Aoi-kun ni wa Kanawanai

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This series was adorable, and had way too few reviews for me to not add one!

The premise is simple - Aoi, a magical girl otaku, stumbles upon Sumire, a burgeoning magical girl who knows nothing of what being a magical girl entails. He takes it upon himself to teach her the ways and techniques of being one.

Rather than being a direct parody of magical girl series, it is actually a loving tribute to them. You get the transformation sequences, the power of friendship, the cute aesthetics, all with load of humor and heart. The dynamic between the two main characters is very sweet, and ... I laughed a lot while reading it. Too much magical girl media these days is in pursuit of deconstructing the genre, so I appreciated this for taking the homage approach. The art is gorgeous, and all the characters are very likable.

Volume 2 was a bit weaker than volume 1, and the plot moves very quickly, but that didn't deter from my enjoyment. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who is a magical girl fan, and it's something I could see myself rereading as a pick-me-up.

There aren't that many chapters so I don't really have a full picture of the overall story and the direction its taking. However, I can say that the art and characters are really good. The chapters have good length and the quality stays good the whole time.

the main characters are likable and the side characters add for good interaction and moments. However, they aren't a main focus of the story which I like. This manga wastes no time with buildup and filler and goes straight to the story. Often times, manga gets stretched out longer than necessary but this manga, was able to have what ... seemed like 2 small arcs over the course of seven chapters. You would think, that it would be rushed and the pacing would be off but the art, and pacing are 2 of the best parts of this manga that are staying consistent so far. the chapters are a good size but the pacing of the story makes time seem to pass quickly without somehow seeming rushed.

In my opinion, this is a great manga so far and I can't wait to see where it goes from here.

Deconstruction is a loose term nowadays. No Match For Aoi-kun! is not a deconstruction of the Mahou Shoujo genre, but rather, and in pretty awesome taste may I add, an extension of the stylistic choices and elaboration of said choices that is seen in many Mahou Shoujo media.

It begins with Aoi Rio, titular main character, who is a self loathing student due to the fact he is in his late teens and still likes the magical girl show Pretty Eririn. His insecurity comes at the end of the fact that on top of that immature enjoyment, he is unable to live up to the ... great expectations of his father and standards that his brother have set. He is, without a doubt, an awesome character, in every sense of the word. His worries are extremely realistic and relatable. Despite labeling himself as an otaku, he really isn't attached to any of the negative connotations of that word. He is, despite his claims about being an average academic, extremely studious. While this fact remains unbeknownst to him only, he is caught up with the implications of liking anime that is directed at younger audiences, despite the fact that that in of itself is not indicative of anything bad.

And while our main hero is probably the only character in the manga who is so well explored, multifaceted, and interesting, the art on this thing does every character justice. The deuteragonist, Sumire looks absolutely stunning, and, a small little detail that is more appreciated than the mangaka could ever know, is how he changes the character's looks chapter by chapter. It might not be every chapter, but I remember when I saw Sumire with a different hairstyle in one chapter compared to an earlier one and upon noticing it, immediately acknowledged the subtle effort towards making the story an authentic and immersive one.

Throughout the course of the story, as your eyes are continuously bombarded with gorgeous visuals, Mahou Shoujo tropes are consistently brought up in a way that would usually stir one the wrong way. Things such as overly philosophical conversations in the middle of battle are used, but despite that, No Match for Aoi-Kun! doesn't really feel like a Mahou Shoujo manga to begin with. Aoi is a walking reminder that the manga is a halfway parody (I'll admit it takes the Mahou Shoujo stuff seriously at times) of those ideals and themes that are often thrown around in Mahou Shoujo media. When he sees Lily, his first thought, despite the fact that he has just been KIDNAPPED is that she is likely the final boss. During her fight with Sumire, he talks about how despite her position usually placing the main heroine in deep trouble, she is losing handedly. Yes, No Match for Aoi-kun! is a Mahou Shoujo manga but in reality, it handles that aspect with so much comedy and satire that it might as well not be.

So when things like, "You should just stay yourself!", or "You have to change and become better!" are thrown around, it's less the makings of cheesy dialogue in the middle of a fight to convince a villain to turn heel, but emblematic of a dialogue based work. Conversations are at the heart of this manga, and each of the character's lines to each other are great and meaningful. Every character finds something inspiring in another, and they all have their own struggles that make them pop out.

At the end, Aoi stays himself, despite coming to struggle in school. But, and this is just my feeling, it seems he's back on track for academic success because he's found the answer that's been waiting for him all the time. It's okay to like works that would deem you too mature to watch it. It's okay to not live up to everyone's goals for you. It's okay to just be yourself.

And for the characters who've changed, such as Lily, it just shows how multidimensional this story really was. Different characters got different answers, and it still remains a thematically coherent manga.

No Match for Aoi-kun's tragedy is that it's 11 chapters long and I couldn't read even more and get to know the characters even better. But even then, it was a fun read all throughout, and not to mention eye-catching and hopeful.

I'm feeling a decent to strong 8.

Fans of old mahou shoujo mangas will appreciate this one, as it pays tribute to the genre instead of deconstructing it. It perfectly replicates the classic aesthetic with its detailed art style, cute characters, and tame fight scenes. It's sweet and wholesome and not ashamed of it. The twist is that we perceive this magical girl story through the eyes of a "side character".

This manga understands the appeal of magical girls and is respectful to the fans, which I love. However, I still would have enjoyed it more if it took itself less seriously. The idea of an otaku teaching his friend how to be ... a magical girl has great comedic potential. But the manga mainly focuses on the quiet life of the protagonist. Aoi is a great representation of an introvert; passionate about his interests and relaxed around his close friends. He introduces himself as an "average" guy, only to be revealed as one of the smartest kids in school with an insecurity complex. The manga also brings up the struggles some students face in real life, but it doesn't attempt to resolve them.

As for the other characters, I unfortunately can't say much about them. Aoi's friend Yamabuki has the personality of a golden retriever. And Nagi is a typical mahou shoujo protagonist; sweet and hard-working but bad at studying. She feels more like an embodiment of the genre itself than a real character. Even if she's not the protagonist, I would have liked to learn more about her. Similarly, the story's antagonist doesn't have a proper motive and only acts as a plot device. I liked that Aoi and Nagi admired each other as friends. But from the beginning, I felt like the development of their friendship was quite rushed.

In conclusion, this manga succeeds as an homage to the mahou shoujo genre. It shows us that anyone can be inspired by magical girls because everyone is important. However, its fast pacing and cookie-cutter characters prevent it from being great.