Hachiouji Meibutsu: Tengu no Koi
The Hachioji Specialty: Tengu's Love

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8.0/10


Do people still remember the anime and manga “Aho Girl”? Well, if you do, then the main cast in this manga are less annoying, more wholesome versions of its counterpart. More focused on the romance and slice of life genre, this manga takes a more serious route over the slapstick comedy that accompanied the former’s characters. Though, I can’t say I hate it, as the author knows how to write a compelling, deep backstory and plot; however, there are periods of times during the chapters where it’s disengaging or “inhumane.”

Of course, characters will determine if the story is worth reading or not, no matter how ... good the plot or storytelling is. There are some faults here and there to pick with the mc not being “realistic” or “humane” with his unshaken, mostly cold attitude; however, his attitude is strangely balanced well with the fmc, no matter how cutely idiotic she is.

The manga definitely has more plot or storytelling capability than a usual romance manga at the expense of comedy, drama, or romance. However, even for someone who prefers the latter, the small tidbits of the latter make this entertaining and enjoyable.


Reading Rankings (Portnoy inspired & A Huang Teizan Original)
10 – God’s penmanship
9 – Must-read. Drop everything else.
8 – Instant bookmark
7 – Entertaining
6 – Good to pass time
5 – Why are you reading this?
4 – Bad.
3 – Typical garbage.
2 – My head hurts.
1 – Retirement is a thought.
0 – “Did they even give you a story?!”

6/10
This manga thrives off its characters and romance. It it straight up, consistent romance galore- even if mostly onesided by showing off FL's infatuation and incredible amounts of love for ML. ML is a deeper character (compared to FL) with struggles and internal conflict that add to this manga's second strong point, mystery. It is that slight, underlying mystery and the crumbs we are fed along the way that make this interesting and potentially more than just shoujo #7000. I am still looking forward to how this one develops even with what I am about to type.

Anyways, I bought in and read some more chapters. ... And here also lies the answer to the question... why that rating for now? It went full on shoujo in a very recent chapter, sadly. And I mean 100% full on brainmush. The chapter felt like a mistake and was just unfair to some characters and the overall manga until now.
I got this nauseous feeling while reading along, the one you get when authors go for plot-device-characters/ntr-bait/forced drama to push forward. Nothing unheard of but this early..? That was not the worst part of it- FL, the one I hugely praise for consistency and being enjoyable was changed into a run-off-the-mill shoujo princess that behaved.. questionable at best. She was a whole different character with different behaviour and different feelings/emotions. It was absolutely unfair to ML and greatly tanked my personal enjoyment and further anticipation. Also, the new character is weird and feels incredibly forced and out of place- what purpose? FL was changed to complement the character's introduction but it just made this feel like watching live cuckolding.

It might be a hickup in writing or what was decided with the editor- either way, it is a huge chance wasted and I hope the story will be given priority from here on out. This manga did not need that cheap way of forcing progress. The leads can grow and evolve as people through other, more adult means without making them look bad while at it. I would've like a more organic and unconventional way but that is, sadly, just wishful thinking and me coping with how this went- the formulaic shoujo way..

I still recommend this manga even with that glaring flaw. There is still potential to be had and I won't give up hope just yet. Thanks for reading.