Otomegokoro

Status: Finished

Nene Kashiwagi—a 16-year-old tomboy awkward with romance who simply can’t find love. Jun Endou—her friend and archnemesis, who can’t stop making fun of her. Then Nene’s first shot at love goes down the drain, and everything takes a rapid change. (Hey, that rhymes!) Cue doki-doki and sparkliness.

Yeah, that’s at least what I thought. What with the mangaka who created L-DK being the creator of these series, things were just about to go from cliché to crazy.

Art – 9.1 / 10.0
If there’s anything I love about Watanabe Ayu’s work, it’s her art style. There’s something simply different about the way she draws her characters that really makes them stand out, even in a familiar setting, uniform and hairstyle. The eyes, especially, are breathtaking.

Plot/Concept – 2.3 / 10.0
...I should’ve known Watanabe Ayu never does normal, but this should win an award in having way-out-there plot twists. I’m left staring blankly at my computer screen saying, ...thafuck? after every cliffhanger. There isn’t a logical sequence behind why things happen the way they do, other than the mangaka wanting to be as goddamn unpredictable as possible. But instead of being intriguing and fascinating, the plot ends up making no sense. We’re left staring at plotholes the seize of the Eiffel Tower every time the story moves forward. The only good thing about this is that you’ll never guess what’s coming next.

Characters – 1.5 / 10.0
I might as well just say it: what is up with this mangaka and sonuvabitches for male leads? It’s like she’s trying to convey a message to all her readers: regardless of how great a guy seems, beware. He’s actually the King of Jerks hiding beneath a pretty shell, and the prettier he is, the jerkier he becomes. Also, all they can think about is sex, but as a girl, you shouldn’t mind, because that means you’ll get laid and that makes you closer to him, even if you come off as a desperate hoe in the process.

I mean, I actually thought I’d like Jun. He’s the opposite of Shuusei from L-DK; outgoing, cheery and friendly. He’s upfront about what he thinks and feels, and he seemed rather sweet. But a few chapters in, and we get what I’ll now call the Watanabe Ayu Deal: oh really, he’s just one horny jerk among dozens of horny jerks, but what do you know, Nene wants him anyway but still gets treated like shit.

And Nene? I’d like to say she’s strong, but she’s not. She’s so swept up in her emotions, she can’t think straight. Maybe she doesn’t burst into tears and cause scenes at every given occasion, but it’s almost like she has zero pride. No, wait, she has zero pride.

I’m not saying every girl has to be a thick-skinned screaming tsundere, because that doesn’t really make you any more of a stronger person. But I think there’re times when you put your foot down, realize that you’re just getting yourself in one fucking mess and tell yourself that this just isn’t right.

She can have her cool moments, though. So if there’s anybody that even remotely makes this weirdass story even just a fraction better, that’d be her. As for the other girl, I hate her guts. Which I guess is sort of the point, but I also think she’s hugely unrealistic. She doesn’t even have a reason for wanting Jun in the first place, besides the God of Plotholes demanding her to.

Romance – 0.4 / 10.0
Wow, this may be one of the lowest scores of all time that I’ve ever given a romance, but really. There’s not even anything romantic about this story at all. It’s about a girl desperately thinking about love, who pines away for a moron thinking through his penis, who for some odd reason wants to bang has a crush on a girl who... doesn’t think at all. The first chapter is probably the only reason I’m not giving this whole thing a straight zero. But I feel as touched about the rest as I would be about watching my neighbor’s dog pee all over our street.

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Did I just waste an hour and a half of my life reading this crap? Because I just think I did. Do me a favor and don’t follow suit. The story is completely pointless, from the beginning to the end. If you’re a fan(atic) of Watanabe Ayu’s art, then go ahead and enjoy the eyefest—the art is as pretty as always. But if you’re actually looking for a decent story, or even a story at all, this manga may not be for you.

Overall Rating – 0.9 / 10.0

Credits for scans: Which Scanlations