Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki

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This book is half plot, half life coaching. Tomozaki makes some good progress and you can't help but root for him as you see his attitude start to change for the better. The way he's encouraged to turn his relentless, never-give-up attitude that many gamers take towards their games and refocus it onto real life was well done. The book also has some decent insights like how in games you get EXP by winning tough battles, in real life you "gain EXP" by losing those battles. It was also interesting to see how the author incorporated the effect of "the harder you try, the luckier ... you get." While Tomozaki fails stupendously throughout the story, his losses not only makes him more resilient to future losses, but also give him access to positive opportunities he wouldn't have had had he not failed.

Overall this is an optimistic and positive story that tries to show that by changing your perspective, you can start to do things that may have once seemed impossible for you.

I'll be focusing on the first volume. Some rambling about story, characters, and themes (which aren't spoilers right). I'll try to be brief.

Don't drop a tactical nuke on me, first review...

Tomozaki's philosophy is that life is a shitty, unbalanced game. Hinami challenges his philosophy, she says life is actually a great game, there are rules and cheats, you just gotta put the effort in.

This book definitely has some "self-help" aspects to it. Basically, Hinami gives Tomozaki one objective to work on at a time; examples: communication skills, posture, tone etc. With these objectives come steps/challenges that he is supposed to complete by achieving a good ... grasp on whatever objective he's trying to learn. Chapters consist of Tomozaki tackling these objective.

Learning these social skills will help Tomozaki take part in everyday life instead of being the loner kid without a social life and not trying to have one. With the help of Hinami's coaching, Tomozaki makes progress in his social...Though Hinami's tactics that she teaches aren't without criticism. It seemed to encourage that one must homogenize with the "normies" but Tomozaki also receives praise at throughout the story by other characters for being able to speak what is on his mind and is regarded almost like a gift.

When reading this story, it felt that the line between normies and gamers was kinda blurred. There are some normie characters that are very much into gaming (as much as Tomozaki) and yet they were still on top of the highchool hierarchy. I started wondering: who is a gamer and isn't? Are gamers limited to a singular social strata or not? It seemed to indicate that there is a balance that can be attained. That people who just good at one thing, seen by people as another thing, or even in love with on thing doesn't define you.

Tomozaki clearly develops towards the end of the story. He isn't ashamed to be a nerd and he doesn't shy away from talking about it. He feels more confident in those aspects. As Tomozaki worked towards his objectives and observed the behaviors of others, he gained a sort of respect for them and how they were able to pilot the social landscape.

Hinami is character who doesn't just talk the talk, she is shown walking the walk with relative ease. She is a harsh teacher but also supportive at the same time which makes for some subjectively entertaining banter. She is also a respectable in the sense that she didn't just spawn in the game of life with all the best stats, she just works harder than anyone else.

Overall, posi vibes, easy read turn brain off, slice of life, good and relatable character(s), no hate on types of people.

Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun explores self-improvement themes using an entertaining narrative that contains many gaming metaphors. While the anime fell short, the light novels feel refreshing, creative, and original - although the fanservice isn't done very well.

Story (9): The premise is okay. Interesting but not super special. It explains many social-science concepts in understandable ways through social events and everyday conversations. It really dives into the technicalities behind speaking better, carrying yourself better, and even dressing/styling yourself better - most of which are honestly helpful. This is done through the interactions between two polar opposites: Aoi Hinami, and our protagonist Tomozaki. We see the pros and cons ... of each side; you don't have to be the manipulative prick that Aoi is, and you also don't have to be the bitter loser/outcast that Tomozaki is. Through Aoi, we learn the value of putting effort into appearances and relationships, and through Tomozaki, we learn the value of being genuine with your desires.

The most interesting part of the story was how it explored the question: does changing yourself for the better mean you're being fake? The anime didn't do this very well. The light novel could've done this better, since the answer wasn't as clear as it should've been. But Tomozaki learns to find the balance between being himself and improving himself, which ultimately sets him on the path to authentic and positive change. The biggest suggestion I would make is to address this question earlier on, because leaving it unanswered seemed to turn a lot of people away from this series.

Only qualm I have is that the fanservice feels unnatural. In some stories, it can serve as a narrative device. Yes, high schoolers can be touchy and flirty with each other in a joking way, but the way its written here feels forced. It's like I hear the author's voice narrating, instead of Tomozaki. The latter half of Oregairu did a great job of avoiding unnecessary fanservice in the heavier scenes, while Tomozaki-kun's melodramatic fanservice often takes me out of the story's vibe.

Art (8): Covers are pretty and art is cute. Character designs aren't as boring and forgettable as some other series, and they're not too over-the-top either.

Character (8): The cast is diverse and characters mesh well. Both main leads have obvious flaws: for Tomozaki it is his lack of social competence, and for Hinami it is her fake and manipulative personality. However, the plot progresses in a way where their strengths make up for each other: Hinami helps Tomozaki improve socially, and Tomozaki's goal is to show Hinami that there is value in being genuine. Side character subplots also explore other important social themes too, like comparing yourself to others, stepping out of your comfort zone, and dealing with bullying. I am excited to see how the characters will continue to develop through the story.

The narrative style is pretty consistent; you see the world exactly how Tomozaki sees it - as a socially awkward nerd who wants to improve himself. It makes you cringe, which is EXACTLY how it feels to be a socially awkward person striving for improvement. That's what makes this story feel like an authentic self-improvement experience, which makes you appreciate Tomozaki's development so much more.

Enjoyment (10): Some of my favourite books are self-improvement books like 7 Habits and How to Make Friends&Influence People. Tomozaki explores these fundamental self-improvement concepts using a fun narrative, which makes this series stand out a lot more than other LNs, as well as more entertaining than other self-help books.

Overall (10)

Despite an admittedly rocky start, this series is honestly amazing. The beginning is a little "weird" because the characters seem bland, and the motives for why they start interacting with each other seem forced like it's too much of a coincidence. But if you stick with it, you'll start to see real character development. After all, the series is all about character development. Not just for the MC but also for everyone around him, and I think it does a great job of diving deep into the different side characters, their motivations, their desires, strengths and weaknesses, and their development for good or for bad. ...

Expect plenty of slice-of-life content, enough "self-help" that'll have you thinking you're actually reading a self-help booklet, but also interesting and rather realistic high school drama that doesn't rely entirely on weird misunderstandings that could be solved if characters just talked it out. Because here, the characters go through issues, and then they talk it out. Also a fair amount of romance in later volumes. Absolutely worth the read, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

for hinami in volume 5, I want to give this a 10, but Imma give it 9 cuz it's good.
Aside from hinami this ln has a good idea that it wants to share, how good the game of life is, and I approve, I may not like this game much but it's still enjoyable and I found myself liking this series to the point of reading a volume each day, of course, this series will give some of it's attention to romance even tho I hate romance but I understood that's it's a normal thing and it doesn't bring girls to the mc for no ... reason, it actually shows how every move and every word and every tone has its importance and I respect and like that cuz they didn't drift from the show's premise (how to enjoy the game of life).
I guess with this I wrote and I hope you read it, cheers.