Shino-chan wa Jibun no Namae ga Ienai
Shino Can't Say Her Name

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Most likely you have never heard of this manga ("Ooshima-chan Cannot Say her Own Name"), but you may know another one by this mangaka which recently got a controversial anime adaption known as "Aku no Hana." Shino-chan resembles Aku no Hana in more ways than just the very similar art style (the manga's of course not the anime's style).

Story - 8/10

For a manga that only consists of 11 short 20 page chapters, this manga manages to have a well rounded story with good character development (for a short manga), interesting characters, and a very good ending. Even if you're a slow reader like me, it'll ... probably take a little less than an hour to read this.

Despite starting off a little slow, in my opinion this manga picks up a lot around halfway. The story follows Ooshima Shino, a shy girl with an extreme stutter who can't even say her own name to her class on her first day of high school. After that, she quickly becomes the laughingstock of her class which is only further worsened by her inability to even answer math questions in class or have a normal conversation with anyone. She ends up having no friends and spends lunch behind the school conversing with herself. One day, a girl from her class shows up behind the school during lunch listening to music. The girl notices Shino and starts to leave but Shino tells her to wait. Unable to get the words across, the girl gives a pad of paper and a pen to Shino to use and tells her to quickly write something funny. Shino manages to make the girl, whose name is Kayo, laugh and they decide to become friends. Kayo also tries to help Shino stutter less and get to the root of her problem.

Art - 7/10

As I mentioned, the art is almost identical to Aku no Hana's later art style as this started in 2011 while Aku no Hana started in 2009. While the art is not the best, it is definitely not bad and the emotions the characters show are really well displayed. The character designs are not very unique, (aside from maybe Kayo's) but they don't really need to be for this simple high school story.

Character - 7/10

The only really important characters are Shino and Kayo with a few other minor characters. They have a similar relationship to Kasuga and Nakamura in Aku no Hana except without the darker aspects of Nakamura's personality being involved. Shino's development throughout the story is the stronger of the two and she really becomes a great character by the end of the manga. Kayo is tone deaf, but plays the guitar (well) as a hobby. She is annoyed by Shino's stuttering but tries to help her and be her friend despite that.

Enjoyment - 8/10

For a short manga, I really found myself stuck to it and connected to the characters. Watching Shino struggle with her stuttering problem was kind of hard at first, but that just shows how good the character-to-reader connection is. I recommend this manga especially if you like Aku no Hana or any other manga by the same mangaka (though I haven't read any others yet). WataMote is another similar manga with very similar introverted main female characters, though WM has comedy while this manga has mostly drama. Overall, "Shino-chan" is a good short manga if you just want to sit down and finish something in one sitting. It has a good, short story, nice art, good characters, and a good ending.

As someone who stutters, I was intrigued to read this manga, especially since it's only one volume. Initially, the first two chapters captured my attention and resonated with me as the main character's experiences mirrored my own. However, as the story progressed, I found the portrayal of stuttering to be overly dramatized, making it uncomfortable and awkward to read. The final "speech" in public was particularly exaggerated, and it felt unrealistic for someone who stutters to act in such a manner.

Nevertheless, considering that the main character is a teenager, known for their tendency to overdramatize everything, I can understand why the depiction veered towards the ... over-the-top. Despite this, the manga does manage to depict stuttering somewhat realistically, albeit with some exaggeration.

Taking into account the short length of the story and its overall portrayal of stuttering I rate it around 5.5 to 6 out of 10. Check it out of you're interested, it's pretty short.

TL;DR: Read the first chapter. If you like it keep reading, if you don't then stop there, because it is just more of the same.

On a personal level and a critical level, I did not enjoy shino-chan wa jibun no namae ga Ienai. However, I do understand why some people might. It's different than most people read and sometimes that is enough.

Story:4
The story has a syncopated rhythm to it, which could have been effective if the events had any actual impact (besides the ending, which was impactful, but not well written). The story spun its wheels for a while, making it hard ... to be invested in the plot.

Art:6
The art is pretty average for the most parts. The intense drawings at certain sections were off-putting and strange, although it actually helped in this case.

Character:2
The characters are irrational and unrelatable. Because they tend to be irrational, nothing is out of character for them. It is possible that they were meant to be irrational because they are young teenagers, but either way it was detrimental to the story. There wasn't a single likable character, and I couldn't relate to them either, so there was no point to them.

Enjoyment:4
I accidentally laughed at a few points, and a few spots were adorable, but for the most part it wasn't a good time. After reading it, I wasn't upset at having my time wasted, but I won't feel like re-reading it, and if time went backwards I would have just skipped it. However those are my personal feelings on the story. From a critical point of view it is worth a bit more.

Overall:4
In a way, this story reminds me of Hatsukoi Shinjuu. They both deal with odd subjects and deals with them in unique ways. Even though I didn't enjoy either of them on a personal level, I understand why others might find something in them.