Not So Shoujo Love Story Volume One Manga Review (Spoiler‑Free)

Synopsis

Rei is a ginormous otaku who dreams of living out her own shoujo high school romance! She has her eyes set on Hansum Ochinchin, the most popular boy in school. Believing the smart and beautiful Hanna to be her love rival, Rei decides to set her straight about who the heroine of this tale really is. But Hanna has no interest in Hansum, or in boys in general. Rei on the other hand? That’s a different story….

The Good

Rei and Hanna make for a very sweet couple. The two of them take on traditional shoujo romance roles: Hanna is the shy popular girl who is secretly sad inside, and Rei is the feisty yet easily flustered delinquent. This dynamic might be a bit boring and overused were Not So Shoujo Love Story a straightforward heterosexual romance. But the sapphic element brings something new to the mix.

Hanna being a closeted lesbian also gives reason for her actions. She presents a front of social perfection so that nobody will question her further, letting her remain part of the “in crowd”. Yet by doing so she further isolates herself for fear of rejection, and potentially worse.

Meanwhile, Rei is delightful as the tsundere with a shoujo obsession. She convinces herself that because she likes the fantasy boys of shoujo manga, she must just have high standards and specific tastes! Yet when a boy actually does something a Shoujo Boy(™) would do, she convinces herself she must be in love with him. It makes her incredibly relatable as a queer character; I’m sure that I’m not the only queer person to have convinced themselves I was heterosexual because of my love for a fictional character. (Kyo Sohma has a lot to answer for…)

I also think many people will relate to Hanna being an absolute mess around Rei, falling for her because she “called [her] pretty (in a threatening way)”. Her continued failures to get closer to Rei embody the “useless lesbian” trope that many have come to love. Even though she ends up (literally) falling flat on her face while wooing her beloved, the fact that she has a crush on a girl is never made a joke.

We’ve seen time and time again that parody fails when it does not come from love. That is not the case with Not So Shoujo Love Story. Between the references, the art style, and the character dynamics, it is clear that Curryuku has nothing but respect for the genre.

On a technical note, I was very impressed by the work of Viz’s editorial team. The series started out as a vertical scrolling Webtoon, and this is the first time it has been given a print edition. Despite this, Viz’s staff did an excellent job of editing the comic to still read well in the left-to-right format, maintaining all the narrative beats with sustained readability.

The Bad

If I had to sum up the humor in this manga in three words, it would be: memes, poop, and underpants. There’s nothing wrong with this; many an iconic comedy has been born from combining these three ideas. But these jokes haven’t been to my taste since I left school.

A few memes and the occasional poop or bum joke is fine. But in Not So Shoujo Love Story, that’s all that’s on offer. The use of rage comic expressions in particular is exhausting. The occasional reference would be fine, and I can appreciate it in a fun ironic way! But these grotesque, overdone, facial expressions were used so often they lost all irony and just became annoying.

Reading this comic felt like scrolling through Tumblr circa 2013. I found myself begging for an original joke! Something that I could genuinely laugh at. There were one or two at the end, so perhaps Curryuku is working on it.  The second volume could be more original. Regardless, it was too little too late for me.

The meme jokes also undercut the more serious moments. I’m worried that Curyuku was so concerned with making this a comedy, they forgot to be earnest. For example, Hansum is a character who takes on a more prominent role as the story goes on. He isn’t just a one note side-character introduced so Rei can think she’s straight. But Curyuku chose to give him a long, pointed chin that stretches down to his chest, like the Hot Yaoi Base meme. I couldn’t take him seriously at all, or feel any sort of connection to him.

I understand that they wanted it weird that everyone was attracted to this guy with alien proportions. Undercutting a serious moment with a joke can make that moment even more impactful because of the contrast. But that was not the case here. Whenever Hansum had emotional heartfelt moments, they were immediately ruined by his design. It felt like Curryuku was just trying to make sure they had at least one memeable viral moment a chapter.

The Verdict

Not So Shoujo Love Story is a comic made for and by western internet otaku. It’s filled with references and tributes that many folks will understand instantly and get a huge nostalgia hit from. It’s clear that Curryuku is writing this as much for themself, as they are for anyone else. Its unapologetic self indulgence is admirable.

The story is at its best when it’s being properly earnest and heartfelt. The queer journey that Hanna and Rei are on, from their coming out, to their first attempts at understanding romance, are what makes the story stand out from others. It doesn’t skate over the harder parts of being a queer teenager, whilst also showing the joy and freedom felt in falling in love. In terms of romance, it shares all the same sensibilities as anything found in LaLa or Margaret.

But if you do not share Curryuku’s particular brand of humour and meme appreciation, this book is not going to do it for you. The devotion to “the bit” destroys all else around it. While I am sure there’s gonna be a lot of people out there who will love this comic,  I am not one of them.

If you like Not So Shoujo Love Story, you may also like … 

• Pop Team Epic 
• The Girl Who Can’t Get A Girlfriend 
• Catch These Hands

Credits

Story and Art by Curryuku
Layouts & Lettering by Miranda Mundt
Art Assistants: Lavenderice, Smooth_Poser
Design by Michelle Lamb
Copy Editor: Elaine Ou
Editor: Julia Patrick
Published in English by VIZ Media

Thank you to VIZ Media for providing an advanced readers’ copy. Receiving this advance copy did not affect the reviewer’s opinions.

Article edited by: Adam Wescott