Boku no Tonari ni Ankoku Hakaishin ga Imasu.

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BokuHaka is a pretty entertaining read that is exactly as outlandish and hilarious as it sounds.

I was leafing through some of the lesser-known upcoming anime, and this series came up. When I saw the summary, I knew I couldn't go on with my life without at least taking a peek at the manga, and before I knew it I had gone through all the chapters I could find.

The characters are great. Koyuki wants to have a normal high school life, but class chuunibyou Hanadori has other plans, which usually involve deep-seated delusions of a supernatural sort. Toss in a scheming friend who finds their antics together amusing and another who can summon bad luck seemingly at will, and a world of humorous aggravation ensues. The characters don't feel one-dimensional whatsoever and show small hints of future development, which gives an air of continuity that lets BokuHaka exist as something much more substantial than a run-of-the-mill gag manga. That sort of development is also the most a reader could reasonably expect after so few chapters (at least, those few I could find in English), so the question of whether the characters are handled well in the long term is, understandably, up in the air.

The originality of each new chapter of the story really made an impression on me, and I think the variety on show in BokuHaka, such as the boys accidentally destroying school property or ruining each other's Animal Crossing villages, is one of its strong points for sure. The story is mostly episodic so far, with the only overarching plot being Koyuki's universally failed attempts to distance himself from Hanadori, and as in many comedies the plot is more of a static object from which to hang humorous situations than something that drives the manga forward.

The art isn't spectacular, but is reasonably polished, and the mangaka seems fully capable of switching from a light style to a more dark, action-oriented one whenever Hanadori's alter egos have to seal away the forces of darkness or whatever he seems to have decided upon that day. This contrast helps to bring out the humor in each scene. Koyuki's reactions to his annoying friends include drifting off into the deep recesses of space or, more commonly, making a vacant expression that indicates he has completely given up inside, all of which are drawn very well, with either a flourish or with flat simplicity, respectively. The fact that all of the characters are rather easy on the eyes helps, too -- though that may be a personal preference.

As you've probably gleaned by now, the humor is silly and situational without over-relying on the outlandish and the ludicrous to carry the punchline (although there is plenty ludicrous going on). BokuHaka's humor is very well-balanced, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Looking forward to seeing it animated, too.

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