“Come again?” - Chihiro
A perfect summation of the relationship of our main duo.
Yugami-kun ni wa Tomodachi ga Inai is a brilliant slice-of-life comedy of miscommunication, perception and friendship (or the lack thereof).
This manga is basically people assuming something about Yugami and then getting slammed with a big wall of “Yugami either didn’t know or didn’t care, usually both. It's actually quite a refreshing story of emotional youth meeting the personification of "facts don't care about your feelings.
The banter and dynamic between the leads Yugami and Chihiro is interesting, engaging and fun. I actually laughed a lot when I read this. I found the scenarios and the actions of the characters very amusing. In the earlier half of the series there is always this palpable sense of awkwardness in the many scenarios the characters got themselves in.
The author makes a really interesting choice in vindicating Yugami at every turn. He's never really portrayed in a negative light, though his classmates view him negatively. Throughout the entire story he remains disliked for the most part, but he is always giving advice or showing others help and enlightenment through his actions.
If you dislike characters that seem abrasive then Yugami is going to be a total enemy for you. If you are annoyed by his antics or expect change you are going to need to get over that fast if you want to enjoy this series. Contrasted to Chihiro who grows throughout the story, Yugami has a flat arc. He starts out one way and ends practically the same. The story is not about Yugami discovering the truth and changing, it's about the reader discovering the truth about Yugami and changing their perception of him.
This story has an amazing cast of characters who all feel important in their own way and add to the story. Some minor characters I enjoyed were Kido-san and Yaegashi-kun. If you are into every cliched arc in the book (Cultural Festivals, School Trips, Sports Festivals) then you are in for a treat!
I actually weirdly liked the ending a lot. If you know who Yugami is, it's pretty expected. I still felt sad with the outcome, but I still find the ending cohesive, reasonable, and bittersweet. That lounge scene really hit me hard. Chihiro is probably one of my new favorite characters ever.
On a minor note, I enjoyed that some of the rumors started in the series persist volumes ahead because characters don't clear things up because no one really liked Yugami. Also, that Rakugo-not-a-date was really cute.
I encourage everyone to try out this unique and hilarious series.
