Minamoto-kun Monogatari

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Story:
It is a modern take on the age-old novel Genji Monogatari. For the most part, it is very realistic be it the characters or the relationship between them. One of the most realistic manga is when the protagonist actually gets to have sex with the female characters and that too multiple times. Even though this manga has only 9-10 pages each chapter, it has enough detail that it will feel like you are reading a normal 20-page manga.
The only thing that I had a problem with is that the ending is a bit unsatisfying for me.

Art:
The art is simply outstanding. I don't know what others ... will say but I find it pretty close to the art used in Clannad and other early 2000s manga and anime. Especially the women they are drawn with great details each quite a bit different from one another.

Character:
From character design to their backstory to their problems everything is very realistic. Every woman resembles something and makes the protagonist grow in some way. The range of characters is also pretty wide and they are not two-dimensional like the normal ecchi mangas. Each and every character have a certain amount of depth in mind.

Overall:
I would say this manga is a great read. Unlike other ecchi manga, it has a rich story, good character design, and the one thing we all love most and that is sex. Among hundreds of ecchi manga out there this one is definitely one of its kind. Best of all, it is complete so you won't be hanging your head around waiting for the next chapter.

Surprisingly very Wholesome and Comfy reading, i don't read a lot of Erotica but this got me holding my breath, it doesn't require cheap spices to prolong the story. It ends where it should be, and that's just how i prefer it.

Story are overall good, basing itself on classic literatures, noting some of the common psychological issues, but still entertaining.

The Artworks are just beautiful, The Artists deserves more praises for their creation.

However, I do wish for few more chapters for more rewarding closure. what can i say, for i am greedy.

Edit: upon rereading this manga, as i have been awaken, i demand better ... closure than open ending, incest in this manga are just damn hotttt to waste it on vague ending.

Note ~ For all the people who are concerned about the manga's length, it isn't actually that long. There are indeed more than 350 chapters, but all of the chapters are fairly short. Most of them can be read within only 5 minutes each. At least I did.

Life isn't all easy for college student Terumi Minamoto. Imagine being a boy so pretty that strangers usually mistake you for a girl. Being that pretty must benefit Terumi a lot, right? That doesn't seem to be the case with him, though, as he is left severely scarred from his traumatic experiences caused by his middle school female ... classmates. Since then, Terumi has developed an apprehension towards women and tried to avoid any kind of interaction with them.

However, all this dramatically changes when Terumi begins to live with his aunt, Kaoruko Fujiwara. He soon finds out that Kaoruko is doing a research on "The Tale of Genji", a Japanese classic about a guy who had sexual intercourse with 14 different women. Much to his surprise and dismay, Terumi learns that Karoruko is going to use him as a guinea pig for her research. Forced by his aunt, Terumi starts approaching 14 different girls in order to win their hearts and mitigate his fear of women.

And that's basically what Minamoto-kun Monogatari is all about. No, I'm not exaggerating.

I'm pretty sure that reading the plot alone is enough to tell you that Minamoto-kun Monogatari isn't something suitable for kids. Almost every chapter of the manga contains at least one sex scene. Well, that's an exaggeration, but it's certainly true that the entire manga consists of lots and lots of sex scenes. However, despite almost being a hentai, I believe Minamoto-kun Monogatari has quite a few things to offer even to the readers who aren't horny on main.

It's a no-brainer to say that the plot of Minamoto-kun Monogatari is ludicrous. However, while the ridiculousness of the plot never changes, the manga does redeem itself a bit by adding short but decently presented backstories to all the female characters. Every female character is distinct from each other. I don't know how faithful the narrative is to its original source ''The Tale of Genji'', but according to the manga, all the female characters are based on the women Genji had relationship with. Every one of them is a representative of different character archetypes, which can be a plus for some readers. This also enables the readers to find at least one character whom they can relate to or find likeable.

Now, the fact that pretty much any girl Terumi meets almost instantly becomes attracted to him is still extremely absurd and unrealistic. However, adding relatable backstories to the characters made them feel more life-like and sympathetic. Their character development throughout the manga is very noteworthy. Given the overly sexual nature of the story, how Terumi helps the girls overcome their struggles is weirdly heartwarming; in a way, it's kinda inspirational as well.

The most prominent character of Minamoto-kun Monogatari is, without a doubt, Terumi's aunt Kaoruko Fujiwara. The "trashiest" parts of the manga usually revolve around her, and I would say those are also the most interesting parts. One may find the incestuous relationship of Terumi and Kaoruko existent throughout the entire manga repulsive and bothersome (understably so), but the fact that Kaoruko plays a really pivotal role in the story is simply undeniable.

Later on in the manga, Terumi's traumatic experiences from middle school are displayed which make his gynophobia a lot more justified. However, it's really difficult to label Terumi as a great protagonist. There isn't anything appealing about his character to begin with (besides his face, I guess), and he doesn't receive much development either. Fortunately, Terumi does get rid of his fear of women and goes through slight change in the end, but most of his actions remain very questionable for most of the manga.

Another flawed aspect regarding the characters is that some of them remain severely underdeveloped even after more than 300 chapters. Although developing all the characters equally when there are already more than a dozen of them is difficult, it's an inescapable issue in this case. Characters like Chisato, Noriko, Iyo, etc. are considerably less prioritized, and their stories are poorly resolved. This issue becomes especially apparent in the later stages of the story.

However, the worst part of Minamoto-kun Monogatari, in my opinion, is the one of the final arcs of the story. That specific arc focuses on Terumi tutoring a middle school girl and helping her tackle her communication issues. That in of itself sounds very wholesome, doesn't it? However, any sort of good intention is almost completely ruined by the fact that, at times, there are implications of a non-platonic relationship between Terumi and that certain girl, which is utterly repulsive. Fortunately, their relationship ultimately doesn't cross the line, but that still doesn't make the romance indications okay.

Lastly, the ending of Minamoto-kun Monogatari is incredibly rushed. The manga just kind of ends. Terumi's relationship with some of the characters aren't properly established after 350+ chapters, for which a lot of readers, including me, were very dissatisfied with how the manga ended. Even how Terumi and Kaoruko's relationship came to its conclusion is presented very poorly, and when they are the main focus of the story, that's more than just concerning.

Regarding the art, it isn't anything spectacular, but it is fairly decent. All the characters are drawn pretty nicely. And of course, as I mentioned earlier, the manga contains a lot of sex scenes. And I mean A LOT. Obviously, the sex scenes aren't shown entirely. If they were, this manga would've become a hentai, you know? And it's already really close to being one.

Minamoto-kun Monogatari is not a bad read, but it's certainly not something I would recommend to an average reader. And even if you don't mind the ridiculous plot and the excessive amount of sex scenes, I can't assure you that you will have an amazing time reading it. But hey, if you are as trashy as me, give Minamoto-kun Monogatari a try. As I said before, it does have some genuinely praiseworthy things to offer. However, do keep in mind that, in the end, this is just a manga about a feminine guy trying to get into the pants of a dozen girls. So don't expect anything too great.