Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou
The Daily Lives of High School Boys

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Most of us have been through highschool. But our lives definitely weren't as funny as they are illustrated in this manga.

Daily Lives of Highschool Boys is an outstanding gag manga, and so, one of my favourite comedies written to date. It had me furiously laughing whenever I had a read. The concept is a very simple one. It just illustrates daily lives of highschool students in a silly yet funny manner. The manga takes situations that every highschooler at some point in their life might have encountered, exaggerates them a little, and turns it into a gag, which most of the times is nothing short ... of ridiculously hilarious.

There was not a single chapter I didn't enjoy. Each chapter is a little skit of about 8 pages. The length of each chapter is absolutely perfect in my opinion, and the format is preferable as well. You read 8 pages, you laugh it off and the end. This manga is by no means comparable to other comedies like Gintama or SKET Dance, but I do not mean this in a bad way. I'm saying this because Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou is in a league of its own. It nails the "Highschool Comedy" genre to the core.

The characters are, of course, the center of all the comedy. There are a variety of characters, but no real main character. There's everyone from a pervert guy to a romanticist girl to an extremely serious guy to a perfectly average guy and so on. You get the idea, it's a fairly unorthodox cast. While some characters may not get as much 'screen time' as others, they're sure to entertain you in whatever little time they get.

It may not be every reader's cup of tea in terms of its humour, but if you're a fan of good comedy, you might want to give this a second thought.

That said, I really hope that the manga gets continued in the coming years. I am sure to miss it when I'm done with it.

First things first, how's it going everyone? Hope today is a good day for you. Now that we got the formalities out of the way, I'll do some quick clarifications:
-English is not my first language, so if you see any grammar or spelling mistakes, dont hesitate to comment on my profile pointing out my mistake.
-I'll be writing this on an article style because I think is easier to read and write, and I'll be covering the overall story, so there will be no spoilers in here (I mean it's a slice of life/comedy manga, there are no spoilers to make what so ever)

Now that we ... got all that out of the way, let's begin.

Comedy in manga and anime, or any type of medium from another culture is a really hard thing to do. Why you may ask? Well, to piut things short, since the work has been made in another culture, it's supposed to, in this case, make laught, the people from that culture. This represents a huge problem, and that is that people in different cultures are, not surprisingly, different, so it's not a surprise that you don't laught (or ant type of reaction) at the same things they laught. This, convined with the fact that comedy is very subjective, makes it really hard for that piece of work to make you laught the way it should be. So, this manga is fun? Yes, without a doubt, is one of the most hilarios series I've seen.

I like to divide comedy in anime in 3 types. The hyper non-sensical intense comedy that will make you laught while thinking wtf are you doing. The more soft, slow comedy that uses the context to build up a joke, without people screaming or flashy scenes. And the bullshit type when I guy falls over a big-boobed tsundere childhood friend with ponytails and that it's supposed to be funny (I don't really know if this is funny for Japanese people, so I'll leave it at that). So in which category falls Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou? I thing it is a convination of the first and the second one, because you'll be seeing that each chapter builds up a scenario which ends with a hilarious punch line.

Talking about the chapters, when I first started reading this manga, I instantly realized two things. The first one, the chapters are tiny, like ten pages on average per chapter, which is weird because in average a manga chapter has from 20-30 pages to 40-60pages. Second thing, that's why the anime structure is weird. Assuming that most of the people are here because of the anime, you should know that every episode is made of four of five non-connected stories that are a joke in themself and that sometimes get a sequel in a later episode, just like the manga works. And let me tell you, this work brilliantly, and, as spected from the director of Gintama they kept it the way it originaly was, because I couldn't image another way for it to work out. Rather than having a little joke and moving on, the hole chapter is the joke, that builds up page by page. This kind of structure is hilarious honestly, it works perfectly for the kind of humor this manga presents. Not tu mention that you could rush a hole volume in an hour or so if you read fast enough.

So, we already stablished that the manga is hilarious, and that you really should give it a try, so let's talk about one of the most important aspects of a manga, the art style. May I advice you, if you are coming from the anime, this will look weird for you. The drawings are a lot sharper in comparison to the anime, which makes the characters look a little different from what we are used to, but not to the point where you can't tell them apart.

If you have reached this far in the review, first of all, thanks for taking your time to read this. But maybe you are thinking, "So if this manga is so good as this guy says, why isn't in the top 50 list or something?" Well, let me tell you the weak points about this manga. First of all, it's comedy, and as I explained earlier, it is very subjective, so, some of the jokes will not make you laught because you don't get the joke, or you saw it coming, or you didn't find it funny, or any reason, it's really up to you.

In conclusion, you should definitely give this a try. This manga will hook you instantly (if you are into this type of comedy) and you will be reading more chapters that you will realize. Unfortunately there's still not an English realiseas of May 2016, and it's very unlikely that is will happen, so you'll have to rely on fansubs. (On a side not, for some reason, volume 4 is missing in most fansubs, so you'll have to do a little research to find it).

If you made it all the way up here, thank you so much for reading. This is my first review, but I hope you'll find it helpful and that you have a blast with this manga. If you think I missed something, be sure to send me a message or comment on my profile. Hope to see you in the next one.

-Syouka

bro this manga its fucking hilarious lmfaoo im writing this review and laughing so hard i just cant forget some chapters i have read and to be honest the comedy here is motherfucker legendary , they gives you a short chapter with simple plot and in the other hand a god damn good jokes besides that i like the stupid reactions in serious situations omfg lol these characters are crazy

SIMPLE BUT GOOD

i dont have anything to say more about this masterpiece so read it and experience it by yourself anything else its up to you if you find it ... more interesting as you thought or not

i just realized that almost all my reviews have been shitting on manga i thought were trash, so i decided to review one i absolutely adore.

daily lives of high school boys has no plot. there are callbacks and references to past events, but there is no effort put into having an overarching narrative. and in this case, that works brilliantly. as its title implies, this is supposed to be a collection of day-to-day snapshots in the lives of a few dumb-ass high schoolers, and its insistence on episodicity makes the whole thing work like a charm. a lesser writer might have struggled with these constraints, ... but it never drags or feels repetitive.

the main characters are all likable, with similar yet distinct personalities. they insult each other, make poor decisions, and help each other out when it's necessary. they really feel like a friend group that naturally formed off-screen, and not just shunted together for plot convenience. most importantly, they're almost always hilarious. but as good as i find them, their side-character counterparts somehow surpass that high bar. whether it's the hard working student council, the crazy ass literature girl, or the female counterparts to our main trio of goofballs, the side characters manage to steal the show in the chapters they're featured in. they're all incredibly funny in their own ways, and the mangaka always puts them in situations that are perfect for each character.

in short, this manga was great. i was legitimately laughing out loud almost every other chapter, and i rarely saw a joke that didn't land. my only complaint was that it wasn't longer, but all good things have to come to an end eventually. if you want to read a manga that will have you cough-laughing, give this a try

Story:

I don't really know what to say about the story... is there one? Kind of? There are at some parts and in some chapters, but most is just going about, well, the daily lives of highschool boys. There really isn't that much to say about it otherwise. A chapter follows a plot and it follows through nicely, but when these span over several chapters, they are a lot more amusing and engaging.

Art:

Yasunobu Yamauchi is an amazing mangaka, and he actually dulled down with this series, on purpose mind you. He liked the idea of making a simpler design that would better represent and display the ... simple lives of the average teenager in high school.

Character:

Hidenori Tabata - Hidenori is the main person in the manga to end up in crazy/unusual situations that usually end up being the best chapters as a whole.
Tadakuni - It is usually his house where the main trio like to hang out, much to his bemusement. He has a part-time job at a pizza restaurant and has a younger sister who is quick to violence against anyone who crosses her badly in any way whatsoever.
Yoshitake Tanaka - Yoshitake is kind of a middle man to form the group together better. He is a good friend and is outgoing, usually the goofball of the trio and goes with all of Hidenori's antics.

*Disclaimer*
Just personal scratch.
Advised, possible spoilers.
Opinion & Informal

Art: 5/10
The art was, objectively, sort of eh. Nothing wrong with rough art if the content is good which was the case lol. The proportions and anatomy checked out but there was minimal shading, dimensionality, and tones used. There were a few scattered impact shots which were funny but not artistically impressive. There were no panoramics, environmental shots, or showcases of artistic skill.

Panel Progression: 7/10
The panel progression actually was pretty average, but the punchlines were impactful most of the time. No use of panel-cutting or flair in layout. Progression was mostly linear and straightforward which is fine. The ... main thing is that the jokes were able to be setup and executed which is what matters most.

Characters: 7/10
The characters were funny and their dynamics were even funnier. I fee like the characters were able to portray that "daily high school life" vibe which is a plus. The character designs were bland but were very fitting for the atmosphere so that too is fine. Not much in terms of character development since this is mostly a comedy so I won't weigh too much. I did like the relationships formed between some of the boys and girls. The literary girl bits were super entertaining and I would have liked to see more of that.

Plot: 7/10
A bit unique and interesting for the time period this was born in. I feel like a lot of more recent comedies can draw inspiration from this and how it executed the SoL comedy genre.

Development: 6/10
Objectively it was fine. Again, this was a comedy with a very informal plot setup so I wasn't expecting too much in regards to character or plot development. What it did do though with the dynamics between boys and girls was a nice touch.

Conclusion: 5/10
Abrupt and out of nowhere. Not many questions were answered such as what of the literary girl? I don't feel like any of the relationships and dynamics were properly concluded between the characters and groups. On one side it could be said that it's a fitting end for such an informal setup, but I would have at least liked some open-ended conclusion for a comedic future outside of the pages. That didn't happen.

Overall: 7/10
7/10 for its decently good comedy, unique take on the dynamics between high-school boys and girls, and for what it was during its time period. A case where I think that the adaptation is much better than the original source.

daily life of high school boys is a great read. it had me legitimately laughing out loud. i HIGHLY recommend reading if you like anime like gintama or saiki kusuo no psi-nan you will really enjoy this manga.

the manga is made of short chapters that literally tells the life of a group of high school boys. it is a super funny slice of life manga that is super funny and lighthearted. its a great wind down manga, especially if you wanted to palette cleanse in between darker manga/anime.

the characters are super likeable, the stories are entertaining, the gags are great, and it was an easy ... read.

overall: 8/10