Enen no Shouboutai is a textbook shonen. It has the tropes and follows the stereotypes but pleasantly not in a very overbearing manner. The manga still gives you those moments where even though you know for damn well what type of manga you are reading, it could go in a completely different manner. For that, I applaud this piece. For me, it's a good read for both newcomers and those of us who have been around for far too long and grown up with similar pieces. In this semi-new wave of shonen which has carried on over the past while now, it sits well with me, makes me feel comfortable. It stands out from the rest and has popularity with the community and newcomers for a reason - even though the anime carries that - the manga still holds up strongly.

To me the manga is a good piece which will never really disappoint, nor overly excite. That may sound like mediocrity but it is not. This manga is good. It knows what it is (there's more to this comment), and honestly that can be a very good thing. It does not just exist but what Enen no Shouboutai will be is that one manga you will give to someone who is new into our community and it will be that one manga where you reader will go; "Yea - why don't I give that a read" and be satisfied as a result.

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Rating: 82

So now onto my rating. It is slightly odd I admit out of 82 but allow me to elaborate further. I understand why many of the ratings give it incredible reviews while others give it mediocre scores. Of course we all have our opinions but to me this just explains what I was on about earlier - it is really good in areas, and it's okay in other areas. They blend well together and then you have this piece.

First let me focus on the art style. Those of us know that this art style is not unique and honestly it's good overall. At times the mangaka does really well in certain chapters and volumes, and other times it does feel a tad lacking which is where I've docked points. It does vary a bit too much though, in some scenes I feel that the mangaka could have done a bit more with panels and pages or better utilized what they drew in order to portray. One thing I will say however, is that the art style compliments the story. Some manga's don't mix well, the story is one way but the art ruins what the mangaka is trying to portray or vice versa. The art is not just complimentary, but actually it makes you feel "set" in the world that you are about to be introduced too - and good pieces do that. The art style feels unique but it's one with the mangaka and elevates the emotions and story telling to a better level.

You have to remember reader, that this is a a very straightforward, clean-cut shonen piece. It has the tropes, there is some fan service, there are some slightly cringe moments and some really awesome moments. With this in mind it does what good shonen's do, it builds the lore up to an overall level where any story-line questions you do have are answered at the end of the manga. It's entertaining and does not feel you wanting or frustrated with questions. On the other side though, this is not other manga's in the world which build, go farther in-depth or explore much of a character's background. In a "typical" fashion, you need to know about a character what you need to know as it applies to the story and the mangaka delivers it in good time. The story never really drags out nor cuts too short, but at times here and there I've felt personally that a bit more backstory and character building would be appreciated to the overall picture so I do dock more points here.

The main call to this manga though is the action. No surprise if you have watched the anime but honestly it is very good and in my opinion a bit unique as the story does feel "original" so it is not very predictable. Now this sky rocketed my rating from the 70's to the 80's rating but there is one thing which actually does dock points - the action feels like it cannot be fully portrayed in the manga and an animation is needed (which you will understand when you read it). At times I feel the art style compliments the action of characters and fight scenes very well, but in other instances I definitely feel more could be done. I was 'wowed' on a few occasions and went 'not bad' on others. But, it definitely was entertaining overall.

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After 304 chapters, I feel like an 82 overall gives a good indication of what to expect. Many of you who read this will feel a few more points should be rewarded pushing it close to 90, while others will feel that some points should be docked and that a score of 80 is too high but mid-70's sounds right.

That to me is what Enen no Shouboutai is.

A great, solid shonen manga.