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Disappointing, that is the one word I would use to describe the manwha, Girls of the Wild's. However, I'm aware that a one word review isn't enough to dissuade readers from wasting their time on this series, so hopefully my review can provide an honest opinion of what this series will offer. I'll avoid spoilers beyond the first chapter in case people still want to check it out after this review. Also, the harem tag is inaccurate, if that's what you're looking for then I'd suggest staying clear of this series.

As of writing this review, Girls of the Wild's, stands at roughly ... a 7.89 rating on MAL. It is my belief that this score is misleading. Why? Well, many of the reviews of this series which praise it were written well before it was even half way over. It's easy to understand the higher scores at that point, because this series had quite a lot of potential when it began. Beautiful high school girls, a martial arts focus, a bit of romance, and above average art, in color, what's not to like? Well, the story and writing. The series' writing started off on a high-note, but somewhere near the middle it lost its way. Eventually, it ended some 260 chapters later far from the original plot with a plethora of unanswered questions, plot holes, and forgotten characters. This all culminating into a mediocre feel good ending, which left a lot to be desired.


Story: 3/10

This is where the series lost most of its points. The initial setting was your stereotypical all girls high school that has just gone co-ed, but this is no ordinary high school. Here the students are all proficient in some form of martial arts. More importantly they host popular mixed martial arts tournaments mainly featuring their students as well as those from challenging high schools. Sounds great right? Sure, if a person plans to drop the series after a hundred or so chapters.

Around halfway through the initial setting is largely forgotten as well as the original plot and it is merely used as a backdrop for the main characters' interactions from time to time. At this point the series' plot seemingly becomes stuck on a hamster wheel as readers relive the same experiences that the MC went through initially, but with different, "new" characters. In fact, I'd say this series recycles the same initial plot device four or even five times before it is finished.

Furthermore, one of the biggest questions at the start of the series is never answered. Several other plot devices are thrown away and hardly resolved, creating multiple plot holes. This leaves readers with the lingering question of, what was the point in that? In the last forty to fifty chapters the series becomes a full on romance/drama with very little martial arts all in an effort to wrap up some of the most frustrating character relationships I've seen in a comic. I'll add more to this in the character section.

Art: 8/10

There's not much to say about the art in this series, except that it is well above average with a fair amount of detail. More interestingly, it's in color! Some of the character designs are interesting, especially the main girls in the series, but a lot of side characters have pretty forgettable faces and looks to them. The backgrounds vary in detail with some being well drawn and others being obviously traced photos, but the artist did a good job at using color and highlighting to make them look unique.

Characters: 5/10

The main characters in this series have quite a bit of backstory that is developed for them throughout the series. Unfortunately, one of them feels more like a supporting character as the series goes on as they are absent from the story frequently. The main character himself is quite frustrating with his decision making and he often seems to backtrack with his own character development on occasion. The other main characters receive a varying degree of development, one of them getting very little, while another receives just as much if not more than the main character himself.

Additionally, this series has an absurdly lengthy supporting cast, largely to its detriment. Several of these characters even receive their own backstories, typically in the middle of chapters, which messes with the pacing quite a bit. Also, many of these characters disappear for long periods of time only to show up to help the main character or give him advice randomly. Others practically disappear from the story completely. Two small side characters who share one of the funniest character relationships in the series are mostly absent. It would have been nice to see more of them. In the end, this series had far too many side characters, which distracted from the initial plot that eventually was forgotten.

Enjoyment: 5/10

Initially, the beginning of the series was quite interesting although a little cliche with some descriptions of techniques during the fight scenes being a bit wordy and at times laborious to read. Many of the chapters beyond one hundred are slow and full of a lot of meaningless dialogue between side characters. The romance subplot, which became more of the focus towards the end wasn't all that bad and it was probably the best writing of the series. However, the conclusion was rushed and felt tacked on instead of slowly being fed to readers over the length of the series as it should have been.

Overall: 5/10

Without its distractions, Girls of the Wild's, could have been a truly enjoyable series. Sadly, it suffered in the hands of an obviously inexperienced writer. The deviation from its original setting led to many forgotten characters and unresolved plot points. One of the main characters was not given the attention they needed while another was given arguably too much. Many readers will find the ending unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons. While I was somewhat pleased with the ending I still was disappointed with how the series turned out because of the glut of side characters and plot that was discarded. The art is truly the best aspect of this work of fiction and I certainly plan to check out other series for which this artist is a part of. Unfortunately I don't believe I'll be able to say the same about this author any time soon.

Honestly, do yourself a favor and ignore this series. If you do decide to read it, I recommend not binging it. If you do, you'll be frustrated that you wasted several days doing so. Take your time with this series and spend time to appreciate the art, especially the later chapters.