Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru.
My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected

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"Yeah, I'm being stupid. I know that it's out of question. I know how this will end. I'll be left with nothing. Even so, I want us to think, writhe, struggle... and find... something genuine." - Hikigaya Hachiman

Oregairu is a pilgrimage destination for people who set out to quench their thirst for finding something genuine. It takes its characters, and you, the reader, on a journey to explore the themes of self-realization, inferiority complex, cynicism, and social awkwardness.

The seasons have changed. Compared to my teenage-self, I have gotten better, become more open-minded, met new people, found people that I love, and have stopped hating ... myself. But one thing that has remained the same, is my love for Oregairu. Its bittersweet aftertaste still lingers. Even though, sadly, I no longer relate to Oregairu.

[Story & Writing] The story and setting of Oregairu is a simplistic high school club-themed slice-of-life, which is good, considering what it is trying to achieve. The story is just a device to dig deep into the psychology of teenagers, in order to explore its themes. Going in expecting a prioritization on romance will disappoint you, but for me, it is the least important aspect of Oregairu.

The novels are written from the main character's point of view so that the readers can see and judge the thought process behind every action he takes. Additionally, Oregairu is written in a roundabout manner, the monologues and the dialogues are all very vague and open-ended which means that the reader is free to form his/her own opinion on them. So even if you think that it is all bullshit, it doesn't mean you are wrong, it just means that Oregairu is just not for you.

That being said, Oregairu did not know where it was headed for the starting 3 volumes, and hence these volumes feel disjointed from the rest of the series. Mind you, they are still entertaining but they certainly lack the true Oregairu essence. Needless to say, they could have easily been compressed.

[Art] In the author's own words-- "The story is penned by the author of the light novels in order to create cute scenes for the illustrator to illustrate". Luckily, Oregairu had the pleasure of being illustrated by Ponkan8 (also drew Shirobako's character designs). Their art kept on improving with each passing volume and is certainly an eye-candy. Although, the last couple of volumes suddenly saw a huge downgrade. I still wonder what happened.

[Character] Oregairu's characters follow the basic archetypes that you will find in similar light novels, but what differentiates them is the layer upon layer of characterization the author has put with each chapter. The way the characters grow throughout the series is nothing but a sight to behold, it is subtle and yet significant enough.

Hikigaya Hachiman is my teenage-self. He is a pessimist, a hypocrite, a coward, an edgelord, cynical, anti-social, and a loner. Until high school, he tried to be a normie but failed. Now, he has completely given up and has ended up deceiving himself in believing that his current self seeks and needs no modifications. He performs actions in a way that, even though produces the outcome, ends up sacrificing himself. He is adamant about not forming new relationships and maintaining the status quo but slowly by slowly, he comes to self-realization that he is the way he is because he is afraid of getting hurt.

Yukinoshita Yukino is another loner teenager, with a lack of self-esteem because of her exceptionally talented elder sister. Even though she herself is talented, she constantly keeps on comparing herself with her sister. She keeps people at bay because of the consequences of her own talents and beauty. Throughout the series, her self-esteem gets hit more and more.

Yuigahama Yui seems to be your typical normie teenager and has developed a crush on the protagonist. The novels do an exceptional job to flesh out her characters by guiding the readers through her actual personality.

Most of the side characters in the novels are given enough screentime and a proper characterization that separates them from the original archetype they were originally based upon.

[Enjoyment] Enjoyment is highly subjective. Personally, I was engrossed enough to devour two novels in a single sitting. Sometimes, the drama can get too heavy but honestly, that is the best part. A warning-- Initial 3 or 4 volumes might give a fake impression of what Oregairu actually is.


Oregairu might not be the greatest fiction on the planet, but for me, it is more than that. Oregairu is an easy recommendation for people who want to dig deep and want something genuine.

>You're asking me will my love grow. I don't know, I don't know.
You stick around now, it may show. I don't know, I don't know...

I'd tried to find something similar to this work, from the musical lyrics to the peers Haruhi Suzumiya and Koten-bu Series, but nothing truly fitted the frame. Then I remembered I had watched How I Met Your Mother, and even though its ending was justifiable, the audiences' reception would change after that amount of time spent with the series. Still different is the case of Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru.


__Characters__

Let's be frank. Oregairu is character-driven, so talking about ... them will automatically do the work here. Warning: What following has the potential of upsetting the fanbase, so be ready.

__Yukino Yukinoshita__ is the front of the work. Any discussions of the work will eventually lead to her. Despite the attention she received, the character is the biggest failure. She had wished to change, yet Yukinoshita was the one showing the least effort, if ever existed. If she had genuinely wanted to do so, here could be some suggestions. I think Yukinoshita the Elder already spoke of something similar to 'codependency', and what should have been her answer is 'Why don't you sit back and enjoy the flow, Nee-san? I will prove this codependency of yours, and just wait for his dance in my palm.' That's how to shut Haruno Yukinoshita up. She had had a tongue, a very sharp one, but why did she need to behave like a cat eventually? Against the mother, well, let her be the plan maker instead of Hikigaya, suck him dry and recharge him with the word 'I love you', because it was already the end and why there was still no sign of Yukinoshita's Revolution, let alone the opportunity of freeing herself from the shackles of Hikigaya's solo performance so far at the gist 8th volume, which would have built up the much better momentum towards the end? If those things had been done, other ships would have been effortlessly sunken. However, I don't hold any particular hatred towards the character. Her state is what the author wanted to preserve, and her annoying constancy spoke the unshakable will of his. So congratulation on him getting the waifu. Yuki is always a good example of overcoming dependent tendency, and it is my pleasure to say the full name, Yuki Souma.

__Hachiman Hikigaya__ is the protagonist of this novel. Past experiences had left such bitter taste that he considered kindness was the cruelest thing. It got him resolving the least imaginable logic, which consequently made him self-explode many times during the journey. However, what he sought for was something genuine, and if it weren't to prove after bending, twisting, shashing, then there shouldn't any belief laid in it at all. If the character had always been himself, then it would be fine, but actually, it wasn't. He had desired for something genuine, yet proceeded kicking the balls to others and remained passive for the entire Yukino Yukinoshita's True End (Shin involved). Investigating further, there was no Hachiman Hikigaya in the first place. IT HAD BEEN THE AUTHOR ALL THE TIME. WAKE UP, JAPAN. ~~Wataru Watari~~He never considered getting out of his cocoon, so the character is so bloody relatable and realistic. Also, if you dream, dream of winning, being a proper individual. Don't be a loser just to get the girl, but in such case, it would no longer be the good old insertable Hachiman Hikigaya, wouldn't it?

So far only boring characters? There are also the interesting:

__Yui Yuigahama__ was seemingly a character academically disadvantageous, big boobs, TOTALLY UNATTRACTIVE... but when it came to common sense, she was such a clever person. She knew and understood everything, so most of the time she was playing the role of an observer. However, when Yuigahama was on stage, she shone brilliantly. The character possessed things the other clubmates didn't, so in the darkest hours, she was the one keep everything binding together. She was always the first one taking a step forward, leading the story out of the stagnancy with her 'I want everything', which is my greatest impression of the work, from the portrayal of the surrounding to every expression of the characters. Eventually, her influence surpassed that of the narrator, and I used to think of which season would be remembered every time taking a whiff of that smell, tea or fruit tart, because I firmly believed the bakery product would be much better to become a straight-forward person, or gain weight.

The supporting characters were also prominent. __Shizuka Hiratsuka__ deserves the title of a (lonely) mentor. __Haruno Yukinoshita__, as well as her childhood friend __Hayato Hayama__, were loners full of conflicts and regrets. __Iroha Isshiki__ also found herself solitary. The author had gathered many kinds of lonely souls in his work, and the way they struggled finding a solution was so human, but certainly it is not that realistic. On the other hand, __Saika Totsuka__ had initially appeared forgettable, but turned out he was the first to graduate within the series. After the revaluation, I believe these characters, along with Yui Yuigahama, were the motivation for me to pursue the end. Nevertheless, there is still this unshakable sensation that many of them were the devices buying time whilst Wataru Watari making the decision that should have been thrown out 5 volumes earlier.


__Something other than the characters__

References are just fillers. I never paid any mind to them, not to mention they mostly missed.

The illustration really grew with the course of actions, even though the quality was inconsistent at times.


__Conclusion:__ Honestly, I've never been onto the Shi* War, as all necessity would be for the characters to grow naturally. Nevertheless, Yukino Yukinoshita's True End offered no such thing. It had been fun, until it no longer was.

>Away, I'd rather sail away, like a swan that's here and gone.
A man gets tied up to the ground, he gives the world its saddest sound, its saddest sound.

Certainly, reality wasn't that kind regarding to what had happened so far.

I was promised a masterpiece. A novel full of well crafted dialogue and deep story with a social commentary. Needles to say I got none of that.

The whole time while reading this I was waiting for the breaking point, the part when it gets good, the big twist or something, as I couldn't believe this is what the huge amount of people are praising. Yet here we are.

Oregairu is a harem light novel. No matter how much it tries to hide that with pseudointellectual monologuing, it is still a harem LN. Of course, I'm not saying that anything harem is inherently bad (look no further ... than Monogatari Series or Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei), but Oregairu certainly failed to make the genre interesting.

In other reviews, you can see "this isn't your typical romcom novel" being noted a lot. That's a lie. This is your typical romcom novel. The only difference there is that the protagonist is (self)described as a loner and loser. A loner and loser yet he gathers supporting characters around and 2+ girls hinting theirs interest in him (this is a romantic comedy after all). You guessed it, it's just a self-insert character at his core. A character for the unpopular folks to identify with and to fantasize how they'll get surrounded by girls too. And Hachiman is self-insert not only for the reader, but also for the author, as the author himself even mentioned that in the afterword. Everyone else is just a background character for the MC to interact with, really. Yes, even the secondary lead consisting of the two girls. And have I mentioned considerable chunk of the whole content of the novel is the MC fawning over a trap? If that is your thing, good for you, but otherwise be beware you might cringe a lot.

I suspect that the reason for mostly positive reception is that almost nobody who didn't like this from the start is going to stick around to actually finish it. And it is the right decision, there is no improvement or reward for forcing yourself through the novel even though you do not like it. The only reason I haven't dropped this is because of my personal no drop policy, and even then I was tempted to just drop this numerous times. It's not outright awful, but it is boring most of the time.

The social commentary, the beloved philosophical and psychological aspect of this franchise. It just turns out to be a shallow "people are bad and people in a group are even more bad" rambling. The philosophical level of Oregairu is unironically on par with "We live in a society" memes. It brings nothing new to a table for your understanding of society if you made it through a highschool. As mentioned above, all of this really feels just as an excuse for the reader themselves to feel cool - "Those normies don't even understand how cruel society is", "I'm actually totally smart and capable, I just hide it because I'm a lone wolf", "Girls would totally like me if they got to know me more" etc.

As usual with light novels, unless I'm reading an official translation, I'm unsure if the writing style is a fault of the author or of the fantranslation, but I'll have to make do. The writing is bland and there are almost no descriptions, just a string of dialogue and inner monologue of the protagonist - even more than usual with light novels. Contrary to what their recommendations might try to convince you of, the style is in no way similar to Monogatari series. If anything, it's more Hyouka-tier, and that is no compliment either. Popculture references are sprinkled over the novel in attempt to make it more interesting, yet (especially in the first few volumes) the references follow the pattern of "What am I, X from Y?!" or "I see, you know about X as well". This is not a hyperbole. The beauty of references is that you get them only if you know what it references, this is just smashing them in your face. Thanksfully this reference "humor" is used less in later volumes.

The illustrations are amateurish and unimaginative. It's mostly just the characters, well, standing there. As if to complement to writing, the art style is also bland. And just a little pet peeve and again mostly in the first few novels, the boob physics are hideous and on a level of bad ecchi. Though to be fair after finishing the series I can say that the art actually improved, so at least that's something positive.

Overall, there seems to be a lot of readers enjoying this, so you might very well become one of them. Just be warned that there is a chance you might be unpleasantly surprised.