Make Heroine ga Oosugiru!
Too Many Losing Heroines!

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Honestly, this is probably one of the easiest and most comfortable to read LNs I’ve encountered in a long time. One where you can easily go and read one volume in a single sitting (given you can endure an MC that’s not in the center of everything).
For once not a story that needs to rely on foreshadowing, over dramatization and an MC with a hero complex drawing women to him just because he has the ability to breath, nor overly abuses typical anime-culture clichés.
But be aware, our MC hardly fills the classic role of a “main character”. Here he is far more the reader’s point ... of view. He doesn’t meddle in the other characters’ affairs, and mostly just observes how their stories unfold while at best being there to give a shoulder to cry on when the "losing heroines" unavoidably "lose". But just by doing that, he also starts growing as a person, develops relationships (though not necessarily in a romantic way), and ever so slowly realizes how much more enjoyable partaking is over only observing.
The story is therein carried by the characters and their interactions with each other. They feel real enough, with merits and demerits, yet still being entertaining enough to deliver good comedy elements. At the same time character growth might appear slow in the beginning, but they still undeniably grow along their experiences (not like oh so many other stories, where a haircut and a pair of contacts turn you from weeb to chad within a day).
I would recommend this story to anyone that’s here to read a casual and entertaining slice of life.
If you are here seeking action, drama, your usual harem wish-fulfillment MC, and shallow personality less FMCs who are only supposed to love the MC and nobody else, please don’t waste your time here and look somewhere else.

Enjoyed it very much. Though the "romance" is slow it's still very entertaining.

Most people will probably think this is a harem but I assure you it's not. Nukumizu is just like the mother of the losing heroines and their platonic relationship is so wholesome.

Even though the "romance" is slow I love the comedy in this Novel every volume is so funny you just can't help to chuckle, though there's drama sometimes. So for me the slowburn makes this so much enjoyable, so for the people who doesn't like slowburn give this one atleast ... a try.

Also Anime adaption coming soon so I'm looking forward to it. This one is currently one my favorite LN and I definitely recommend it!

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! was a simple but enjoyable read, and as of now (with 7 volumes released), it offers a lot to enjoy, although it's not without its lows.

The main premise is probably one of the first things that will catch your eye. It's not uncommon for female MCs to have crushes on secondary characters and even be rejected, but I've never read a story that focuses on a group of them. Generally, I think it was executed well throughout the beginning of the story. It was enjoyable to watch the different girls grieve and come to terms with the end of their ... first love, as well as how they interact with the MC, who evolves from an observer to a consoler, building up his friendships through these interactions.

This leads to potentially the strongest point of this series, which is its rich cast. The story is carried by how enjoyable many of the characters are, though if you came from the anime and wanted to discover more, you likely already know this. Most of them have a lot of depth (although they can be a bit tropey), provide interesting interactions both with the MC and the rest of their entourage, and create nice dynamics. It's unlikely that you won't like at least a couple of them. The way the story is structured also helps, since most volumes are centered around a particular character, but most of them still get enough screen time despite that restriction. This could backfire, though, if the story focuses on a character you don't particularly fancy.

The characters' quirks are also the main component of the comedy aspect of this series, and I found that part decent. I think it's safe to say that Makeine gives more importance to the "Com" rather than the "Rom" as of volume 7, so it's at least a relief that it has its moments there. Many running gags still land even later in the story, with a couple of exceptions I'll point out later.

Still, character growth is the theme of this LN, and it does not disappoint on that front. I found the transformations most of the cast had to endure very charming. One of my favorite ways the author expressed this is through the different stories the characters write (most of the cast are part of a high school literature club). While most of them sound like mundane fanfics, I liked the subtle changes that occur in their stories if you can detect who they based their characters on.

Which is a shame, as I found the MC's growth particularly lacking, or at least contradictory. First, he's your typical RomCom LN genre-savvy character, whose main traits at the start of the story are shyness, nerdiness, and a lack of social interactions. Unlike most other stories, Nukumizu is passive, going with the flow and letting other characters direct the show. He does have his moments, of course, usually in the climax of each volume, but their impact can vary. This isn't bad on its own, but it can be unenjoyable for those used to more active MCs like the ones we've been seeing in recent years.

The most frustrating aspect of the MC is how his behavior doesn't reflect the growth he supposedly undergoes. This is a story about a high school student rediscovering himself through the life experiences his new friends are going through, in order to eventually live his own life. He learns to become more observant, compassionate, and better at understanding his peers' feelings and motivations. Yet, as the story progresses, he becomes denser, more cowardly, and even more of a pushover. The first trait can at least be justified by the setting and the fact that it's a universal RomCom MC characteristic. The second feels like a lazy plot device meant to preserve the status quo. It's inconceivable that, months into the story, as he gets closer to someone to the point of empathy and mutual understanding, he still completely freaks out at any suggestion of flirting or potential attraction from the other party, just for the sake of comic relief and not advancing the plot too quickly (or at all). The last part is even more frustrating. This is an MC who would get kidnapped, stalked, slandered, falsely accused, wiretapped, and blackmailed into revealing both his and others' secrets, yet he does absolutely nothing about it. It's mostly done for comedic purposes, but most of these situations are hardly funny and make it hard to maintain suspension of disbelief. There's passiveness, and then there's letting the other characters constantly step on you, rather than letting the MC make his own choices and show his personality. At least Yanami constantly stealing his food has its charm. I can only justify this by assuming the author wants to keep any dramatic conflict involving the MC to a minimum for now.

Speaking of unfunny moments, it seems the author was heavily inspired by late 2000s humor midway through the story, as the running gag you'll encounter most often is the "clingy, jealous FMC." If you despise this trope like I do, due to how overdone it was in the past, your reading experience will become dreadful at one point, as it is used constantly. I wish I were exaggerating, but the MC can't interact with a girl without another making a fuss about it. I suppose this is the natural direction for harem-like stories, but I think other series execute better when their MC isn't a literal punching bag. In the case of an inactive and apologetic MC like Nukumizu, it is extremely annoying. And no, the fact that he admits these flaws in his monologues doesn't make it less frustrating.

Still, I do think the highs outweigh the lows, and this series is worth a read if you're even slightly interested in the genre. While it could totally fall flat later on when the author has to make hard decisions, it still has a lot of potential in the upcoming volumes, and I'd recommend it to you, assuming you're not easily deterred by what I've mentioned above.