so this is my thought of the LN

first and foremost SHINOMIYA/ASHIDA would be better for MC than the bit*h FMC

the story is somewhat mediocre and the FMC is not a f***ing tsundere she's a narcissist who craves MC's attention, there's a lot of side characters and their development is way to fast than a bullet train. The MC is a simp and M who want to be abused by the FMC

the sad part is that he dont have much confidence in himself and self worth. His sister is also kinda... more>> awful she just makes him an errand boy than an actual brother <<less

Great romcom that doesn't rely on s*upid nonsense tropes to gain affection points

A lot of reviews here complain about FMC not dating the MC after a few volumes. The problem is that each volume isn't that long by timeline. To put this into perspective, by volume 7 a year hasn't even passed. Other romcoms would've moved on to year 2 or 3 by now

The great thing about this novel is that interactions are grounded to earth. MC isn't doing anything "extraordinary" like saving a damsel in distress from a bunch... more>> of delinquents, or cooking for them, you know the tropes where "strong man saves helpless princess"? Yeah that doesn't happen.

There's no dark, mature trauma like "my parents abandoned me" with the girls bawling in MC's embrace. All the conflicts are age appropriate, and quite fun to read through.

What MC offers for his "harem" is mostly mental. He's the reason "if she doesn't find you handsome at least she should find you handy" adage exist. After he stopped chasing after his idol, he found himself with spare time that allows him to, let's say, make full use of his abilities.

I think most negative reviews are spoiled by various "teenager" romcoms where everyone acts like an adult except when they start holding hands. You know the drill: everyone knows what they're doing, some are playing 4D chess with their genius minds, and they'd spit out various philopohical quotes. That's not how teenagers work. <<less

I tried with this novel, but like with the first half of the reader demographic here, I'm going to have to agree with [I hate FMC] lead too. I heard rumors about this story getting better in later volumes, but after completing the first volume of the LN, where after simply reading that just felt like reading 60 chapters of a WN, I simply can't take it anymore.

Simply put, I'm a person who firmly believes that a good story needs a perfect amount of [balance] to offset extremities. Have too... more>> much romance, and the readers will gag in disgust. Have too much hatred, and readers will physically feel the hatred as if it's actually happening to them. In which case here, there was too much [hatred] going on in this novel without much hand tingling romance to back it up.

I've read stories before where isekai characters who were weakest in their group get constantly ridiculed or even almost intentionally mu*dered by them. But even those novels had enough romance and adventure arcs to balance it all out. Those novels didn't spend 100 chapters of MC being constantly put down/hated on by others, or had the MC constantly dwell upon their weakness or self-esteem issues. The MC in those novels took charge of their lives, working hard to make it better. Instead of doing nothing but self-loathe for the first LN volume.

God, this novel was just like reading the WN version of Kumo Desu ga that spent literal 100+ chapters of the FMC doing nothing but dungeon grinding by herself: never leaving the dungeon and seeing the outside world. I read over some of the reviews here, hoping to see when this story would actually start feature the FMC be less annoying, but that apparently doesn't start until volume 4 apparently? So meaning in a WN sense, given the length of each chapter for this LN it would be like what, like the 200th chapter? Nope, I'm out. I don't have the patience to read another set of 200+ chapters for things to start getting good. <<less

I definitely understand the perspective of the other reviews in their complaints about the FMC, but:

This is a pretty fun read, its a bit different from usual romcoms. First I wanna say is that dont know why people keep saying that the MC is 'broken' or he has multiple personality disorder or some other weird shit. This is a series where the MC was just coming on a little too strong to a girl who btw never actually genuinely complained about it which just encouraged him to keep going and thinking one day it might work. Anyway at the start of the series as the... more>> title says he stops dreaming and starts looking at reality.

Now that she's off his radar people found him to be a very dependable and nice guy which is why he kept getting on the good sides of various people throughout the volumes.

The FMC starts acting crazy as the description says and we also get to see her PoV every volume, though you wont understand her full reasons till atleast volume 3 <<less

This is a novel with a good premise but a poor execution.

The story is about a guy simping for his crush for the past 2-3 years, until reality hits him in the face and realices that despite his best and most sincere efforts, she simply doesn't like him, so he gives up and distances from her. The drama then comes after, because his love for her was what kept him going, and you discover he suffers from an inferiority complex due to everyone thinking of him as an idiot that... more>> was average at everything. And now both his crush and the whole class makes a big fuss since a change in the status quo is a capital sin in this stories.

But instead of him trying to learn to have some self-respect and find his own worth with the new friends he finds along the way (read women), we fall into the romcom cliches like: "when he was interested in her, she didn't want him, but now that he is not interested in her, she wants him" and "she likes him but she just doesn't realize her own feelings!".

This doesn't fly because it just makes the FL as if she is entitled to his presence, and every character that tries to make them come back together as uncaring, since he is doing his best to leave her alone (think she always said she wanted) and have a peaceful school life.

In the end you can only feel bad for the MC because almost everyone looks down on him and his inferiority complex doesn't allow him to grow a spine and demand the least amount of respect. After 5 volumes the MC is the same he was at the start: a simp that gave up on his crush but still is madly in love with her, the laughingstock of the class that besides following a girl way above his league has NOTHING going for him in his life. <<less

The story is great, the main heroine isn't

The more story progresses the more I dislike her. She is very contradictory and selfish. I hope he doesn't end up with her.

At first I prefer Ashida Kei because of her looks but not anymore. I don't know who to support anymore

You can tell this was written by someone with zero life experience. He’s trying to give life lessons that will only impair people’s social skills, were they to choose to take them to heart. It’s a sadly classic scenario, where the conflict could be solved by having a single conversation. I thought that the author had something interesting going on with the whole “love struck idiot wakes up” thing, but no. The concept is about sudden and abrupt change to a persons world view and experience of it, but the... more>> story itself, somehow feels like a continuation rather than a change. Nothing ever changes. There is a character that has been awful to the MC, and when she decides that she wants to change for the better, the MC is like “no continue to be awful” as if that makes sense in any way. They treat that moment as, like, a beautiful and heartfelt moment, even though it’s borderline abusive.

Also, it’s not a romantic comedy, it’s a romantic+sadly attempted comedy.

The read as a whole is frustrating boring, and in a sense, almost dangerous in its “life lessons”. <<less

I have to say the premise is interesting, but there are flaws.
First flaw being the dialogues: it's pretty hard to guess who is speaking when 3+ characters are involved in a conversation.

The protagonist is a great character in my opinion. He has an inferiority complex which gives room for him to develop confidence. And he's also not shy at all to talk to girls and even acts flirtatious with them. It's pretty easy to binge read.

Now the problem with the main heroine... Frankly she's a great character on paper. As a tsundere she naturally kept rejecting protag-kun. But once he stops pestering her, she finally has breathing room. She becomes confused and can finally try to sort out her feelings. So far so great... except in the novel it does not seem she'll ever become honest with herself, just to remain an annoying tsundere until the heat death of the universe.

I'm dropping at volume 3 because I do not want to keep being disappointed at the lack of character development.

Edit: I remove the old review.

new review:

Reading this story, I feel like the progress bar is in a limbo state of up and down.

... more>> In the last review, I mention that each character has reason for the way they act.

The MC of this novel is in a very confuses state.

This led to a lot of situation where other people kind of step over his dignity.

The limbo state is:

His progress with the Fml, the MC kind of in a state where he manage to progress a bit, but because he decided to given up, he keep pushing her away. The FML is also in a confused state of push pull psychological tactic. Other supporting character is also supporting the MC, but the MC doesn't wanted it.

The MC also allow other guy to make a move on the Fml, feel jealous, but feel that she deserve a better guy than him.

It also doesn't help since the MC build up a facade of being a class clown which boost his confident to block all the negative thing his family always told him. It scary when the insult over the years all of a sudden start to hurt you. MC realize his inferiority is the cause of all this.

The character that kind of step over his dignity is the few guys that hang out with his sister. In a way, his sister always compare him to them which cause her to always find false on him. And when they were introduce, The MC think of how much better theys are than him, and think that it is better to the FML to be with one of them instead. Those guy also kind of act like the step father that only friendly to you because of your mom. They act like they did him a favor, when they try to meddle in him and his sister business. They are just friend, not that close to her either. So it really annoy for them to meddle in like that.

The MC Still have feeling for the fml, but he keep pushing her away, and expect a better guy than him to take over.

It feel like the MC wanted to be cucked.

because instead of fully given up on the FML, or just not get involve in her love life.

The MC keep telling himself to let other better guy (in his opinion) be with the fML instead of him. It get annoying when he tell himself about the 5th candidate to be with the FML.

With the plot of this story, it would have been way better, if the MC just given up on the FML, and not be a simp over her, and push her away when she try to get close to you.

<<less

I tried to like this more than I wanted to, I really enjoy slice-of-life and romcom's, I would think I like tsundere's but I absolutely dislike the FMC. She's all tsun tsun and stays that way for a majority of volumes.

Sajou Wataru on the other hand deserves better and he's always helping people even if he doesn't want to. He gets constantly dragged around while being insulted and used by people. It's hard not to see him as a doormat but he's likeable even with his extreme pessimism that resulted... more>> from the constant rejections. His interactions with other girls are absolutely way better than the FMC, from a cute introvert to a sheltered freshman and even his senpai's.

I don't know why people say there are no tropes, there are tons of them, especially with the MC's interacting. There's also a background plot involving his sister who is the vice student president trying to change the school around from the wealthy vs poor kids (His sister literally being Tsukushi from "Boys over flowers") with her own F4 orbiting her.

I don't even think the FMC really likes him all that much, she just has a sense of loss from Sajou keeping his distance. Almost akin to empty nest syndrome, her feelings aren't out of love but loneliness. Even if they do end up together I don't think it'd be a good relationship at all.

The writing is good, the dialogue and thoughts are easily conveyed, the jokes are hit or miss and the MC takes the brunt of most. I just can't stand some of the characters and how they act. It just feels too sad to me under Sajou's circumstances to call it enjoyable. <<less

The MC has an inferiority complex since he finally realized that simping would hurt both of them. Not necessarily a slow burn but it has its moments

2.5 stars.

In some parts, every other paragraph is about MC simping for the FL, sometimes even 2 consecutive ones. When they bump into each other at a school corridor, simp. Greeting each other in the morning, simp. Randomly thinking about the FL, simp. MC's interactions with the other characters are great though, the comedy makes me laugh.

But his relationship with the FL is just so toxic, seriously they need time apart from each other, when MC first broke it off they should really have cut communication for a while if... more>> not entirely and have MC move on to another girl. If the FL still doesn't change her attitude towards the MC after overhearing him talk about how he views confessions and his feelings in vol7, she should just let go of him already. <<less

well I thought it would be good and the premise would be something like "MC realized his crush is out of his league so he gave up and tries to move on" in short I wanted it to be something like MC stops simping because his crush is being a hard hard tsundere and hes had enough and tries to move on with life. But na instead the title should be or atleast up to where I read something like "I was openly simping for a girl but now im... more>> gonna simp behind the scenes"

This is literallly a quote he said

Spoiler

-"It is my duty to spread the word about Natsukawa Aika I can proudly declare that I am her No.1 fan, and I will keep this position whatever it may take"

-thats his crush who, because she is being a hard tsundere, MC thought and came into a realization that she is out of his league so instead of simping openly like he used to such as openly asking her out and openly telling her he loves her and shes a goddess to simping from behind the scenes

this is another quote from MC when he started simping behind the scenes

."I don't mind raising Natsukawa's popularity some more, but it could seem unnatural if I just went on praising her like this..."

heres an0ther

"However! I am definitely not lonely or anything! Even if I'm separated from my idol Natsukawa, I can still watch her from afar as the fan that I am! Ahh, she's as beautiful as always... !"

with that you can guess how MC is

[collapse]

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firstly, reviews here are so negative....

It's very good concept different from your mainstream rom-coms... and MC character is very likeable, and good comedic undertone.... and all the hate towards FMC is wrong.... When you read the novel, you'll know the circumstances.....

Finally must-reaad one

Really good.

The concept is quite common, so there is nothing to expect if you're looking for a series that's 'unique'. However, I can assure you the execution behind this story is absolute bliss.

Starting with the MC who's smitten in love with the FMC, things take a turn after a soccer ball incident, which results in him looking at things more objectively.

The MC after said change can keep a rational mindset, without interpreting things to his own convenience. He becomes more decisive, despite his plummeting self-confidence. Unlike my other experiences, where... more>> I've read Rom-com harem protagonists go smitten seeing 2 inches of a girl's exposed thigh and lose their train of thought in an instant. Or, have the help of deus-ex machina to solve all their problems, as attributed to being a protagonist and not only that, get undeserving attention from girls despite being so bland, and innocent. It makes me facepalm.

Sure, there are times when his pe*vertedness would get the best of him, however, he can control himself in an instant, and keep his train of thought in line. Great! Now...

This finally brings me to the most admirable thing I find about the mc:

He's not a people pleaser. Now, within a majority of light novel series, not just Rom-com, I find that the MC will always try and cheer up allies, and those alike, regardless of what they've done previously. Heck, sometimes even the antagonists, and overlook all the bad they've done. And honestly, I sometimes found it infuriating.

However, this MC right here will say what he needs to say, regardless of the person he's talking to. If he's on good terms, or he's unfamiliar with them. He always says what he thinks is right, and doesn't let people's opinions get in the way of his decisions.

Gold.

Additionally, the side characters also add a nice mix to the story, giving a diverse range of scenarios that are quite interesting the more you go through it.

These said scenarios allow for character growth, and it's paced quite nicely. This character growth ranges through each scenario and shows characters learning about their faults, and reflecting on their mistakes, implied or not, or showing their interpretation of other scenarios, and how they act on that. The characters don't necessarily feel like cardboard cutouts as a result of how they're fleshed out which is great.

Overall, the novel is really entertaining, and I highly recommend it to those who enjoy Rom-Com light novels, with a highly likable execution. <<less

It has fresh feeling and MC's character is really interesting a d unique that made this novel into a good read MC's character alone is worth to read

Definitely, this novel is a good rocom which worth reading!

Say, If the person you really like keeps saying no to you and insulting you every day, will you continue your one-sided love or stop?

As an opening, we are given the point of view of Sajou as the main character who always says love to Natsukawa, it's enough to guess how it will turn out after reading the conclusion of this novel's explanation but what I didn't expect was how Sajou would turn out as a person who was rejected over and over again, It's quite interesting how Sajou was... more>> able to get to his senses in just a small incident but made a very strong point as the opening of this story

It's a shame how this story isn't very consistent with how the point of view around Sajou regained his senses after receiving insults from the Natsukawa after all this time. It's just that I'm quite interested in how the character recognition is too out of the ordinary, which for me is also a plus for how this story develops. And that's the problem with every romance novel, too many new characters actually make the initial characters often forgotten and even no longer introduced, Natsukawa has a lot of potential in this novel if put into a better position than making her a character who is too far away and deserves to be left behind, I'm not really impressed with how far it's progressed but I still have faith in how this story can go beyond what I was skeptical of.

If I have to conclude how this story goes, then I just need to state "Too shorten the initial character development and introduce more new characters will destroy all existing character development" <<less

It has fresh feeling and MC's character is really interesting a d unique that made this novel into a good read. The other characters are just mesh but MC's character alone is worth to read.

FMC is literally tr*sh (I'm not. Her character is understandable if you read carefully) and I hate the part where MC is too much clingy to FMC. MC got character growth and development is really enjoyable.

Definitely, this novel is a good rocom which has fresh and unique feeling.

A pretty nice breath of fresh air as a RomCom for me.

It's chock full of cliches and standard tropes. But where other stories would put those in as a matter of course to fit in with the mould, Yumemiru actively tries to make them an integral part of the plot. It explores how things that we would otherwise handwave away as one-off skits would have actual repercussions on the relationships between characters, and uses them as the basis to further develop them.

Some of the characters might seem super annoying and... more>> wish-washy at first glance, but that's fully intentional on the author's part imo. The development comes slowly and steadily, but that just makes the eventual payoff all the more worth it. <<less