The MC doesn't seem like much at first, he's just a boy in a class. But what makes this manga amazing is how the MC and the other much more colorful main characters build up on each other, the setting, and their circumstance. It is as if these characters don't amount to much individually, but together create an extremely immersive and thrilling story. It is incredible how such a seemingly typical MC pushes the social outcast(Nakamura) in his class to new lengths, and how she also pushes him. However, Nakamura's character arc is just straight up butchered in the second arc. Left with a boring conclusion to her character, there's no argument to be had, that definitely hurts the series.
The setting is based in the same world as the real one, with the same social norms. There's no weird "anime-like" actions of the characters or strange settings, it all feels pragmatic. So when you see the MC be manipulated and mentally tortured, it makes your draw drop due to the pure audacity of Nakamura, yet it is so immersive. The realism of the plot and setting accentuates the events in the story, making it more impactful and captivating. As the MC develops his relationship with Nakamura, it was if I was as well, growing more attached to the character.
The art of the story slightly changes from the first arc to the next, and it's interesting how it changes. You can say that the first arc's art is not as good as the second. But intentional or not, it fits in with the concurrent plot perfectly. It has a certain charm to it, a little rough around the edges, and something about it seems vintage. It takes place in his younger years, so it makes perfect sense that the art style is reminiscent of a memory. It fits perfectly with the chaos of the story. Move on to the second arc, and the linework is cleaner, the characters and background are more detailed and crisp. It has a clear sense of coming of age, the present, your reality. It is concise and clear, and it fits the smooth plot of the story. And it contrasts to the tone of the first arc.
TLDR: The characters and their interactions are entrancing. The realism/believability in this manga in particular goes beyond most others in my opinion. The events that happened within it made me feel at awe. The tone shift from the first part of the story to the second was a change of pace and added variety and progression. The ending left me empty, wanting more(in both good and bad ways).
