This is my first review on this site, and I definitely did not expect it to be on Kanojo Okarishimasu (Kanokari) when I started this manga. I was introduced to this story from the anime, and admittedly I felt it at first it was just the average romcom, with renting girlfriends being a weak and unrealistic premise for a logical romance. Some moments caught my eye, however, and that made me curious enough to start reading the manga. I changed my mind enough that I rated it from a 6 to a 9. And I'm glad I did give it another chance!
(TL;DR at the bottom
...
if you want it)
Story - 7
The story for the first 50 chapters (which covers the anime) is not the best in my opinion. Originally it made me feel guilty even giving this show a 6 because of it. I feel this is mainly because this first part of the story focuses on the struggles of MC Kazuya at his lowest. It doesn't cover Chizuru's thoughts much, and seeing him struggle and make mistakes foolishly is also what made a lot of people hate Kazuya and possibly even this entire show.
However, after 50 chapters, which is coincidently where the anime ends its first season is where I believe the story starts getting good. It explores not only Kazuya's struggles and thoughts but also the other MC Chizuru's life, outlook and struggles. From there onwards, I felt the story got much. much better because it was multi-faceted. By chapter 100 and onwards. I was finding myself really enjoying the story.
Also, if you don't like the premise of renting girlfriends (similarly to me), there is much more in store for you after Chapter 50, so I'd like you to give it a chance if that's your query.
Art - 10
I'm going to keep this section short. The panels are beautiful. Miyajima Reiji draws indoor landscapes and expressions exceptionally well. Something I also loved was the outfits that he picks for all of his characters, being inspired by fashion magazines and very aesthetically pleasing in my opinion. There is also almost always a full large panel shot at the end of each chapter, which almost puts colour in the colourless manga with its vivid art.
Character - 9
This is the part of this show that I really was surprised by. Earlier I mentioned that I really liked a few moments in the anime, that made me want to read this man. Without spoiling anything, these were moments like Kibe's character, Kazuya's relationship with his friends (not only Kibe but Shun as well) and Kazuya realising who he actually likes surprisingly very early on when compared to the typical romcom.
Even in the first 50 chapters (the first season of the anime), which was arguably the weakest part of the story, there were a few moments like these that were a breath of fresh air from your average romance story. I thought these might just be accidental, but boy was I wrong. The manga elevates these moments and has many more with developing each character in at least a semi-realistic fashion.
What I'd like to highlight is amazing is the duo of Kazuya and Chizuru. Many of you might be confused as you might see Kazuya and Chizuru as drastic polar opposites at the start of the story. At the start, I really liked Chizuru for her seriousness and how well she was able to express her emotions, and how blindingly perfect she seemed. She was pretty, kind and knew how to help people without being nosy. Kazuya seemed to represent the opposite of that. He was average-looking, selfish and useless. That's what made many people hate him as well. But Kazuya just had his first love throw him away. Even if we know how bad a character is in a story, in real life, it's hard to accept that someone you love is "bad" for you.
Quickly, nobody expects anything from Kazuya. Both us and the characters in the story write him off as useless. Chizuru however, is everything that we strive for, and so everyone has the highest expectations from her. Seeing Kazuya's strengths and Chizuru's weakness when they both betray expectations is the most satisfying thing of this series in my opinion. Without spoiling anything, I loved it.
Give Kazuya a chance.
Enjoyment - 9
Going to keep this section short as well, due to ranting too much (typical me) in the previous section. Character development is not what I expected from this show. I came for a few laughs and ended up staying for the development, plot and romance. Kanokari after the anime in my opinion is the best part, and so starting the manga after the anime is a great way to get into it.
Overall - 9
I think I've ranted a lot about why I like this show, so I'd like to take this chance to just address a few concerns that people have.
-"They drag on the story a lot with filler so that the manga gets to a specific amount of chapters"
I feel that some characters haven't fully been explored into with their motives like Mami, and ending it now would be kind of anti-climatic and overall, we would end up regretting not getting closure on all of these characters.
-"Kazuya / The author is trash because they are not able to express emotions properly and quickly"
I think one of the reasons Kanokari is more realistic is because it expresses the change in emotions over time. People don't start loving or hating someone instantly. It's a gentle process.
-"Kazuya is too trash for me to continue this incel simp story"
I hate the word simp but moving on from that, just give the guy a chance. If you (the reader) really hate the show because of this, please take my word and give Kanokari another chance. I promise you won't regret it.
TL;DR: I unexpectedly loved this show due to the characters at the heart of the story, and I'd really recommend it. All the author has to do is bang the ending now, and I think I'll give this a 9 or above overall, with my only concern being that this current arc is becoming very long. If Kazuya's your only concern, please give this manga a chance.
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May 7, 2021
Kanojo, Okarishimasu
(Manga)
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This is my first review on this site, and I definitely did not expect it to be on Kanojo Okarishimasu (Kanokari) when I started this manga. I was introduced to this story from the anime, and admittedly I felt it at first it was just the average romcom, with renting girlfriends being a weak and unrealistic premise for a logical romance. Some moments caught my eye, however, and that made me curious enough to start reading the manga. I changed my mind enough that I rated it from a 6 to a 9. And I'm glad I did give it another chance!
(TL;DR at the bottom ... |
