Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

Your enjoyment of this is really going to depend on your sense of humor, and this just hits mine spot-on. That special kind of emotional retardation, the total obliviousness, and in particular, the sort of 'alien' behavior (if that is even adequate to describe the behaviors of half the cast, especially Nozaki himself) is just my cup of tea.
If that is not your thing, you probably shouldn't bother, as the show itself has little else to offer

The characters seems to be sort of your archetypes, but genderswitched, and with an attached 'quirk' that might as well have been chosen from a pair of dice. They're ... a bit plane beyond that, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Nozaki deserves special attention for the little quirks he acquired in his quest to continue writing mediocre shoujo. It is certainly unique. I can barely describe it.

Animation is fine, kinda charming, cant recall any of the sound so nothing outstanding either, story never goes anywhere or changes any status quo, its a sort of one trick pony that might tickle a very specific fancy

I found this an incredibly enjoyable anime.
It's really funny and honestly, I liked all of the characters. That's never happened to me before, actually.
It's interesting to see the relationships being built between the characters.

I liked the series a lot, it had a casual kind of feeling to it yet it wasn't cliché.

Man I really hope there'll be a second season. I hated the ending so much! I won't spoil it for y'all, but I was really disappointed... You'll see when you get there. I still liked the parts before the ending, so I wouldn't suddenly give it lower grades than it deserves.

I bet you'll like ... it as much as I did!

Episodes: 12
A really fun and nice anime to watch.
It's your average romcom school anime but with much less romance and hilarious comedy.
The one thing I loved about this anime is how each episode made me burst out laughing. It's truly hilarious. And the characters are really well designed and funny in their own ways.
The story is something like this; a girl messes up her confession to a boy who is a mangaka and she spends her days working in his apartment as his assistant.
Along the way, we meet the boy's and the girl's friends who have their own problems and some of which are also ... assistants of the boy.

The comedy is the best part of this anime. Though the romance is nothing much and if you want a total romance anime, steer clear from here. But if you're looking for a warm, fuzzy kind of anime with loads of laughter, this is the best choice.
It's quite similar to Ao Haru Ride; just add a lot of comedy and decrease the romance aspect. As for those who've already see AHR, you know what decreasing the romance could mean.

Overall, it's a really enjoyable anime and you'll have fun watching it!

I don't know if Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun necessarily falls into the genre of "slice-of-life," but watching it makes you feel like you are apart of the characters lives. You become sucked in and you feel the feelings they feel, you enjoy the things they enjoy, and you are basically living their lives with them.
If you enjoy humor, romance, friendship, and/or entertainment, this anime is definitely for you.
I wish I watched this anime after it had already come out so I could've binged watched it. It was torture having to wait a week for every episode. You really feel like you are in the anime yourself, ... living the characters lives with them. You feel every emotion possible: enjoyment, laughter, sadness, nervousness, excitement, etc. You come to love the characters on the very first episode and you soon start rooting for different relationship couples all while laughing at the humor that is constantly being thrown in there.

I have recommended this anime to so many friends, and I will continue to do so. I gave a 10 in almost every category because I love this anime so much and I feel other people will enjoy it as much as I did.

Prior knowledge
Manga: None

With so many popular action anime taking the spotlight this Summer season, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun stands out being one of the more lighthearted shows. Relying mainly on its comedic factor to grab the viewers. But with many of these (rather depressing) shows sporting loads of hype, big budgets, and flashy action does GSN do well with so many other heavyweight contenders? Does a comedy show still have a place in the viewers interests? Let's find out.

Story - 7/10

Let's be very clear. GSN is not a shoujo romance. If you came here looking for another Ao Haru Ride or Sukitte Ii na yo then ... it's time to back up and try again. Because this show is all about the comedy. It's not even a RomCom. It's all comedy. The romance hinted at the beginning of the show is simply a backdrop to set the setting for the overall tone of the show. So it's better to come into the show knowing there will be no romantic development at all. Even if the show continuously teases this. The last episode especially.

Simply put, there is not 'story' so to speak. There isn't any clear linear plot where the main characters go from A to B. It's just the main cast and their shenanigans. In this sense, it's very similar to Nichijou although it's much more grounded. While the fact that there isn't a 'proper' plot may be a turn off for some people it's nothing to fret over much in the context of the show. However, with a show where much of it's focus is on the comedy, there will be moments of GSN where it feels boring or uninteresting to the viewer if the jokes or gags don't appeal to them. And it's a main problem with any show that chooses to focus on one genre in detail or go through with no solid plot. That said, GSN did had me laughing for most of the show's episodes and successfully did its job in keeping me entertained through its use of comedy. While there were some moments where I was left unentertained (Nichijou is notorious for this) it's certainly a show that would make anyone feel good after watching.

The show does stick to its manga artist subplot for the first few episodes and this was used as a good plot device to introduce all the characters as neatly (and hilariously) as possible. This subplot does get dropped as the show continued. It would have been nice to keep it going or at least shift the focus more subtly. The drop was too abrupt as by the time all the characters were introduced, the manga artist plot device became quite integral that leaving it out so suddenly was a little disappointing and made it very clear it was primarily a plot device. The situation does get revisited sometimes in later episodes but simply as a reminder of the show's initial setting.
One minor problem I had was the actual romantic 'subplot'. While it was clearly used as a backdrop to set up certain jokes or scenes between many of the main characters (not just Nozaki and Sakura) I felt that it became distracting at times. The show sometimes resorts to romantic teasing or hinting. While this may be part of a joke or gag, I found it distracting as it took away the show's value as a comedy. It also felt out of place, as since there was zero romatic development, the use of a sudden couple-shipping scene felt like a jarring change of pace. However, the show doesn't do it so many times that it becomes some badly written romcom.

Art - 7/10

There's a weird contrast of quality in this show in terms of art. The character designs are very over the top. From the red hair to the handsome trap-girl to the blonde Japanese. It really shows that this show was originally a manga. And there's nothing wrong with that. Their designs match their personalities more or less and is generally fitting. Character expressions were used really effectively. The last time I've seen such faces being shown was with Nisekoi. Sakura's reaction faces specifically are funny to watch.

On the flipside, the backgrounds felt like I was seeing a template. The school backgrounds looked like something out of a low budget anime or visual novel. I'm not expecting Aldnoah.Zero levels of art but the backgrounds simply looked like a fake stage backdrop. The show didn't have it's own 'style' so to speak. While this is a bit of nitpicking on my part it did feel at certain times that the characters were acting on some stage than actually being in school.

The OP's sequence was the last thing I expected from a show with this tone. It complemented the music very well and was very pretty to watch. Likewise for the ED.

Sound - 8/10

There isn't much to be said. The show's comedy relied heavily on visual gags and character jokes. While utilizing the hearing sense to add to the comedy might have added to the show's comedic value, it already did well enough on its own with the visuals. The soundtrack is a bit generic but does the job well.

Character voices were a strong point in this show. Every character had their own unique voice that viewers could easily associate with a specific character. The voices suited the character's personalities and appearances well. And shouts and laughter complimented well with the jokes. All in all very good voice acting.

The OP for this show is simply fantastic and always manages to put me in a good mood before the show starts. I feel this is a very important yet overlooked part of any anime. If an OP does well in setting the right mood for the viewer, they will naturally feel much more positive receiving the show. The spunky beat and lively trumpets showed the fun and lightheartedness of the show.

Character - 7/10

The main cast has plenty of diverse, fun, and memorable characters.There were many different personalities in the cast and it effectively created a lively atmosphere when they interacted with each other. Seeing as how the show relies much of its entertainment value on comedy, the characters do well in carrying the show. Reactions, interactions and personalities are critical for a show like GSN and how each of these aspects are used and executed can mean the difference between a good show and a bad one. Fortunately, the execution carried out by the characters is done well.

GSN's characters are very archetypal and it isn't afraid to show this. Flaunt it even. As with shows like GSN, reactions are highly exaggerated and this show will use it every single time when they can. Each character represents one focused group of a personality trait, and its because of this that the conflict and comedic interaction with the cast is very strong. However, such characters suffer a weakness similar to that in its plot. Make no mistake, there is close to zero character development here at all. The cast never strays away from the personality tropes given to them. While this does help in its jokes, it does mean that people would quickly find the show boring if the characters don't fit well together in certain situations or if they simply don't like them. That said, this rarely happens, if ever. But if you miss a gag or don't get a joke after a long scene, you're going to feel dissatisfied. Just for that moment. But it's enough to break away from the 'feel good' momentum you've built up.

Enjoyment - 8/10

I enjoyed this show very much. It managed to do many things right. The jokes were funny and the characters were very likeable. The show was more or less consistent with the level and quality of their jokes. While I did feel some episodes were stronger than other in terms of their jokes and gags, as a whole it does its job well as a lighthearted and fun show.

Overall - 8/10

It's a show that manages to use what it had correctly. Many comedy shows are a hit and miss but GSN manages to stay consistent throughout. The gags and jokes themselves were funny but the character delivery and execution was what really sold the show and made it entertaining. The character chemistry being quite high. The OP always had me comfortable and ready to be entertained by a lively cast. While a more structured plot could have made the show a little more concrete the setting of the show is suited enough for the atmosphere. All in all, a very good comedy that's sure to leave you entertained.

Feeback is welcome! Do visit my blog as reviews are posted there first. And with pictures!

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun) is a typical romantic comedy that adds a few unique elements to what you would normally expect out of this genre. I can not express enough how much laughs one can potentially take from this show and is good for anyone who is interested in (shoujo) manga or is just looking to brighten the mood. Nevertheless here's my review, continue to read and see if this show is for you.

Story: 6/10

The story is brought up right away with the introduction of the first episode and is pretty typical for a romantic comedy. Which means that the only ... drive for the story overall is the eventual and/or sought after confession of a couple that may or may not be perfect for each other. I will say however that you are not watching this anime for the story, at least not entirely, it is the humor in the story that will keep most longing for what happens next in this anime and Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun provides much humor. As an added bonus, it doesn't really leave that "what happens next?" feeling that most anime of this nature will leave, but rather a "I like how it is." sort of conclusion.

Art: 8/10

The art in this show is very manga like, and the colors will probably make one think happy thoughts more than anything else. The backgrounds that this anime provides are not entirely detailed, or at least not as detailed as most. Most backgrounds that lack detail are also not areas we see our characters around a lot. I found no qualms with general animation and this anime does provide a variety of animation styles which will be seen by any who decide to watch this show.

Sound: 9/10

No synchronization problems with the dialogue are present in Nozaki-kun, and there isn't too much sound to really judge other than that. We do see some comedic scenes that include more of your non-everyday sounds but these seem to work well with the animation. As far as the soundtrack is concerned, I would give a lot of credit to the OP. The in-show music is also fitting and really conveys a romantic comedy feel.

Characters: 10/10

All the characters in this show are meant to convey perfect examples of manga stereotypes/archetypes, and it is so overdone that it is hard to give this category any hate. The characters are what provide the humor, the love, and are the main thing that keeps audiences intrigued. The protagonist is a cute young woman trying to express her feelings to her crush, and almost every character she comes across in her pursuit to this goal are all worth meeting. For these reasons I give this category a high score.

Personal Enjoyment: 9/10

I truly loved this show for the fact that it never failed to give me a good laugh at least once per episode. It is a typical high school romance setup sure, but it plays it out in a unique way by making the characters extremely unique to the point where realism is no longer questioned. I will definitely be seeing this one again very soon.

The shoujo anime that hurt several stomach, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. Honestly, I skipped this in the course of Summer 2014 lineup since I'm too picky to watch now. I watched AoRide, TG, Glasslip, A/Z, Re Hamatora, and ZnT and I'm confident to say that I am disappointed to all of 'em (Well, the last two did well). My eye then caught on Gekkan. It's on #111 in MAL so I decided to watch this. I did think that this is gonna be one of those shojou clichè flicks, but I read some of the reviews and it liven up my expectations. Anyways, here's my review:

Story ... (7)
Gekkan is one of those shows that feature several stories while holding a central plot. Usually, this type of anime will just focus on the mini-stories and seldom on the central story, so this type of anime fails to end properly. Unfortunately, Gekkan is one of them. I am not satisfied with the ending solely because I feel it shouldn’t end. I want to see more of it. Anyways, I started reviewing the ending, so now let’s skim up to the beginning.

The series started introducing the central point. You have your usual girl-boy confession. The girl later realized that the boy is a mangaka. Then after that, she realized that he’s an idiot. She liked that idiot. After then, she met people associated to Nozaki aaaaannnnd she got caught up with their idiotic mischiefs. The premise isn’t shoujo-like nor shounen-like. The writer did a great job making this appropriate for both audiences. That’s why many loved this show.

One thing to note though, the central point went sideways and it’s treated as if it’s not really important. The central plot is inserted whenever the timing is great. A moment of one-sided love is shown but ultimately brought down by Nozaki himself. Their comedic ways often ends superb and it leaves a good impression. However, it feels like a secondary plot and it did not developed until the latter part of the anime. Because of that, the Chiyo-Nozaki relationship fell flat as it didn't felt cheesy as it supposed to be.

The mini-stories are very enjoyable, as Gekkan never fails to give me laughter on every episode. The mini-stories are about character introduction and development. We get to meet the characters and their connection to either Nozaki or Chiyo and later develop with one another. Some of the characters are working for Nozaki's manga and some are friends with Chiyo. Speaking of Nozaki's manga, the anime tackled about manga, specifically, shoujo ones. Nozaki's manga is your usual dose of romantic shojou sh*t. It's interesting though, because the characters in the manga reflect the main characters in reality. Mamiko's reflecting character is so clever, it's so damn funny.

Art (8)
The art is great. I loved how the anime puts some effects whenever Chiyo is either cheerful or upset. I loved how the anime gives a shoujo effect whenever Mikoshiba/Kashima says something lavish. I loved how the backgrounds look slick and realistic. I loved how Nozaki's manga looked distinct from the reality. And I loved the complex yet simplistic character design. Nozaki’s character design does not stand out and it’s good. Majority of shoujo flicks has a main male character which looks very glamorous. However, Nozaki is not. That’s one way to let out all the shoujo shows I watched. I’m still questionable on why several anime characters have colored hair. I know that it hooks viewers to remember these characters and watch the show further but still…

There are some parts though where the background didn't quite match up the effect of the situation, but it doesn't stand out too much. Also, they used too much comedic effects and it's annoying. Nevertheless, they did a good job with living up several comedic scenes.

Sound (7)
Let's start with the voice acting. Nozaki, in my opinion, did the best yet worst voice acting in the anime. What do I mean? Well, Nozaki is boring. He is very serious and he is not lively unlike the rest. He is only complimented by Chiyo's ultra-lively attitude. However, this is the reason why he did best. The seiyuu matches Nozaki's tone simply because they are both serious. So whenever Nozaki is being made a joke it'll surely make you laugh (like the huge bear-like costume). The rest of the characters sound equally comedic and it's great.

There’s this background music I like the most; the one with the melodic piano whenever the scene is dramatic or there is the Chiyo-Nozaki shipping time. Usually at the middle of the tone, it immediately cuts because something idiotic happened. You’ll burst into laughter because of that..

The OP and ED are interesting. The OP sounds rhythmic and fun but it’ll start to wear you off. This OP is one of the greatest OP in this season though. It matches the fun Gekkan has. The ED (those hentai-no-hentai-no-hentai-no-hentai-noes) is also fun. But personally, it's not the type of song that I'd like.

Character (9)
This is where the show shined. They are all interesting and they will not bore you. All serve a special purpose to either Chiyo or Nozaki. And I admit that they all made me laugh. It’s hard not to review them all so let’s call these characters as the Rainbow Cast.

First is Mikoshiba. Personally, he is my favorite character in the show. At first, I thought he was one of those cliché hot bishounen dude that will steal the girl of the main character. But rest assured ‘cause he’s another idiot. I thought he was a cool dude. He is in some way, but then again, he’s another idiot. I liked his fragile personality where you can manipulate him into embarrassing things. And the reaction he does whenever he feels embarrassed is a +1 for girl viewers. He is also an otaku. His likes playing with virtual dating simulator and likes to collect bishoujo figures. He is really interesting and he’s fun to watch. He is popular to girls but Nozaki and Chiyo knows that he can’t handle it. However, there is no character development. He’s a fragile handsome otaku dude and that’s it. After all, if he did develop, I would miss his fragileness, so that’s okay. Aaaaaaaaand I think that he’s gonna die single.

Second is Chiyo, the main character. Chiyo is the most mature character of all of ‘em. She is not childish as she seems to be and she’s C2 (cool and cute). She is like butter that is sweet but melts when someone does stupid things. She sympathizes whenever the 6 others do something idiotic. Well, she’s idiotic too (whenever it’s about Nozaki), but not like the others. And that’s why I liked her character; a girl with a well-rounded character. She tries her best to be noticed by Nozaki but Nozaki himself turns her down. She’s interesting in that way.

Third and fourth are Yuzuki and Wakamatsu. Yuzuki is a she-man-she; a girl who is boyish but holds a great secret that indirectly touched the basketball player Wakamatsu. Their relationship is like Nozaki and Chiyo, where Wakamatsu is Chiyo (whose feelings are neglected by their partner) and Yuzuki is Nozaki (who always neglects the feelings of their partner). Sadly, their relationship is not fully explored, and it ended without the resolution of Yuzuki’s secret to Wakamatsu. I liked their individual character though.

Fifth is Nozaki, the titular character. He is Chiyo’s love interest. He is very serious, very monochromatic and very idiotic. He writes this shoujo manga where his life and the people around him reflect into. He’s also awkwardly analytical. He looks into others life just so he could put it in his manga. He’s no doubt a boring but interesting character. So then again, whenever he makes a joke, it’ll sure laugh your arses off. Though the Chiyo-Nozaki relationship didn’t quite work well, it’s nice to see Chiyo cope Nozaki’s faults since Nozaki can’t understand the situation around him. Though he’s a main character, he did not develop much. He stayed monochromatic as always and he’s ignorant of Chiyo’s true feelings. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed his personality.

Sixth and seventh are Kashima and Hori. They’re twin deaths. Kashima is a reverse trap. At first I thought she was a he, until I saw her skirt. She is also a mess. I liked her jolly personality while constantly being cleansed by Hori. You’ll feel sorry for Hori for handling a mess like Kashima. Though he is short, he is very tall inside as he can handle Kashima’s mischief. Hori is a mature character, as the club president, he can handle being both president and an actor and also someone who can handle Kashima. Though clichéd, their relationship is very intense. I liked their chemistry together. Unfortunately, like Yuzuki and Waka, their relationship did not regulated properly. The show ended without any leads of their relationship.

I really enjoyed all of the characters and they all brought fun to the story.

Enjoyment (9)
I enjoyed it because I loved it. The simple yet smart premise of the story brought all sorts of possibilities. The anime did great on bringing a laugh to its audience. The mini-stories always end with a twist where in you’ll surely laugh. The fun I had when watching Gekkan overshadowed the faults of it. You all know that I really liked Gekkan so I’ll end it here.

Overall (8)
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is a well-done anime suitable for all audiences. It brings fun and enjoyment and it’ll never bore you. It saddens you when you realize that you are near the end of the series since you want it to last longer. The manga world is also discussed and this is the reason why the characters are even connected to Nozaki in the first place. All the jokes are well done. The characters are well introduced. However, since the show only has 12 episodes, it does not answer all of the relationships and their resolution with one another. But all those negatives are overshadowed by the fun and laughter. It will never stop to bring you happiness and all those mischiefs that connect to one another. The anime does not focus on one sole relationship and it’s good. This is one of the best anime of Summer 2014.

"Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun," a comedic Slice-of-Life, contains the most hilarious interactions between characters.


I was a bit hesitant to check this anime out, but I finally gave in, and I am glad I did!

This shy, innocent, yet endearing Sakura is voice by Ozawa, Ari. Ozawa hasn't voiced any well known characters so far, so this must be a big step in her career. Ozwa's voice captures the cute Sakura, and voices her anywhere from innocent to highly confused and slightly appalled by what's happening around her. Moving onto Nozaki, the blunt and oblivious, he is voiced by Nakamura, Yuuichi (Gray[Fairy Tail]). With his deep, raspy, but ... velvety voice, Nakamura easily conquers the taste of using voice inflection to play the series, but clueless Nozaki. Introducing the shy and awkward Mikoshiba "Mikorin," one of Nozaki's assistants, who is played by Okamoto, Nobuhiko (Rin [Blue Exorcist]). Okamoto's voice bears a vague resemblance with popular Utaite, Amatsuki (especially when he sings). I do think that this is my favorite voice of all the characters. His words get slurred (as they should) when acting embarrassed, and he perfectly controls his accents on certain words and phrases. Moving on, Yuzuki is Sakura's very interesting friend that doesn't notice how negatively she affects others. She also has an annoying snark and thins she's perfect. Sawashiro, Miyuki's (Kurapika [HxH 2011]) sharp, edgy voice digs deep into this cocky character, and makes Yuzuki loveable even though she's so clueless. Next is Ono, Yuuki (Kagami [Kuroko no Baset]) voicing Hori, another of Nozaki's assistants and part of the theatre club. Hori is probably the most normal of all the characters, but his voice sure isn't boring at all. Without Ono voicing Hori, I don't think he would have been such an in depth character. I can't explain it, but Ono brought him to life. The last girl is Kashima, Hori's kouhai who causes him much trouble and pain, but loves senpai with all her might. Kashima is often mistaken for a guy, and is the start of the theatre club. Girls fawn over her, and who other to voice this female heartthrob than Nakahara, Mai (Nagisa [CLANNAD])? Nakahara's voice is obviously female, but adds such a boyish quality that it's hard not to swoon over her and her character. I applaud. I do applaud. And last is Wakamatsu, a misunderstood character who doesn't get much screen time, but when he does, it's bound to be either cute or funny. He is voiced by Kimura, Ryouhei (Hinata [Angel Beats]), who's voice is thin and childish, but perfect for the formal and polite Waka. I seriously loved all the voice actors in this anime. They all did such an amazing job, and the characters wouldn't be as good without them.

What I loved about "Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun" was that despite having romance themes in it, the anime didn't center around the romance between Sakura and Nozaki. In fact, no matter what Sakura did to get closer to Nozaki, it seemed like something bad always happened to top her before she seriously confesses. And this continues all the way into the end. I also loved that instead of just watching the character help make Nozaki's manga, I actually got to see what the manga was about, and see that also acted out. I think that was great, because most animes don't do that, and I'm always left to wonder about the type of story that took place. Another great thing about this anime were the side characters which are main-ish in a way. All the side characters who's voices I mentioned were perfect. Their personalities were all so diverse, and made the show a joy to watch! The comedy was also timely placed.

Do you want a comedy that will put you in a good mood? Do you want a simple anime that won't require you to think much? Do you want to enjoy every aspect of an anime? Then look no further! "Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun" is the anime for you. Specially delivered in a bundle full of laughs, or will have you holding your sides, anticipating the next episode, and leave you with mixed feelings about the end. Even if you are a more action oriented person, I believe that this anime will suite your needs (there are some lovely action scenes included). "Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun" was a truly pleasant watch.

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Story - 9
This story was positively great. And not only did it follow seven very diverse people, but it also gave an insight as to what Nozaki's manga was about.

Art - 9
The art style is cute, clear, and although maybe a bit on the plain side, very colorful and the good kind of simple. The colors are all very warm colors -- each color on each character truly matches them.

Music - 8
I found myself singing to the opening and ending every time they played. The opening is a nice country-ish song that's nice a quirky (and damn, can that guy sing). The ending is cute, and matches the chibis in the animation. The OSTs were nice too, and gave the anime that jumpy, bubbly feeling.

Character - 9
I seriously loved each and every character. There was not a single character that annoyed me -- which is rare. Nozaki was a wonderful main character, and I found it lovely that he was a bit stupid in his own right. Sakura was the same way. I loved to see her obsessed with Nozaki, and her comparisons of real life to shoujo manga. Yuzuki was a beautiful character who probably made me laugh the most. Kashima, being a pain in the but to Hori, was the wonderful womanizer who was actually a woman. Very different, but a bit alike to her best friend Mikoshiba, who flirted with women, but instantly regretted his actions, regressing into a cute blob of moe. Hori and Wakamatsu were perhaps the two most normal characters, but each quirky in their own way. Hori with his intense need to respect and beat Kashima up at the same time, and Waka's want to be able to talk back and be rude to Yuzuki, but never actually able to go through with it.

Enjoyment - 9
I enjoyed this anime so much. It was probably average in my hype, but turned out to be one of my top five Summer animes.

Overall - 8.8
This was a very good anime, bringing me laughter and sunshine on a cloudy day. The ending wasn't a resolution, but it wasn't a cliff hanger, so I'm pretty satisfied.

Take a love-struck high school girl and make her an assistant for her favorite mangaka, who, as it turns out, is actually her crush. What do you get? You get a shounen anime that actually should be a shoujo yet is hilarious, beautiful, and overall at least close to a work of art that would exceed any expectations you have of it. Trust me, I didn't have a lot of expectations for Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, or Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, at first, but over time, it just got to the point where this would become my favorite anime of July 2014.

Our protagonist here is Chiyo Sakura, ... a girl who is in love with her classmate, Umetarou Nozaki. She finally manages to confess, and you know how he responds? He gives her an autograph. After that, Nozaki-kun invited Chiyo to his house, where he makes her help him out with his manga. As Chiyo discovers, Nozaki-kun is actually a shoujo manga artist by the penname of Yumeno Sakiko. In order to get closer to Nozaki-kun, Chiyo ends up becoming his assistant, and over time, she meets a bunch of people who help him and/or serve as inspirations for his manga.

There may not be a huge story in Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, but it's just one of those anime that relies on comedy. It does an EXCELLENT job with comedy. There aren't that many flops with the comedy, leaving you to just laugh at the many things that Chiyo, Nozaki-kun, and every other character in the series go through in their lives.

Speaking of characters, this anime provides us with many likable characters. My favorite character is Mikoshiba; he's just so adorable in many ways and has made me laugh from the moment he first appeared. Chiyo is quite outstanding herself (RIBBONS IS LOVE), and Nozaki-kun may be oblivious but in a hilarious way that just makes it likable. Most of the other characters are amazing in their own ways, as well. If there's one Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun character I don't like, it's Maeno, Nozaki-kun's previous editor. He's just so annoying!

The art and sound here is just plain amazing. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun was animated by Dogakobo, the studio that brought us YuruYuri (another great anime), and trust me when I say that Dogakobo has done a good job with animation once again. Also, each one of the voice actors fit the character they're playing very well. The music is amazing, as well, especially the OP, "Kimi ja Nakya Dame Mitai" by Masayuki Ooishi. Whenever it plays, I just know that I'm in for another outstanding episode.

Overall, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is a great anime. I honestly wanted to give it a 10, but the flops in comedy that it's had (not to mention Maeno) made me drop it to a 9. Even so, it's something you won't want to miss. Who knows? You may get a look at exactly how comedic the world of shoujo manga may be!

The first thing I'm going to say is: throw all your assumptions out the window and stomp on them a bit. Then look at it, and you might be a bit closer to what this anime's really about.

I'm assuming most people probably don't look at the tags. If you haven't, I highly suggest you go look at them. Guess what it says? That's right. Shounen. This anime is not, despite it's generic shoujo summary and art, a shoujo anime. It is probably the complete opposite of it, in fact.

The story starts with Sakura Chiyo, a girl who confesses to her crush. He mistakes ... her intentions and assumes she's a fan of his manga work, because the truth is, he's actually a manga artist. So she inadvertently becomes his assistant, and this is where the story begins. If you're looking for a story, this anime doesn't have one. It's story is episodic in manner, with new and different events happening in each episode. This isn't unusual for a comedy anime, and it's in this way that we can appreciate the full effect of the jokes and set ups.

One thing I'd like to address is the romance. I realize that romance is also listed as a genre, but really, it's probably pretty low in importance in the anime. It's pretty much non-existent. Usually it's only brought up as a cause of humorous misunderstandings, or the cause of a joke. So if you're watching simply for the romance, I wouldn't waste your time.

And of course, we have to address the characters. Ah yes, the stars of the show. You know the piece of advice I gave at the beginning of the review? Do it again. The characters are as far from every shoujo trope you can think of. The actions between them, and their relationships are simply brilliant. We have about seven main characters, each with their own unique characteristics and personalities. There's Sakura, the protaganist. She's a bit dreamy and off in the clouds sometimes, but also very down to earth. She actually acts as the "straight man" a majority of the time. There's her crush, Nozaki, who's extremely, extremely dense and oblivious to anything remotely romantic, despite being a shoujo manga artist. Then there's Mikoshiba, introduced later on, the standard "cool" guy. Except, he's actually a delicate, sensible, and easily embarrassed by his own words. Kashima, the school prince, in actuality is a girl who all the girl's like. Hori, the violent senpai. Wakamatsu, the innocent kouhai. And Seo, completely oblivious.

These characters and their interactions are what make the show so enjoyable. I'd be surprised if you aren't able to find a favourite. I'd be even more surprised if there was someone you hated. There wasn't a single episode in which I wasn't giggling and smiling like an idiot at. Being a comedic anime, there isn't much development, but that's usually to be expected.

The opening of this anime is an extremely catchy song that definitely suits the mood. You'll find yourself humming along with it before long. I didn't really like it at first, but it grew on me. The ending is no less catchy, but a little more calm. OST's were fine.

The animation of this anime was very nice! I also rather liked the clean cut art and the bright colours. Both of these aspects suited the anime nicely! Overall, this anime was my favourite, and a definite highlight of the Summer 2014 anime list.

I stumbled upon this series while searching for a romantic comedy that was heavier on the comedy and lighter on the romance. Despite the romance tag on this series, this series main focus is comedy, and is a series that was able to create a constant stream of chuckles like few other.

This relatively short series starts with a confession of love by our "straight man" in the series to her crush, Nozaki. However he misunderstands this confession as Chiyo stating that she is a fan of his shoujo manga. From here hilarity ensures, and the plot of the series is rather character driven as ... we are introduced to the various wacky characters, with the underlying theme of romance driving most of the character's actions. The series is able to succeed so well because the humor is intricately crafted around literature's oldest friend, irony. The majority of the humor of the show is caused by the various juxtapositions and paradoxes created by the main characters and their interactions in everyday school life. By doing so the series is able to make normally mundane school activities go from ordinary to extraordinary funny as the characters struggle to complete the simplest of tasks due to ridiculous misunderstandings. Their are some great sight gags in the series as well, and it still is able to create some strong laughs even when straying from the ironical and paradoxical humor and situations that it does so well. If there are any aspects that could leave you disappointed after watching this series the most glaring is that despite the fact that romance is teased several times, the series offers no closure to the numerous couples that it teases throughout its run. Romance takes a back seat in this series, but it still is a driving force for the character's actions and causes a great deal of the humor as the characters struggle to grasp the concept.

The characters are easily the highlight of the show, and I will not discuss specifics as I feel that learning more about the characters and their ridiculous behavior is what makes the show worth watching. When a character that you enjoy watching is absent for an most of an episode, it really is noticeable as each character is able to bring so much to the table in terms of humor and personality. I particularly would lie to praise the character of Nozaki, as his deadpan delivery of lines is expertly done to create the most laughs possible.

Overall despite not being the next great romance series, this anime brings a fantastically whimsical cast to the table. It also has a funky OP and soundtrack, and has some sharp crisp art. All in All this series is able to effectively make use of irony and misunderstandings to create one of the funniest series that I've seen in quite a while.

By seeing its title, you would think it is a shoujo anime, but the reality it's a shounen. Like people say, don't judge book by its cover. First time i watched it, i thought the anime was really weird and bad, but my minds changed when i went through its episodes. Gekkan Shoujou Nozaki-kun is definitely a romance-comedy you should-- er i mean you must watch.

The Story was begun when Sakura Chiyo, a second-year high school student confessed his love to Nozaki Umetarou, a shoujo manga artist who sakura didn't know. Nozaki thought Sakura as a big fan and later Sakura became Nozaki's manga ... assistant. As you can see it's a one-sided love story, but is still great to me. The best thing of this anime is its comedy. Every single episode never fails to make me laugh. Also its characters, they always make my stomach hurt. Beside Nozaki and Sakura, there are other characters, who are also the main characters, that have their own unique personalities. Since it has gag stories, every episode or story has different character focuses. Trust me they won't make you bored,but make you laugh instead.

Overall, Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun is pretty much enjoyable to me. If you want to find something that makes you relax, enjoy, and happier than ever, then this anime is the answer.

[Spoiler Free Review!]

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun. If you like comedy anime with a hint of romance, you'll love Nozaki-Kun. This twelve episode series (with 6 small specials) is full of totally unexpected and equally hilarious Japanese humor. In a similar fashion to the great "Baka To Test", this anime will leave you in tears of laughter and the end of each episode.

Story: 9

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun does not try to have a complex plot. However, this is exactly why it is deserving of praise. The anime does not try to flesh out romance over a mere 12 episodes but instead focuses on the sitcom-like episodic shorts and, ... as a result, feels a lot more satisfying to watch.
Something that Nozaki-Kun manages to do extremely well is that it creates humor without sexual jokes. This anime doesn't rely on cheap, overused, sexual situations and doesn't stray away from the story in order to throw in some panty shots or something.
Whilst the story isn't on the level of multi-season shounens, it does what it was intended to do and it does it damn well.

Art: 8

I'm very critical when it comes to art (partly because I've seen visual beauties like "Nagi No Asukara") but Nozaki-Kun's art style sure does its job. The vibrant colors add to the lighthearted feeling of the series and the character designs are all very unique with my personal favorites being Sakura and Seo. The animation in the opening is chaotic and very well done. One feature of the art that really stood out was the design on characters' reaction faces. Somewhat similar to Shaft's "Nisekoi", the characters' faces only add to the already existing hilarity of the series.
However, there were some scenes that seemed somewhat lazily animated. Sometimes characters would talk and their mouths just seem to move up and down as the only form of animation on screen. Although, that being said, if you're reading subtitles, you're quite unlikely to notice it.

Sound: 9

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun's soundtrack is very diverse and superb. Ranging from typical 'slice of life' upbeat background tracks to dramatic and amusingly over the top orchestral pieces, the soundtrack compliments this anime very well and is very noticeable in places.
The opening is very catchy with some awesome slap guitar and a male singer, which is a nice change. Although, the ending falls short is very typical and somewhat annoying.

Characters: 9

I mentioned it earlier on the review but the mix of eclectic characters in this anime is deserving of a 9. They're all very well designed and have their own unique traits. However, the best thing about the way this anime handles characters is that they got the male to female ratio right! Most animes in the genre overload their show with kawaii waifus which, don’t get me wrong, is great but overused, unrealistic and, quite frankly, boring. In Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun, there are a few more male characters than female characters, which is a much better balance than most slice of lifes and makes it a refreshing watch.

Enjoyment: 9

Hilarious, lighthearted, really chill and just overall very enjoyable to watch.

Overall: 9

I’d definitely recommend Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun. It’s a must watch for anyone who likes slice of life comedies. Whilst the theme of romance is present in the anime, it may disappoint you if you’re looking for a thrilling love story. The rewatch value is great, considering there are no plot twists or anything and you’re pretty likely to forget most of the jokes they use.

The awesomeness. Oh man, if there ever was a word to sum this anime up, it would be PURE, EXQUISITE awesomeness. I've never read the manga, I've discovered this anime for pure case, in the recommendation of Gugure! Kokkuri-san, but it was probably one of the best choices in my life.


Story: 8

Story? What story? Gekkan Shoujo is a slice of life, it's plot–less. Well, you may think it's supposed talk about Chiyo and Nozaki-kun's love. Yes, you may think that.
But forget about it.
That's as important as panties in hentai.
There's no plot. Despite this you won't find hard to catch up with the anime's pace. It ... takes you wherever it wants to, and you're there, following all it happens and cheering for poor eternally mangazoned Chiyo.

Art: 7

Surely it's not something to be amazed by, but it's pretty good. The opening is manga-styled in some parts, with screen-tones, colors and action. Some scenes are ridiculous but what are you expecting? It's Gekkan Shoujo.
The character design too isn't particularly appealing.
Well, I guess tanukis win over everything. Tanukis and boxes.
Oh, and Suzuki. Yes. I think he has the most original character design (no, wait, just kidding here).

Sound: 8

While the ost is not outstanding but neither particularly bad (I can dare to say that it's pretty nice sometimes), the opening and the ending are something that I've instantly fell in love with. Particularly the opening song. Its theme is really catchy, so you won't help but love it.

Characters: 10

I'm not exaggerating.
Those character are probably the best ones I've ever seen on an anime TV. They're not stereotypical, they're meant to mock everything that is common in anime/manga.
Nozaki is dense, he's honest and in some ways he resembles (of course, in my opinion) Saitama, from One Punch Man. He loves his work and the way he acts towards his editor is of pure devotion.
Chiyo is the forever and ever friendzoned protagonist. She's cute in the way she fails at catching Nozaki's attention. She may seem annoying, with all her Nozaki-kun", screaming all the way long, but there's worse out there. She may look like that boring heroine from your usual otome game but deep inside, what makes the difference is that she's always failing at her attempts at being noticed, so you can even feel some pity for her.
Then, we get to Mikorin, a totally unusual tsundere, that says hot lines and gets embarrassed by the things he says. I'd really love to add more about Kashima-kun and the theater club's president (forgot his name), but really, they're cool.
Really cool.
The point is that every character is unique in his own way and that's what makes the difference, what makes me give a full 10 to this.
I've forgot to tell you about Maeno-san. He and his tanuki are the real deal of the anime. And he's voiced by Daisuke Ono. Enough to make him epic.

Enjoyment: 10

I was crying. I've never laughed so much and I've never re-watched an anime as much as I did with Gekkan Shoujo.

Overall: 10

Watch it. You'll tell me if you liked it.

If you're looking for a light-hearted anime with romance and hilarious characters, then you've come to the right place!

The humor in this one is really on point. I found myself smiling, giggling and often laughing out loud at how the comedy was delivered. And the source of my cheeks hurting after smiling so much? Definitely the characters who really are a strong point in this story!

I really enjoyed the way every character was introduced and slowly finding a place in Nozaki-kun's shoujo manga. They are all a source of inspiration for him and ironically, everyone turn to his manga's for life advices and help. ...
The cast is full of life and unique in their own quirky way making it easy for viewers to find their own favorite!
Every character have their own fair share of screen time where they can showcase their bizarre yet hilarious personalities. The amazing cast makes sure there's a lot of space for comedic situations!

This story creates comedy in the most simplest situations making you laugh at it's absurdity and creativity.

While the OST's were very few and were reused many times with variations, I still enjoyed it's light tone. I only wish they had made a little more on that department.
The OP and ED are no masterpieces but still enjoyable in their own cute way.

I found myself enjoying this one more than what I had anticipated. I can assure you that Gekkan shoujo Nozaki-kun can at least put a smile on your face. Especially the story's cutie - Sakura will definitely make you smile and feel like "aaaw"!

This is, for me, 2014 way of apology for giving me SAO's quality declination.

Nozaki Umetarou gives you a totally new vibe of hero....a prodigy mangaka who writes Girly Manga with blank-stare, cool yet prudish, kinda Bipolar kinda not, depicted not exactly a handsome guy but we already can tell that there he is a 'hot product'. This guy is your typical "i kinda like this guy, but right now i'm already in love with another guy so you can't proceed in my heart. BUT ACTUALLY I WANT YOU TO!" kind of crush. Not to mention his overwhelming popularity(if exposed). And im not even talking about ... his talent. And Money.
A tall, cool, handsome guy, with stable financial and nation-class popularity, plus bountiful amount of talents.
But what about his social skills? love experience? friends' quality? 'what women want and need' quality? His 'etc' skills? LESS THAN ZERO.
Clumsy, klutz, insensitive, misunderstandful-mind, and cant go out of his mangaka's world. This guy will take your time just for you to figure out about him. And even if you spend a day just to figure his traits out, you might not even reach 20% of conclusion about him.

And Sakura Chiyo is his perfect prey. This girl is your typical 'Shoujo Anime Heroine' brought to Shounen Manga. Cute, small, yet-specified 3size, loveable, and never giving up on love. Classic girl who (un)fortunately took the wrong train on the first day of school's opening ceremony and happen to met Nozaki-by fate. The rest is a cliche.
OR IS IT?
Nope. She also has handy artsy skills and with good fate, her 'line' crossed again against Nozaki. So she became one of his assistant. And this is what we'll enjoy in the series.
And if you worry about another character's development in this anime, never worry. GSNK has 7 Main Character and some important supporting with well distributed screen time. This series has merciless ammunition of extra-ordinary character.
The-anything but good girl- 'Lorelei' Seo Yuzuki
The-pain in the ass prince- 'Mikorin' Mikoshiba Mikoto
and so many more.
This anime depicts the character's personality so well. Yamazaki Mitsue kinda outdo herself in this anime. And the 'small details' department also doesn't lack one bit. Almost flawless.
Not to mention, the opening is something i can't skip and already on my 'top 25 most played' playlist 2 days after i downloaded it.
GSNK will serve you a very fresh humor which is a mixture of rom-com slapstick with parody spices and stupid conversation as topping with great amount of miscommunication gag for complimentary snacks.
This anime is not a Romantic comedy. For me it is Romantically Comedic series. You won't fall in love with anybody in particular here, but you will absolutely get tickled by everybody in the series. Worth every single minute of those 23 minutes. And if you even wanted to hate this series, you can't.

TL;DR Go.fucking.watch.it.now. thanks

STORY
The plotline of GSNK is a very standard high school romance setting, with the main character, Chiyo Sakura, being in love with the upperclassman Nozaki; however, Nozaki doesn't know about Chiyo's love for him despite her obvious efforts to get with him. Being mainly a comedy anime, Nozaki's obliviousness to Chiyo is the stem of most of the show's gags.
The series starts with Chiyo confessing her love to Nozaki, only for him to completely missunderstand and end up giving her his autograph. We find out that Nozaki is actually an illustrator for popular shoujo manga "Let's Love"; a generic Shoujo love story acting as a ... parody to the genre as well as a parallel to the main storyline.
Throughout the show, Chiyo helps Nozaki out with his manga along with his other school friends, each portraying a popular shoujo manga trope: Kashima is the "ouji-sama" character, who turns out to actually be a girl. Mikorin is a deredere style character, despite being male. Seo is the delinquent-style "ore" character; but, you guessed it, is female. Hori is a male tsundere who acts as a 'tsukkomi-boke' duo with Kashima. Finally Wakamatsu, a basketball jock who is afraid of Seo's aggressive strength even though he's a guy.
I would say that the show is not so much of a romcom as a parody of shoujo manga, adding twists to the character tropes for comedic effect. The show often compares the 'real' world with that portrayed in Nozaki's manga with some of the character's in "Let's Love!" being directly based on the personalities of Nozaki's friends.
A common complaint with romance in anime and manga is that it hardly ever has a good ending, with no real conclusion of who gets with who ever being reached. While this is most certainly present in GSNK, it is there as a parody of the trope and the show often mocks itself for this flaw.

PRODUCTION
The animation for this show was pretty standard for a comedy anime, with bright colours and an over-abundance of "only the mouths move" scenes. Somthing that it does do quite well is to incorporate some of the genre-mocking tropes into the animation. Many visual effects such as the "action lines" or the "fluffy backdrop" are used in bucket fulls.
There is nothing particularly interesting about the show's soundtrack, although the show's OP is some wierd jazzy song which I didn't really think fit with the show's tone, but was a nice song nontheless.

CONCLUSION
Overall the show was most definately a comedy, rather than a romance; so if you're looking for any kind of solid romantic storyline go somewhere else. On the otherhand if you are well versed in the Shoujo or romance genres then you will probably find many jokes pretty relatable.
Although I have avoided talking about the source material, it is one of the very few that I can actually I say that I read before watching the anime. It's an ongoing 4koma that has much of the same content as the anime. If anything I'd probably say that the manga works better due to the nature of mocking the very thing that it is.
It also has a wide range of nichijou-esque reaction faces, which can further your collection of images perfect for arguing over the internet.

META
Length- 1 cour / 12eps / 4.8 hrs
Release- Summer 2014
Studio- Dogakobo
Source- 2011 4koma by Izumi Tsubaki

RATING
Watch?- Yes, as a comedy
Best Character- Seo
Worst Character-No one
Best Feature- Chiyo's reactions

This anime is one of the few that I truly enjoyed. Each episode plot was something that you would not even guess if you have not read the manga.

The story was, for me, very good because each episode had a different plot but then it would still be clear for the readers where the story was going in the end. Also, I liked how somehow we get a glimpse of what someone in the manga industry is going through while making a story. The only thing that I did not like was that some scenes lacked humor! There were a lot of chances for it ... but I guess the writers did not want it so.

The art was a big 10/10 for me. I love it so much and how some of the scenes were really detailed. THE FOOD WAS GLORIOUS. It made me so hungry, haha!

The characters were also a big 10/10 for me. You can clearly see that all the characters were distinct. I also liked that they were not the typical high schools that you would find in popular animes. They all had unique niches.

Overall, I enjoyed this anime very much. I hope that there would be another season to this with additional humor.

Comedy is a very difficult thing to pull off in anime, I find. When you make a comedy series, you have to keep in mind certain qualities that are known to either make, or break any sort of comedy related series. When you mix it incorrectly, you get a pile of forced crap. But, when you get that perfect combination, you make gold. And that gold from the 2014 summer season, was Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun.

Story (8.23/10): The story of Nozaki-kun, as I call it, is rather simple. A girl by the name of Sakura Chiyo has a crush on this ... guy in her class named Nozaki. Having been in love with him for a few months now, (for reasons I will never understand completely), she finally musters up the courage to try and confess her love in the most Shoujo way imaginable. (Which is basically an empty classroom scene with the sun setting behind them.) Upon screwing up the words of what she was going to say, she finds out that Nozaki, the guy she is in love with, is actually a Shoujo manga writer and well...things happen.

As I had mentioned before, comedy in anime needs to have certain elements in order to be successful in any way shape or form. One of those elements is to have jokes and gags that just roll off of the story's plot. If a series feels like it's trying to be funny, then it really isn't in reality. This series succeeds in branding its own form of comedy and for pretty much the entirety of the show, rolls off its jokes rather well.

The show itself doesn't have a very complicated plot. You can sum it up with a bunch of friends from all over talking and interacting with each other, whilst making fun of any generic shoujo scene in existence. Nozaki-kun excels at doing this. It wil take any scene from a shoujo, (let's say a girl riding on back of the guy's bike), and turn it into something else, not only changing what the feeling or emotion of the scene, but also making it unusual whilst also making it hilarious at the same time. (Have a 2-manned bike.)

There are however a few downfalls I see with the series. The first being the whole "romantic subplot" between the main two characters, Nozaki and Sakura. While personally, I do find it cute that there is this adorable girl who swoons for a guy who only sees her as free labor, there really isn't much substance to it as it is clear from the very beginning that this guy cares only for his work, and nothing really else. The subplot wasn't bad by any means since the other main characters in the series get shipping partners (for the most part), it just didn't feel as needed or required for the series, since it wasn't really the main focus. In addition, the series had flaws with character introductions. There are 7 main characters in the series. The show shows about 4 of them in the first two episodes, then forgets about them to make room for more, then gets rid of them to add in the last one, before sort of cycling them through in terms of focus. See the problem here? The show I feel doesn't utilize its characters as much as it could've been. Don't get me wrong, the places where certain characters show up is gold, but I felt throughout the series that certain characters were lacking some screentime compared to others.

In the end, the show is really just good fun. The pacing is decent enough, there are plenty of memorable scenes in the series itself that you can LOL at, and the show is just all around enjoyable. Personally, I don't like the ending because in all seriousness, I want more of this show.

Overview
+ Fantastic comedy
+ Simple plot idea (to make room for the funnys, of course)
+ Good pacing
- Somewhat unessecary romantic subplot (very minor problem really)
- Didn't utilize characters as much as it could've

Characters (9.00/10): Alright, now we're getting to the best part of the show. In addition to easy flowing comedy, a comedy series must have memorable characters. The characters must be independent in that they have their own quirks and personalities that make them unique from any other.

Nozaki Umetaro, or simply Nozaki, is our sort of "main character" in this show apart from Sakura. As a character, he's rather bland in the sense that he speaks with little emotion, he always has a straight face, and doesn't really have any sort of hobbies. That is, unless you're talking about manga, which in any scene, sparks a hilarious amount of reaction from him. Nozaki is a character who is very focused on his work, even to the point that he gets excited over certain events and holidays just because he might be able to fit a similar sort of event into a chapter of his manga. He's quite an interesting character due to the amount of contrast he actually has. (I respect this guy for what he does.)

Sakura Chiyo, or simply Sakura as she's called in the series. (Honestly, I don't know which one's her first name.) Sakura is a very smitten girl. She's very dedicated to her crush and enjoys spending time with him and understanding more about who he is as a person, whilst getting dragged into hilarious scenes where she is asked for her opinion on a certain manuscript page which always ends in comedy. Personally, I find Sakura to be an adorable character due to her character design and her reactions to the amount of situations that occur within the series. (This is Higurashi Rena level of adorableness where you want to take the cute thing home.)

Aside from these two characters that are in every episode, we have the rest of the main cast featuring various hilariously inverted troupes of different Shoujo steryotypes. Kashima, the "prince of the school" (who's also a girl), Yuzuki, the "best singer ever" (who is rather brash and lacking common sense), Wakamatsu (who is introduced way later than he should be), Hori, and my personal favorite, MIKORIN! (Who behaves exactly like a shoujo heroine, hilariously. And yes, I do call him Mikorin, not Mikoshiba. Don't judge me.)

What makes these main characters memorable is not only the nice twist that they have in terms of Shoujo manga character twists, but also because each of them have their own character and resonate each other well rather than require another character in order to get their personality from. They're all independent, and that's what makes these characters memorable. On the flipside however, there are a few problems. The most noticeable one is the lack of character use. These characters are fantastic, that much is true. It's just that they're not used as much as they could be. Every episode focuses on a duo of characters aside from Sakura and Nozaki, shoving all the others into the "save you for the next one" category which I really see as lost potential. (Hell, Wakamatsu doesn't show up till 2/3 of the series is over.) In fact, you don't even get to see all of the characters in one place until the very last episode, and even then they're not in the same frame.

The side characters of this series are interesting as there are more main characters than there are side. All 3 of them don't serve too much in terms of actual story development, but rather get their own sort of 4-koma esque story where we get these little insights as to who these characters are with a little short side story (usually involving tanukis) at the beginning before the opening scene. They suffer the same problem as not getting as used as they could've been, but for what we did get out of them, they were quite entertaining.

Overview:
+ VERY memorable main cast
+ Sakura :)
+ Decent soundtrack

Overall Enjoyment (9.21/10): If the fanboying over the flowing comedy of this show, the hilarious artwork, and the sheer love for Sakura herself wasn't enough to state my personal opinion, well, here it is. Gekkan-Shoujo Nozaki-kun. I wasn't really expecting too much from it at the start cause it looked to be a Bakuman sort of show since it involved romance (kind-of), and a mangaka. And boy, was I glad to be wrong. Nozaki-kun was a very enjoyable show for me. The flawless comedy made me laugh at every moment due to how comedically executed they were, the characters themselves were fantastic and memorable, and I finally had a character that I would go gay for. (We all have those, I'm sure.)

Did I like it?

Absolutely. It was a great kickback show that didn't have a serious plot, staying true to its nature by just being pure comedy all the way through. Nothing turned stale whilst watching the show, and every episode gave a new comedic experience.

Is there anything I didn't like?

Well for one thing, MAENO! (Hate him as much as kyubey.) Wakamatsu himself didn't get many appearances, which was a shame since he was a part of the main cast and played a unique role. In addition, the ending was a bit more cliched than I would've liked, but, it's livable. (It would've been better if this didn't end because I haven't seen a comedy gold series since GJ-bu.)

Would I recommend it?

YES. Absolutely yes. This show might not appeal to everyone, but it's at least worth a try to watch. It has a very unique brand of "deconstruction comedy" where it takes a normal anime/manga genre, and uses the stereotypes from that genre to make scenes of comedy and hilarity from it. (Noucome does a similar thing for the harem genre) It should at least be given a try because it has a lot of good qualities about it and it does have a lot of positive feedback from its viewers. If you're looking for a good comedy series, this one will fit the bill.

Overall Score: (8.88/10)

Multi-lenguaje review: English and Spanish

English:

"She was being kinda sweet to me yesterday… But it’s not like I’m interested or anything…"

"I just need to see you right away,
And learn the truth,
About this world’s principles… the meaning of love… and the categories of happiness."

... Lyrics of the opening.

Are you looking for a tipical romantic cheesy anime?
Then, this animes it's the thing that I was looking for?

Well, not really. But, when you're looking for something, sometimes you find something even better. That happened when I started to watch Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. I was looking for some romantic shoujo anime, when I found this title on the list of the summer anime, a very deceitful title, this anime is a shonen anime. A romantic shounen anime, whithout ecchi, whitout harem. Not only that, this anime have a higher numer of escenes whit the boys, than the number of scenes whith. Also, there are more boys than girls in the casting of characters ¿This is really a shonen anime?

Yes, it is. And it's a breaths of fresh air.

The story follows our main girl, Sakura Chiyo. She felt in love whit Nozaki-kun, wich draws shoujo manga. Well, that's basically the entire story, it's a very simple story, but it doesn't need nothing more. It's a school (romantic?) comedy, you can't really expect more from the story, but the plus point on the story it's that, it's simplicity, and the comedic scenes, that allows and facilitates the character development. The characters doesn't need make a boring melodrama to be developed.

The characters are the strong point in this anime, beacuse the story isn't really a candidate. However, the characters are perfectly developed. More exactly, the are perfectly characterized. The personalities of every character are completly defined and well done, making every character an another world apart.

Begining with Chiyo, she is not like another main girl in a romantic anime, she isn't sweet, or kind, o depending, a tsundere or another "-dere". She is a type of character that you have a million of times but with a fresh touch. She have the basic cualities of another random main girl: She is very femenine, and, obviously, she felt in love. But, the thing that characterizes, it's her freshness and realism. She act like a normal girl would act, that's a think that's more rare that you could imagine.

Then, you have Nozaki, our main boy. He have an special power. Yes, an special power. He can take any random situation of the day and use it in his manga. Also, he use his assistant and friend, Mikorin (Mikoshiba) has model for his main character.

For Mamiko, the girl one.

Going on talking about Nozaki, I have to admit, he is not the most original character in the cast, in the way, he is a typical boy who doesn't mind about the girl feelings, even when those are too obvious.

But, my favorite character is Mikorin. Yes, the Mamiko inspiration. He is a Casanova when he has a girl in his front, but when the girls finaly vanish, he breaths relieved because he has survive. However, he is a very funny character, and one of most unique.

The rest of main characters are, within the main characters, the less important characters. We have "Lorelai", Seo Yuzuki, our batch girl with an angelic voice, and it's the most important star in school chorus, and wh have Kashima, the "prince", even when she is a girl, Hori-chan-sempai, who cares about Kashima, and Wakamatsu (Waka) who loves chorus' Lorelai, but fears Yuzuki.

Talking about tecnic aspect, begginig with the music, the opening theme it's very catchy, and obviosly composed to be the opening of this anime, the lyrics makes it too obvious. And the ending sung by Chiyo's seiyuu is very catchy too.
An talking about seiyuus, we have Yuuichi Nakamura (Tomoya, Gray) as Nozaki, Ari Ozawa (Minor roles) as Sakura Chiyo, Okamoto Nobuhiko (Niizuma Eiji, Usui) as Mikorin, Miyuki Sawashiro (One of more expert seiyuu in the cast, and one of my favorites, Ul, Ultear, Kanbaru Suruga, Celty, Shinko, Saeko), as Yuzuki, Mai Nakahara (Rena Ryuugu, Nagisa Furukawa), as Kashima, Ono Yuuki (Kagami Taiga) as Hori and Kimura Ryouhei (Kodaka, Kise Ryouta) as Wakamatsu.

The art was pretty good, very colorfull and well done, but maybe not awesome. Very good drawn characters and good but simple scenaries, makes a very good art.

Finaly, the most strong pont, was this, the enjoyment. I laught, and I feel the necesity to watch the next chapter. Very good comedy, without any drama.
-------------
Spanish:
"Estaba siendo amable conmigo ayer, aunque no es que me guste ni nada de eso..."

"Solo necesito verte de inmediato y aprender la verdad, acerca de los principios del mundo... el significado del amor... y las categorías de la felicidad"

Lyrics del Opening

¿Estad buscando la típica historia romántica y empalagosa?
En ese caso, ¿es este anime lo que busco?

Bueno, no realmente. Pero, mientras buscas algo... puede ser que te encuentres algo incluso mejor de lo que buscabas, y ese fue caso con Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun... Estaba buscando algún anime romántico para ver, cuando entonces, en los estrenos de verano encontré el título de este anime. Nada mas engañoso, puesto que este anime no es nada mas alejado del shounen. Un romance shonen, en el que no hay harem, ni ecchi, ni tampoco le hace falta en absoluto, no solo eso, si no que además hay mas escenas en las que participan los personajes masculinos, que en las que salen las protagonistas femeninas... ¿Y de verdad es shonen?

Si, lo es. Es un soplo de aire fresco.

La historia sigue a nuestra protagonista, Sakura Chiyo, la cual cae perdidamente enamorada de Nozaki-kun, el cual dibuja manga en una revista shoujo mensual. La historia es simplona hasta decir basta, y es que además no le hace falta mas. Es una comedia escolar, realmente no se puede pedir mucho mas, pero lo que realmente da puntos a favor para GS Nozaki-kun, es su desarrollo, apoyándose solo en la comedia, no le hace falta un desarrollo progresivo del romance, ni hacer a los personajes simples para que acaben haciendo un aburrido melodrama.

Los personajes son el punto fuerte de este anime, por que realmente la historia no es un candidato para serlo por su simpleza, sin embargo los personajes están perfectamente desarrollados sin necesidad de que en ningún momento se centren en ello. Mas concrétamente, la personificación de ellos es absolutamente perfecta. Las personalidades de cada personaje están perfectamente definidas, bien hechas y les hace completamente inconfundibles, haciendo a cada personaje un mundo a parte, empezando por Chiyo, que no se parece en absoluto a cualquier protagonista de un anime romántico, que es dulce, amable, o dependiendo del caso, tsundere u otro "-dere". No, Chiyo es un tipo de personaje que has visto un millón de veces pero con un toque fresco. Aunque tiene las cualidades básicas que podria tener una heroína cualquiera: es femenina y, obviamente, enamorada. Sin embargo, lo que la caracteriza, es su frescura como personaje, y su realismo. actua como una persona normal (cosa que aunque parezca una tontería, es algo bastante raro encontrar un personaje que actue de manera realista).

Viendo por el resto de personaje protagonistas, encontramos al chico principal, Nozaki-kun. Pero aunque no lo parezca, tiene un poder especial... y ese es la capacidad de introducir cualquier tipo de situación aleatoria dentro de su manga, y que incluso quede bien. Además, usa a nuestro otro chico principal, Mikoshiba (Mikorin), como modelo para Mamiko, la protagonista de su manga.

Sí, usa a un chico como referencia a un chico para la chica protagonista de un manga shoujo. El poder de Nozaki-kun.

Algo que quizás no es completamente original en su personaje, es su poco tacto en lo referente a los sentimientos de la gente a su alrededor, cayendo un poco en el tópico del "Una chica guapa está enamorada de ti y no te das cuenta"

Después, uno de mis personajes favoritos de Gekkan Shoujo es Mikoshiba. Es un Casanova cuando está frente a las chicas, pero cuando estas ya se han ido, felices de haber hablado con el bishounen del instituto, Mikoshiba sopla aliviado por haber sobrevivido a ello. Es un personaje realmente gracioso y único en muchos sentidos, igual que el resto de los personajes, pero a mi gusto, Mikorin es el que mas.

El resto de personajes principales, son, dentro de los principales, los mas secundario. Tenemos a "Lorelai", Seo Yuzuki. Es la tipica marimacho, pero que canta en el coro con una voz angelical. Después, a Kashima, el "principe", a pesar de ser una chica, a Hori-chan-sempai, el que mantiene a ralla a Kashima, a Wakamatsu, el fan incondicional de Lorelei, pero que teme a Yuzuki, sin saber que ambas son la misma persona, siendo este (Wakamatsu) el personaje mas especialmente inocente del anime.

Hablando del apartado técnico, empezando por música, el Opening me ha gustado especialmente, con una letra que hace que sea obvio que la canción fue compuesta para ser el Opening de este anime, pegadiza y con buen ritmo, y con un Ending cantado por la seiyuu de Chiyo Sakura, nuestra protagonista, también muy pegadizo.

Después, hablando de seiyus, tenemos a Yuuichi Nakamura (Tomoya, Gray) haciendo el papel de Nozaki, Ari Ozawa (Roles menores) haciendo de Sakura Chiyo, Okamoto Nobuhiko (Niizuma Eiji, Usui) como Mikorin, Miyuki Sawashiro (De las mas expertas entre el reparto, Ul, Ultear, Kanbaru Suruga, Celty, Shinko, Saeko), como Yuzuki, Mai Nakahara (Rena Ryuugu, Nagisa Furukawa), como Kashima, Ono Yuuki (Kagami Taiga) como Hori y Kimura Ryouhei (Kodaka, Kise Ryouta) como Wakamatsu.

Después, la animación es bastante buena, muy colorida y bastante bien hecha, sin ser especialmente elaborada, de todas formas estuvo muy bien hecha, con los perosonajes bien dibujados, sin cambiar el diseño original del manga.

Aun así, lo que brilló sobre todo en este anime, fué la diversión. Me hizo reir a carcajadas y otras veces estar pendiente por ver que pasará continuación, aunque esta mas raramente, puesto que brilla mas la comedia y las risas, que el drama, el cual casi completamente nulo en este anime.