My Neighbor Seki, Vol. 1

Tonari no Seki-kun #1

by Takuma Morishige

Toshinari Seki takes goofing off to new heights. Every day, on or around his school desk, he masterfully creates his own little worlds of wonder, often hidden to most of his classmates. Unfortunately for Rumi Yokoi, his neighbor at the back of their homeroom, his many games, dioramas, and projects are often way too interesting to ignore; even when they are hurting her grades.

Genres: Manga, Humor, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Fiction, Comics, Comedy

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

MORISHIGE Takuma: 森繁拓真

Older sister is the mangaka Akiko Higashimura.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seki has some super-craftastic skills. And quite an imagination.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intensely silly. Yokoi sits next to Seki at school, and Seki amuses himself by building bizarrely elaborate dioramas on his desk. It can be interesting to see what Seki is getting up to, but it's really one joke told over and over: Seki does something strange, Yokoi gets overinvolved. I feel like this is the kind of thing that I'd like much better if I was reading just one chapter a month, instead of fifteen in one sitting. Still, good for unwinding after a stressful day, and I might save future volumes for just that purpose.

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

No nytpä löytyi manga, joka kutittelee mukavasti myös minun huumorintajuani!

Takuma Morishigen "Pulpettinaapurit 1" (Punainen Jättiläinen, 2016) on absurdia huumoria sisältävä koulukomedia, joka keskittyy Yokoi-nimisen tytön ja hänen vierustoverinsa Sekin edesottamuksiin. Yokoin on vaikea keskittyä opetukseen, kun hänen vieressään istuva poika harrastaa tunnilla mitä eriskummallisimpia pelejä ja leikkejä, jotka usein alkavat elää omaa elämäänsä. Naapuripulpetissa virkataan amigurumia, hoidetaan kissaa ja harrastetaan spiritismia, mutta yleensä opettajan huomauttamaksi joutuu Yokoi.

Sekille ei ole annettu lainkaan vuorosanoja, eikä kaksikko paria poikkeusta lukuun ottamatta poistu pulpeteistaan. Lopputulos on oikein hauskaa luettavaa, joka jaksaa viihdyttää mainiosti useamman pokkarin verran. Sääli vaan, että sarjan suomentaminen jäi kolmeen osaan!

[MC · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Neighbor Seki is a manga series about the "adventures" of a long-suffering girl named Rumi Yokoi. In the midst of her normal life as a (middle-school or high school) student, she has to tolerate the antics of her "neighbor" in the homeroom, Seki.

The thing to understand is that, until the seating is changed, she can't escape Seki. In Japanese schools, they stay in one room throughout the day (other than PE, lunch, or clubs) and the teachers for each subject come to them to conduct classes. Whoever you are with at the beginning of the year, you stay with the same group and only the seating arrangements change.

Thus, Yokoi's frustrations. She wants to learn and not get in trouble. Yet, she can't help but be impressed with the studious and flagrant ability of her neighbor to goof off consistently, or the gall of his antics. He is so interesting in his silliness that she can't help but pay attention, even at the cost of her grades or potentially getting in trouble.

This was a fun manga to read, though the constant one gag after another can be a little annoying and get old somewhat fast. In the second volume they need to do some more with the "story", at least to the level of making it more of a true slice-of-life narrative. Otherwise, it'll go from extremely entertaining and hilarious, to really old really fast.

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me. It was way too silly.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you haven't read this manga but you have a general idea of what it is about, you'll be probably as impressed as I was when I read it. And yes, I say impressed even though I gave it 3 stars. The author manages to do two great things: one, make Seki endearing, when he doesn't even speak a word in the manga, and two, despite the story's simple background (two characters, Seki and Yokoi, always in the same place -their classroom- while Seki always does anything that crosses his mind to keep himself entertained during the lesson) you don't get bored, or tired of it. At all. In fact, after you read one chapter, you want to read the following one just to see what is Seki's next crazy idea. It makes you think he'll never run out of imagination. And that turns the manga into a really intriguing one. I gave it 3 stars just because it's not exactly my genre. But you'll have a good laugh with this.

[Stef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manga nya ga kalah seru dari anime nya yang berdurasi 7 menitan. Lucu dan kasihan yooko yang ga konsen gara2 ke ganggu permainan si seki. Lanjut seri ke dua.

[Yume · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic and creasy! The idea is so amazing... My most favorite story is chapter 11! Protagonist, Yokoi-san fold paper cranes for 1000 cranes, but in fact, the purpose is to be eaten by flog. When I read this scene, I laughed!!! I recommend this book.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was cracking me up so much, that I showed my wife. She said how it reminded her of Calvin and Hobbes. I loved that comparison, but replace Calvin's imagination with a good dose of the surreal. Looking forward to book two.

[Albine Eien · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'est franchement marrant, frais et surprenant

[Jinghay (these.blank.pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought a manga about a boy killing time during lessons could be so hilarious! 🤣
Will definitely be checking out the anime after this!

Rating: 4/5
(volume 1: chapters 1 to 15)

[Caye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muy rápido, original y entretenido de leer. Es divertido aunque se me hace un poco repetitivo. Me parece increíble la idea de hacer un libro y que sólo se sostenga la trama con los diálogos y pensamientos de uno de los protagonistas ya que el otro nunca habla. Espero que el siguiente no sea tan repetitivo y lo recomiendo para todos los públicos.

[Nehmat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute lil read

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is honestly quite amusing.

[kaitlphere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seki's changing hobbies are fun to see, but the setting and characters aren't interesting enough for me to keep following the series.

[Juliet · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Neighbor Seki chronicles high-schoooler Rumi's attempts to stay focused in class. This is made impossible by the classmate who sits next to her, Seki. Seki is committed to making his own entertainment. His elaborate divertissements escalate throughout the book, becoming increasingly creative and ambitious. It's a fun, silly comic; but without any plot it's hard to see how the rest of the series can maintain the enjoyment of these first few variations on a basic theme.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!!

[Cindy III · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute manga. Yokoi sits next to Seki, and he is always doing some activity during class that distracts her. While Yokoi does try to resist distraction she gets caught up in Seki's games. My favorite chapters were the ones with shogi, the cactus and toy robots. Honorable mention the chapters with Chess. It has some humor in Yokoi's thoughts and actions on whatever Seki happens to be doing.

Seki is not like other people, he's unique because of what he does during class. It makes me wonder about his IQ. However, Yokoi tends to get into trouble because of him (although she could try harder not to get sidetracked). Also, there are no words from Seki, it's all Yokoi. I wonder if the author used this as a juxtaposition about the characters personalities. I hope he talks in later volumes because I can't understand his motivations just from activity.

I was surprised to see Seki being fearful and using Kokkuri-san (Ouija board). I'm going to assume he used it right, but he tends to deviate from following the norm...therefore surprising. Plus I wouldn't have thought him superstitious.

This manga is one of a kind and I like it.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and cute vignette stories about Yokoi, a student who's constantly being distracted by her desk-neighbor, Seki. I feel like this would be a good readalike for fans of Azumanga Daioh - it's got that weird, kind of zany sense of humour and it mostly takes place in a school setting.

I liked this, but as many other reviewers have noted, it's quite repetitive (I'm flabbergasted that this series has 9-volumes published tbh). It's a pretty basic formula that's repeated over and over, but I will admit that I was always curious where Seki's highjinks would ultimately go (and the results were occasionally surprising). The mail service story was a highlight for me.

The art is decent, but there was something about Yokoi's face that was off-putting. It's perfectly serviceable though.

I'm curious to check out the 2nd volume, but I'm dubious that this series will keep my interest.

[Niina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pulpettinaapurit kertoo Yokoi-nimisestä tytöstä, jonka vieressä istuva Seki-poika keskittyy oppitunneilla kaikkeen muuhun paitsi opetukseen. Seki on mestari keksimään ajavietettä mm. taittelemalla origameja, pelaamalla gota ja virkkaamalla.

Yokoi ei voi sietää Sekin leväperäisyyttä ja yrittää ohjastaa tätä keskittymään tunnilla - huonoin tuloksin. Yokoi ei itsekään voi keskittyä opettajan puheisiin vaan jää katsomaan mitä kummaa Seki seuraavaksi keksii.

Pulpettinaapurit on mukavan leppoisa manga koululaisten arjesta. Vaikka lyhyissä tarinoissa pääpaino on Sekin erikoisten tempausten seuraamisessa, on sarjakuvassa paljon hienovaraisia viittauksia japanilaiseen kulttuuriin.

[Heart · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Neighbor Seki is a very awesome manga,you will never get tired of it in all honesty, despite the story taking place mostly in the same place every chapter XD. Seki is always playing some sorta game and never paying attention in class. How does he do it? No one actually knows not even Rumi who whitnesses the games daily mostly making her slack off in class. This story has it's many cute moments,fun moments,funny moments and sometimes sad(Not anything too serious) Its So great I read many of the vols in a day.

[Julie (Let's Read Good Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Quirky read. I felt bad for poor Yokio, whose studies are disturbed daily by the goofball who sits next to her. Seki's little diversions are too interesting for Yokio to ignore, however, and she spends more time watching Seki and his creations than she spends paying attention in class. I don't think either one of them is going to score very high on their exams....

[Holly Letson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am happy that I picked up this series from the library. It was a really funny series. (I have read V1-V7, and would gladly read more.) These volumes are full of Seki-Kun's quirky little adventures. He is rarely ever bored in class, and Rumi is always interested in his goings-on. These are very enjoyable quick-reads. Easily a 4* series.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

Have you ever had the misfortune of being seated next to someone who was constantly distracting you? Pity poor Rumi Yokoi, whose fellow student, Seki, is always busy with a never-ending supply of crafts, games, and other projects while she tries concentrate on the lessons the teacher is leading. This manga is great fun! – Louisa A.

[Franxine (Shadowtearling) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was funny and my kind of humor the first 30 pages, but then it kind of took a nosedive. While I like the silly aspect, the lack of plot really made it boring. Yokoi & Seki were interesting characters, but it got repetitive at the end. I may or may not pick up the next volume (but only if I see it discounted somewhere. I don't think $11 for it is all that.. worth it?)

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having watched the anime on Crunchyroll, I was really excited to see there was a graphic novel. After reading the first period, I was a little afraid it would just be the same thing I watched, but there were some new content as well - so I was happy :)

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the premise is fun, it really wears thin when you have 200 pages of it. Best read in small chunks - I think it would hold up much better that way. (Full review will eventually appear on the Anime News Network.)

[D.M. Dutcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the humor of the anime, with even more content. Not a single objectionable scene or panty shot either. This series is up there with Azumanga Daioh and Barakamon as my favorite slice of life manga.

[Sasha Boersma · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a bit kooky. About a girl with a very odd in-class neighbour doing odd things at his desk. I'm intrigued how long this can play out in the series.... It's nice to read something so bizarre and cute.