“I want to prove to the world that grades aren’t everything.”
- Yuuji Sakamoto, leader of class 2-F
In a high school where the equipment you get, the amount of respect you receive, and the destruction power of your summoning beast are strictly divided according to your academic skills, this seems to be a foolishly ambitious claim. However, if it is those “idiots” in class 2-F, I believe they can definitely do it.
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu is a popular, 17-volume (5 side stories volumes) light novel series that has been since adapted into anime (2 seasons) and manga. Ironically, this series is perhaps most prominent for
...
introducing the idea of FFF brigade, an organization that is dedicated to torturing the happy, fulfilled individuals (male) that have received affection from the opposite sex. This notion is frequently cited by the anime community in China (and other countries), as far as I know, even by those who have never watched or read this series.
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu is a completed (12 main story volumes, with 5 volumes of side stories) light novel series by Inoue Kenji. It tells the story of Yoshii Akihisa, an utter idiot, in multiple contexts, and his daily adventures with his group of friends from Class 2-F. His high school uses the exclusive Exam Summoning Battle (ESB) system, where each student has the ability to summon with its power depending on individual’s academic performance, and each class is separated by their overall academic performance. Facilities are also given to each class based on performance, such that Class 2-A gets high-tech stuff, while Class 2-F gets a run-down classroom.
- - - Story - - -
Frankly, the story didn’t appeal to me at first. The set-up seems clichéd. Of course, we’ve seen it hundreds and hundreds of times. The protagonist is a slow-witted guy, surrounded by a couple girls who seem to be romantically interested in him, as well as by a bunch of other male friends. There is some sort of injustice happening around the protagonist, and the group of friends strive to change that. Every volume is just going to be fillers that repeat the same things over and over again with no real plot development!
…is what I wanted to say at the beginning, a perception that I soon dismissed.
Following class 2-F’s leader Yuuji Sakamoto’s lead, the idiotic and “weak” class 2-F manages to out-smart their opponents no matter how strong they might be. Some of their ploys are quite genius, and each volume provides an entertaining and dramatic plot, with outcomes that are difficult to predict. Even the side stories volumes are not entirely fillers. They provide important flash-back chapters that adds to the character development.
The story is written in a hilarious style. Readers will constantly laugh, because of funny and idiosyncratic dialogues between characters. Actually, some of the funniest contents can be found in the beginning of each chapter, for which a question is assigned to several main characters in the story, and each character answers it, along with the teacher’s feedback. This not only allows readers to get to know the characters better, it also sets the mood for each chapter, sometimes even foreshadows what is to come in the future.
I’d recommend reading this novel one volume per day and take it in slowly (don’t skip the opening question at the start of each chapter). Just remember to keep reading even if some of the volumes disappoint you a bit, because the ending is certainly perfect for baka to test to shoukanjuu, that I wouldn’t have it any other way.
- - - Art - - -
Like any other light novel, there isn’t really much to say about the art. I’d say that the art in this series goes for the cute style where the characters’ heads are slightly larger than normal, as opposed to the ecchi style that is found in most other novels. Overall, the art provides a solid illustrations of the characters, and make the dramatic scenes that much more so.
- - - Character - - -
The students of 2-F are idiots. They are completely, undoubtedly, irreversibly idiots. Perhaps it is precisely because they are idiots that they are able to grasp something more fundamental and basic about human’s emotions.
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu certainly resembles a shounen title in that it features a large cast, each having his or her own distinctive features or quirks. This by no means signify that characters are flat. In fact, the main characters undergo significant character development, through their trials of fighting in the summoning war.
The character dynamics between the main characters are amazing! Class 2-F is such a place where friends could lie, steal from, and stab each other in the back without blinking an eye. However, when grave situation calls for and the display of manliness is required, each is willing to sacrifice and give heartening encouragement to their precious friends who need it. They would place their trust in each other and achieve the victory together. They are the best kind of comrade that you would trust your back with.
- - - Enjoyment - - -
It is not a masterpiece, and some volumes may seem slightly repetitive. Still, it will make you laugh; it will give you feels; it will deliver to you an unforgettable cast of idiots.
- - - Overall - - -
Baka to test to Shoukanjuu is a story that follows the tale of the biggest idiots Akihisa Yoshii and his friends. It has some brilliant plot execution with well-placed foreshadowing, a nicely stitched together cast of characters, and has forever left its mark on the anime community with its (horrifying) idea of FFF brigade, dedicated to burning every happy and fulfilled couple on this planet.
8.5/10
 Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Baka and Test, Baka to Tesuto to Shoukanjuu, Baka to Test to Shoukanjyuu, Idiots, Tests, and Summoned Beasts Japanese: バカとテストと召喚獣 InformationType: Light Novel
Volumes: 18
Chapters: 143
Status: Finished
Published: Jan 29, 2007 to Mar 30, 2015
Serialization:
None Statistics Ranked: #10772 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #2548
Members: 8,791
Favorites: 175 Resources | Reviews
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Jun 14, 2014
“I want to prove to the world that grades aren’t everything.”
- Yuuji Sakamoto, leader of class 2-F In a high school where the equipment you get, the amount of respect you receive, and the destruction power of your summoning beast are strictly divided according to your academic skills, this seems to be a foolishly ambitious claim. However, if it is those “idiots” in class 2-F, I believe they can definitely do it. Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu is a popular, 17-volume (5 side stories volumes) light novel series that has been since adapted into anime (2 seasons) and manga. Ironically, this series is perhaps most prominent for ... 
Apr 26, 2016
Novel Review No.1
Baka to Test to Shokanjuu/Fools and Tests and Summoned Beings "The story centers around the protagonist named Akihisa Yoshii, the 'baka' of the title. His academy rigidly divides up the student body into classes based on the results of tests. The prodigies are in the A class with reclining seats complete with air conditioning, but Akihisa is in Class 2-F, the lowest rung of the school ladder which is furnished only with low, decrepit tables and worn-out straw tatami mats. A girl named Mizuki Himeji is actually one of the smartest girls in Akihisa's sophomore year, but she had a fever on test day ... 
Aug 5, 2019
Baka to Test was one of the first light novels I read, when I first got into animes and fan translated LNs. Its been a long way since then, and I've moved on to mangas, but this series will always stay in my heart.
First and foremost, Baka to Test is FUNNY. The premise is ridiculous and the characters are idiots, Akihisa being the biggest Baka, but this is what makes this series work. There are running gags like Himeji's cooking and Hideyoshi which always manages to make you laugh at the right time. Honestly its been very long since I've read this, and I've basically ... |
