So obviously I'm not a huge reader.
At least - I wasn't.
I picked this up after finishing the anime, making it the first manga I picked up in years.
*Insert Reading Rainbow theme*
Yeah, once I started, I couldn't stop. This series is by no means a masterpiece, or some deep philosophical text - But it's just fun.
I don't think I've ever had a book, of any kind, make me laugh before; this might actually be the first one to pull it off. It's the characters, and the presentation that make this series. The author knows the value of delivery and expressiveness, and it really shows in the final product. Jokes are delivered with the perfect amount of dramatic effect, and it really brings the characters to life. You know each of the characters, you get familiar with them, you get attached, and you know how each one of them would react in certain situations.
The series is constantly evolving throughout, but it rarely if ever feels contrived. Not giving anything away (not that it's important), there was only one instance where I was like: "Ehhh, this feels forced, and kind of out of place."
But pretty much immediately afterwards, the series more or less openly states: "Yeah, this was a one time deal, and we're actually closing the door to this route from here onwards." So I forgive it.
But the characters are constantly evolving and maturing throughout the series, you see how they adapt to their change in lifestyle. I suppose the best way you could describe it is you see how they settle into their new lives. Despite this, no character ever becomes unrecognizable.
The situations they are placed in never feel stale, or repetitive. The author sometimes makes each chapter it's own situation, and sometimes it'll be a new (short) arc. He keeps it fresh by never focusing too much on a single character, every character gets their moment to shine. From that, you actually are able to take away unique morals and lessons from each chapter, as each character offers a unique perspective. But Tooru, Kobayashi, and Kanna are always there to act as an anchor to keep the series grounded.
So far, I have loved this series, and look forward to future chapters.
This paragraph will contain minor spoilers for the anime and manga. The anime and manga don't feel too different in terms of tone, I feel they kept pretty true to the source material, with a few exceptions. Tooru most notably. She's less, how should I put it? Submissive? Like she is in anime. In the manga (along with Kanna) she's more of a smart ass. Which isn't a bad thing, I never found the small difference distracting, it still felt like Tooru. I know the beginning of both the anime and manga share the issue with having the pacing go too fast, but I am unsure whether I simply adapted to both, or it levels out. So in the case of Tooru, I am uncertain if there's an actual difference, or
if you perhapss get so closely familiar with her, you don't notice the evolution of her becoming comfortable enough to be a smart ass. The only change I was not a fan of in the anime in comparison to the manga was the changes they made to Tooru's dad, who appears in the final episode of season 1. In the anime, he is portrayed more as this all powerful, totalitarian antagonist. Whereas in the manga, he only initially appears that way, only to be shown to be somewhat of a goofy old man, and a doting father. Personally I far prefer the manga version, but I suppose they needed a season finale, so they made him it.
