Doing His Best to Confess while it does rely on characters of unusual cluelessness, also pairs it with an incredible earnestness that ends up making things cute rather than patently ridiculous.
Nov 23, 2021 • Subscribe
More like this
Reader’s Corner: The Walking Cat, Her Majesty’s Swarm, and Doing His Best to Confess
The Walking Cat: A Cat’s-Eye-View of the Zombie Apocalypse, Vol. 1 I didn’t really used to get into zombie stories. However, the idea of a zombie story told…
When Will Ayumu Make His Move? GN 1
Fresh off the heels of Teasing Master Takagi-san comes another manga that firmly fits into this newly-established “teasing” genre that has really gained a fan base in the…
A Man and His Cat GN 4
A Man and His Cat is one of those series where you can judge how effective it is by how many times each volume puts you on the…
Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! GN 1
I can relate to Kazuhiro even apart from the fact that he's an actual grown-up protagonist in a story like this.
How to Grill Our Love GN 1
How to Grill Our Love isn't necessarily bad in its nominally comforting attempts at a chill approach. It's fine and inoffensive, but it could have worked better simply…
Tista GN 1
Before there was SPY x FAMILY there was Tista. Tatsuya Endō's first serialized work shares some themes with his latest – heroine Tista Lone is an orphan who
Ayashimon GN 1
This volume is packed with everything from yakuza action to twisted backstories to humans against monsters. Does this manga from the creator of Hell’s Paradise manage to bring…
MAO GN 1
Takahashi's latest seems to borrow elements from her previous popular works, but does it add anything new to her tried and true recipe?
MonsTABOO GN 1
Take a bit of social commentary on twisted, corrupt adults, add in schoolgirls who use monsters as transformed weapons to fight them, and then throw in a game…
Barbarities GN 1
Barbarities' first volume is an interesting opening to a political BL tale. The politics and the side romance may be a little more intriguing than Joel and Adam…
SINoALICE GN 1
This manga adaptation of the popular mobile game gambles on a risky decision: to deliberately confuse its readers on what's real and what's just a dream.
Helck GN 1
A human makes a play for demon king, stating he hates humankind just as much as a demon should. He just has to convince Red Vamirio, and her…
Ayashimon GN 1
Most of us have probably tried it at some point. What “it” means varies, but the definition is always “something that works in my favorite story.” Whether
Centaurs GN 1
Dark historical fantasy doesn't get much better than this.
Higehiro GN 1
Is there actually some insightful character stuff present that looks like it can take full advantage of this arrangement? The answer is surprisingly yes for a good chunk…
Higehiro – 06 – Doing the Best We Can
Trigger Warning: This episode contains a scene of attempted rape. With Sayu now working a part-time job, it was only a matter of time before the show’s first…
Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway, High School Girls
Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun GN 1
The manga that inspired the fan-favorite anime series is now out in bookstores. If you're already a fan of the anime reading this is a no-brainer; but newcomers…
Kokuhaku, How to Confess Your Love the Japanese Way
Kokuhaku, or love confession, isn’t easy to research. People take contemporary cultural practices for granted; such practices aren’t studied until they fall out of practice. If you do…
Sakura's Dedication GN 1
Despite it's title, this manga is less an aggressive pursuit and more about a guy who is very concerned about making his new girlfriend comfortable around him.
Great Pretender GN 1
The story of the Great Pretender is one of a good person trying desperately to be a bad guy in a world where everyone is out for themselves.
Kemono Jihen GN 1
Kimono Jihen is a combination of folklore, fantasy, and horror. It's got a beating heart underneath the grimness and this volume is a solid start to the series.
Usotoki Rhetoric GN 1
Set in 1926, this rural detective tale follows a teen sleuth who can tell when people are lying.
Dai Dark GN 1
From the creator of Dorohedoro comes a new series about a man, his supposedly magic bones, and the out-of-this-world characters who try to obtain them.
Kageki Shoujo!! GN 1
Like its heroine, Kageki Shojo!! is just getting started but shows enormous promise.
Rainbow Days GN 1
If the anime failed to hold your attention, you'll want to check out the source material for a much more entertaining read.
Tephlon Funk GN 1
Inspired by Cowboy Bebop and Spike Lee films, Tephlon Funk is a lot, but I think that ultimately that's a good thing.
Yuri Espoir GN 1
Yuri Espoir is an odd combination of froth and sadness. The way that the world seems hellbent on crushing Kokoro under the burden of false heteronormativity is undeniably…
Tesla Note GN 1
Because the anime adaptation made some questionable artistic choices, it's worth mentioning that the manga is much more attractive on the art front.
Mame Coordinate GN 1
This manga about modeling tries to balance the glam with the less than savory aspect of the job, but is the problem really its protagonist?
Lovely Muco! GN 1
There's a satisfying simplicity in following the life of Muco and her owner.
Hello, Melancholic! GN 1
This is by and large an extremely familiar story – but that doesn't mean it can't be a good one if told well, and through this first volume,…
Otherside Picnic GN 1
Otherside Picnic creates a creepy world that gives a sense of vast, unexplored space and dangers lurking just below your line of sight.
Shadows House GN 1
Anime viewers may get a lot more out of this introductory volume of the manga that inspired it, because if you're armed with a bit more knowledge, the…
Captain Corinth GN 1
At this point in genre saturation, a space soldier being dropped into a medieval fantasy planet feels positively revelatory.
Heart Gear GN 1
Sci-fi fans will find a lot to love in this Isaac Asimov-inspired story about an artificial lifeform becoming human through its interactions with a human child
Choujin X GN 1
From the same creative mind that brought us the hit manga series Tokyo Ghoul comes another rather dark outing from creator Sui Ishida. If you were a fan...
The Best Trick in Storytelling: Doing the Thing
I have come to a revelation. The single best writing trick is spoiling your own plot and just doing your story as advertized. Forget 10,000 IQ plot twists…
Hyogo Police Compelled 12-Year-Old Girl to Confess to False Report
The incident puts a spotlight on how police interrogation tactics play a role in Japan's lauded 99.9% conviction rate.
Rudeus is Livin’ His Best Life!
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation S2 Ep 2 Review It’s not every day when you’re fourteen years old and living on your own like Rudeus Greyrat is. Then again,…
Kiruru Kill Me GN 1
it was only a matter of time before some enterprising storyteller took the phrase "God, I want her to kill me" to its ultimately literal conclusion.
Sensei's Pious Lie GN 1
We're so used to the narrative that people who experience trauma gain a deeper sense of empathy for others that it's easy to forget that anger, even when…
Crueler Than Dead GN 1
It's hard not to wince at Crueler Than Dead's plot of a virus spreading out unchecked across the globe, forcing people to shelter away from the outside world,…
Catch These Hands! GN 1
Two former delinquents cross paths again in adulthood. Their rough-and-tumble days of excitement are far in the past but maybe a new kind of excitement is awaiting them?
Natsume and Natsume GN 1
With his terrifying smile and heart of gold, Natsume-kun is basically a CGCT protagonist in a high school boy's body.
My Special One GN 1
The romance moves abruptly in this one, as spurned schoolgirl Saho attempts to reconcile her feelings for hot idol Kouta despite being burned by a handsome guy in…
Insomniacs After School GN 1
With an anime coming in April, Rebecca Silverman describes Insomniacs After School as a story less about its teen protagonists getting rest and more about how they are…
Ladies on Top GN 1
At its heart, this isn't about sexy shenanigans; it's about two people who have bought into what society has sold them about what sex is “supposed” to be…and…
Show-ha Shoten! GN 1
Stephan Paul's translation largely carried what ended up being a surprisingly involved and unique underdog story involving two aspiring comedians.
Box of Light GN 1
Box of Light's first volume isn't perfect, but it's also one of those series that looks like it will get better as it goes on, and it has…
Hella Chill Monsters GN 1
You'd be hard-pressed to find a book more dedicated to embodying its title than Hella Chill Monsters.