Sore wa Rei no Shiwaza desu

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

If you are searching for a pretty simple romance manga, this is for you. The manga can be a bit slow at first, but trust me, it gets better. Here goes my detailed review:

A) WRITING: 35/50



1. Story (9/15)

The story is nothing amazing because there isn’t actually one, (don’t get me wrong, there is a story) but it’s just the basics. Apart from that, the manga doesn’t provide almost any answers to the mysteries that are presented in the story. So don’t expect anything (except goofiness) from the spirit, there is almost no lore regarding it. But this isn’t bad because this manga is only ... focused on the romance between the 2 MCs (and also the relationships betweens all of them). In conclusion, there is a basic but cute romance main story, with a 1% of real lore regarding the spirit. It may be basic but it’s very entertaining, so I think that it deserves a 9/15.


2. Plot (11/15)

The plot is just the 2 MCs advancing in their relationships (that + their friends). It would be the typical romance plot if it wasn’t for the spirit (don’t get me wrong, it IS the typical romance plot, but the spirit creates some variation, and it feels refreshing compared to the average romance), who always seems to help the MCs (indirectly) with their relationship. Also I love how goofy she is. (This doesn’t take away the scary part)


3. Characters (15/20)

I will only talk about two characters here since I don’t have all day to write this review (this doesn’t mean that other characters won’t be taken into account for the final score). First of all, there aren’t any annoying characters, well except a certain guy… Anyways all background characters are decent enough and I didn’t felt bored with any of them, second of all I really appreciate the male mc having an actual brain, and lastly, I love how goofy the spirit is, even if she almost doesn’t talk, I feel like she was able to represent the readers of the manga.



B) ART: 24/30



4. Characters (15/15)

The art for all the characters is good, and the art for the spirit is amazing. The author was able to draw a goofy and scary face at the same time.


5. Backgrounds (9/15)

The backgrounds are normal, not great but not bad.




C) PERSONAL: 20/20




6. Quality Consistency (5/5)

There weren't any bad chapters


8. Chapters readed (5/5)

I read the whole thing, so its a 5


9. Enjoyment (10/10)

This was good, if you like simple romance stories then this is for you.



It’s the work of the ghost FINAL SCORE: 79/100

Another rendition of the “possessed by ghost romance" trope. I think what’s interesting about this take on it is that the ghost actively assists the male lead with his romantic pursuits.

Some may find Torii’s reluctance to intervene with the ghost early on in the story problematic. This is focused on around Chapter 21. I won’t spoil what happens, but the issue on intervening is addressed somewhat.

This manga is best appreciated by individuals who don’t think too deeply about what establishes and maintains a romantic relationship between characters (besides the obvious “love/like at first sight”). Rather, the tension of “will they or won’t they” and the ... antics that move both characters along this continuum is what will sustain interest in the series. Personally, I find that this manga moves forward at a steady pace and furthers the romance between its main characters sufficiently well.

If I had any complaints though, I would say that the characters are lacking. These kind of stories are reliant upon the romance between the leads and, consequently, tend to have a weak supporting cast. Additionally, the leads themselves are seldom developed beyond their initial archetypes. The school setting and age help to minimize this issue by justifying this lack of development as “being limited by the inexperience of youth” (a subconscious supposition by readers), but I find this justification lacking; there have been plenty of school stories that have featured deep, meaningful young characters. For those looking for something substantial out of this story beyond its romance, look elsewhere.

Other than that, and for what it is, it’s pretty entertaining. Good if you want to kill some time.

Right, so initially I was going to write this down as just another mediocre rom-com that I'd drop, give a 5 and then move on. But I really need to address some seriously problematic aspects of the characters in this, especially the main protagonist. I will focus EXCLUSIVELY on them here, the art is fine and the plot is a semi-lewd rom-com, you connect the dots on that. It's average on every other account.

The protagonist is despicable, honestly. He seems kinda like your average rom-com protagonist, but the thing about him that I can't stand is how he very clearly takes advantage of a situation ... that the heroine is completely unaware of, and seemingly does not seem to have any intention of rectifying it.

The main gimmick of this manga is that the heroine is possessed by a ghost. The thing is, both the heroine and the ghost are both (through rom-com protagonist magic) interested in the protagonist. The ghost does things to "entice" the protagonist that are just plain criminal. The most egregious example is sending nude pictures of the heroine to the protagonists phone, without the heroines knowledge.

Now, the protagonist never, not even after this, addresses the ghost possessing the heroine to the heroine. I'm dropping this at chapter 15, so if he does so later, apologies, but in my opinion it'd be way too late anyway. This guy is basically being assisted by an otherworldly entity to pick up a chick, and he doesn't even have the decency to disclose this to the person he allegedly "loves". I can't accept that you'd be willing to let an entity like this lift up the skirt of this "loved one" so you can get a glimpse of her panties, without at all considering stopping this ghost for the sake of the girl.

At that point it's just taking advantage of an awful situation, have some damned backbone man.

Honestly, this wouldn't be that bad if the rest of the manga was better, but it's not. It's fan-service fiesta, and there's not much else to come for. Honestly, this just obviously isn't for me. If the above doesn't discourage you, give it a try, as I'm sure the quality of the ecchi is decent if you're into that kinda thing. But the core of the manga is pretty lackluster.