Tired of generic romcoms? Looking for a lighthearted, fun read? Let me introduce you to Do Chokkyuu Kareshi x Kanojo.
Right after I read the omake, I was confused, bemused, and intrigued - all at the same time. Many romance mangas seem very surreal, and this is sometimes the main appeal of a story. After all, when was the last time you saw a normal high schooler walking around with a harem? Many manga have walked the path of self-fulfillment, doing whatever they want to an emotionless, flawless, dense mc.
This manga is different. It's down to earth, straightforward, funny, and you're bound to have a great time with it, just like the two main characters.
Honda and Wakamiya are two high schoolers who become acquainted in a variety of strange situations involving porn mags and hairy caterpillars. Nonetheless, they strike up an odd friendship, and Wakamiya develops a crush on Honda. They decide to start out as friends and eventually, Honda reciprocates Wakamiya's feelings.
This all seems very cliché, until you realize that both Honda and Wakamiya are... interesting, to say the least. It's a little hard to put them into words, simply because of how over-the-top their characters are. Neither is perfect, and they struggle to overcome their flaws together.
Unlike your average pussy protagonist, Honda is a MANLY MAN who has a knack of rejecting girls because he would rather refuse them honestly than date them half-heartedly. He puts others' wellbeing before his own and isn't afraid to speak his mind, such as when he readily admits to carrying porn and yells about wanting to have sex. He screams a lot and works out often. Unsurprisingly, he's a fun and straightforward character.
Wakamiya acts tough but slowly caves in to Honda's persistence. Since this is her first experience with love, she misinterprets and then outright denies her own feelings. Once she learns to accept them, they eventually get together, though Wakamiya still has her own share of troubles - but she isn't afraid to work hard to overcome them, and she has Honda on her side.
Honda is the type of person who barrels through all obstacles, while Wakamiya is usually dragged along with him, and this dynamic is fun to watch.
A lot of the charm in this manga comes from the side characters, who are just as quirky as the main two: Honda's porn-loving fellow men of culture, Wakamiya's lighthearted go-to friend for love advice, a hentai-author temple owner, the flat-chested princess of the school, a sadistic boy who gets lost on the beach, Wakamiya's softhearted sister and her own love story (fucking kawaii), the Team Rocket-esque public morals committee, etc.
The art design fits really well. The drawings are a little rough around the edges, but a lot of the humor in the story comes from the ridiculous expressions and excessive energy that the two main characters display frequently. Thus the comedy relies greatly on the expressive art, which you really have to experience in order to make a judgement about. Personally, I find it extremely entertaining.
I recommend it to anyone who enjoys over-the-top humor.
