Yankee-kun to Hakujou Girl is a manga that completely surpassed my expectations. From the cover art, I expected a fluffy slice of life romcom, and could you really blame me? The blatantly cheerful cover, the brief and seemingly wholesome description, the pieces were already there for yet another forgettable time-passer to smile at. And then, after seeing the genres, they cemented the deal for me as nothing to write home about, so I decided I'd give it a quick read as I was in the mood for some wholesome shenanigans. Little did I know the ride this manga would take me on.
From the first chapter, it really doesn't seem as though it's anything special. The delinquent who actually has a soft heart and meets a cute girl who he instantly falls in love with despite his seemingly unapproachable nature? Wow, haven't seen that one before! But really, though it does take a few chapters, the manga continues to introduce new characters, new dynamics, added themes, and actual conflict! I'd like to just do a quick overview of every element of the manga from this review out, to disclose every element, but trust me when I say its strongest element is its...
Characters: 10/10
With Romcom especially, a major gripe I have always had was boring one-note stereotypes. The tsundere, kuudere, deredere, etc. I hate when authors get lazy and simply turn to these tropes to rake in some easy character dynamic. Initially, this manga seems to be filled with them, but slowly every character, even the seemingly explicit, gains so much growth and depth. I was particularly impressed by Yukiko's character arc, as I simply expected her to stay a simple tsundere throughout. However, the way she so elegantly tackles the primary themes of the manga with such poise never failed to amaze me. And that goes for every character. Without spoiling anything, I can say that the dilemmas of every single introduced character in this manga have been fresh, realistic, and nuanced. Not only that, but these characters in part bring up the other characters and bring further dynamics to their issues as well!
Story: 7/10
The story of the manga is well done, woven properly, and never feels bumpy or disconnected. Though it does follow the usual romcom style, which is the arcs being finished individually within 7-10 chapters, every sequential arc does well at creating new concepts and doesn't feel like padding for chapters. I think this is because the manga releases the chapters in bunches rather than 1 at a time, so every arc feels like a very thought-out narrative. It's not particularly great, but it doesn't pander, and that's impressive for a rom-com. (I won't be talking much about it in this review though but the themes present in every arc all connect well and it's gratifying to watch every story pan out thanks to it.)
Art: 5/10
The art is cute, and I personally liked it, but it's very, very amateurish. It can often hurt the more emotional scenes due to the lack of emotion on characters' faces, and at times can kill the vibe the manga is going for. Male bodies are disproportionate and a bit stiff, and faces all look very, very similar, sometimes enough to confuse me about who was who. However, one good point is that the mangaka draws Yukiko very well, and can make Morio extremely menacing (Like when he's about to beat up the bully.) With time the art has improved a little, but for now, it's still a negative point.
Enjoyment: 8/10
Overall, Yankee-Kun to Hakujou Girl is a great read and holds a surprisingly engrossing story within its seemingly generic lens. I highly recommend anyone to read this manga, especially fans of the rom-com genre who want a little more nuance to their stories.
33 out of 34 users liked this review
