5-toubun no Hanayome
The Quintessential Quintuplets

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This Review Only Spoils Up To Chapter 60


Gotoubun no Hanayome was a great manga. The story itself just felt different because it was created from the premise of studying, something so simple. Also, it didn’t fell like every girl was trying to get all over Uesugi, like most harem anime and/or manga. Yes the quintuplets did do their best to get Uesugi to fall for them. The one thing they never did was throw their body out like it was a garage sale. This was more of a wholesome harem then any normal harem.

The art was honestly the thing that got me to want to ... finish the manga. Yes, the story was good it was getting a little harder to read with almost no drama nor romance at the smart, which is understandable. I will say that some of the pages were unnecessary. One of the them being Nino’s love confession in volume 8. I didn’t see the point of putting a whole to say “I love you”.

Something that got me to read the manga more was the characters, mainly the quintuplets. Uesugi is sometimes funny, while also being very bland and boring. Next, you have the quintuplets.

Ichika choosing here dream over chasing Uesugi was honestly great. Personally, I think it shows massive character development.

Nino probably has the best character development out of anyone in the manga. Knowing that she was the most sensitive out of the 5 made her my favorite. From treating Uesugi like crap, which went to far. After her confession, she started to change which I loved.

Miku is very shy and quiet, she’s pretty inactive unless she get motivated. In the start of the manga, Chapter 4, Yotsuba asked Miku if she likes someone. It was pretty obvious that she wanted to say yes but, she said no. By Chapter 31, it was confirmed that she liked Uesugi. In Chapter 38, Miku says why she’s in love with Uesugi.

Yotsuba is my second favorite quintuplet because of how accepting and caring she is. The problem was that she had no character development. Overall, she’s very wholesome character and has a very lovable personality as a whole. She’s not to great at doing much. If there was some character development she’d could easily be my favorite.

I love the first four about the same. Itsuki was just a mess of a character. She’s annoying and by annoying I mean annoying. After the quintuplet’s mother passed away, Itsuki took it the hardest, making her want to be like her mom. Even saying “I am going to be a teacher” at the end of Chapter 57.

I enjoyed this manga a lot. Honestly, I don’t have a sufficient reason to why I loved the manga so much. The reason why I gave the manga a 9 and not a 10 was because of the ending. I’m fine with who won, but where the graduation arc or college art. In between when Uesugi confessed to the bride, finally getting to the wedding. There should’ve been one of those arcs or both. This would make the manga a little longer but better. It just jumped from the confession to the wedding.

Story: 2
The story boils down to another rom com manga. The only "twist" is that the heroines are all quintuplets. What could have potentially been interesting ended up being the same old, safe, uninspired manga I've seen enough times before.

Art: 7
The only decent part of this manga. The art style is appealing and the easiest way to tell all the characters apart.

Characters: 3
The protagonist is another uninteresting, self insert type. His character development is about the same as every other manga of this type I've read - starts off cold and not liking the girls but through many wacky and zany and emotional events he ... becomes a caring and kind person!!!!
Additionally, the sisters are uninteresting as well. Since they all look similar, it's hard to give them the usual tropes but they still exist, and all the girls fall in love with some loser in order to progress the self insert fantasy. Not to mention that the girls also do not have particularly unique personalities and feel like robots who's only objective is to date the protag. Even with issues with their family, school, and struggle with future plans they manage to make it all about wanting to date the protagonist or falling in love with him.

Enjoyment: 2
I read about half of this, thinking I liked it but as I read different mangas, I realized this really isn't that good. There are other romcoms that are significantly more interesting, and I found once I returned to continue reading that the plot really just isn't that interesting and the characters are boring.

Overall: 3
I can't really recommend this to anybody unless romcoms are the only genre you read and you can tolerate this kind of stuff. There is so much interesting material to read however, this manga is not that - interesting.

anyone who hates this manga I'm confused. This manga is really perfect for singles who don't have a clear direction in their life. Always when I read this somehow I smile myself like an autistic person. That's because in my brain, I'm happy like I feel that so many girls come to me. IRL might not be like that, but I hope that Amen can be like that. The illustration per character is very different from other manga. Each character has a rich feel, so it's really boring. The virtual design and hair are really great, thx negi, for making these beloved characters. The funny ... Face is delicious too, and I won't be bored to see it. 10/10, this manga is no debate. I love this manga to death.

Note that his review is going to be incredibly mediocre it's my first review but I'll try my best.
This manga was able to invoke an emptiness in my heart that I haven't felt before. It is able to make you realize how boring your life is and how much you are missing out on. At the same time, the story is comforting and honestly was really good. For me, it really never mattered who won in the end because I always enjoy the journey more than the ending. Each arc developed the quintuplets into being all completely different and unique characters. Some definitely got more ... time to develop than others and that's why I gave the characters an 8, but I understand that as a writer it's really hard to manage 6 main characters and how they grow. The art style was really well done especially at the end with all the full-page pictures(I honestly don't like how the characters look in the anime when compared to the manga). Now for enjoyment, as I said at the start the end gave me an empty feeling in my heart after reading it. Making me realize I should cherish my youth and do more things. Though it made me feel this way I still really enjoyed everything about it. There is a character for anyone to like and there were so many plot twists and things that you will never expect. A lot of people have complained about the ending and it being rushed and could have been stretched out further. I wholeheartedly agree with them, but this is the ending we have to live with. Honestly, I'm not too disappointed in the ending, and the only thing I'm disappointed in is the fact that it could have felt a little more complete if it was given 2-3 volumes. All in all, there are so many pro's and if the only con is the ending then I say it is definitely a must-read for anyone who wants love-able characters and a great love story.

Oh, Quintessential Quintuplets. I've been a fan of you ever since I began watching your anime. You left me with a cliffhanger, but you gave me an opportunity to continue by opening the path of manga for me. Thanks to that, I was able to continue enjoying my experience to the utmost. Up until the latest episode where everything will probably ( and finally ) be concluded. I acknowledge that what I'm going to say will be a very bad comparison. But if I am to describe 5-toubun no Hanayome. I would describe it as "Reverse Nisekoi But Better".

I have always been a fan ... of anime more than manga ever since I was young. For some reason, they just don't give off the maximum feeling I get from watching an anime. For me, reading a manga is like watching an anime but its potential is lowered to a worsen standard. Thus, resulting in me not having any ( or none at all ) feelings attached to manga. However, a small number of manga does actually shatter that stupid-ass ideal of mine and sometimes even surpass the majority of the anime I've watched. But these "fewer" manga are so rare that it's just nearly impossible.

- SOME SPOILERS BELOW, DO NOT READ ANYTHING INSIDE THE BOX IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE MANGA -

[ A manga that is able to make the impossible become possible means that it has favorably earned my uttermost of respect not just as a manga but also as a fine masterpiece. Inevitably, 5-toubun no Hanayome has become one of the manga that has made the impossible possible.

I started reading the manga at the chapter where the anime left off in hope that our gamer girl would be able to win Fuutarou's heart. As I progressed through the manga, my thoughts began to weaver as the other contenders ( aka the other girls ) began to rise up and somehow managed to reach the level of our gamer girl that I've thought was impossible at first. The battle between the quintuplets become more and more intense until I was no longer able to pick a side and transcended into the "I don't even care anymore" stage. Resulting in me not giving a damn about who's going to win anymore. I began to realize that I have grown to accept all the girls instead of being all offended when I was watching the anime. The only thing that is left and is keeping me to read this manga is who Fuutarou will end up with. And judging by the current chapter I'm in. I think it's finally over. Well, the battle of course. Not the entirety of the manga. ]

- SPOILER END -

The Quintessential Quintuplets is not just some random harem you'd get anywhere. This is a hidden gem that is probably one of the best harem manga out there. It's unique, it's entertaining, and most importantly, it sinks into my body and become a part of my important memories within my life. ( might be over exaggerating but whatever )

The anime's good. The manga's even better. I can't wait to see how this ends. I'm hyped! Anyways, I recommend this to everyone that is looking for some god-tier harem, school, comedy and romance. You won't regret reading this manga. Also, this is just an opinion. But if you haven't seen both the manga and the anime. You should first try the anime and if you like it then continue from where the anime left off just like what I did.

I first wrote this review when I had read about 80 chapters of Gotoubun no Hanayome and during the height of its popularity. I believed it to be a solid, well-developed, decently-paced school setting romcom - a rare gem for me, considering that I'm usually not a fan of those. I went as far as to say that Gotoubun made other modern popular animanga of the same genre look pathetic in comparison.

But whew... Talk about things that did not age well.

It's not to say that Gotoubun lost all of its value for me. I treasure those first 70-something chapters and the attachment I felt to ... the characters. I still think that what Negi accomplished there is praise-worthy and I stand by what I said, that it was a fun and twisty romcom with good characters and a likeable protagonist. But in a few years from now, I'm afraid that Gotoubun will be remembered by me not as "That quintuplets romcom that I had some fun with", but rather as "That quintuplets romcom that went to shit towards the end".

It's hard to explain what went wrong with Gotoubun without stepping into spoiler territory, so from this point on, you'll be seeing spoilers for the last 30 or so chapters of the manga.

One of my previous minor complaints about Gotoubun was that, although its twisty nature was fun and clever, it was starting to drag on a little and in danger of becoming a bore. I said that as of chapter 86. And now, with the manga completed at chapter 122, what I feared the most has come true: it overstayed its welcome greatly. And it resulted in what I believe was its ultimate downfall: The School Festival arc.

The School Festival arc was an absolutely dreadful experience to sit through, something akin to a modern Endless Eight. We are shown the exact same series of events in the school festival through the eyes of every quintuplet for a bunch of chapters. That doesn't sound too bad in theory, but weight in the fact that this happens directly after Fuutarou announces that he has finally come to a decision and will confess to the sister he loves after the festival is over, and there you go: all of those chapters are nothing but Negi trying to apply his twisty keep-you-guessing gimmick, only that this time he failed horribly. We as an audience at that point were tired and wanted a confession, a resolution, a BOOM moment. It was like listening to a song and waiting for the beat to drop, but then the beat never drops. What made those chapters extra nefarious wasn't even the fact that they were stalling the big reveal, but the way that they did it. To put it bluntly, they added nothing of value to the table - I mean, I guess they tried, but it was all written in such a lousy, confusing, superficial, strangely rushed fashion that I questioned if it was the same Negi that gave us the previous chapters. The girls' biological father shows up unceremoniously just to raise chaos and make Itsuki second-guess herself, all so that it ends with... Her not changing her mind about wanting to become a teacher after all, I guess? The fact that they lowkey tried to give their shitty adoptive father some sort of redemption also had me baffled. He didn't seem like he changed or regretted being absent from their lives at all, but we were just supposed to believe that he actually always cared because he left some flowers on their mother's grave? Don't make me laugh. And what about Fuutarou's former tutor showing up, doing absolutely nothing, then vanishing again? Geez, maybe the reason why Negi never gave a lot of attention to side characters is because he absolutely sucks at handling them in the first place. My point here is that this arc sealed a big, HUGE drop in the quality of the overall writing of the manga, something that is noticeable far back from Yotsuba's backstory arc.

I also regret saying that I felt like the manga was sensible and reasonable on the subject of love rivalry between the sisters, and that it even subverted some tropes that I usually hate. That was my reading back then, but towards the end it once again went all to shit: I had to see these characters I grew to care about becoming generic, incomprehensible shadows of their past selves and fall right headfirst into concepts deeply etched into the manga romcom genre that I so despise. Like, for example, the idea that romantic love between two people is something that you earn because you worked hard for it, rather than a connection and genuine bond being formed through quality time and affinity; romantic love isn't a job position, and while it requires effort and teamwork between the involved parties to work out, it isn't something you can simply get by being especially pushy or having a sadder backstory. Another one is the idea that once a girl is in love, she has to lose all of her self-respect AND her respect for other people because she has to "keep fighting for it and not give up", and thus continues to pursue the guy even after he's already settled for a girlfriend who he loves.

All of this contaminated Nino a lot specifically and it soured her character greatly for me, which was very upsetting considering that she was my favorite quintuplet. But I just couldn't be satisfied seeing her fall victim to this, saying that she would steal her sister's boyfriend away from her and that she didn't deserve him because his love "came ease even though she did nothing". It was also jarring to see the implication that she was still in love with Fuutarou even five years later on their wedding day. One of the main reasons why I'd be alright if Nino wasn't the bride even though I liked her the most was because I felt like she could bounce back easier than the others; she's headstrong, independent and values her sisters' happiness. And yet the Nino I saw towards the end seemed simply bitter and spiteful.

And although I was personally also rooting for Yotsuba because I thought she and Fuutarou made a good match, I couldn't be satisfied with the way it happened. She got reduced to the "I met you as a kid" trope for a brief while, and her backstory carried a wild tonal shift that made me not care for it. I waited patiently to see Yotsuba getting her time to shine, but the monkey's paw curled on me, I guess, because when she finally did, it was rushed and not nearly as satisfying as with the other sisters, and as a result people feed into the "it's unfair that it was Yotsuba!" mentality. It's not unfair that it was Yotsuba, it's unfair that Negi failed to give her resolution and proper depth the same care he gave the others! If Yotsuba was my favorite girl I would probably feel the most cheated of them all. I also didn't like seeing her throw away the symbol of her individuality at the end just because Fuutarou could tell her apart from her sisters. Individuality was so important to Yotsuba, it's hard to believe she would let go of it just because she got married.

Miku was also contagiated by the cliché love rivalry babbling, but to a lesser extent than Nino. At the very least, she seemed happy with herself and got a satisfying conclusion to her character development: we truly see her blossom into a more confident person without losing her essence, and that was fine by me. She grew from the experience of being in love.

What really caught me off guard, though, was the fact that Ichika and Itsuki, my least favorite girls, were the only ones who responded to the situation in a way that did not piss me off. Maybe it was because Ichika had been the target of the "I need to 'win' his love" mentality earlier in the manga and then had a change of heart, but by the time Fuutarou comes to a conclusion, she is accepting of it and maintains a healthy close friendship with him. Itsuki acknowledges that she is jealous and frustrated, but never lets this overpower her, and in the end finds her peace with Fuutarou being with Yotsuba instead, knowing that although she was not the one, nothing could break the bond she already had with him. They also had good conclusions to their personal arcs, with Itsuki becoming a teacher and honoring her mother, and Ichika realizing that there are bigger things in store for her than university and dedicating herself to her acting career.

Then there's Fuutarou, and it saddens me that I don't even quite know what to write in here, because he was so affected by the quality drop that I no longer felt his singular strength as a character towards the end. And that is TRAGIC, because Fuutarou being a solid, good character instead of a generic or unlikeable Joe was one of the driving forces of Gotoubun. I guess you can say that he never quite became a bad character, but... Proposing to Yotsuba out of nowhere? He seemed like a different person during their date segment, and I don't mean this in a good way. There was very little buildup to the reveal, and up until the end he didn't seem to show a preference towards any of them at all. And what about his dream of making it big? What about his relationship with Raiha? What about any of those things? Mere passing notes are all they're worth? Had the manga gone on for 2 chapters longer I'd nearly be able to say he had a full descent into a generic harem romcom protagonist; he dodged quite a bullet here.

And then the very ending, the thing that made so many people understandably froth at the mouth... Oh boy. You can say that it wasn't strictly a "it was all a dream"-type ending: you could easily see that as a narrative resource to make a parallel between their graduation and the future. But what it really felt like to me was Negi trying to find his easy way out of sticking to a definitive decision. He's definitely a crowd pleaser - he made sure we got to see all of the sisters individually confessing and kissing Fuutarou, as though he didn't want to see the fans of any of them feeling left out. And although he did settle on Fuutarou choosing Yotsuba, by presenting the notion that the wedding might have been just a dream, he can make people wonder "well, but maybe he will break up with her and marry another of them in the future". Which is, if you ask me, a coward's way out. I can't even properly complain about how shitty the writing of the whole "guess who's your fiance!" scene was because it might not even have happened at all. But let it be known that it was so, so shitty and childish, a far cry from the emotional depth and involvement I saw on the very same manga 50 chapters earlier.

Credit where it is due, the art remained amazing to the very end, with beautifully drawn expressions and extremely dynamic panels. Even though the characterization and writing completely fell apart on its seams, it offered a generous serving of eye candy, and the girls' designs were as cute as ever, which might have even make the whole thing feel less bad at some times. But this was really all that stayed consistent, and that's a crying shame.

Gotoubun rocked the animanga community. People got excited over it, and not for little reason: it was one of the best of its genre. It was a solid, well-developed, decently-paced school setting romcom. It was out there making other modern popular animanga of the same genre look pathetic in comparison. I don't feel happy editing this review and taking back the praise I had for it. In fact, I wonder why it went so wrong. Did Negi lose his passion for the project? Was he feeling pressured over its overwhelming popularity? Is he simply not skilled at writing conclusions? I guess we'll never know. All that's left is looking at all of these reviews graded 5 or less and contemplating the fall of this empire.

Go-toubun no Hanayome is a special manga for me this series caught my attention feeling it one of a kind in its genre and left a deep mark on me.

In this story, the first thing to strike me is the intrigue of who of the quintuplets is the bride. Since they are similar, it’s hard to find her with the naked eye. This mystery leads to create theories to discover her identity, making the plot exciting.

Art is great and constant, showing the charm of the quints and their most meaningful moments.

The highlight in this series is its characters. The main character Fuutarou was a reserved ... and hard-working guy; but when he gets more involved with the quints, he became empathic and observant, getting to recognise those details that make them unique regardless of their resemblance.

The quintuplets are the reason that makes so worth it this manga.

Ichika is a dreamy, protective and confidant lady. She is a guiding light for her sisters, and her dreams are full of love for acting. She’ll always be a star.

Nino is the most passionate, frank, and brave miss in this series; her love for her sisters is infinite and she’ll give everything for them and for whom she cares. It’s easy to love the way she is.

Miku is the most intelligent, mature and modest girl in her family. She’ll fill your heart with warmth and tenderness. Her shyness won’t stop her, and she will show you she is a warrior. She’s a muse.

Yotsuba is a generous, cheerful and innocent girl; she’ll always be by your side when you need it most and will not quit until you are well, she won’t forsake you. She’s an angel.

Itsuki is a persistent, noble and honest miss. Despite the difficulties that occur her way, she’ll strive to achieve her goals. She will stand up for what she believes and prove us her invincible soul. She’s starlight.

The bond that the quints share it’s praiseworthy, they will never be alone, and they’re bound to be together. And this unique relationship of support, loyalty and love they have with Fuutarou is enchanting.

Seeing them grow and improve increased my affection for them. Watching them smile, fall in love and showing their strength, made me look forward to each chapter from beginning to end.

I enjoyed the journey of this manga; this series and its characters turned into something so special for me. Watching my dears quintuplets happy, fulfilling their dreams and the fact that they’ll always together no matter what is what left me satisfied. I’ll miss these wonderful girls so much and the wait for a new chapter every week.

The best message of this story for me is that family love is the most valuable thing one can have; they’ll always be there for you even if you are wrong, and they will never turn their backs on you. I recommend this manga, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A criminally underrated manga even at an 8 rating.

This manga fanned the flames in flame wars seldom seen from manga fans.
These 5 characters weren't particularly deep, especially in the early chapters. However, they get developed and fleshed out as time goes on, and the best part is that they grow. My most disliked character became my favorite character, and a lot of characters that I thought I'd like for the entirety of the story ended up not shining as bright as some others. What's beautiful is that depending on who you talk to, people will interpret the characters I'm talking about as different characters.

Time passes ... and a few chapters in, you'll feel invested. Happy moments make you happy, and sad moments make you sad. There are panels that are incredibly drawn and really hit you in the feels. In terms of enjoyment, it's up there. The story is finished now but the chapter by chapter discussions were incredible and although waiting for the next chapter was sometimes agonizing, it's saddening to lose that happy feeling when a new chapter comes out.

The story never really pushed some narratives in an urgent way and a lot of the plot gets pushed aside to start others. Unfortunately the manga has to end and time couldn't be spared to fully flesh out some subplots. Other manga might have side stories to fulfill this need but I think with this kind of manga that's just not possible and that's a sad reality we have to accept.

The ending is getting talked about a lot and without spoiling, all I can really say is that if the manga is going to be good, someone has to lose, and in this case many people lose. Of course a lot of people are saddened especially if they are on the losing side of things, but salt aside, this is one of very few manga that have the guts to dissatisfy people for the quality of the manga.

If you're someone that likes to yell at the protagonist of harem stories to pick someone already, you'll love this manga.

I felt the latter half of the story was too rushed and there was a distinct lack of character development for important characters (which is an understatement).
I would say I was left dissatisfied by the end, due to the aforementioned character development causing it to be anticlimactic.

Filler info:
Generally a 'cute' story and I was invested in the characters in the first half, but working my way up to the 3-quarter mark, I was concerned (rightly so) that there wasn't sufficient content to wrap up the plot, while adding closure to all other characters. So it would be fair to say that it is unfulfilling.

The Quintessential Quintuplets wasn't particularly a passionate read for me. I wouldn't say that I had a bad time, but overall, I feel there are many unhealthy and unconstructive messages in the story. The main characters have a complicated relationship with their studies, and the author tends to reinforce the elitism within such an intolerant system rather than being critical of a situation that isn't beneficial for anyone. Additionally, the main girls are often portrayed more as rewards for the reader rather than fully fleshed-out individuals with their own lives. I believe this objectification of the quintuplets is what significantly deteriorated the overall story.

However, there ... are also a few positive aspects scattered throughout, primarily the way the story showcases the individuality of each of the quintuplets. Based on their unique personal experiences, each one ends up being different in certain ways, and the story gradually reveals these experiences. Towards the end, the manga delves deeper into this direction, and I appreciate the development the story takes in the final pages.

*VERY MINOR SPOILERS*
(the "spoilers" mentioned are all basic things we learn very, very early on in the manga)

I'm writing this review after watching the anime adaption, as I genuinely loved the anime and wanted to continue the story after. It was very unusual for me as I generally don't read mangas, but the anime was so great I had high expectations for the manga. And let me say - it totally lived up to those expectations.

For those who haven't read the manga OR watched the anime, I'll give a brief overview (I wrote a review on the anime as well, although to be honest ... my ideas were a bit jumbled).

Basically, the story revolves around our main character Fuutarou, the number 1 ranking student in the grade and a pretty uptight personality. This isn't to say he doesn't care, because as we go through the story we learn more about the type of person he is; how he genuinely does care about others - he just doesn't give a damn what other people's perceptions of him are. Fuutarou is an incredibly fun and reliable MC to follow, he isn't the standard weak, useless, crying MC in a harem. He takes charge and steps up when it matters most. Even though he is a great MC to follow, he still has to suffer in poverty with his father and little sister. And to make money for his poor living conditions, Fuutarou takes up a tutoring offer from a wealthy man, asking to teach his five daughters who are failures when it comes to school. And as we all know from the title, these are the main girls.

The five daughters are all quintuplets, which includes the fact they look extremely similar. This is one of the reasons I gave the art a 10/10, because they look similar but are still distinguishable to the reader/viewer. Of course, these similarities lead to a lot of antics revolving around them pretending to be one another in certain situations, which is entertaining but also interesting for character development. More on the sisters, each one has their own unique personality. While the personalities are all based off of common tropes (tsundere, kuudere, etc) the characters are fleshed out extremely well, and aren't just walking ecchi girls.

In fact, there is very little ecchi to straight up none at all which is another fantastic thing about this manga. It looks more at an ACTUAL scenario (even if unrealistic of course) of five sisters slowly but surely falling for the main character, and their interactions with one another as they realize their changing emotions. The girls don't fall for him all in the first chapter and then turns into an ecchi fanservice, the story is very well put together and gives great progression of not only the girls' (and even Fuutarou's) character, but also their emotions for one another in terms of the sisterhood bond, another big theme in this manga.

Talking about story quick, I'd like to point out how great the pacing is. No one arc takes way too long, but also has enough time to make considerable development in the characters and the progression of the story. There is no filler, and every chapter felt like we learned something new about one of the girls or Fuutarou, learned about what potential problems will happen between the group, and gives lots of emotions mixed throughout.

For the most part, that covers what I wanted to review about the manga without giving any sort of spoilers. When I first watched the anime literally less than a week ago, I came in with low expectations and ready to enjoy another "trashy" fanservice anime. But I was genuinely glad to see how this show and manga took a different spin on the harem tag. Especially how easily the author could have made it a fanserivce, ecchi anime, the story's direction has a huge focus on each character on an individual and their relationships between one another. Picture it like a spider web, with each character having a string attached to the other five people in the main group (5 girls + Fuutarou = 6). And as the manga progresses, each one of those individual strings gets stronger as we learn more. It also has a big emphasis on the sisterhood between them, Fuutarou aside, which is another fantastic thing - they don't just oogle over our MC the entire time.

I wrote a lot, so I'll end it here. I gave this a 10/10, it truly is a fantastic series for what it is presented as - a romance, harem comedy with some drama mixed in. A lot of emotional moments from happy to nervous, and I had multiple periods of being anxious as to what would happen next. I highly recommend reading this, or even watching the anime which ends off on chapter 32/33 of the manga. I hope you all give this manga a shot, and thank you for reading. Hopefully my writing wasn't too fumbled with ideas scattered around. Thanks!

I'm writing this review a few days after reading the last chapter, this manga was one of the greatest work that I have read, it delivered to us a wonderful romance/ harem story, The story in Overall was a masterpiece, but it didn't feel like that starting from the festival arc, I felt like the writer was rushing to finish story as soon as possible, I believe that 10 or 20 more chapters were needed to strengthen the plot, as for the characters I liked most of them, all of them developed in a great way through the manga except for Itsuki, it was like ... the writer totally forget about her, and when he finally remembered her he started to add some random event relating to her that didn't fit or have any major impact on the story, the art was great in this manga I have no comment about it I will give it 10/10, and in the end, I was very sad about the loss of my favorite girl, and that why I liked the what if situation, in the end, it was a nice gesture XD.

Anyways the manga was great and I highly recommend it

Overall, I think this manga had some very good points. I think my only problem I had with it was the ending. There weren't any things I found insufferable (apart from Ichika) and I was hooked on this manga. I think I read the whole thing in 5 hours or something because I wanted to know how it ended

Was that worth it? Yes, because I enjoyed my time, but also no, because I hated the ending. I've never seen a manga apart from this one where I needed doujins (the non-sexual kind of course) to get a better ending. The ending itself isn't poorly crafted. ... In fact, I'm sure it was great for the people that liked the girl who won. It's just, none of the favorite girls won, and that's where the backlash came from. I think the author knew who would win from the first chapter, and people just latched onto the wrong quintuplets.

Here's my ratings, first number is my rating, second number is my expected rating for the average person.

Main characters: 9/10 | 9/10
Side characters: 6/10 | 6/10
Plot: 9/10 | 8/10
Art: 9/10 | 9/10
Romance: 9/10 | 8/10
Comedy: 7/10 | 7/10
Ending: 8/10 | 8/10
Ending (if I wasn't being serious): 0/10

One of the best mangás i've ever read in my life. The plot is mind blowing, i recommend for everyone to read.
It was an amazing journey, I'm sad that it's over, but that's why it's really good, beginning, middle and end of the story is perfect. I loved it and I will definitely read it over and over again.

I give a freakin 100/10 :)

I'm still waiting for the movie to come out in Europe, I'll watch it with popcorn and everything, it's well deserved. And I'm glad they made the finale a movie and not episodes, because I'm imagining the anxiety reaching a ... lot of people if they had to wait for the next episode ahaha.

At a first glance, 5-toubun might look like a run-of-the-mill harem manga: an unsociable, bland-looking, high-achieving high school boy suddenly finds himself the tutor of five attractive, trope-caricatured quintuplets with terrible studying skills (the mature hot one! the tsundere! the shy nerd! the genki girl! the oblivious friend!). As the first pages of the story make clear, hijinks will ensue that somehow lead to him marrying one in a few years.

As it turns out, there's much, much more to this story. Over the following dozens of chapters, we slowly learn more about what's led each character to be the person he or she is ... today. Centrally, we learn how those experiences affect their ideas of love and how that impacts all their relationships (with friends, strangers, parents, siblings, teachers, etc.).

More than 100 chapters in, it's clear that the story has been written and illustrated by a manga-ka with a very clear vision of the story's direction from day 1, to the benefit of attentive readers, encouraging you to reread and notice throwaway details with much greater importance later on and consider the importance of different narrative themes.

What seems like a cookie-cutter rom-com harem at first is ultimately a well-written, emotionally and mentally stimulating study on the meaning of love and how it shapes our romance, friendships, profession, families, and life goals.

Another good manga with shitty end. There is 4 hole in my heart after ending. It was good until 83 chapter but later on it is shown that
****(Spoiler)***
yotsuba is the girl who he meet five years ago. Don't know why author seems to interested in fate thing. But I didn't like it personally I was broken because I was rooting for miku or nino.
Talking about story it's good.
About character development well author tried to give time to each and every character and done a pretty well job.
About art no need to talk it's good.
Regarding enjoyment you will enjoy reading but at certain moment it ... starting fading get boring and author tried to speed up the manga.
Overall it's good as long as you don't simp for any other girl other than yotsuba.

God, I just can't anymore. I hate myself for loving series like this even though I know ill just be disappointed in the end.

lets start with the characters; the MC first then the girls in descending order of personal preference.

SPOILERS

Fuutaro had the foundation to be a genuinely well developed romance MC, for the longest time he genuinely didn't have any romantic interest in the girls and simply wanted to support his family. he began making believable progress in how he felt for the girls until all of a sudden his character gets dragged through the mud with the rest of the story, having him act ... completely out of character to suit the authors preference.

Itsuki, the girl who constantly got shafted throughout the entire series. mystery is important in a show like this but it's better to have no mystery at all then to do it poorly. It would have made the most sense for itsuki to have been the childhood love, but that doesn't mean she had to end up with the MC. She didn't have much in the way of character development because the author just used her as an anchor for the other girls. consistently my favorite girl despite her treatment.

Nino is the best example of character development in the show and probably shouldve ended up with fuutaro even if she wasn't my number one. going from the most openly hostile to being the one to shout her love the loudest shows how much of an impact the MC had on her. a strong willed main heroine helps contrast an MC who spends so much of the show being indecisive. she showed more love for her sisters than anybody else and refused to let their rivalry destroy the love they had for eachother.

Miku would be placed at the bottom of the list of characters I liked in the series, this series usually does a poor job of usurping tropes but Miku is an exception. you would expect the quiet and reserved girl to be incredibly intelligent, although here that clearly isn't the case. which leads to a cute contrast. the first one we find out is in love with the protagonist made her a fan favorite, along with her bickering with Nino.

these three characters are the selection that could have feasibly ended up with the MC, yet they also recieve the worst treatment from the author in the latter third of the series.

Ichika constantly presented herself as the big sister yet consistently acted the most childish, betraying her sister for her own benefit is something none of the authors would have even considered.

yotsuba came out of nowhere in a move that made no sense to become the winning girl of the series for the simple reason of her being shoehorned as the childhood love. throughout the entire series she never gave the MC any reason to choose her over the others yet he did anyways. she was the bright light of the sisters and fulfilled her role well until the author decided she was best girl.


now story: literally Nisekoi with identical girls

finally art: fit well with the romance genre but didn't ever exceed expectations

Overall, this series is like an extremely fun roller coaster until you get to the final drop and realize that nobody finished the track. skip unless you're a "journey over destination" person.

The anime announcement was a matter of time, each week my twitter filling of opinions, discussions and debates about the last situation that happen, few romantic manga make it this effect. When I already felt that I was very out of the conversation circle and finally decided by reading it, occurred the announcement of the adaptation, I decided watch and read. Put on day took little time, finally I can be part of the weekly debate.

While I was reading understood where was the popularity of the work, a harem with real characters, who will say it. Let´s start with the main character, Futarou is more ... bitter and serious than average protagonist, conserving the level of compromise, with few touch but capable of decision. Isn't innovating but is a cool blew it that make it capture the attention.

The quintuplets are just like should be by inference, same and different. Each one has energy attitudes and brotherly appreciation, with qualities that make it distinguishable and unique: Ichika the most risky, Nino the most forehead, Miku the most demure, Yotsuba the sportier and Itsuki the most dedicated. The premise that belong the dynamics teacher-Student make it easier know her and deepen in scale, giving it the last touch to her addiction, count with the variety for that each one can choose their favorite girl according with their tastes.

The distribution of situations exploits the differences between the sisters, none chapter is similar to other, the variety of facts than happen, either in individual sense or framed inside a little arc, make uncheck it a little more of the work of their similar. Without forget it of the important narrative in retrospective, giving us in advance the achievement about that our dedication will be rewarded, no matter what, he will marry some of they.

Even better carry are the driving thematic and narrative development of each girl. Contrary to the prejudice about this archetype, the associated values intrinsically to the harem belong the group evolution, each girl supported each other or of the protagonist, where going defining selves in the exchange of touch, experiences, discussions and situations. Each quintuplet and the protagonist going finding the way of their life through the confrontation of obstacles, dealing with their feeling and the brotherly interaction.

Of this way (at least in general thematic level) none stays behind of the other ones, we count with construction of the self-esteem, the consideration toward the other, don’t give up in the search of dreams and one of my favorites, the celebration of joy. Deepen impregnated across of all the volumes, that tribute to the moments that just can live being young, when everything could be possible.

All these trends were accomplished with a careful watch out narrative development (except the last quart) each girl builds her own way, none is far respect to the others in the how that related with the protagonist, counts with unique moments, almost in certain point anyone of the 4 could feel perfectly feasible like “winners”.

An important highlight is despite being a harem, doesn’t count with explicitly Fanservice moments, if there is a comparison will be like Nisekoi being even more sweetened. Making more interest in the punctual moments where will happen these moments of so much PLOT (Ex. The Beach). Likewise is important like the other side characters, had their punctual contributions in the appropriate moment, never felt a narrative universe excessively locked.

Their development of individual chapters counted with one than another arc to speed things up, well writings, structured and measured, mostly all the exciting final stretch of the third arc, almost I had vertigo before read the chapter. Then, comes the last quart.

The final phase starts with power, surprises no so surprises, that overturned in a split arc of points of view, something that even if already used, the exaggerated complexity that tried, end up confusing rather than intriguing. Almost should use a timeline to known that was happening, a shame because the facts in self are the last touches to the narrative way of each sister, punctual moments really waited, bad executed.

Also considering the watch out previous rythm, surprise even more the accelerated of the last section, a burst of revelations and key instants than few time leaved to acceptance, mutually opaque, that by the inherent weight end up falling in the forget.

Still I must defend the end, itself the pure end, seems to me a nice end although don't have something solid by behind if reach be to the height, the waited ceremony in a victory that I can give by defensible, even happening everything that end up happening. The thematic lines had their respective messages, the general tone can keep it and the sweetie that test it, end up conserving it.

The draw is really good, the character design of each girl being similar and different belongs games in the narratives, and beautiful postal in the illustrations of double page or full page. The layout is directed to the effective, like should it expected of someone young, going better and experiencing according to the passing time, even in the last did hand go away.

There is a good work in the background, in the positioning of the characters respect to the environment, in the revelations moment also getting considerably better the work of the illustration. A really nice work, even the chibi draws are memorable.

The quintuplets will come to my memory like a roller coaster of emotions, weekly revelations where Negi need credit by be so talented for the story construction and the approach of chifflangers, at point of win the nickname of “troll” for the community, chest accelerated at the mention of new weekly chapter, read the ocean of theory’s than proliferated on twitter and Facebook, the intoxicant joy because finally my team was victorious, and the bittersweet of my feels while the end was each time more near.

¿Could have been better? Without a doubt, with the double of duration, a restructuration and more calm in the final section will be like a modern classic. But what happen has happen, and has been really good. I will miss all, will remember it with a smile, just like my youth memories.

Español

El anuncio del anime era un hecho de cuestión de tiempo, cada semana mí twitter se llenaba de opiniones, discusiones y debates sobre lo último que pasaba, pocos mangas románticos lograban este efecto. Cuando ya me sentía muy fuera del círculo de conversación y finalmente me decidí por leerlo, ocurrió el anuncio de la adaptación, decidí ver y leer. Ponerme al día demoró poco tiempo, finalmente pude hacer parte del debate semanal.

Mientras lo fui leyendo entendía dónde radicaba la popularidad de la obra, un harem con auténticos personajes, quien lo diría. Comencemos por el protagonista, Futarou es más amargado y serio que el protagonista promedio, conservando el nivel de compromiso, con poco tacto pero capacidad de decisión. No es un innovador más si un soplo fresco que lograba capturar la atención.

Las quintillizas son tal como deberían ser por inferencia, iguales y diferentes. Todas con actitudes enérgicas y aprecio fraternal, con cualidades que las hacían distinguibles y únicas: Ichika la más arriesgada, Nino la más frentera, Miku la más recatada, Yotsuba la más deportiva e Itsuki la más dedicada. La premisa que permitió las dinámicas Maestro-Estudiantes facilito el conocerlas y profundizarlas en escalas, dando el último toque a su adicción, contar con la variedad para que cada quién pudiera elegir a su chica favorita a gusto.

La distribución entre situaciones explota las diferencias entre las hermanas, ningún capítulo es similar a otro, la variedad de hechos que ocurren, ya sean en sentido individual o enmarcados dentro de algún pequeño arco, logran desmarcarlo un poco más al trabajo de sus congéneres. Sin olvidarnos de la importante narración en retrospectiva, dándonos de antemano el logro sobre que nuestra dedicación se verá recompensada, pase lo que pase, se casará con alguna de ellas.

Todavía mejor llevado son los manejos temáticos y desarrollos narrativos de cada chica. Contrario a los prejuicios sobre este arquetipo, los valores asociados intrínsecamente al harem permite la evolución grupal, una chica apoyada sobre la otra o del protagonista, donde van definiéndose en el intercambio de roces, experiencias, discusiones y situaciones. Cada quintilliza y el protagonista van encontrando el camino de su vida a través del enfrentamiento de obstáculos, el lidiar con sus sentimientos y la interacción fraternal.

Así (al menos en nivel temático general) ninguna queda menor a las demás, contamos con la construcción del autoestima, la consideración hacia el otro, el no rendirse en la búsqueda de sueños y uno de mis preferidos, la celebración de la juventud. Profundamente impregnado a lo largo de todos los volúmenes, ese homenaje a los momentos que sólo pueden vivirse siendo jóvenes, a cuando todo parecía ser posible.

Todas estas líneas fueron logradas con un cuidado desarrollo narrativo (a excepción del último cuarto) cada chica construía su propio camino, ninguna está alejada respecto a las demás en el cómo se relacionan con el protagonista, cuentan con momentos únicos, casi en cierto punto cualquiera de las 4 podían sentirse perfectamente factibles como “ganadoras”.

Hay que destacar que pese a ser una obra harem no cuenta con momentos explícitamente Fanservice, si tuviera comparación sería como Nisekoi siendo aún más edulcorado. Ejerciendo todavía más interés en los momentos puntuales donde tuvieran que ocurrir estos momentos de tanta TRAMA (Ej. Capítulo de la playa). Así mismo es importante como los demás personajes secundarios, tuvieron sus aportes puntuales en los momentos apropiados, nunca se sintió un universo narrativo excesivamente encerrado.

Su desarrollo de capítulos individuales contaba con uno que otro arco para acelerar las cosas, bien escritos, estructurados y medidos, sobre todo el emocionante tramo final del tercer arco, casi me entraba vértigo antes de leer el capítulo. Hasta que llegó el último cuarto.

La fase final comienza con potencia, sorpresas no tan sorpresas, que volcaron en un arco dividido en puntos de vista, algo que si bien ya había utilizado, la exagerada complejidad que intentó, termino confundiendo más que intrigando. Casi debía llevarse una timeline para saber que estaba ocurriendo, una lástima porque los hechos en sí eran los últimos toques al camino narrativo de cada hermana, momentos puntuales muy esperados, mal llevados.

Además considerando el cuidado ritmo previo, sorprende todavía más lo acelerado de la última sección, una ráfaga de revelaciones e instantes claves que poco tiempo dejaban a la aceptación, mutuamente opacados, que por el peso inherente terminaban cayendo en el olvido.

Aun así he de defender el final, en si el puro final, me parece un buen final que pese a no tener algo sólido por detrás si logra estar a la altura, la esperada ceremonia en una victoria que si puedo dar por defendible, todavía pasando todo lo que termino pasando. Las líneas temáticas tuvieron sus respectivos mensajes, el tono en general pudo mantenerse y el cariño que pusieron a prueba, termino conservándose.

El dibujo es muy bueno, el diseño de personaje de cada chica siendo similar y diferente permitió juegos en las narrativas, y hermosas postales en las ilustraciones de doble página o página completa. El maquetado se dirige a lo efectivo, como debería esperarse de alguien joven, va mejorando y experimentando conforme pasa al tiempo, aunque al final se le fue la mano.

Hay buen trabajo en los fondos, en el posicionamiento de los personajes respecto al entorno, en los momentos de revelación también mejora considerablemente todo el trabajo de ilustración. De verdad muy buen trabajo, inclusive los dibujos chibi me son memorables.

Las quintillizas pasará a mi memoria como una montaña rusa de emociones, las revelaciones semanales donde hay que darle crédito a Negi por ser talentoso para la construcción de historias, y el abordaje de chifflangers, al punto de ganarse el apodo como “troll” para la comunidad, el pecho acelerado ante la mención de nuevo capítulo semanal, el leer los mares de teorías que proliferaban en Twitter y Facebook, la embriagante alegría porque finalmente mi equipo se alzaba victorioso, y lo agridulce de mis sentimientos mientras más se acercaba el final.

¿Podría haber sido mejor? Sin lugar a dudas, con el doble de duración, una reestructuración y más calma en el tramo final hubiera resultado como clásico moderno. Pero lo que ha pasado, ha pasado y ha sido bastante bueno. Las extrañare a todas, las recordaré con una sonrisa, tal como mis recuerdos de la juventud.

The harem genre can be quite complicated and hard to follow through with, especially when you have so many potential love interest but one male character. It can become challenging to develop every one of them and make it a satisfying experience in the process. All the while, you have this steady pace without it feeling lackluster or off by other means. Many harems, anime or manga alike, have issues writing a well-written character that feels both alive and quirky but is different from rest of the cast.
This is where Go-Toubun no Hanayome comes in. Which managed to draw out the potential in every character ... but make it carry an emotional weight, and making them all likable and enjoyable, all at the same time. The author, Negi, knows how to write a good harem and work out the issue which stems from this genre and having a massive cast of love interest.

We have five sisters, or rather, quintuplets which the story focuses on. The fact that they are siblings, meaning they live together, should make the harem aspect even harder to tackle. At least, according to myself. It's not like you will meet next love interest in the next few chapters since everyone is revealed from the very beginning. The first impression is significant. In which case, the author does an impeccable job to capture the reader's attention and attract you toward those adorable and precious quintuplets. All with their flaws and their own unique charm point you will figure out as the story move forward.

Story

The plot revolves around the quintuplets and our main character, Uesugi Fuutarou.

To begin with, it's about the sister who is nothing bout troublemakers and is close to flunking out, because they can't study. Our unlucky or more accurately lucky main is to be their tutor, to make sure they don't fail the class. He is the top of the class, so this should be easy? Well, think again.

He made a terrible impression on one of the sisters and have to now gain her, and everyone else trusts and forms a bond with each of them. It will not be a walk in the park, I can guarantee you that much.

If you have seen any harem, it's normal for every girl to suddenly love the main character from the beginning, for no substantial reason but the fact he is the main. This is not the case for this harem; it's not that easy here. At first, he will need to make them open up to him, and then they have to grow a bond, and that's when the romance can begin form, slowly but surely, haste makes waste, which is abundantly clear from every other harem, after all. This author takes his time, giving us a good character background for every sister and building it from there. Everyone gets a good amount of development, and you won't like them just because they are gorgeous, although, it would be wrong to deny, that takes apart in it.

As you start to see their flaws, the good and bad, you will inevitably begin to ship the main with one of those girls. However, in your mind, you will realize that all of them is quality and none feels wasted. So, you won't help but think that only a harem route can satisfy yourself. Which I can say for sure, is right for me. I can't see a story where even one of the sister get a sad end and fully accept it. The harem route is the only right option for this manga, and that's clear as day when you read it.

Moreover, every bit of character development the sister goes through is shown in great detail. If you compare them to their start counterpart to now, you will see a clear difference between them. I saw myself, going from disliking to loving a character, and while it took time and effort. It was all worth it to witness her and the rest of them's story bear fruit.

Art

No problem with the art, it's beautiful and compliments the overall atmosphere this manga gives off. The expression the author draws for the character makes them feel so alive, and it can tell its own story by just that. It feels wholly unique and different, I don't know how to explain it, but that's how I think about it.

Characters

I've already said my fair share about the characters, but to give a slight background to each of them and give you a better understanding of who they are, I will write out how I see them at first glance.

For starters, Ichika has this older sister vibe to herself and feels the most mature of them all. Nino's role is the cook in the family, she is also very protective of her family and loves them a lot which causes many issues in the future. Miku at first she gives you this vibe of calm beauty and confident but she is entirely different than her personality suggested. As for Yotsuba, she is the loving and caring, energetic girls who have too much energy and should share some of that with the rest of us. Lastly, there is Itsuki who loves her food too much, she is also very serious and could be considered stubborn in some instances.

All in all, this description does not constitute justice for their character, it's only to give readers an idea of what kind of attitude they can expect. However, I left out lots of details and didn't dive too deep into spoilers, it's better if you figure the rest out for yourself, once you decide to read the manga. They are all likable and exciting, I don't think any of them are a waste and just missing one of them would make the whole story feel different.

Lastly, the main male, Uesugi while feeling like any other main character which is typical for any harem, he's not that. He is quite complicated, and his personality is amusing. His interactions with the sisters are always funny and quirky, so they never get boring in the long run. To put it very simply, he is the kind of character that says what's on his mind and is not shy or awkward around the girls so definitely not your average main character, for sure. He is dense, like any other male lead in a harem, but it feels entirely different from other protagonists in the same genre.

The Negative

Quite honestly, for myself, I have no issues with the direction or writing for this manga. If I had to point some few things out, then the pacing, well this only applies to me unless someone else feels the same. In any case, I wouldn't mind if the pacing was slightly slower and we get more arcs that follow through with another chapter. Instead of starting from something else. This is not a big issue for me; just a tiny nitpick so I can write down something in this section.

However, if you were to watch the anime, then you would fail to see all the good about this piece of fiction. The anime, to put it bluntly, does not do justice to the manga, the source. You won't get the full picture if you watch the anime, just a glimpse of it. While, on another hand, if you are a fellow reader watching the anime as a form of seeing your favorite character brought to life or other bonus the anime brings. Then, it's not bad at all. However, as a means to judge this overall series, I would say the anime opinion is not reliable enough, and every viewpoint should be formed when the manga is in focus instead. That's why I highly recommend the manga over anime.

Conclusion

If you like the harem genre, but have gone tired of the same old and want something different and fresh. Then this is for you, but not only that, it's a pretty good romance manga to boot and has a great cast of character that is both entertaining and very likable. Moreover, the main character compared to other harem is both quirky and alive, so you might witness something new with this male lead in the main role, and being the lucky one to have his story be told where those quintuplets are the focus and his bond, even the love life will be around them. Will he manage to capture the quints affection for himself? Will his love blossom in the form of a harem or as a couple? Find this and much more as you dive this impeccable harem manga.

The Quintessential Quintuplets or 5-toubun no Hanayome. The direct translation of 5-toubun no Hanayome is "5 equal brides", which is ambitious enough because most harem mangas tend to favor 1 or 2 characters which makes the harem pointless.
This manga was very close to achieving greatness but leaves much to be desired at the end and a bitter feeling of how a borderline great manga ends up being like it's harem predictors.

Art: The art of Negi gradually became better and better throughout the manga and he kept it very consistent in quality. The double spreads are breathtakingly good at points, the covers are simple yet ... beautiful. And let's not forget the best thing about Negis drawings, the quints pouts!

Characters: This is were the manga truly shines! Most harems tend to use the same formula for their heroines, by this I mean there are always, for example, a tsundere, a tomboyish girl, a kuudere and so on.

How 5-toubun no Hanayome manages to take this to the next level is by making the characters feel like they're individuals instead of cutouts of famous characters.

Ichika is the big sister of the group and the ara ara type character. She goes from trying to support Mikus love to eventually trying to sabotage her own sisters chances. This might seem like she's a horrible character but she's really just very human. Her redemption is well done afterward but unfortunately, because of her arc, she's quickly disregarded in terms of having a chance with Futarou later on.

Nino is the girl that starts off by hating our MC for getting in between her sisters. She's the assertive sister and the one that is the harshest. But behind that is a girl that probably cares for her sisters more than anyone else. When she finally falls in love with Futarou, she almost immediately confesses to him. She breaks every harem trope that you can think of!

Miku is the one with the biggest fanbase, why? She's a shy girl that doesn't like interacting with others but because of Futarous continuous efforts of trying to get her to study, she very quickly falls in love with him. She goes from being uncertain about her feelings and if they're OK to harbor, to valiantly showcasing her love and appeal to Futarou at every chance that she gets.

Yotsuba, oh boy. When the manga was at chapter 90 she was the second favorite girl of 90% of the fanbase, but that quickly changed for several reasons. But in a nutshell, she's a relentless extrovert with a positive attitude, or rather that's the role she tries to play.
She tries to sacrifice her own happiness for her sisters but ultimately plays into her own feelings several times throughout the manga. She's also the infamous childhood friend of Futarou, which is also something she hides during the mangas run.

Last but not least, the girl that everyone dreaded as the first girl, Itsuki (aka best girl, fight me!)
Itsuki is the first girl to appear in the manga and her relationship with the MC is shaky at first. But gradually she starts to trust Futarou and eventually this leads to her wanting to become a teacher. She's not bright when it comes to school but gives it her all. She loves food above all else, hence the nickname Eatsuki! And she's the one that Negi uses a plot device every single time!
She's an amazing character, but how Negi uses her, that's something I'll go deeper into in the story section.

But overall, this is the strongest part of the manga

Story: Now this is where the manga eventually falls apart (sorta, more like the last 15 chapters). At the start of the manga, we see Futarou getting married to one of the quints which starts of the mystery of "who is the bride"? Because they're quintuplets and all look the same.

This and several chapters in which we get a look into the future makes for a fascinating mystery aspect to a rom-com harem manga. This is also why the manga was so loved and had such an active community because there were so many theories to be crafted. Unfortunately, Negi throws this all under the bus for a rushed romantic development at the end.

One of my biggest disappointments with the manga is also how Negi uses Itsuki. The fanbase automatically had a dislike for her only because she was the first girl and Negi knew this and used this a plot device. The infamous bell kisser looked like Itsuki for one. She got close to no romantic development throughout the manga and didn't even get a kiss like all of the other sisters. All of this could've been for Futarou to reveal that he actually likes her instead of the ones that are already in love with him but no, instead Negi throws in that she was in love with him for a single chapter at the end.
Many people have said that not all sisters have to love, which is true BUT not when the manga is literally titled "5 EQUAL BRIDES".

We also never get to see how Futarou falls in love with the girl that he eventually chooses, which was even weirder because he said he's not going to pick anyone just a few chapters ago. And when he did decide to chose one, we get forced drama instead of fluff.

The ending is also nonsensical because nothing happens, literally! They play one last game of the quints game where he tells them each apart from the others and then he marries one of them. Still no interactions between the wedded couple, instead all of the sisters decide to tag along to the honeymoon!

Enjoyment: So as much as I ranted on about the story, that is only the ending. The story was very VERY enjoyable up until the last 15ish chapters. I truly feel very strongly for this manga because I really loved it and part of me still does. The characters are amazing and I'll probably never forget them. The mystery aspect was new and intriguing, even though it all fell apart at the end.

Overall: Why I feel so strongly towards the ending is because of one simple reason, I loved this with all of my heart. Every Tuesday, when the chapter would drop, would brighten my day, I had so much fun making up theories about who the bride would be and so on.

The story fell apart completely at the end and the writing took a nosedive, yes! But is that enough for me to forget how much I enjoyed this over its 3 years run? No, definitely not

At one point, I was sure that this was gonna replace "The World God Only Knows" as my favorite harem of all time. But alas that was not meant to be, but this manga will still have a very special place in my heart!