Part of the reason why I picked up this manga was because of the synopsis alone. In a way, I was in a similar situation as the main character herself ~~(minus the ikemen who helped her way back to school)~~. Moving from the countryside all the way to the city in order to pursue higher education. It was a no brainer decision to read the first volume.

Skip and loafer follows the daily life of Iwakura Mitsumi, an upcoming high school student transferring from a small town in Ishikawa prefecture to the hustle and bustle of a prep high school in Tokyo. Along the way, she meets a lot of people and in one way or another influences the way they see themselves as well how they interact with the people around them. The story slowly progresses as the author shines a spotlight on the main cast whilst developing a lovely slow burn romance between the main couple.

Iwakura just radiates positivity and how you can’t help but root for her for anything she does. Her character has a touch of innocence where you can’t help but root for her decisions no matter how absurd or out of hand it may be. The characters surrounding her must’ve felt the same way as Mitsumi has such a positive impact on their life and personality, driving them to have internal revelations and self realizations. Despite her adorable obliviousness and nerdy character, Mitsumi is centered and has a sense of self-assurance. She knows what she wants and is responsible enough to take the necessary steps needed in order for her to succeed (even going as far as planning what to do with her ashes once she’s cremated). Her goal has a childlike innocence yet mature at the same time as she knows what needs to be done in order to achieve the goal that benefits her hometown best. She went as far as moving out of her comfort zone in order to study and to become someone prominent enough to make impact and the necessary changes needed in her hometown.

Another character that solidified my interest is the introduction of the main male lead, Sousuke Shima. Like Mitsumi, the audience is drawn by his loving and genuinely good character. A refreshing contrast to the common stereotypes and outdated personalities most male leads have in shoujo manga. Shima is just a genuinely kind person. Despite the shenanigans, Mitsumi does, he never once questions nor belittles the little things she's insecure about and going as far as reassuring and genuinely listen to what Mitaumi has to say. Of course he still carries the typical shojo male lead stereotypes such as bein popular and good-looking but he never really focuses on it and just wanted to form bonds with his classmates and Mitsumi.

Their relationship is refreshing and sweet and lacks the usual frustrating drama between two casts. They are just genuinely having a good time in the presence of one another. Slowly building up their relationship into something more than just friendship. It also made me fiddy to read and see how both of them (mainly Mitsumi) deal with the lingering feeling of realization of falling in love. Their interactions are cute and hilarious at times but you can’t help but root for them all the same.

Moving out of the main couple, skip to loafer also offers the most well rounded and charming cast of characters I’ve read in a long while. It genuinely surprised me at first when the characters are fleshed out and given their own little spotlight as the chapter goes on. The characters are all drawn to Mitsumi’s personality and her unique views that help them realize or understand something they have always needed.

Other characters I want to talk about are the other girls within Mitsumi’s circle including Mika, Yuzuki, and Makoto. It genuinely made me happy that they are all together because of their budding friendship. Just four girls of different backgrounds and personalities being together because of friendship. It was refreshing to see little to no drama and how the author focused on fleshing their friendship for it to be genuine. Although, at the beginning it was suggested that mika likes shima and might start a jealousy arc for the cast but it did not happen. Instead, it became a catalyst for her character development and became a turning point for mika’s personality as she became conscious of how she was treating the people around her. On the other hand, Makoto and Yuzuki almost go hand in hand with one another. Their characters, although polar opposites, remained intertwined as they lean to one another throughout the story.

Lastly, I can’t publish this review without talking about my favorite character throughout the manga, Nao, Mitsumi’s auntie. Nao becomes Mitsumi’s guardian as she moves through and transitions to life in Tokyo. Their day to day interactions feel genuine and endearing. It makes me happy how the author handled Nao’s identity as a transwoman. Her identity was not solely the focus of her character and she feels just as good as the rest of the cast. I love how she was able to fit into the narrative without the author making jumps and turns just to explain it to the audience. Nao is just there as guardian to help Mitsumi through her life in Tokyo. The chapter dedicated to her made me cry as it hits close to home; making me fall in love with her character more.

The main focus of the story is centered on a variety of character issues but are balanced and light-hearted enough to keep the pace flowing. Revelatory monologue and melodrama is kept at a comfortable pace without sacrificing the intended tone of the story. All of their relationships as friends or lovers slowly built up and, unlike most mangas of the same genre, did not become a 20-volume stalemate. The character's inner conflicts are often resolved and wrapped beautifully within a few chapters, adding to their character further.

The art is simple and direct but has a great sense of expressiveness and can really set the tone for some of the panels. Sometimes the characters are hilariously drawn into emoticons and in some there is barely any dialogue; purely relying on the expression depicted by the character. I also think this was part of the reason why I like the manga so much. It knows when to be hilarious and when to shake the audience with something subtle to keep the interest going.

All in all, the manga is hilarious, adorable, heartwarming, and the slow pace of the romance might not be for everyone. But, if you want a genuinely light hearted, coming of age, rom-com then skip to leader is for you and definitely worth your time.