May 1, 2020
This is my first review so please be understanding.
Itou-kun wa Koi wo Shiranai is a rom-com about a human girl named Yoshiuchi Aika and a boy named Itou Kazuki who also happens to be a yokai, of the faceless variety. Much of the comedy is derived from Itou's lack of knowledge of the human world and the many difficulties of dating without a face. To put it plainly, the main conceit of the manga feels like a gimmick and it's hard to say that the manga does anything to rise above this label, however this does not stop it from being an enjoyable read.
The
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cast is quite small, consisting of our two leads and perhaps two other regulars. There is also a much larger group of characters that sit on the periphery but are not really note worthy. Yoshiuchi Aika is a refreshing lead, not easily pigeon holed into any one archetype and most notably, is willing and even proactive in showing affection in her relationship with Itou, crazy I know. In most other entertainment mediums this is not worth mentioning but this is the world of anime/manga and it's often hard to find a romantic pairing who are able to be openly intimate with each other (note: if you want to see the main leads being even more affectionate then i recommend the author's Pixiv prototype of this manga titled Noppera-bou ;))
Itou is far more of a blank slate, perhaps due to his limited understanding of human interactions but I suppose this can be forgiven as it is a source of comedy.
The story is mostly uneventful in that slice of life way and there isn't a plot to progress. The manga falls into some tropes, a romantic rival here and reveal there but nothing that overshadows the romance between our leads.
Now to deal with the elephant in the room, which is that this manga has a very rushed conclusion due to what I presume to be its axing after only three volumes. Short manga/anime are fine, heck a lot of my favourites are super short but it feels painstakingly obvious that the author didn't intent to finish this story when they did. i think more chapters, even a few more could have helped this manga quite a bit.
Overall I had fun and I'd give this manga a 6.7/10
Thanks for reading
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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