8.0/10
AS OF CHAPTER 8
Sometimes I wonder if my standards for a cute romance manga has dropped over time, as this manga quite literally does every conventional norm wrong in terms of a storyline and its characters, yet I can’t help but enjoy every single second of this experience.
I’ll keep the flaws short: This manga virtually has no explanation for the characters to like each other nor does the plot differ in any way across 8 chapters. The storyline for each chapter are almost separate, as they don’t build off the previous chapter besides for a few mentions here and there, and it instead executes it premise of the fml acting “coldly” to the mc but ends up blushing at the end of the chapter.
It’s honestly a really simple concept that’s reminiscent of a plotless web comic — yet, this manga works, and it works well.
To counterbalance all of the necessary story elements that would be in other romcoms, it heavily focuses on its comedy from all the misunderstandings. I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes misunderstanding mangas aren’t entertaining or funny to read at all, but this manga is different. Every approach to the ultimate misunderstanding at the end of every chapter is unique, and it spreads its unique jokes in smaller interactions.
The fml and male lead also are really likable, as the mc isn’t your usual romcom protagonist who’s dense beyond belief; instead, he’s even denser. Trust me, this sounds like you would hate every single second of him, but it’s really funny seeing his reactions/interactions with the fml.
So what if the side characters are virtually nonexistent, and the plot doesn’t develop much from its one-dimensional approach. THIS MANGA IS CUTE AND FUNNY ASH.
I can’t stress enough on how this manga somehow remains entertaining and light-hearted despite it being relatively shallow. Even as a “plot-less manga” hater, I can’t help but enjoy this.
----
AS OF CHAPTER 32
Oh boy, did things change. Scrap EVERYTHING I said about this manga not developing. It certainly does not appear to develop in the slightest initially, but by chapter 32, the mystery of why the FMC likes the MC was explained, and it was done in an amazing/cute way. Also, there were finally some romantic developments with the introduction of side characters to help as well. Honestly, it remained cute, but the author finally locked in and progressed the romance/story.
Reading Rankings (Portnoy inspired + A Huang-Teizan Original)
10 - God’s penmanship
9 - Must-read. Drop everything else.
8 - Instant bookmark
7 - Entertaining
6 - Good to pass time
5 - Why are you reading this?
4 - Bad.
3 - Typical garbage.
2 - My head hurts.
1 - Retirement is a thought.
0 - “Did they even give you a story?!”