If the boy you have been crushing on for five years has suddenly started to date a girl seriously for the first time in his life, how will you react? Will you be supportive and try your best to move on? Well, in the world of shoujo, that is what we presume the heroine of Heroine Shikkaku by Koda Momoko, the mangka, will turn out to be.

Instead, we have a heroine who is unafraid to show her meanest. She is no wimpy girl who will cry by the sideline while watching her prince get whisked away by the ‘Wicked Witch of the West’. No. This girl is bratty, bitchy, spoiled, self-centered, blunt and just plain selfish. Sure, she carries the water works with her throughout more than half the story but with the pressure and pain she goes through, who won’t? And so, the main question still lies: why will anyone enjoy a story with a girl like this?

This story does not sugarcoat anything unlike most mangas I’ve read. Strobe Edge is one that pops up in my mind. It was a wonderful read but it lacks the selfishness and bitterness people have when it comes to unrequited love which is, perhaps, Heroine Shikkaku’s strongest points. Hatori, the main heroine, does not back down from what she believes in throughout the story. People may find her antics annoying and repetitive choices tiring but really, when you think about it, when you’re in love do you really have the sanity to think right? I think not and this is heavily displayed throughout the story. Other characters such as Rita, Hatori’s childhood friend and crush, are memorable as well…for their flaws that is. For example, Rita has his lack of understanding and communication that drives our heroine in confusion and circles. He is arguably the most annoying character but if you are in his shoes, you may find his decisions…agreeable.

This is also another thing to love about this manga and that is that it gives you the ability to think over a character’s actions. The story isn’t that deep for it to be hard to picture yourself in the character’s shoes. Hatori is already said but think over in Rita’s shoes. Being friends with a person for so long kind of obscures thinking romantically for that person. You know the person like the back of your hand that it’s impossible to date them which is one aspect I love about this unrequited love story. So his replies to the main heroine’s advances are understandable even if some of his actions are contradictory.

The art is subjective. It is certainly not the most displeasing to the eye but certainly not the best. Despite this, I like it a lot especially how the mangka manages to manipulate the character’s facial expressions to express certain feelings. Hatori’s expressions are the best from her crying to her being bitchy; it’s never a bore to see how she is feeling next.

I think this manga will be a breath of fresh air for most. The entire cast of the manga has near to no redeeming qualities but that doesn’t make them unlikable. It’s charming and that is what kept me reading the eight chapters that have been released. And believe me, reading manga on your phone takes a lot more time that it sounds...especially when you have finals next week. Ops. x)

(This is my first review to MAL. Any feedback on how to get better is appreciated! ^^)

Helpful

read more

Forgive me but this will turn into a RANT.

I discovered this manga via the other manga that I am currently reading which I am not sure if it was Hirunaka no Ryuusei or Kinkyori Renai (any from those two) and since these two manga are really great, I thought of giving this a try.

Art 8/10
I was first attracted to the art. It's not that different to a lot of manga, it was also beautiful so I said to myself "this might be good as well" but, boy I was wrong.

Character 4/10
Okay, one of the elements I was looking for in a manga (or any stories for that matter) is the Character. I want a character that progresses as the story goes on. I want a character who gives you a period for an impression only to give you an exclamation point at the end. I want a character, even for a villain to be likeable as much as possible, something that makes you want to decide if you would like it or not and when you decided not to like it, it does something that makes you go "awww." Heroine Shikkaku only gave me annoying characters.

Enjoyment 3/10 (this will be explained further in the story part)

Story 3/10
Childhood Friends.
A girl who longs to be a heroine for her childhood friend Rita but only acts as a side character.
She wants him to notice her. he notices and fell in love with another girl (almost. or Rita is just an egoistical jerk)

I have read this manga up to the 30th chapter because from chapter 2 when I realized the story was going nowhere, I was still hoping for it to pass my standards. It was just a simple shoujo manga and yet it fails to deliver the whole point of the story. I dislike how the main heroine keeps going on and on and on about being the heroine and yet does nothing. and when she did, it was almost too late, the guy had already a girlfriend.

I dislike how the guy keeps leading on the main heroine and yet won't break up with the girlfriend. And I dislike the girlfriend for being too nice. No person could be that nice.

I never knew what happened at the end since I dropped the manga. There might be some cool revelations at the end (though I doubt it) but over all,I dislike this manga. I might probably try and drag myself to finish the remaining chapters of this manga. 'til then, this will remain a 3/10 rating.

Helpful

read more