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FOREWORD: This review contains minor spoilers for Arifureta by comparing it to other similar Isekai series.

What do you get when you cross Tate no Yuusha, No Game No Life, and enough edge to cut yourself by simply looking at it the wrong way? You get Arifureta's plot.

Do you remember that one kid who, when first introduced to Dungeons and Dragons, came up with this insanely edgy character with an entire graphic novel for a backstory that had badass prosthetic limbs and absurd weapons/tools at their disposal right from the start of the campaign? That's Arifureta's main character.

Ever read a fan-fiction novel written by a bored ... high schooler with an overactive imagination and ceaseless libido? That's what Arifureta's writing feels like.

And yet, despite all of this I actually find myself enjoying Arifureta. It can't claim the title of "King of Trash" - that already belongs to No Game No Life - but I'd gladly give it an honorable mention as the "Baron of Trash".

STORY (5)

Premise - Clusterduck
Arifureta's premise is pretty unoriginal. It takes inspiration from a lot of really well-renowned Isekai series starting with the "useless hero" of Tate no Yuusha and follows a similar revenge plot line. At least, at first. After a while it slowly meshes into something that feels like No Game No Life - but much, much edgier.

Pacing - Fast
I dislike the pacing of Arifureta - it feels a little too fast at times. It misses out on a lot of potential character and world building by skimming through things and skipping over details. In some cases I don't mind it, but Arifureta does it a little too much for me.

Mood - Clusterduck x2
In the first volume, Arifureta felt incredibly gritty and gruesome. I really enjoyed it for that. After that, it lightened up a la No Game No Life and seemed to stop taking itself so seriously, which is a bit of a shame.

Overall - Meh
If I were to rate the story based on the first volume alone, I'd give it a solid praise. The first volume was exhilarating to read. Everything after that... while it's not bad, the sudden shift of tone completely killed my original expectations for the series, which is unfortunate.

ART (10)

Style - Gritty
The art style of Arifureta is definitely worth some praise. It's highly detailed, fluid, and very pretty to look at. The character style is quite standard, but the line work is exceptionally detailed at times.

Fanservice - Yes, but not overly done
It actually takes some time before the more risque stuff shows up with a certain character, and beyond them it's actually pretty laid back most of the time - which really surprised me.

Overall - Wow
I'll just cut to the chase - the art in Arifureta is pretty awesome, especially in volume 1. The panels are highly detailed and very highly stylized with lots of lines and contrast. It's a step above the quality I've come to expect from most manga. Quite simply, it's beautiful.

CHARACTERS (5)

Personalities - Passable
If you did a side by side comparison with No Game No Life's Sora and Shira and replaced social anxiety with pure edginess, you'd get the main duo in Arifureta. Their sidekick is also somewhat reminiscent of Steph at times. The side characters of Arifureta are little more than empty tropes in most cases, which is a shame. All in all, it's passable, but nothing to praise.

Depth - lol.
Yeah, no. If you're looking for deep, well-developed characters you're in the wrong place.

Growth - *crickets*
I guess if you consider the main character getting edgier as time goes on, sure? Otherwise, nope. Maybe this will change later on though. Or maybe not, I'm not getting my hopes up.

Overall - Meh
I don't actually dislike any of the main characters in Arifureta, and that's probably because they are mirror images of the characters we all know and love from other Isekai series. They're fun, albeit really edgy, and I don't find them detracting too much from my enjoyment of the manga. Just don't expect anything deep or original.

OVERALL (7)

In the end, and as I've continually repeated throughout my review, it's a bit of a shame. Arifureta had the potential to be something truly great and started off extremely strong. While I don't hate the direction it's taking, it could have been so much more.

"What? After all that," you might be saying, "they give it an overall score of 7?!"

Yeah, I do. Because Arifureta, despite having many faults, is fun. I enjoy Tate no Yuusha, I enjoy No Game No Life, and so a series that combines the better elements of both is something I enjoy as well. It may not be deep, it may not be all that unique as a whole, but I can forgive all of that because it is fun to read.

If you go in expecting a grittier Tate no Yuusha, prepare to be disappointed. If you go in expecting an edgier No Game No Life, then you'll probably enjoy Arifureta. Thus, I crown Arifureta the "Baron of Trash". Just as garbage as the trash it takes after, but just as fun as well.

I will cautiously recommend Arifureta given that you can look past the many issues that plague it and just enjoy it at face value. If you do, it's a fun read with really good art. But goodness is it ever EDGY.

TL;DR: Hatsukoi Zombie is without a doubt worth the read if you're willing to invest into it. It seemed to me like a generic high school ecchi romcom at a glance, but I was completely wrong - It instead functions as a near perfect genre deconstruction, and has far exceeded any expectations I had going in. I highly recommend it as one of the best romance stories I've read in recent years.

From this point on this review will contain spoilers to the premise, mood, themes, and (to a minor extent) the plot of Hatsukoi Zombie. If you wish to find out for yourself what lurks ... beneath the surface of this manga, I would recommend stopping here, but be prepared to commit: it takes some time before it starts to show through, but when it does... it's worth it.

I don't think I can do the premise justice without spoiling anything major, so please bear with me as I sell it in a manner no less deceptive than Hatsukoi Zombie appears:

Hatsukoi Zombie follows the story of a high schooler by the name of Tarou who encounters a being personifying his first love, Eve, in a manner also representing his ideal figure. The catch is that no one else is able to see her or hear her: a delusion of Tarou's own creation. Unable to realize his own first love, Tarou and Eve work together fulfilling the first loves of others and removing the burdens from within their hearts. During this time, Tarou and Eve both realize that they too must one day confront their own love: a can of worms that neither of them wish to open. But as the saying goes: all that glitters is not gold.

Hatsukoi Zombie's premise is pretty unique, even though it may not seem like it based on my description of it. It pulls a few twists and turns in the beginning that amount to nothing other than serving to hook you in long enough for it to set up what it needs to pull off what it does later on when you reach the climax of the story. It sticks quite heavily to the tropes and cliches of its genre and does a pretty good job of it as well. However, this changes quite abruptly once the characters and setting are all introduced and given some time to marinate.

The trick to Hatsukoi Zombie's story, and the reason why I will give it so much praise, is that it addresses the problem that you should begin to ask yourself after only a few chapters:

How can this illusory, contrived love between Tarou and the delusion of Eve ever work?

Simply put - it just can't. Rather than pandering to fanservice and pretending that it can, the author chooses to tackle this problem head on in a perfect deconstruction of the tropes and genre it had played up until this point. It completely changes the tone of the story from a lighthearted romance story to a bittersweet Romeo and Juliet style tragedy. The author pulls this off effectively by spending an incredibly large portion of time just building the characters through exploring trivial events in their day-to-day lives in the standard romcom style fashion.

The characters themselves start as blank slates: Their personalities are made visible through their actions and words rather than being explicitly stated, and rarely do they adhere to any specific tropes. They all act in a believable manner and rarely in a way that is excessive without some kind of rationality behind it, even if that rationale seems silly from an outside perspective. The personality of Eve is probably one of the most complex I've come across recently to the point where she feels about as real as it gets despite being a delusion of Tarou's creation - a kind of cruel, twisted irony in a way.

The art of Hatsukoi Zombie is also incredibly solid. While it isn't anything special, being neither extremely detailed or experimental in style, it does the one thing it has to do to make the story work - it flawlessly shows emotion through the facial expressions and body language of the characters. The expressions of the characters give away more than their words as to their inner thoughts and emotion. It hurts when you see a character talking in a relatively positive, upbeat manner only to see a major disconnect in their facial expression and body language at the same time that shows that they don't actually feel that way: that they're putting on a front for others.

All of this combines together into what I would consider a near-perfectly executed genre deconstruction and tragedy. Why? Because it doesn't simply throw it on you like some series do. Instead it waits until after you've gotten invested in the characters and only hints at it until the author knows that the investment is there to make it work and feel organic. If you are willing to take the time to get attached to the characters through a relatively slow-paced buildup, it is well worth it.

As of the point I've read up to as of the time writing this review, It's probably fair to say that I love Hatsukoi Zombie - I love the story, I love the art, and I love the characters. It's fulfilling and fun, albeit slow to develop (which I personally prefer). Every chapter left me desiring more and every chapter only served to enhance my passion for the story and characters. Sandwiched within the farce of a cheery, lighthearted romance manga came a remarkably well-written story of love and heartbreak that has stood out as one of the best I've ever come across and probably ever will. I'm glad I gave Hatsukoi Zombie a chance and chose to read it on a whim over the rest of my backlog - it is a true hidden gem among hidden gems. I highly recommend Hatsukoi Zombie to anyone who is willing to give it a chance.

DISCLAIMER/AFTERWORD: I'm neither an expert in writing reviews nor deep analysis of literature and art - someone more skilled than me can probably easily point out flaws with Hatsukoi Zombie that I might've glossed over. Regardless, I hope I have provided a good idea of an "average reader" sort of analysis.