Zenbu Choudai

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In short : For people who are unfamiliar with most keypoints of this genre and want to "study" them or for lovers of the genre.

Origin :

I was told this manga was really good and different from the usual one. I'm not exactly a fan of the genre, but I still wanted to try it out.... And....I had hoped for the first few pages....and then it crashed down....


Story :

As classical as it can get. What you have here is a sped up love story, a single chapter can contain more than one keypoint. The main issue with it is that they are way too close from ... one another, not letting enough "air" for the reader (or "space" for the story, there's a feeling of arcs almost overlaping on each other). Another issue is the lack of mastering when it comes to ellipses (especially troublesome when you want to write a fast paced story). You don't always know how much time passes, or it can lack coherence with the on-going events. Most of the time, instead of a clear box dedicated to it, you'll have to realize it through the strip, which can lead to temporary confusion. (That too plays a role in the feeling of arcs overlaping with each other)

The quickness of it makes a lot of situations as surreal as hilarious...and can also be extremly annoying. Most things feel unnatural and forced.

Surprisingly enough, this manga is also able to feel draggy. Without the heroine's (forced ?) denial and forgetting self (I don't know....she's able to forget something her love interest told her a single box ago....Alzheimer at that age, such a tragedy) I'd say the manga could have been closed in 5-6 chapters instead.

Lastly, I would add that it continues the traditional "woman is male's property" and "forced situations" patterns ; I know it pleases some people, and it's good for them, but it personally pisses me off. So if you're like me, short or not, it's better to keep far away from the manga. Patterns which are actually surprising if you actually see what type of chara the female should have been, but oh well....the strenght of fanservice ?


Characters :

I shall admit....the female protagonist is new to me as she bares some traits usually reserved for males and I think that's what pleased most readers, and also explains why I have been told it was "different". However, the potential was rapidly wasted and she falls in the classical romance heroine role and submission quite quickly.I also question her definition of "perfect" be it for males or females as I did not see it in either of the protagonists.

She isn't quite consistant overall, neither is her love intersest, but both could be amusing at times. Like....3-4 times throughout the eleven chapters.

Male protagonist also could have had an interesting potential, but, samewise, became as classical as it could get.

The others ? They are background characters, some portrayed as friends of the protagonists but, be it through design or dialogues, shallow and not even properly used.

I could mention the "rival" who was introduced as "bad omen" for the main pairing, but....he disappeared almost as soon as he appeared, I'm not even sure he lasted an entire chapter (too lazy to check, yup). Which is sad considering that aside the main charas he was the only characterized character--- no ! wait ! there was a teacher who---- well....he just disappeared, though he lasted a bit longer than the "riva"l.... Do I have to voice out the issue here ?


Art :

It is....nice ? It isn't my style, I must say, but it isn't bad, safe for some proportions issue here and there, but nothing dramatical. What bothers me more when it comes to the art is that the display of the boxes and strips on the pages are sometimes confusing.

And I would also add the lack of characterization of some characters, but that would be repeating myself, no ?


Overall :

I do like the idea of what this short manga could have been if it had exploited the specificity of the heroine correctly. But in the end this specificity seems to be nothing more than a bait-trait to attract readers with "fake originality".

I do not know the making conditions of this manga. Was it an ordered short story ? I'm wondering because it could explain the pacing, even if it wouldn't excuse most issues.