>Characters
I originally found this manga by its anime. The art was nice, and the main female protagonist, Yukana had something about her... something so rare in a female anime character. This girl is overflowing with confidence, and confidence is sexy. The male character, Junichi is no pushover either. Let's talk about him first.
-Hashiba, Junichi
This is the face of youthful passion.
Junichi is just a guy, and that's what makes him so great. He's not that tired whiner trope like Hope from Final Fantasy XIII, or some crybaby who contributes nothing to the adventure like Yuki of Mirai Nikki. He's also not an unstoppable omniscient god like Sora from No Game No Life.
He's just normal. He's nervous about meeting girls since he and his antisocial friends probably never talk to them, but he's not petrified. He actually builds up the nerve with some help from the aforementioned friends and asks Yukana out on his own. They meet up outside the school, and after a lot of inner dialogue, he musters his nerve and asks her out.
-Yame, Yukana
When it comes to personality, Yukana is more than just a pretty face and some tits (although, she has both). Yukana is confident, feminine, and friendly. Despite being a gyaru she's actually friendly instead of high-and-mighty. She's also fairly condescending to the main character, but he's no slouch! He can take it! She accepts his request at the end of the first volume and they start going out. She likes shooter arcade games and karaoke.
Yukana also knows how to dress up, which is to be expected of a gyaru. Outside of school, she usually dresses in a fairly normal manner. The gyaru thing might just be to keep people out of her hair at school. This I find interesting, because usually gyaru are always gyaru, like her friend Ranko. Yukana isn't though, when it's time to go out in public for dates, she dresses like any other girl trying to look nice.
>The Good
Hajimete no Gyaru is really awesome when it comes to the main romance. Here's a breakdown of how romances work, in both eastern and western works of fiction.
-The main two want to get together, or maybe one is pursuing another.
-Something gets in the way.
-They get over it.
-In the last chapter they make up and get together.
-The end.
Well, Hajimete no Gal put step 4 at the beginning. They're dating for most of the series and it's great. Why has no one else noticed this? It's so unique, I mean, name another series like this. Not where they're chilling from the beginning, but actually actively going out and inviting each other on real, deliberate dates. Love Hina sort of? I can't think of one. What does that mean? That means something unique is happening here, and unique is very good.
>The Bad: Plot vs Character
I don't think I'm the first person to notice that this manga doesn't have a specific plot, however, I think I am the first person to put into a review why a plot would be a bad thing.
Hajimete no Gal is a character driven romance/comedy with a bit of drama for good measure. Plot is something that detracts from character. Consider this, I'm a writer with two copyrighted works under my belt. I've experienced first hand the relationship between plot and characters. When you start a novel, you have to choose which is more important, Tales of Symphonia and Bleach both chose plot, and thus the complexity of each series' main characters are lost on most people.
Character driven narratives are much harder to do, because any plot must happen because of a character, not because they must "save the world," or "kill the bad guy." All of the plot elements in Hajimete no Gal are there to further the main pairing's relationship, and personally I'm fine if not happy about that.
>The Great: Jurassic Park level pacing.
Pacing! The pacing in this manga is impeccable! This series moves so fast, but still gives you enough time to take everything in. It's wonderful!
I actually caught up to volume three in a single night. For reference, at the height of my manga reading, while I was going through Kurokami, I usually read one volume a day. That meant I covered three times my normal amount when I started (and caught up with) Hajimete no Gal. Why? Because I was engrossed.
I can only compare the pacing to a Michael Crichton novel. That's right, the New York Times bestselling author that wrote Jurassic Park, Sphere, and Rising Sun. (Rising Sun is about how different Japanese culture is from Western culture. Great read if you are interested in Japan.)
> The Amazing: The Natural Slice of Life
The characters are very realistic, they truly feel human.
Side Cast
Look, even the side characters contribute something. Even the smallest character manages to eventually gain some relevance. Instead of introducing new people, the author got a clever idea, one that I use in my own works. Why not have old characters do the things I want to have new characters do? Keep the pool of people focused, streamlined.
-Honjo, Ranko
Yukana's best friend Ranko? She's jealous of Junichi because he's taking all of Yukana's attention. She sits in on some of their dates, and more often than not actively disrupts them by showing up right when things start to get interesting.
But there's more.
When Ranko realizes that she's not going to be successful in breaking the two up, she changes gears. She becomes the badass protector of Junichi and Yukana's relationship. (While still trying to drive them apart.) How? Why? Well, let's take a moment to be rational. It seems that Ms. Honjo has a very specific set of priorities.
-Keep Yukana all to herself.
-If 1 is not possible, Junichi x Yame is the next best thing.
-If anyone gets in the way of 1 or 2, stop them with physical violence or intimidation.
-Ranko is essentially my type. Intimidation and drive!
-Kashi, Yui
This is your typical goody two shoes. The pure girl who the main character is destined to fall for.
Well, this isn't that kind of story, so instead she gets pushed aside and resorts to deceptive tactics to try and force her way into Junichi's heart! Does she succeed? Well, read the manga to find out! (Hint, no.) Actually, Yui tests Junichi's outer limits of commitment, and she still gets turned down. Then she tries to force herself on Junichi, and of course, Ranko comes in and saves the day, leaping in from... I don't know, the sky maybe?
-Sakamoto, Shinpei
This is our ringleader, the catalyst. He's the leader of a group of outcasts, the group Junichi finds himself in at the beginning of the story. Some might write him off, but he has clear motivations and a consistent character. If it weren't for Shinpei this story might not have happened. See, he was the one that forced Junichi into asking Yukana out. It was his idea, and he had to basically force it to happen.
Then later he returns to make MORE plot stuff happen! Like, don't discount this guy, he's serious! Sakamoto is jealous of Junichi's relationship and does what he can to sabotage and cock-block him. Usually, it has the opposite effect, and so Jun thinks they're on the same side and thanks his "good friend" for the "good advice."
There are people like this in the real world. Lots of them. In fact, many of my own friends doubt my potential for success, but few are rude enough to try and stop me. But maybe you know someone that's the jealous type like Sakamoto?
Fujinoki, Nene
I'm not a huge fan of this girl, but luckily her arc was short, and way less cringe-inducing than I expected.
Nene is the childhood friend who's returned to claim her boi. And that boy is Junichi. She makes a lot of advances on him, utilizing handcuffs and nudity and taking advantage of the fact that she knows where Junichi lives. In the end, she claims that she will be competing with Yukana for Jun's love. Yukana decides that this is both hilarious and adorable, and stops taking her seriously. Good! I didn't sign up for another generic harem!
>The Endearing
-Junichi's Contributions
Not once, but twice Junichi stops a girl's advances. He informs two different girls that he's already in a relationship, and he's perfectly happy with it. Why is this important? Well, consider the typical harem. The main character has not (and might never) decided on a woman, and so he never blatantly turns down a girl. Junichi is and does. His greatest character trait is his resolve; his commitment.
Junichi does more than just pull his weight. He's a true second half in this relationship, whether his girlfriend is there to babysit his emotions or not. This is so reassuring. When I see an MC almost cheat on his girlfriend, it's not something that I enjoy. I cringe and get uncomfortable. Why should I be happy if he two times? With Junichi in the MC slot, I feel safe. I know he's going to do whatever he can to stay committed to Yukana.
-Yukana's Contributions
At first, for both halves, the relationship was sort of a joke, and sort of a test ride. Yukana wasn't conceited about it though, she regarded Jun with open eyes, and took it seriously when things got serious.
She dresses up for him and keeps him at a fair distance. She picks on him, flirts with him, and tests him. She asks Ranko for advice and considers Junichi fairly when he makes an advance. (Although most of the time she turns his advances down. She's not sure what to do in a relationship either!)
-The Pair
These two are a great match, which is exactly why this series works. It's the seed from whence all the plot elements stem. Yukana teases Junichi to confuse him, and Junichi spouts his honest thoughts to confuse her. Neither of them has been in a relationship this deep before so it's all very new and exciting. A prime example of young love!
>The Human
This is the gold of the series. All the characters, all the situations are so natural. They seem so real, it's the kind of stuff that happens all over the world, with regular people. It truly is a slice of life, and I love it.
I love the fact that this series is so grounded, that it invites you to expect a cliche and then gives you a natural response instead. As someone who's seen over one-hundred anime, and read my share of romance and shounen manga, I'm familiar with all the tropes. When almost all of them were avoided or directly subverted, I was both impressed and refreshed.
>Conclusion
If you like realism, and good characterization, this manga is for you. I'm so jealous! I wonder if there are any gyaru in my country? Or maybe a goth. Or maybe just a nice girl :) I need to start dating before I turn into a wizard >_>
>Verdict
I almost never give a true 10/10. All my My Anime List ratings are bumped up by 1 point since I'm so unfair. (Bleach is a 9, Slayers a 9, Oretachi... I'm not sure, 9.7?) Hajimete no Gal gets a TRUE 10 out of 10. I absolutely love it, and if it gets translated officially, I will be supporting the artist by purchasing the manga.
Read it if you even vaguely enjoy a good romance.
