertheless really interesting to see all the different roles that make up the creation of a manga.

Obviously, Sakura can’t do this job on her own however, so this is where Gekkan Shoujo brings in its remaining cast of quirky characters. There’s Mikoshiba, our very own male tsundere with a talent for spouting cheesy pick-up lines and becoming embarrassed immediately after saying them. Then there’s Seo, the most insensitive best friend you could ever have – she’s desperate to attract the attention of one of Nozaki’s assistants Wakamatsu, but will happily compare Wakamatsu to a dog without so much as considering it might be insulting. Finally, there’s the drama club dream team Kashima and Hori. These two are the Laurel and Hardy of the show, and Hori is always Kashima’s throat trying to drag her away from her doting female fan club.

What’s great about this rag-tag bunch is that they’re all given room to let the story explore their relationships. All of them are also built into storyline of Nozaki’s manga, often in ridiculously roundabout ways. Mikoshiba (a guy) is used as reference for the school-girl heroine Mamiko! What’s more, Kashima then becomes the reference for the hero’s rival, who tries to snatch up Mamiko’s love! With the sheer eccentricity of all these characters, Nozaki wisely decides to use his entire school life as one big reference for the manga. This results in all sort of comic situations for Nozaki and Sakura, including Nozaki trying to get into the mind of his manga characters (and possibly the best line ever muttered in anime: ‘I wish I’d been born a slender bishounen!’) Needless to say, when summer arrives Nozaki suddenly seems very keen to organise a guy’s pyjama party...

At the end of Gekkan Shoujo, I don’t really feel as though the story progressed all that much, and certainly Sakura and Nozaki are nowhere near the relationship level Sakura pines for. So if that’s something you’re looking for, you might want to look to something a bit more focused on the serious romance department. But as a comedy which uses romance as its medium, Gekkan Shoujo certainly delivers. I look forward to season 2, where perhaps Mikoshiba will learn not to volunteer for nude modelling until after he’s calmed down a bit.

Recommendations: School Rumble – Romance may be an element of both shows, but it’s an excuse in both to laugh at whichever wacky situation the characters will plunge into next!

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is truly an example of comedy and moderation done right. While some may be unable to appreciate exactly how the show chooses to manifest itself, the audience nonetheless realize that the unique humor implemented within creates harmony amongst characters, story, and the overall progression. Therefore, nothing is essentially "shoved" down people's throats and nothing is forced, making the ride smooth from start to finish.

I particularly enjoyed Gekkan Shoujo because of the refreshingly strange cast of characters. Every single one of them are so very loveable in one way or another, as they all possess their own individual charm. All of them ... are "main characters" in their own sense, not depending on any other character in order to create situational atmosphere, conflict, and resolution. They simply stand out that much. Sakura was and still is one of my favorite girl characters in any anime. And as much as I tried, I simply could not fit any of them into a "stock character" trope, a formula for which many anime shows re-use, over and over again. GS breaks through the cliché saying, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." It proves that there is ALWAYS room to improve, and even more potential to be tapped into, so long as the creators are in the right mindset and remain objectively calm in their work. The voice acting is spot-on. The punch-lines are quirky. The romance is desirable.

A not-so-typical romcom that has everything you'd expect from a slice of life and comedy, and much more. Romance is certainly very prevalent, but one would be somewhat disappointed if he/she began watching it for the sake of a full-blown love story with a clearly defined happy ending. And it isn't the whole point of the show, either. The emphasis on every character makes sure that as you watch, you watch with everyone in mind.

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun is an ongoing manga series that started in 2011. In 2014, it received a 12 episode anime.

Okay, stop me if any of this sounds familiar. Nozaki-kun is about a high school girl named Chiyo Sakura. Like many girls her age, she has A Boy She Likes, a fellow classmate named Nozaki. She finally works up the nerve to tell him how she feels about him. However, instead of saying something like, “I’m in love with you! Let’s hang out!” she instead says, “I’m your biggest fan!” His reaction? He fills out an autograph. Chiyo’s reaction is the same as the audience’s; huh? ... She clarifies that she wants to be with him. Nozaki then invites her over to his apartment, not to be romantically together with her, but rather to have her assist in his manga. It turns out that Nozaki is a shoujo manga author, and he thought Chiyo was a fan of his work, so much so, that she wanted to be an assistant producer. Bewildered but not put off, she agrees to help him, hoping she’ll get closer to him. The only problem is, despite writing mushy love stories, Nozaki is completely unaware of how she feels for him, indeed, he hasn’t even been in love himself!

The whole thing about Nozaki-kun is that it’s a shoujo romance that pokes fun at shoujo romance. (The fact that the manga runs in a shonen serial might be a giveaway) Like many artists, Nozaki takes inspiration from the people around him. Since everyone acts like a shoujo manga cliché, or at least something akin to that, this gives him a lot of good material, and a lot of laughs for the audience. For example, there is Mikoto, the charming red-haired stud, who loves to flirt with girls...and also suffers from a frail ego. He is always embarrassed by his words. Nozaki bases one of his female characters off of him, hinting that a lady’s man like Mikoto can be like a stereotypical girly girl. There is also Seo, the beautiful girl with an angelic singing voice...who is also disrespectful, unfeminine, and loves to be violent on the basketball court. And there’s also Yuu, the “Prince” of the school...who is actually a girl, just very masculine in appearance. She plays male characters in the theater club, and is the heartthrob of other girls, regardless of their preferences. That’s not even mentioning the other oddball personalities, like the two manga editors Maeno (conceited) and Ken (“normal”, yet beloved by Nozaki). The two mains are quirky in their own right. Chiyo is cheery and bright, though not as ditzy as characters like her usually are; her facial reactions should be proof of this. Nozaki is a talented author and artist, yet does and says nearly everything with a poker face, and when he does get emotional, it’s over the strangest of things.

While Nozaki-kun makes a lot of fun of shoujo romances, it never does so in a mean-spirited manner. One can be a fan of the genre, or not, and still enjoy Nozaki-kun for what it is. Many of the jokes work even if you know nothing of how these sorts of love stories play out. There’s humor in gender stereotypes, meta gags, slapstick, dialogue, and all other variety of humor. Unlike some comedy anime, which rely mostly on otaku references or tired physical gags, Nozaki-kun rarely gets tiresome in how it presents itself. I say rarely, for some of the later episodes recycled gags at times. It wasn’t a huge detriment, but I did remember that.

Also of note is the animation. In short, it looks much better than most other high school comedies. The animation itself is very fluid for a tv series, with bright colors that don’t get too garish, and I was unable to locate any off model shots. The character designs are typical of shoujo, with the men being tall and with handsome faces, but there’s variety, for Chiyo is the only girl with an overly childish appearance, Yuu’s princely figure is unique, and Ken the editor looks rather plain for an anime character, but it all helps for the different personas to stand out, not just in behavior, but in appearance too.

The opening theme song is a catchy tune, as is some of the background music. The audio doesn’t fail, and this extends to the voice acting, which is spot on. There are many recognizable names in the cast, including Yuuichi Nakamura, Mai Nakahara, Daisuke Ono, and Norio Wakamoto. Of particular note is Miyuki Sawashiro. Normally, I find Sawashiro’s performances sounding like she’s bored out of her mind, but not here; she really chews the scenery as Seo, in a good way. Even the actors I don’t know by name sound great. There are no weak links in the Japanese cast, for sure.

Upon finishing the last episode, I had two thoughts. One, there needs to be more Nozaki-kun! Two, why didn’t anyone think of spoofing shoujo romances like this before!? Okay, aside from Ouran High School Host Club, I can’t think of anything else like Nozaki-kun, certainly not anything new. This is a fresh take on the high school comedy anime, and a fresh take on the strange things love does to us, and one I wouldn’t mind seeing continued in animated form.