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Dec 21, 2020

Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai (Manga) add

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For the longest time the romcom/harem genre is something that I have always enjoyed watching and reading. Every season there seemed to be a new “waifu war” airing, and based on watching those particular shows I would always check out the source material if I found it interesting enough. Bokuben was one of those seasonal waifu wars that I actually did decide to pick up reading after watching the first episode. I caught up on the manga within a couple of days of watching the first episode, and let me say that I am so glad that I was able to read this manga.

1. Story ... (9/10)
If you are looking for some groundbreaking or genre-breaking story, then I’m sorry Bokuben is not the story for you. Bokuben uses a lot of common tropes and cliches to tell its story, however if you don’t mind that or appreciate those types of stories then you may actually enjoy Bokuben. For me personally, I don’t always 100% enjoy when animes/mangas just dump cliches for plot, but for Bokuben it really was one of the most enjoyable parts about it. For example, one particular chapter that I loved was the chapter in which Nariyuki’s mother couldn’t make it to work, in which he proceeds to take her spot for the day. Little does he know that his mother was working at a lingerie shop, and that he would get stuck alone in that shop while also stuck in a costume that hides his identity. And of course every single one of the main female characters would proceed to walk in and ask for help one by one. Despite it being cliche and having these crazy one in a million types of encounters, I couldn’t help but smile and enjoy these small and simple interactions that happen throughout the course of this series. And although I have only talked about these small moments and plot elements, the moments in which the series actually turns serious and wants to establish things is done really well too.

2. Art (8/10)
The art in Bokuben is really good. The character designs, both main and side characters, are drawn really unique and all have their own charm. All of the female characters are drawn in a way that really makes them stand out from each other and the rest of the characters. The reason that the art is not rated higher is that the art for Bokuben cannot compare to the other shonen powerhouses that also publish in Weekly Shonen Jump, but at the same time, it really doesn’t need super crazy double panels to portray its story adequately. All of the artwork from the beginning to the end is solid and doesn’t waver in quality.

3. Character (10/10)
The one aspect of Bokuben that impresses me the most is the characters. Personally, in most romcom/harem series, I typically always only really like one of the girls and at most two. But in Bokuben, there was a certain point in which I really liked each of the five girls as the best girl. Something that Tsutsui-sensei did really well with this series that stands out above most other series in this genre is really give a platform for all of the characters to grow and shine. Nisekoi, for example, has a similar amount of girls as Bokuben, however as a reader you know at a pretty early point which girls that the main character was going to end up with, meaning that any development between the mc and those side characters were really just useless side plots. However, in Bokuben, all the girls are well-defined and all go through their own personal development throughout the course of the story. All of the girls work well both together as well as individually and all of their development is towards both the characters personally as well as their feelings towards the mc. I don’t want to spoil anything, but no matter which girl you pick you will be satisfied that the author does that character justice in the end.

4. Enjoyment (10/10)
When it comes to just about every romcom/harem series, I always enjoy the ride, but always the ending is the thing that overrides everything because I either get really happy or really salty based on how the author ends the series. I’m not gonna lie, in most cases I am on the salty side because the girl that I think is the best girl almost never wins, so when those particular mangas end, I always end up not liking it in the end because of the recency bias. Without saying too much, I can say that with the ending of Bokuben, I was very happy and satisfied in the way that Tsutsui-sensei decided to end this series. It was a pretty unique ending that I have never read or watched from another series in this genre and I promise no matter which character that you like, you won’t be disappointed with the ending. Everything that happens throughout Bokuben, whether it be the small cliche in-between moments, or the deeper moments of development that occur throughout the story, they all compile into a great story with tons of enjoyable moments.

5. Overall (10/10)
Honestly, Bokuben is a fantastic series that really stands out among other romcom/harems for its development and use of ALL characters rather than just a select few. The ending sequence that Tsutsui-sensei chose to do was really great and I hope that future series consider doing the same, because it would make the series a lot more enjoyable in the end for everyone. Thank you Tsutsui-sensei for the great ride and I look forward to your future works.

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Oct 7, 2020

Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e (Manga) add

Recommended

You-Zitsu, otherwise known as Classroom of the Elite in english is a novel series that I had heard about for awhile (mainly because of the anime), but didn't read until recently last year. The reason that I even started reading this novel was because I noticed it at Barnes and Noble and decided might as well give it a try. I am so glad that I did because CotE has become easily my favorite light novel of all time and I will try to attempt to tell you and convince you why. (This is my first review so my bad if it is not up ... to par.)

1. Story (10/10)
The story of Classroom of the Elite is easily one of the best parts of this series. When I started reading it, I also watched the anime as well as soon as I finished the parts that were adapted and was surprised at how much different the cores of the story were different from each other. If you watched the anime, which adapted the first 3 volumes, you probably watched what is in my opinion the worst (although not worst as in bad, just relative to the rest of the first year) part of the first year. Although, if you watched the ending of the anime or have read the third volume, you may have noticed a major shift in the story. I'm not going to spoil anything but from volume 4 on the story completely changes from its original Oregairu vibes and becomes more and more interesting. Not only do we get to see more and more interesting exams, we have long build ups and create even better pay-offs. Additionally, in the end of the 5th volume, we get another added aspect to the story that will slowly build up and become a major factor in the future volumes and even more so in the second year. I don't want to say too much, but one thing I will say is that everything that happens in the story makes sense, I don't recall one moment that I though to myself that the thing that just happens makes no sense or is an asspull.

2. Art (10/10)
Usually, light novel artworks don't particularly impress me, especially when compared to manga artists. However, I think that Tomose Shunsaku is the first LN artist that has made me change my opinion about this. The character design of all of the characters in this series is AMAZING. I was so impressed with the artwork that I bought both of the artbooks by Tomose Shunsaku and they are currently some of my favorite books that I own. The hair color, the body designs, the way the eyes are drawn are all so well drawn, and if you enjoy that you can check out more of Shunsaku's works because needless to say they are pretty interesting.

3. Character (10/10)
I know I said the story was one of the best parts, but I would be lying if I didn't say that the characters within CotE were not incredible as well. First off, lets start with Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji is probably one of the most interesting protagonists that I have ever read in a light novel. When I read/watch that first 3 vols/12 episodes of CotE, I am blown away that I am seeing the same person at all. If you are a person that has only watched or read that first part, and were concerned about him as a protagonist early on, let me just tell you the development that he has throughout the course of this first year is well worth the read alone. Also, his backstory is one that actually suits the story and actual makes sense unlike a lot of backstories of these type of light novels. Not only Ayanokouji, but every single student that has development has their reasons and backstories to fit why they were put in this school and why they were put in their respective classes, which is a super interesting thing to find out as you read. Aside from Ayanokouji, there is so many great characters that have a crazy amount of good development as well. Characters such as Ichinose, Karuizawa, Horikita and a lot more get so much attention and character building, it makes it so hard to pick a best girl. Additionally, characters such as Ryuuen and Koenji add such a dynamic aspect to the story, and their unpredictability makes such a great cast of characters fit together. I could go on and on about the characters, but I promise that if you read this novel, you will definitely find atleast one character to like from it.

4. Enjoyment (10/10)
I have never read a novel series or been excited to start the next volume in any other light novel series. I am really glad that I started so late that I could binge all of it so fast. The build ups that occur during this novel and the developments of the characters are some of the best that I have experienced reading novels so far. Not only was this first year really good, it set up the next year to have the potential to be even greater. With a concept like CotE, I could see how recurring elements could end up making this series kind of boring, however with the set up that happens over the course of this year, the second year brings a whole lot of interesting developments that are going to be exciting to experience. If you can get past the somewhat slow of a start that the 3 volumes are, you will not be disappointed in how the story progresses and builds.

5. Overall (10/10)
You-Zitsu will likely be my favorite novel series for a long time and with the second year just getting started, we are likely in for a long and while ride. This was my first review, so if you read this far thank you for reading and I hope that I could convince you to read without giving to much away about the story.

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