Fudatsuki no Kyouko-chan

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Fudatsuki no Kyouko-chan is a pretty decent manga that just didn't live up to its full potential.

Story: 7
The pacing of the story is nice, but the level of development in the main premise is lacking. For a story that is based primarily on the interactions between sister and brother, the side romance element seems to be too overwhelming and forced. It feels like the author is desperately trying to "ship" the brother and Hibino out of fear of the taboo of the alternative (bro+sis ship), when in fact doing so would create a much more powerful and surprising narrative (if the sister was actually the ... brocon deep down). This is mostly because of Hibino's character development and interactions with the MC.

Art: 9
The artist very nicely draws a distinction between dere Kyoko vs. tsun Kyoko. Best example of this is the first time her ribbon came off. That super adorable smiling and apologetic face, when juxtaposed with her usual appearance, clearly conveys a sense of bipolarism in the character.

The MC's expressions are also well-drawn, so that the reader feels his anger, embarrassment, and even horror whenever the ribbon comes off.

Character: 7
The characters are decently likable, but their full potential weren't realized. The tension between Kyoko's two states and their relationship with the MC could have been explored in much more depth, especially with Hibino as fuel. However, because the author chose to develop a romance between Hibino and the MC, Kyoko's quirks became secondary. Added to that is Hibino's blandness as a character: She never really was much more than a passive person who wasn't afraid of the MC, and by some convenient reason he liked her. In a way, it felt like she didn't deserve him. On the other hand, because of her tsundere personality, it always felt as if there was something more to Kyoko's feelings towards her brother the MC, but this was glossed over in favor of a less "incest"-y manga.

Due to all of this, while the ending was fine, it felt a little bit like a cop-out. The central problem still isn't resolved. Kyoko dangerous nature is never fully addressed or tamed.

Enjoyment: 7
It was good. It gave me a few laughs, but nothing more. I did get hooked on it enough to read to the end, so it was interesting. Yet, due to the issues mentioned, it felt incomplete. It never reached its peak and definitely didn't end with a bang.

Overall: 7
Could have been one hell of a manga, but ended up being just decent.

Story 1/2
The story was really fun to read, and I didn't want to put it down. The idea for this story was interesting (though, nothing special when it comes to manga). The ending really weakens it, though.

Art 1/2
You can clearly see everything that happens in each panel, and the art is really nice to look at, but over-all the manga doesn't stand out with its art.

Characters 1/2
The characters are my favorite part of the entire manga. It was fun seeing their interactions, and it sucks we'll never see the characters develop the way the author was developing them since the manga ended the way it ... did. But due to the ending, the things that these characters were going through will never be resolved.

Ending 0/2
This has to be the worst ending in a manga I've ever come across. Why? Because there was no ending. It's like you're watching an anime instead of reading a manga. You'll never find out what happens next in the story. You'll never see the character development come to fruition that was being put in place. You'll never see subplots being resolved. You'll never see how Kyoko and Kenji's relationships are tested by their peculiar situation. You'll never learn if they choose to tell another person about their situation. Nothing that was being built up in this story has an ending, and it will leave you unsatisfied.

Enjoyment (from the translation) 2/2
Since this was never officially translated to English, I ended up reading a fan translation (by the people at naabii.home.blog) and boy did they do a good job. Maybe the English translation of this manga is the reason I enjoyed it so much, I don't know, but it was obvious the translators knew what they were doing. There were minor spelling errors, but that's to be expected with someone translating this for free, and it personally didn't take away any enjoyment I had while reading this.

Overall, Fudatsuki no Kyouko-chan gets a 5/10 from me. If the author chooses to pick it back up and continue making more, I'd be extremely excited to continue reading this. I want to know more. I want to enjoy more of this story, and yet I can't, and that's the biggest issue I have with this manga.

Fudatsuki no Kyouko-chan is a middle of the road slice of life rom-com with a disappointing ending.

Story: 4
The pacing of the story is the worst aspect of this manga. The chapter to chapter flow is classic Yamamoto slice of life but the lifespan of the story creates a situation where progress needs to happen quickly and b-plots aren't able to be fully explored. And the jiangshi gimmick needed to be leaned into more or used less often for my tastes.

Art: 9
Yamamoto's back in his bag with this one, read as clean linework and tones, easy to follow panel formatting, and characters with massive foreheads.

Character: 5
The ... Characters are for the most part one-note, MC is a fake siscon, sister is a tsundere brocon, heroine is the japanese ideal woman, and everyone else is present. The characters have potential but again the lack of exploration due to chapter count doesn't do them any favors.

Enjoyment: 6
I was able to read the entire plot in ~1.5 hours, so it's a quick read that's enjoyable but not very memorable.

Overall: 6
Could have been good but delivered mid.