Reviews

Ah, studying. The bane of everyone’s existence. While there are worse undertakings, nothing compares to the angst of sacrificing countless hours to pass a meaningless course to attain a worthless degree that grants an aimless job to sustain yourself before you die. Of course, having aspirations is ideal to avoid a life of poverty, but not all problems are solved with blind ambition. Sometimes, as it were, you have to smell the roses. Take pleasure in the little moments, before life passes you by.

Therefore, my advice to Nariyuki Yuiga: appreciate the harem you find yourself in, because before you know it, you’ll be stuck with one broad for the rest of your life. Nothing wrong with that outcome, per se; nevertheless, when you discover a ‘gold mine,’ you stuff your pockets and grab with both hands.

The plot of “Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai” is elementary. In an effort to secure a college scholarship, Nariyuki tutors two girls — Rizu Ogata and Fumino Furuhashi — in the subjects they struggle with, yet wish to pursue in university. As the story progresses, additional female characters receive Nariyuki’s tutelage, via creative means best suited to their particular interests. It’s a concept that is ripe for teasing out character nuances, if only that were the focus. Apparently, the writers seem content with devising new ‘games’ to study, rather than developing the characters themselves. In exchange for this lapse in judgement, we are left with stock characters that exhibit no changes on the existing paradigms. They are neither relatable, nor worth your time.

Due to the deficiencies in the story and characters, the enjoyment is paltry. Laughter is sparse to non-existent. The romance is third-rate, along with being cliched. And the episodes are a trudge to complete. Simply put: boring, boring, boring!