A lot of reviews I've read has described this as about "not judging by appearance" and while for a majority of the characters this is true, I feel that explanation is a little too surface level and fails to cover what makes this manga so compelling. At every turn, the story adheres to every single shoujo manga cliché, beginning with the resident hotboy™ for some inexplicable reason falling for the shy, introverted lead just relatable enough to project upon. What differentiates it however, and what makes it all so damn engaging, is the extent at which it exaggerates every single trope of the genre to pure absurdity. The female MC's protective best friend's relationship is portrayed as cult-like fanaticism, the local high school's heart-throb becomes an overnight national celebrity for his good looks and kind, understanding nature. And our timid, anxious heroine can't help but push her loves away by turning into Godzilla.
What should be a silly, cheap plot gimmick becomes a magnificently sweet, complex metaphor for a bumbling pubescent high school romance. Because teenage love is awkward, it's clumsy, it's confusing; it's a big dumb kaiju stumbling its way through Japan unintentionally crushing everything in its path. And even as it sends you into a flustered, anxiety driven frenzy or causes you to close-up, huddled alone for fear of hurting yourself and others once again, it then in turn allows the people around you to see past all your attempts to push people away and self-destructive mistakes to find the barest, truest form of you.
Of course, it achieves this brilliantly with all the bubbly writing and over dramaticisms of any good, self-respecting shoujo manga.
