Reviews for My Little Monster

I LOVE this manga! One of the best and non-stereotype shojo I've read. The art, the story and most of all the characters are very appealing to me. Characters I gotta admit that the characters in this story are the strongest point of this manga. Shizuku, Haru, Natsume, Sasayan, Yamaken and his trio gang, Ooshima, Micchan, Yuuzan and their familis; They’re all awesome and special in their own ways well… except for few ones but they’re still lovable and adorable XD Every each of them especially the main characters get great character development, something that hardly exists in typical shojo manga ( I don’t read thatmuch or it’s just I always end up picking wrong mangas with shitty characters =,=) but at the same time, the progress didn’t ruin their original self or turning them into someone else instead they just become a better person with the same old personality and attitude (Gawd, just how many shojo heroines who are strong-willed at the first part of the manga becoming annoying, whining, indecisive girls as the story goes on esp when they finally realize their feelings. But I'm yet to see this in Shizuku) Well, this part is hardly shown now but in few more chapters, we’ll see it especially with Haru’s character and with Shizuku in dealing with her very first love relationship in the future.

Plot/Story

Since Tonari no Kaibutsu -kun is a character driven story so automatically the story is moved by its characters development and actions. But with Haru’s family issues, Shizuku’s mother and Micchan/Natsume/Sasayan relationship, at least we can anticipate something for the plot and story.Plus, this manga is only on its early stage so it’s too early to say that this manga is slow and the author has more room for the story development. I hope it wont be too long or dragging or dramatic wtv. Just sweet and cute, the way it is. Not to mention, it is a slice of life manga which is targeted to younger audiences too, so the story is just involved in everyday of teenage student’s life, no need for intense or twisted storyline, I think.

Theme

Okay, I like the theme that the author plays out in Tonari; romance, friendship, family, and individual theme, they’re just balanced and mixed so well and appropriate for girls teen-targeted manga. They’re not too simple or too complicated for weak teenage brain like mine to receive XD The physiological theme involving characters development also can be seen through Haru’s character, an abandoned child, wild, uses violent and fists to solve problem, unsocial boy that slowly changing into better, stable emotional person with the help of his friends and Shizuku of course. Yeah, it’s quite usual and ordinary in most of shojo story but Robiko sensei managed to display Haru’s mental growth distinctly throughout the story. Same applied to other characters too but Haru is the most interesting IMO.

Art

Cute and pretty art. With Tonari I don’t get dizzy or blind by reading too much panels and dialogues. Art is important to attract new readers, it’s sad when a manga with good story didn’t get more attention than it should because of the art. I’m glad that Tonari get beautiful and cute art to attract the audiences. Reminds me of Ouran, as much as I love it, I got pretty hard time to read and nearly put me off because of its drawing. I’m relieved that I got the patience and kept reading because Ouran is awesome^^

so, if you're searching for a warm, light love story but at the same time, you want the enjoyment from its story, I highly recommend this.

*As I'm very lazy this is just my review from another forum so some might have read this.

I finished the whole series in just a shorter amount of time than I had expected it to. Yes, this is that good, and I feel that I had to write a review when I am done reading it. First off, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is absolutely one of the most beautiful mangas I have ever read! This is one of those mangas that is so heart warming and relateable. You can feel as though you can understand the thoughts and feelings of the characters. I liked how the story was not only focused on the love story between the two main leads. This series is somuch more than a shoujo manga, it also deals with learning about life, valuing friendship, overcoming challenges and finding your own identity. This is how high school life and romance should be written, since it has utterly captured the beauty and the struggles of it. The character development was brilliant and every single one of them was my favourite. The art was also amazing and it kept on getting better with each volume. The final volume was really special, and I just loved how it ended so perfectly that I would not have preferred a better and more touching ending than this.

Like all the stories I have finished reading, I am quite sad that this series has to end. It was great, fun and unique in its own way. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every page of it. I could have wished for more chapters since I want to see more of it. Oh, and the anime was awesome as well! :) I am definitely going to miss Mitty and Haru-chan!

I strongly believe that Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is a great manga and one of the few manga which mix comedy and romance very well and avoids becoming dull and annoying. Well, first, I'm delighted with the drawing of the author. The drawing is very nice and the characters are drawed very atractive and some of them cool and others, very cute. Even though is a shoujo, doesn't have that flashy and awfully cute, the characters don't have those annoying shiny eyes (Usually shoujo manga has them) and the females characters don't have those puppy dog eyes that I'm tired to see. The scenes of this mangaare not annoyingly decorated either.

Another thing I like is the story. As I said before, this manga mix comedy and romance very well, situations develop very smoothly and lightly, and you can't get tired of this. Each character has a personality that make them unique in the story, and sometimes, the characters react in funny way when a problem appears, being stubborn and childish, but they aren't crybabies (Usually you see that in shoujo manga female characters, ALWAYS CRYING) and they solve their problems and differences in a very sensitive way, with comedy scenes in there too. The plot is not very complicated and easy to understand. Even though some things are a little cliche, the story avoids becoming dull, boring, annoying as it happens with many mangas.

To conclude, I could say that if you want to read something light, you want romance but you want to laugh a lot too, this manga is the perfect election for you.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is probably a manga I won't forget. Despite it having a simple premise and characters that have stereotypical archetypes (Shizuku being a study bug, Haru being an eccentric softie, etc) I still enjoyed this so much because it was executed nicely and, true to the description provided by MAL, a fresh take on your typical tsundere girl x dere boy romance. The characters are definitely the best part of this manga. Though they aren't groundbreaking, their interactions with each other and how each of them influenced the other characters (directly or indirectly, knowingly or unknowingly) felt so honest and true towhat high school and youth in general is like. Unlike other shoujos I've read that were so dreamy and impossible, it felt as if what these guys went through and felt could actually happen to you in real life (and some of these things probably have). I especially loved the dynamics of the main protagonist "quartet" (Shizuku, Haru, Natsume and Sasayan), who befriended each other regardless of their differences academically, socially and as a whole -- though this manga focuses on the relationship of Haru and Shizuku, I'm also glad that the mangaka took the time to show us through these four that love can also come in different forms and people, not just in a romantic way, and change us just as equally. Though Haru and Shizuku would definitely be different if they hadn't met, the fact that the people around them were just as important and that they weren't the only people in that world was what made this manga stand out to me.

On that note, the story and writing is probably the epitome of what "slice of life" is. It's slow but mellow, and it ultimately doesn't make you feel as if you're reading filler. The conversations and events that take place are meaningful and there are quite a number of quotable sayings from this manga, at least for me! It was also really funny and sweet, enough to make me giggle at the awkward moments caused by a lot of characters' inexperience (especially Shizuku) when it comes to relationships with others, and even laugh whenever anyone (shout out to the Natsume-Haru duo!!) would do something wacky. Though this work is primarily narrated by Shizuku, whenever it shifts to another person's view for a chapter or two, it never feels out of place and it flowed really nicely overall.

The art was just as wonderful! It was clean and pleasant to look at, and the character designs really fit each of their personalities. (I'll be honest, I looked forward to whenever Natsume came "on screen" because her clothes looked so fun and very fashionable, compared to the modest Shizuku, who dresses like a grandma!) Also, the backgrounds were detailed, and the overall quality was just really great and consistent.

All in all, this is a really enjoyable manga! Though there's certainly romance involved, this manga is about love in general, what it means to truly reach out to someone and what your relationship with that somebody does to you and others as people. It's nothing overly convoluted, but it's not that simple, either. It's a fun read and definitely worth a glance if you have the time. This may be a shoujo, but I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to read something a little more unique.

Before I begin this review, I would like to say that I literally just binge read the whole series, even chapter 52 which updated TODAY. I saw on mangahere that this series was going to end soon, which is did in chapter 48, but I waited it out till now so I can have a fresh perspective on it. I shall avoid major spoilers of course, but I am planning on writing a very lengthy 'rant' blog on this (once I find more time) because I'm not exactly too happy with the story (even though I enjoyed it). So... let's begin. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- = Story = - Love atalmost first site. Yoshida, the cute delinquent turned sweetheart, "falls" for the cold Shizuku. Please read the full synopsis on the manga page.

The plot wasn't too complicated. Romance wise, the story makes it quite linear who ends up with who, but the reoccurring themes about individuality and friendships. I had read through a few forums and this manga was a reoccurring title in which the internet seems to love and adore. Judging the book by it's cover, I automatically assumed ------- Character Section ----------. The overall summary sounded decent enough and I was expecting a SUPER COMPLICATED PLOT. Thank goodness it wasn't.

SOOOOO story wise, if you love brain teasers, a look into life morals, friendships that seem to last, cutesy love and quite a bit of harem with a decent/mediocre complexity rating, try 'Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun.'

= Art =

- The art is lovely. I quite fancy Shoujo manga without the HUGE eyes. The drawings were smooth, the clothing looked original enough to the mangaka's style. Again, absolutely gorgeous. -

= Character =

- JUDGING THE BOOK BY IT'S COVER, I AUTOMATICALLY ASSUMED... (without reading the summary) that Shizuku and Yoshida were delinquents considering she has a dog collar around him and he looked menacing enough. I was wrong of course.

I'm picky when it comes to manga series that expect me to take hours out of my time to read. Usually once I read the first chapter, I either continue or I stop right there. I considered stopping for this manga. The characters to me, at that point in time which was roughly 3 hours ago, had no potential to grow in an exponential way for the next 51 chapters. "Why's she so picky?" you may ask. Like video games, I like spending money on one game with replay value so I can get my $60 worth as opposed to spending money on multiple cheap games that I'll only play once. I've read a lot of manga already so now I'm just being picky on what I want to spend on leisure time reading.

Back to the characters. Shizuku is a cold person who is more aware of some emotions around her. She's straight forward and in the beginning likes to put a distance between her and other people. Seemingly enough, all she did was study as opposed to having fun. I found her character to be bland. She does however develop once their social group expands, but she wasn't my most favorite character.

Yoshida (Haru, either or) was a character I didn't like. People who have read this series would be all "WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU HE'S ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS AND IS SO SWEET ASDFGHJKL!" His character was flawed from the beginning being that he is a violent person to start out. However, in a few chapters it all changes and he becomes less violent and less scarred and it's as if that Haru who had potential for psychological development never existed. He was a sweetheart with a blunt mouth, but after the change from delinquent to puppy, his character stayed linear for the rest of the series.

A character that I did like a lot and was shipping with Shizuku, like, REALLY hard, did not get a fair trial. Yamaguchi (Kenji) was a pretty forgettable character in the beginning. I didn't start liking him until 1/3 of the way through because he got no page time before that. I thought he was just a side character (or an extra) because of his lack of presence in the beginning, but once Robic(k?)o, the mangaka, changed the pace of the story by having him come out as "I MAY SEEM LIKE A JERK AND I AM BUT I REALLY AM A PRACTICAL AND SWEET GUY AT HEART," I was sold. I wish the ending after the official end did him justice, but alas, it was not meant to be.

Lastly, I'd like to point out that there are a lot of "supporting" characters that I didn't fine memorable. They felt more like extras added into the plot for the convenience of relevant characters. For example, (tiny spoiler, but it doesn't affect anything to me, but still) one of Yamaguchi's hommies just happens to own/have access to a 'resort' (more like a cabin in the woods to me) which, again, was convenient for the relevant characters to deepen their friendship. -

= Enjoyment =

- Considering I binge read all 52 chapters, I'd say i enjoyed it quite a bit, even if I wasn't took happy about the ending and character development.-

= Overall =

- RECOMMENDED. Very sweet, cute, funny and it puts a smile on your face. (:

Disclaimer: some scenes differ from the anime and make the manga an overall worse feeling experience. I will elaborate on that part mainly. The biggest problem for me I consider a personal one but I am sure it is one for many readers, and that is FL(Shizuku) having strong feelings for another character while with ML(Haru) already. It makes little sense, too. Only to be seen in the manga, it might leave the reader feeling irritated and sour. It was a shock since I first watched the anime and it made little sense to me suddenly having Shizuku transform into this meek Shoujo girl with strongfeelings for another man while having an established relationship. The character lost all of its credibility for me and it stayed that way until the end of the manga- moreso since actual wholesome romance with ML is scarce, so much so that I still am not sure if she actually should be with the other cast member. But that is another discussion.

The content is pretty much the same but with more extras. Most characters are some sort of "outcast" and it shows when interacting with the rest of the cast. While not necessarily bad, the dynamics can be weird and uncomfortable at times. But all in all it feels like a nice little read even if pretty shallow- to add to that, there really isn't much to this manga. It does everything a little but nothing too much or great while at it. It feels like you just see this world pass by- and suddenly it is over not being too memorable.

Would I recommend the manga/when having watched the anime? If you have not watched the anime, go ahead and read it. The mentioned problem still consists but you might be able to overlook it. If you watched the anime, I would recommend ending the series with that. It is not worth destroying a whole character for some added content for me personally.

And as always, art is great :-)

Tonari no Kaibutsu kun was a sleeve that impressed me a lot, especially because I had only seen the anime I've ever liked but ended endless so for me it was a very good surprise. The thing I liked most in him was the characters, the Haru however violent it to be he found a love, Shizuku like her for not being a cliche character and which has developed a lot during the story, but I have to talk about and Yamaken of Oshima I think they were great '' antagonists '' they never intruded both Haru relationship and Shizuku kind of already knew that wouldnot have a chance

SPOILER [Yamaken telling himself that never find another girl like shizuku

Conclusion I loved reading this manga for me everything in it and perfect it sure will not forget it, even when I was just a little sad I will miss this personal ^ - ^

I've never, ever been a Shoujo Girl. To me, it was all the same; unrealistic, over-the-top and generally ridiculous. But, being a bit of a hopeless romantic, I dip my toes in genre every now and again. I've found a lot of gems, and even more garbage. When searching for something new to watch or read, it is always so great to find something that is EXACTLY what you were looking for. Tonari no Kaibutsu-Kun is everything I've ever wanted from a shoujo manga. -Story- 10 In the cookie-cutter world of shoujo, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is refreshingly different. The super-nerdy girl and the violent but kind-heartedguy are two characters who would normally just pushed to the side as friends to the main character. But here they get a chance to shine. What I love most about this story is how realistic it feels. You can really understand the main characters and they are much more relatable than the standard shoujo pair. It also deals with deeper emotions like how everybody wants to feel like they belong. Not everybody falls in love on the spot. Sometimes it takes some internal battling and self-revelations to realize what you really want. Change is not only good, but sometimes necessary to make you happy. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun touches on all of these ties them up in a extremely sweet and supremely funny story.

-Art- 9

There is not much to say about the art really. It is very good, but nothing spectacular or ground-breaking. It is clean and pleasant to look at. It has that more realistic look (that I am so very fond of), so no googly eyes that take up 5/6 of the face or vaguely infantile proportions.

-Characters- 10,

All of the characters are pretty likable, even the egotistic, elitist, snobby, rich- boy has his merits. There will always be someone you love/ grow to like. There is also a good variety of character types, so you never feel like all 37 main characters are the same, despite their slightly different hairstyles.

-Enjoyment- 10

Tonari is nothing if not enjoyable. It's a bit addicting to read, I pushed aside my mountain of essays just to keep reading (I regret nothing). I can't understand how you couldn't like it, even if was only a little. The emotions are genuine, and the jokes are actually funny. The characters are very lovable and you will attach to one quickly. The art is great and the pacing is appropriate. What more could you want?

-Overall- 9.5

I would recommend this to anyone who just wants a good story, be you an manga fan or not.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is a very character driven story, and though I sometimes find this kind of stories boring, TnK did a fantastic job at making me love every single chapter. I needed to read the first few chapters to get hooked, but still, they were all outstanding. I'm probably a little biased about this manga, but I really do think it deserves the score 10. In the end it's just my opinion and my taste, of course. I loved the characters of Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun the most. There's a bunch of them, and they're all interesting and relatable, every single one. Through all their school,love, friends, family and other-related struggles, I was rooting, wondering what was in store for them, gushing at their romances. I found parts of myself in the characters when seeing their reactions, their thoughts, their wants, etc.. The interactions between the characters are great too. Shizuku is a super studious, cold, expressionless girl, and Haru is a delinquent-type who's actually a naive yet (academically) smart guy who wants to make friends. The model student+delinquent has been done before but Haru and Shizuku's relationship is unique and simply adorable. They don't know how normal relationships work, so they work on it on their way, and they can be silly and mature. And then there are all the supporting characters that I definitely don't want to just put aside as side characters. A lot of them each have their own story that affect each others like they would in real life.

The art isn't particularly amazing, but it's a simple style that puts enough details. The mangaka is great at conveying emotions and stories through the drawings, and everything's all very pretty (yet not overly done so). The panels are well arranged and I think it's great that the characters can be told apart not just by their hairstyles (i've seen drawings like that..). I love the art for the funny parts too, they add a lot to the humour.

Overall I loved reading this manga. It subtly pulled the strings of my heart (how cheesy am I saying that) and near the end I felt like crying, it was too good to end. But everything was wrapped up and concluded perfectly. I very, very strongly recommend you to read Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, it's not a flashy story so it might not be interesting enough for some, but for most it could be a lovely experience. It's definitely on my favourites list now. Just give it a read ^-^

p.s. This is my first review but hopefully it was somewhat helpful! *sweats nervously*

Okay, my review could be a little biased, since I'm more of the type that enjoys manga either for older audiences, or faster-paced stories, or with more romance/drama. (NANA, Kare Kano, Bokura ga Ita, Hirunaka no Ryuusei, you get it). This is not the manga for you if you like realistic, very romantic, and/or fast paced manga, even though its very popular. I got a little deceived too, honestly think its overrated. Even though I've read only half of it, I'm getting bored already. Story (7/10): Not the most original story, a little weird maybe, but its a very decent storyline for a shoujo manga. Not-so-romantic girlfalls with an eccentric guy, guy can't receive her feelings, guy finally understands girl, they both implicitly love each other, girl thinks guy is annoying.

Art (10/10): this manga has a pretty good art compared to other manga I've read :) Backgrounds are detailed, no sketch marks, smooth faces.

Character (7/10): Some of the characters can get a little annoying. The male protagonist, Haru, can act quite stupid at times. Though its out of love, so I'll let it pass ^^ However, the female protagonist, Shizuku, is a total geek, making the story go SUPER slow paced because of her problems with accepting Haru's feelings.

Enjoyment (6/10): This manga made me think "GET TOGETHER ALREADY XD!!!". I'm getting tired of reading it, not only because the story is super slow, but the chapters are quite long too (40ish pages). Maybe the chapters don't seem that long, but for a quite boring manga, it is. I can't seem to figure out what Shizuku and Haru will do after they get together. Not the best manga I've read, but its not too bad.

It's good. The art is good, the characters are unique and well written, the story is wonderful. But I do have to say the love triangle is annoying, but that is just me because I find love triangle unnecessary, cliche, ruins a medium and I don't like em. I have dropped many mangas and animes because of love triangles and that shows you how actually good this manga is. There are not a lot of shoujo manga that I have stayed through the love triangle but when I do, that just tells you how amazing of a shoujo manga it is. I am notgoing to review it's every point because I can't and I don't need to. This is the type of story that is simple that I would just tell you to read the first couple of chapter and see if you like it because the whole manga does not twist into a psychology horror. It will stay a romance slice of life while progressing the story until the end. The Art is pretty good and could be mistaken for a shounen manga if only shown a page of the manga to someone who doesn't know anything about this manga. That is not a bad thing because I personally not fond of the typical shoujo art style because they only abuse the screen tones for an illusion of detail and they normally forces you how you should feel through the screen tones like how a cheesy sitcom forces you how to feel with it's horrible background music. That is not something a good shoujo manga do. In the end, I enjoy this manga and this review is very relaxing to write after I angrily wrote a review for that horrible, horrible manga Koimoku. I give this manga an 9/10.

Hello everyone! This is my first review ever, but I hope it is still helpful. Story: At first, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun seems to be the kind of a typical love story where opposites attract each other, but it soon can be seen that this is not the case. It may not appeal very interesting at first, but already in the first chapter it holds your attention and makes you want more. The story is not really predictable but easily to understand and it doesn't move too fast, even though I have to say that it could move a little bit faster. Art: I really like Robiko's style. Usually, shoujoartists focus on the cute and big eyes, but Robiko gives the characters with her drawings a more mature aura. Each of the characters look really good, but they are also a little bit plain. It often happens in shoujo manga that you can barely seperate the characters from each other, but in Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, every character has its own style. Also, every scene is not decorated too much that makes it looks very nice.

Character:

The characters make the series so unique and adorable. Each of them have a personality that makes you root for them. Even though the main characters are Shizuku and Haru, the people around them are also getting in the spotlight. I just love how everyone has their very own unique personality that you can barely see in other shoujo manga. You actually have to discover them and you can feel with each of the characters.

Enjoyment:

(I actually wonder what this category is especially about haha.) I've enjoyed every chapter so far and I'm always excited when a new one is released and translated. Although there are a few scenes where I think that they are not really that necessary since they gave me a ltitle bit of a boring feeling. But any other scene were really lovely and cosy, if I can describe them like this haha.

Overall:

I really recommend this manga to everyone who likes romance without much drama. Anyone who is bored of the usual shoujo story line will be pleased with Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun and their characters.

(A little note, on my profile I gave it 10 out of 10 points, since Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is one of my favorite manga series and I gave my other favorites also 10 haha.)

Thanks for reading! There are probably little mistakes in my English, but I hope everything was understandable.

Since this is going to be serialized and aired on October 1st, I imagine (or hope!) this series will become more popular. So, I'm going to write a review for anyone who is curious to if the manga is good or if they should start this series! This series uses a very cliche trope: 'opposites attract'. We have Shizu (I don't want to write out her full name) who is very uptight, serious and know-it-all type of girl. And then Haru, the 'delinquent' who is misunderstood and generally has a very good heart and always intends the best. By chance, Shizu and Haru become intertwined andthus the story begins!

But do not be fooled~!

The story is very good! It is not one of those shoujo series that spends the whole time focusing on the hero and heroine's relationship. It deals with the entire cast, all of whom was likable and entertaining. I give it a 9; the story is not over yet and sometimes it will pass over issues that would've been more of a deal.

The art is fantastic. It's top of the line and greatly designed. I give it a 10, because honestly, the author did a great job at designing them to look Japanese and the backgrounds in this story are beautiful.

The character is awesome! Everyone, in someway, will find its way into your heart. Even the 'antagonists' will. They all have their own personal issues that you will explore somewhere in the story. 9, without a doubt.

The enjoyment was super. Every ending to a chapter kept me wanting more. I couldn't wait for a new chapter. Everyday, I'd check up to see if a new chapter has been released. Then I found out it was going to become a series and I absolutely jumped for joy! I couldn't be more excited. 10 for sure.

Overall, I think you should give this a chance! You will surely like it if you enjoy shoujo manga mixed with school life. It is very sweet (think Ouran HC, or Special A) but this series has a very different kick off to it.

I surely hope I helped you. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did :)

So I actually decide to read the manga of Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun after watching its anime last year. Why did it took me a year? Well, I dislike anime where the ending of it is lackluster and to see more information about it, I'm forced to read the manga. The characters on the anime are really good, but what made them lackluster (in terms of development) is because of that lackluster ending. I decided to read the manga just now, because I really have nothing to do throughout the summer. I mean, I'm watching Jojo (the first season), but it's not hyping me up (Unlike whatother people say. I'm even beginning to doubt that maybe Stardust Crusaders is where the hype is) and it isn't giving me spice.

So we have a cold-hearted girl named Mizutani, Shizuku who only cares about her grades. She then meets this eccentric, happy go lucky boy named Yoshida, Haru. This is where their romance begins to develop in a comedic, slice of life way. I know this isn't a SOL manga, but I do get that vibe as I read the manga.

What makes the story good is how it drives with its characters. Basically, the story doesn't progress without its character's motives. It doesn't even feel forced. I'm not only talking about Shizuku and Haru, I'm also talking about its side characters like Sasayan, Natsume, Yamaken, Ooshima, and so on. The side characters don't even feel left out. They also have their moments where they are the reason why the story is progressing between Shizuku and Haru and that's what I love about the manga - the way it progresses and it doesn't feel forced. The story tackles the romance, family, and friendship aspect and they do it really well. I gave the story and the characters a 10/10 because although it maybe simple, again, the way they it blends with its characters is what makes it outstanding.

For the art, it isn't really detailed, but in terms of the style, it's really good. All of the characters look attractive especially the girls. They look kawaii. For the men, they also look kawaii (No homo).

This is the very first Shojo manga that I finished, so some of you may disagree to what I say (And might say that I have to read other Shojo manga to see for myself), but I still think this manga is great no matter how many Shojo manga I've read. I enjoyed it because of its characters and the way the story progresses. This is way better than the anime... Obviously.

My score for this manga is a 9/10. Outstanding story and characters though it falls in terms of art which is why this manga didn't hit a 10/10. This manga is great for both beginners and veterans. It's great for beginners as this manga doesn't really fall in any cliche tropes (like "fanservice"), so I thought this manga maybe a good introduction to beginners out there.

Writing this review, I realize that I generally write reviews when I am disappointed by said Manga\Anime, which happens way less often than when I am happy and content with the Manga\Anime that I have finished, due to correct choice of what i "Consume". and with this Manga, I had a BIG problem with one specific character- scroll down for the details . And with that said, let's dive into the review: (Warning, may contain spoilers, i will try keeping them as vague descriptions). Story: 5 Very simple Shoujo High-School Love Story. Love at first sight between the Male and Female Protagonists. Despite some twists and turns, nothing toospecial or original. A few love triangles, a few rejections, and heartbreaks, you know- the usual. So why only 5? because I could not shake the feeling that many plot points could have taken a much more interesting and generally better turns. This manga, despite taking a generic story, could lead it on a much better road, yet it didn't-which is a shame.

Art: 6

Honestly, the art style is simple, sometimes messy and at times quite eye-catching, but not very often. Backgrounds are usually very simple and often non-existing, characters are drawn quite well but nothing too great, however cuteness and emotions are conveyed well.

Character: 6

This point is without a doubt the most important when it comes to such Story's, we are supposed to get as invested as possible to the characters and then root for them through their endeavors, cheering, crying and laughing together with them. But for that there's something that must be established first-we need to identify with said characters, basically seeing eye to eye with them and possibly see yourself in them and in their stead.

For me Personally, this Manga simply made this oh so important aspect- pretty much impossible. Don't get me wrong- I did relate, liked and cared for most of the characters of this Manga. well, Most except one- Yoshida Haru, AKA the Male Co-Protagonist himself.

And hear me out about this- after doing some thinking I came to the realization that Haru is Basically a Sheldon Cooper from TBBT, but with having violence tendencies instead of fearful tendencies. So with that in mind- I simply could not relate to him in any way, or see myself and my way of thinking and feeling in him, and thus became to actually disliking his character. I will not go into detail to avoid spoilers, but just think about this- what happens when you throw a character you dislike for obvious reasons, into the midst of all the other characters which you do like, but this character is the Male Protagonist character, and so his happiness and success - no matter how undeserved and unrelatable they are, are still ensured by the author? you guessed it- bad story-telling in the making, which makes the reader sour and bitter about the turn of events.

Enjoyment: 6

Trying to look at this Manga in a favorable light, as I usually do with almost every Manga\Anime I approach, I did find myself smiling, being sad, happy, and other emotions that comprise the Enjoyment of a work. Unfortunately- a very big and important part of this Manga(main Protag) sapped a lot of my enjoyment from this one, which is a darn shame.

Overall: 6

This score is me being very considerate, as I pondered whether this should be 5 or even 4. But despite a Story that never took the brave Plot turns, and had a very unsatisfying ending- even if you were enjoying the entirety of this Manga, which I personally didn't for the reasons mentioned above, I still find myself looking back in a positive light on some good and heartwarming moments that this Manga shared with me. Relation-ships who bloomed, the character's who grew, and choices that I did approve of.

Who would I recommend this to? definitely not to anyone, especially not to the ones who are very inspective and judgemental.

But if you like these sort of Cooky Cut Shoujo Manga, and find out after trying a chapter or 2 that you like both the Male and Female Protagonists than by all means give this one a try- it won't be an amazing or Tear-Jerking ride, but with the right attitude, you may very well enjoy this, even a lot.

Have you ever had someone that just assumes that you are friends? Have you ever had someone that you just don't understand at all? That's exactly how this manga starts out. Characters: Haru is a new high school student that has never been understood by others. He is always getting into fights because its the only way that he knows how to handle things. He doesn't understand emotions very well. Haru doesn't attend school very often...due to how he handles 'problems'. Though, he is very kind and most of the time a pure goofy idiot. He just tends to scare people because of his rumors oraccidental glares.

Shizuku's only goal in life is to make 10 million yen a year. She has always isolated herself away from others. Studying always comes first for Shizuku, therefore she has never had any time to make friends or enjoy life. Though, she is very stubborn and very strong-willed.

Story: When Haru and Shizuku meet....Haru thinks that they are friends. He only thinks this because Shizuku dropped off his homework at his house. He thinks..."Friends drop off homework to friends when they miss school!" A whole round of events come about and soon they both begin to understand new emotions and become friends with others.

The story is truly amazing and not cliché. The love in this story is like no other. There is only one manga that comes to mind when I think of the type of love: Beast Master. I've been reading this manga like crazy and have never been bored by it. It is a must read!

Romance isn't my favorite genre of manga but it's also the only medium in which I care about it. I'm not an avid reader of shojo romance manga but when I watched the anime of Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, I knew I needed to know the ending of that story. I then read from vol. 5 to 8 online very quickly and then bought the physical volumes later and have never read them... until this day. (All of this to say my reading was a little all over the place so I may not make sense sometimes) I considered this manga to be one of my favorite romance ifnot THE one. I had even put it as one of my favorites on my profile but have removed it since. Years have gone by between my first experience of this story and my discovery of its ending.

My tastes have changed since then and my interest had faded.

So what drew me back to it? Why couldn't I just let it go? Why is it important to me and why I think it's a solid 8?

The positives of this story :

The characters. In a manga like this, I believe it is the one and most important point, the one that really counts. Haru and Shizuku aren't the plain couple you might imagine. The couple's dynamic isn't one of trying to bring a bit of the other in them. Basically even though Shizuku is a serious student that puts her studies before all, this isn't a story about her becoming someone else or changed. It's about being there and understanding each other. What Haru and Shizuku bring to each other isn't a new vision of life but the ability to freely live their own.

The relationship they establish is an unbreakable bond that will hold even when they spend months apart.

Also this manga's goal isn't to see the protagonists end up together because they do, fairly soon actually. It's about reaching that point where they're really in sync, when they fully understand one another. When there's no more fear that justifies keeping their emotions or lying.

This manga doesn't try and make you doubt about the fact they'll be together.

In this day and age, harem is prevalent. Stories where multiple contenders aim for the same boy/girl don't do a good job at truly developing the ending pair's feelings. You feel like you've read something that could be multiple standalone love stories and the ending feels like it could be one of many alternatives one. Even 5-toubun that ended recently and that I consider very good shares this unavoidable flaw.

This story has none of that, it is a story about the building of a solid relationship. If you like the chase of harem mangas, this isn't it. If you like the slow pace of a romantic settle down then this is for you.

When I say the characters are good, I don't mean only the main pair. I won't go into too much details here since that'd be long to cover up and it's honestly something you should definitely find out yourself. But I'll say that the characters you'll come to like I'm sure are all treated well. There are some truly side characters that don't bring much to the story, but much of the supporting cast aren't left over and they all have good development and conclusions.

There's even a pairing (if not two) that, to me, could have ben stories of their own and they've been just as good as the main one. Those are more of the "chase" kind of stories and I found that great.

I truly think there's everything romance fans look for in this story.

The negative aspects :

After all, this isn't a 10 is it? There are some things I didn't like.

First, the psychology aspect. Now I don't mean "deep psychology" I'm talking about these moments where characters reflect on their lives to make the next decision. Even though they're obviously necessary, I think sometimes the author draaaaaagged it a bit. Sometimes I feel like some internal thoughts went on for too long to reach nothing. I think especially about everything that's Haru's family related. Except his relationship with his aunt and cousin, I think most of it was unnecessary and boring and existed only to get a bit of drama. Basically Haru's family is pretty important and his family and him are in bad terms but because his father is that important, he won't reach out to him. It's a complicated family to say the least but it doesn't bring anything to the table besides being just that: complicated. Haru's family could've been complicated another way, I don't understand why it needs them to be "People". I didn't see the point in Haru's family business existing. So whenever the story tried to make hardships based of that I couldn't really get into it.

So that's it, this manga ended years ago and I don't believe anyone will read this, but if you've read all the way through and I assume you're into romance then give this series a shot, it's nothing like anything I've read and even though I'm sure there are other mangas like this I know that this one is special to me and I'm glad I finally got to reading it all the way through.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun Manga Review By: Robiko April 3, 2019 Overall: 8 Plot: 6 This series is one of the, we can say, famous shoujo which most of us know. When you mention Ao Haru Ride, Kimi ni Todoke, the name of this story will also come up. After watching it a second time, I realized why I forgot how the story goes. Well, except for the chicken the characters used to take care of. This series made the reader expect for more, more revelations, more twist, more explanation on why characters acted the way they are. It is a story of a young boy, who don't have a clueon how to act properly, who left his home out of strong hatred, and was revived by a girl who saved him from the darkness he was in. Along the story, it became a loop of confused emotions, a question and annoyance on how weak the feelings are conveyed. Maybe that is the reason why it feels like it is really slow paced. The concept of the story is good, but the reason on why the story moves forward just disappeared.

Characters: 7

If I were to pick my favorite character, I will choose Yamaken. Aside from the fact that he is handsome, rich, and intelligent, he also show that he really love the girl. He always gather his courage to show it, to protect her, even that means facing what he is scared of. Not like the protagonist of the story who always run of nowhere just to hide from confrontation. Honestly, the only proof shown by him that he love the girl is the way his face became so red. Oh, is it called love? Maybe his never ending confused feelings really got through me, and it is hard to just believe what he says. Lucky that the girl is head over heels to the guy and there's no other option she wanted unless it is him. It is just kindof sad that I never saw the guy fully show his sincerity, his love, to the girl. Not once.

Art: 10

There is no doubt that the way the characters expressed their emotions are great. The feelings of the characters at that certain time has been properly shown. I really love the art of this story. It is lively, detailed, sometimes scary. What I love to see the most is the clothes of the characters which always look cool and fashionable. It made me feel like I want to see them in real life, like literally them. Oh well, art really make a difference.

Enjoyment: 9

If Yamaken is not there, I won't enjoy the whole series. If he's been highlighted on most of the episodes, that would be really really good. I think, he deserve more scenarios, a chance to show his feelings, but he got dumped right on his face. There are fun parts on this series, the way teens enjoy their life, the way they feel happiness on little things. It is simple things but its quite enjoyable to see.

Ending: 8

If you are the type of person who wanted a happy ending, an ending where the characteras are sure not to let go of one another, then this one is for you. The way the creator lock the story by the marriage of the protagonists is great, for a shoujo genre. Since that is the most cliche, but wanted endings. But for me, it is not simple. The conflicts that was initially shown in the story must be solved first. Yes, it was solved but it is kind of incomplete since there's nothing that really happen. It's just like, yeah, lets just forget about it. Well, I'm glad to see all of the characters happy with their individual life at the ending of the story.

This is a typical romcom manga, but with cooler characters and a satisfying ending. I actually really liked the variety of characters, unfortunately some characters were just thrown to the side and got little development (I’m looking st you, sasayan). Story wise, I’m glad it didn’t drag on incessantly and it ended perfectly. Plot elements are okay, but it felt like I’ve read this storyline before. To me it felt like a mix of Ao Haru Ride and Nisekoi. The art is on point. Everyone looks good and it’s easy to recognise characters (something I regard as good character design). I was in the mood for romancestuff and this manga was enjoyable. Don’t look down on the number of chapters, each chapter has at least 40 pages and can get close to 60 pages. I gave this series a 6 before reading volume 13, and after that volume I raised it to 7. The main point for Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, is that you fall in love with the characters, and you watch them grow up throughout the series, and after you finish you’ll feel like you’ve watched your own children.

After giving this a good read, I came to realise how wholesome this manga is. While being a cute romance manga, the art definitely isn't everything. What matters is how enjoyable it was. I love the characters and all the other romances going on instead of just having a single love romance. While there may be parts I dislike, for the most part, I love the entire story. This story felt like it was truly made with the hearts of the characters in it while also making me feel like I'm watching them from the sidelines. Giving me a laugh, making me almost cry, and giving me muchexcitement, I've come to really love this amazing manga. Coming across a manga that makes me want to review and share my emotions never happen. But, this is just one of those exceptions. And it's an unimaginably amazing one.

This is truly a piece of art that moved me many times, not just at the end, but throughout the whole manga.