Chuyện Tình Thanh Xuân Bi Hài Của Tôi Quả Nhiên Là Sai Lầm 1

やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。 #1

by Wataru Watari, Thảo Aki (Translator)

Chuyện tình thanh xuân bi hài của tôi quả nhiên là sai lầm. (tên gốc: Yahari Ore no Seishun Rabukome wa Machigatteiru., gọi tắt là Oregairu), là một trong những series light novel ăn khách nhất trong vòng 20 năm trở lại đây, bộ truyện được viết bởi tác giả trẻ Wataru WATARI, do họa sĩ Ponkan8 vẽ minh họa và được xuất bản bởi NXB nổi tiếng Shogakukan.

Chuyện tình thanh xuân bi hài của tôi quả nhiên là sai lầm. đã dành giải light novel hay nhất của bảng xếp hạng uy tín Kono light novel ga sugoi! trong 2 năm liên tiếp là 2014 và 2015. Bên cạnh đó, nam chính và nữ chính của series này là Hachiman và Yokinoshita cũng đoạt giải nam nữ chính được yêu thích nhất trong các năm đó. Họa sĩ minh họa Ponkan8 với những bức tranh minh họa đẹp và sinh động của mình cũng được bình chọn là họa sĩ minh họa được yêu thích nhất trong năm 2015. Đến thời điểm hiện tại, series đã phát hành được 12 tập, nhưng số sách bán ra đã vượt mốc 5 triệu bản, một con số mà những đầu sách nổi tiếng như Cô gái văn chương hay Sói & Gia vị cũng chưa từng làm được.

Chuyện tình thanh xuân bi hài của tôi quả nhiên là sai lầm. được kể dưới góc nhìn của nhân vật chính Hikigaya Hachiman, một mẫu nam chính rất đặc biệt với thái độ sống tương đối "cá biệt". Hachiman luôn mang theo những triết lí rất "bất cần đời" nhưng lại không kém phần thấu đáo và sâu sắc, thể hiện rõ tính cách của một bộ phận học sinh trung học Nhật Bản hiện nay. Hachiman chưa bao giờ chịu khuất phục trước sự cô độc. Bạn bè không, bạn gái cũng không. Cứ mỗi lần nhìn những người bạn cùng lớp ca ngợi thời thanh xuân, câu ta lại lầm bầm “Một bọn giả dối. Lũ lừa gạt. Banh xác hết đi!”. Nếu ai đó hỏi cậu ta về ước mơ tương lai, cậu học sinh trung học nổi loạn này sẽ giễu cợt đáp rằng “là không phải đi làm”. Chính vì thái độ khép mình và bất cần đó, Hachiman đã bị cô giáo phụ sách đời sống học sinh "tóm cổ" lôi đến câu lạc bộ tình nguyện, nơi có sự hiện diện của một nữ sinh xinh đẹp hoàn hảo mọi thứ (ngoại trừ tính cách tệ hại), và câu chuyện dở khóc dở cười của một Hachiman bất cần nhưng lại phải đi giúp đỡ người khác bắt đầu từ đây...

Với lối kể dí dỏm nhưng không kém phần sâu sắc, điểm đặc biệt của Chuyện tình thanh xuân bi hài của tôi quả nhiên là sai lầm. còn nằm ở chỗ các nhân vật thường lồng ghép rất nhiều thông tin từ các bộ truyện tranh, light novel, tác phẩm văn học... khác trong các đoạn hội thoại, kèm theo đó là cách nói chuyện sử dụng nhiều cách thức chơi chữ của các nhân vật chính, khiến bộ truyện trở nên độc đáo và hoàn toàn không giống bất cứ một bộ light novel học đường nào khác.

Chuyện tình thanh xuân bi hài của tôi quả nhiên là sai lầm. còn được chuyển thể thành anime, manga. drama CD, video game... và thắng rất nhiều giải thưởng lớn trong đó có giải New Type Awards dành cho anime. Đây cũng là series light novel ăn khách nhất trong lịch sử của nhãn sách Gagaga (nhãn chuyên mảng light novel của NXB Shogakukan).

Thaihabooks rất vui mừng được trở thành đơn vị mang đến cho độc giả Việt Nam siêu phẩm light novel này! Mời các bạn cùng đón đọc!

Genres: Light Novel, Manga, Romance, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Comedy, Slice Of Life

450 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2011

About the author

WATARI Wataru
Name (in native language): 渡航

Reviews

[Yui Sei · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's like Japan's version of Perks of Being a Wallflower except it doesn't touch on suicide and physical abuse. It instead deals more with the traumatic and sometimes positive effects of emotional abuse and social ostracism. It definitely has more depth. It's an example of how a novel written from the first person POV should be like - replete with self-deprecating introspection, dark humor and somewhat pessimistic and yet logical view of society.

[Minh Nhân Nguyễn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 sao.

Cuốn light novel hay nhất trong số những cuốn mình từng xem (một đối thủ đáng gờm là Cô Gái Văn Chương thì mình chưa đọc tới).

Nhìn lại thì trước giờ mình toàn đọc LN của IPM làm thôi nên quen với cách hành văn, biên tập bên đó rồi. Phải công nhận là IPM Việt hóa LN rất tốt, làm cho mọi câu chữ đều trôi chảy, trở nên dễ hiểu và gần gũi với người đọc. Còn cuốn này khi mới đầu đọc mình thấy nó hơi khô cứng và không mượt cho lắm, dù rằng dịch như vậy mới đúng và sát với văn phong của Nhật. Nhưng đọc càng về sau sẽ càng quen dần và nhập tâm vào câu chuyện hơn, không còn thấy gượng như lúc đầu nữa.

Cũng như những cuốn LN khác, cuốn này nội dung khá dễ đọc, đọc xong rất nhanh và cho mình một cảm giác nhẹ nhàng, tươi tắn, dễ chịu, không phải nặng đầu bởi vấn đề gì cả. Câu chuyện được xây dựng chủ yếu thông qua những lời đối thoại đan xen với cảm nghĩ nội tâm của các nhân vật, có điều lời thoại cứ tiếp nối nhau liên tục, hầu như không có câu dẫn trước đó hoặc có thì lại được để sau câu nói nên ban đầu, rất thường xuyên mình không biết được lời nói đó là của nhân vật nào. Nhưng cũng cứ yên tâm là càng đọc sẽ càng quen dần và dễ nắm bắt các lời đối thoại này hơn lúc ban đầu.

Có lẽ do bộ này thuộc thể loại slice of life, nội dung xoay quanh cuộc sống đời thường, phù hợp với gu của mình nên khiến mình thích hơn nhiều bộ light novel mang hơi hướm fantasy khác chăng. Không có yếu tố giả tưởng, huyền ảo, sẽ rất khó để tạo nên một câu chuyện thu hút người đọc. Ở cuốn này, sự thu hút đến từ chủ đề và hệ thống nhân vật của nó. Vẫn rất dễ hiểu, dễ đọc nhưng nếu đọc kỹ sẽ thấy những vấn đề của các nhân vật đều có chiều sâu và tạo cảm giác nó được đúc kết từ những trải nghiệm thực sự.

Hai nhân vật chính cũng là hai hình mẫu mới lạ ít gặp trong số nhiều bộ light novel/ manga mình đã đọc. Không phải kiểu nhân vật nam chính rập khuôn đến nhàm chán của LN với tính cách ngây ngô, khờ khạo, nhiều bạn bè, trọng nghĩa khí; trong cuốn này Hikigaya là một anh chàng hướng nội điển hình: thích sự yên bình, cô độc, có nhiều "triết lý" sống sâu sắc; nhưng cũng gặp những rắc rối xuất phát từ việc không có mối quan hệ bạn bè nào và thái độ coi thường sự đề cao quá mức mà người ta hay dành cho tuổi thanh xuân.

Chính tính cách ấy lại phù hợp hơn với lối viết của LN: đó là thể hiện những suy nghĩ, cảm xúc đa dạng của nhân vật chính ở ngôi thứ nhất. Điều mà lúc đọc các cuốn khác mình thấy chưa được hợp lý cho lắm khi cho nhân vật chính có quá nhiều suy nghĩ so với những gì thể hiện bên ngoài, làm cho các nhân vật này chẳng khác nào anh hùng rơm, chỉ dám nghĩ chứ không dám nói hay làm. Đó là lý do trước giờ đọc LN mình ít khi nào thích nhân vật nam chính cho đến khi đọc cuốn này :).

Là một "ông cụ non", suy nghĩ sâu sắc hơn các bạn cùng tuổi nhưng Hikki vẫn là một đứa trẻ thiếu kinh nghiệm trong các mối quan hệ. Cuốn này hay ở chỗ nó cũng là một dạng coming of age, đặt nhân vật chính qua nhiều trải nghiệm để tạo sự thay đổi, trưởng thành dần của họ chứ không chỉ tạo ra những nhân vật một màu từ đầu đến cuối.

Yukinoshita cũng là nhân vật nữ chính hay ho không kém, với cá tính ăn đứt hình tượng "thánh nữ" đẹp đẽ, nhu mì rập khuôn ở nhiều LN khác. Vẫn là một nhân vật nổi bật về tài năng, ngoại hình, nhưng bên cạnh ánh hào quang, Yukino phải chịu mặt tối của sự nổi trội đó từ lúc còn nhỏ. Kết quả là tạo ra một cô nàng lạnh lùng, mất niềm tin vào các mối quan hệ với mọi người xung quanh. Cùng đứng ngoài ánh hào quang của tuổi thanh xuân nhưng khác với Hikki đang đứng chân núi ngước nhìn lên với vẻ chê bai thì Yukino lại đang đơn độc ở tại đỉnh núi ấy. Sự trưởng thành hơn của nữ chính trong điểm nhìn so với nam chính hứa hẹn tạo nên nhiều điểm thú vị. Và những thay đổi của Yukinoshita về sau cũng là điều tạo nên sự thu hút của câu chuyện.

Các nhân vật còn lại, từ cô Hiratsuka, Yuigahama, Zaimokuza, Totsuka, đến cặp "phản diện" Miura, Hayama cũng đều có những nét đặc trưng riêng thú vị, được tác giả khai thác tốt để sau khi gấp sách lại vẫn có thể hình dung rõ nét về từng nhân vật.

Thuộc thể loại light novel, cuốn này rất dễ đọc, tạo cho mình một cảm giác tươi trẻ, yêu đời. Bên cạnh đó hệ thống nhân vật và các vấn đề nó đặt ra cũng rất thú vị, có chiều sâu, đáng để suy ngẫm. Từ những đối thoại của các nhân vật, ta có thể dễ dàng rút ra được những "triết lý" hay ho xuyên suốt quyển sách. Không cần những yếu tố hoa mỹ kỳ ảo tô vẽ thêm, cuốn này vẫn đủ sức thu hút mình từ những nhân vật và tình huống đời thường như thế, hy vọng tập tiếp theo cũng sẽ làm được như vậy :).

[James Tullos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anime/manga/light novels have about 5 jokes that they've all been recycling since the 90's.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hachiman Hikigaya is the best kind of misanthrope. He sees the world for what it is: unfair, reproachful, and without use for those who don't fit into neat, little boxes. Life sucks.

Hikigaya thus wanders through high school in open rebuke of the idiocy he witnesses every day. Not that he can do anything about it. Alas, other than surviving the perfunctory idealism of his peers and navigating their vacuous social strata, there is no greater (or more desired) provocation he can levy than to simply exist.

In MY YOUTH ROMANTIC COMEDY. . ., youth is a farce. It's naught but the calculated farming of pubertal zeal. To experience youth is to fulfill the protracted yearnings of a generation that has long forgotten how to think for itself. Youth doesn't matter.

This is where Hikigaya comes in. A devoted cynic, Hikigaya is self-aware, and he spies his fellow inmates of Chiba City Municipal Soubu High School as lunatics, many of whom have no idea how lost they truly are.

Fortunately or unfortunately then, Hikigaya is not the only one with a firm grasp of how damning the illusion of youth really is. Yukinoshita is a cute but fundamentally abrasive overachiever, Yuigahama is a dim girl who "lacked the courage to risk loneliness in order to be herself," and Zaimokuza is a boisterous otaku. Dragged together by the school's Japanese language arts teacher, a petty woman named Ms. Hiratsuka, these four kids are forced to socialize (at first, with each other, and then later with others by way of forming the Service Club).

Now, are these four kids really all that determined to get the most out of getting nothing out of their teenage years? Yeah. Kind of. Why? Because youth is the fiction of a culture too full of itself. That's why all the popular kids are praised for losing, and all the loser kids are forgotten among the throes of victory.

At the heart of MY YOUTH ROMANTIC COMEDY. . . is the dutifully insulting reality that nothing matters unless you think it does. Isolation during break? Doesn't matter. Being the victim of a school bully? Doesn't matter. Fresh bisexual attraction? Doesn't matter.

Indeed, regardless of whether Yukinoshita befriends those who spite her intelligence, the world will continue spinning on its course. She may find it revolting how others treat her poorly for her academic skills, but she hates it even more when they fake treating her better because of it.

Indeed, regardless of how many times Yuigahama apologizes and bows her head and thumbs the hem of her skirt, the stylish girls of the class will always see her as a wannabe joke. Prettiness has no room for humility.

Indeed, regardless of how hard Zaimokuza play-replicates historical figures in an effort to channel literary inspiration, the fact remains that the young man is woefully uncreative. Even if nothing is original anymore, original people still exist; Zaimokuza just isn't one of them.

Again, nothing matters. Youth is a farce.

The author's decision to reveal these truths through the eyes of a loner is less a manner of choice than a matter of necessity. MY YOUTH ROMANTIC COMEDY. . . is a schoolyard comedy with the fiendish and the dismal as its goal: happiness is relative (and no, the Service Club doesn't actually help anybody, so go away).

In terms of the light novel's presentation, Watari's writing is fast and has a devilish rhythm to it. Hikigaya, the narrator, is eternally impatient, and the writing style leans heavily on the character's disposition in this regard. One considerable drawback to this, however, is the book's "talking-head syndrome," in which dialogue tags and behavioral cues are dropped in favor of swift-moving conversation. It happens a lot, and it's never for the better.

Also, Ponkon8's contribution is abysmal. The artist employs at least four different art styles across the book, and none of them are particularly enlightening save for the interstitial character folios. Perhaps, instead of wasting time by drawing super-cute girls in irrelevant scenes, why not help readers visualize the school grounds on which the story actually takes place?

[Oa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series starts out slowly. The first volume is certainly very solid, with flowing prose, attractive characters, obscure yet brilliant references, natural foreshadows (something at which many, many light novel writers are miserable failures) and a clear theme. Everything necessary is there to create a quintessential light novel, if you ask me.
Still, having read the whole series, I feel that the first volume is serves as a setup for the rest of the series. It feels like an introduction to the characters and plot coming later. Even trivial lines like "Yukinoshita would never lie" serve as an important plot element, and this makes it an excellent introduction but as a standalone volume lacks a punch.

[Angela Auten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book wss completely hilarious!

[Bimugdha Sarker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dont read Japanese Light novels so often , but this was honestly one of the greatest books ...oops ... one of the greatest comedy books i've ever read . It has just a slight touch of japanese Media , but altogether , it seems so common in our lives . there are always some typical characters in our high school life , and so , this book captured it all ! Thanks to the writer and Baka Tsuki for translating it !

[Niquie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected vol 1 grew on me the more I read it.

The first few chapters feel full of nonsense but once the story figures out where it's going (the whole purpose of the club and the members actually doing there club activities) it starts to work and seems like it has the potential to be decent.

Some notes:

- MC suffers from second year HS. He thinks he's special, smarter than everyone else, and tends to call girls who expose more skin than he finds acceptable sluts. Basically he's a work in progress that has plenty of room to grow and learn empathy.

- This may or may not eventually be a harem. According to novel updates it is, but according to baka-updates it isn't (okay it says harem subtext but in the genre section harem isn't listed). For now a potential love triangle may or may not happen, fingers crossed baka-updates is correct and no harem will happen.

- The girls get along and I look forward to their relationship growing. I especially liked that one of the girls didn't just ditch her old friends because she's decided she wants to change.

- Guys besides the MC are introduced (always a plus) one as a friend, one as a love interest, and one as a rival. Oh and one as an idiot who may not be important to the story.

- There's some fan service that made me scratch my head because why did you need to change so urgently you'd do it outside. I also want to ask the illustrator if he (?) doesn't know how bras work because that is not what breasts look like when a bra is worn.

- So far the story is episodic, which is fine, but it's nice that characters are already reoccurring.

- The author did a really good job on the match, when the cheat was introduced I found myself losing interest, but then the cheat was legit subverted and the match became interesting to the point I held my breath.

- There's a bet mentioned that quickly gets dropped only to be brought back up but before any explanation can be given it's dropped again. Right now it just feels weak, but maybe later vols will bring it back better.

- This is the first ln I've read where the MC is drawn with three different hairstyles. Personally I prefer his hair on the color illustration the best.

- MC has a little sister, but right now they come off as platonic siblings close in age who get along. No lolis or inappropriate sexual or romantic feelings here. Thank you author.

- Sometimes this reminded me of Haganai I don't have many friends, but it's different enough that it will hopefully not become the disappointment Haganai was.

- I never struggled to remember or figure out what character was from where/when.

Final Thoughts: This had a rough start but it gradually gets better and the characters not only have room to grow but seem to get along. Also props to the author for including other male characters (even if one of them is just a girl with a d).

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, I know what you might be thinking...but, we mustn't judge a book by its cover. Funnily enough the feeling the cover gives off is completely different to the contents of the book. The title also could be a little misleading, as there is little to no romantic encounters within the book.

My Youth Romantic Comedy follows the story of a cynical high school student, Hikigaya Hachiman. His ideology is, weird yet realistic. He believes that "youth" is nothing but a hoax, an illusion of "fun" fabricated to compensate for the failures they have experienced and sugarcoating it in a web of fake optimism.

He's not entirely wrong. The reason why this is my favourite book series, is because I agree with the things he says. Hachiman provides a different outlook to life because life shouldn't just be about optimism and chasing dreams, but most importantly, don't be inconsistent, don't be a hypocrite. This book is like a good slap to the face, a reality check. Not only that, but lots of life lessons can be learnt. One of the quotes continue to resonate with me, despite that sometimes I can't upkeep it,
“Hard work betrays none, but dreams betray many. working hard alone doesn't assure you that you'll achieve your dreams. Actually, there are more cases where you don't. Even so, working hard and achieving something is some consolation at least.”
This quote really inspired me, mostly due to the number of times I've messed up at school, but it really keeps me going, because I've come to realise, if I put in enough effort, I would be able to achieve something, even if it's small, someday.

For a nonfiction book, the way the characters interact with one another in a school environment is exceptionally realistic. The way they act around each other, talk to each other, get along with each other and argue with each other, are all things I have personally experienced. That's another good thing about this book, the audience can relate to the author. To be honest, many of the thing mentioned in this book, I've experienced/encountered before, especially with people who I interact with. “I don't want other people to mention my "self". Besides if I can be changed by a few words, then that wouldn't be my "self" would it?”. This quote had me laughing, because it's just so true. I admit, many times have I become a sheep, someone who tries to conform to other people's opinions, but I've soon come to realise something else, “Fake people have an image to maintain. Real people just don't care”, I realised that I don't need to care about maintaining an image, because if I meet someone I don't get along with, I won't try to get along with them. I won't masquerade myself as something I'm not, because that would be hypocrisy.

This book is well written/translated and is a real page turner. It might not be for everyone, but the core values of the story are honest, simple, life lessons, and whether you like it or not, you're bound to get something out of it.

[Miguel Viriato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the way this book made me feel cozy

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read volume 1 of My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected for the Japanese Novel and Light Novel Book Club's summer light novel group read and I have to say, I enjoyed it more than I expected to!

The story is strongly character focused, with most of the chapters devoted to introducing or fleshing out one of the small group of characters central to the story. Hachiman, Yukinoshita and Yuigahama get the most development both individually and in terms of their relationships with others and are easily the most interesting characters - it's fun to see the slow formations of friendship and romantic tension between them. In comparison, Totsuka and especially Zaimokuza are much less developed and I would have preferred to see them get a little more time to grow. Perhaps they'll get some time to shine in one of the sequel volumes?

I enjoyed the mixture of humour and cynicism that came from the protagonist - Hachiman's - inner voice and found the subversion of typical romantic comedy tropes in some scenes quite funny. There were some really nice cute/fluffy moments too! If I had to give a criticism, however, it would be that I disliked some of the language Hachiman aimed at Yuigahama and Miura, which felt overly nasty compared to the tone and language used in the rest of the book. I'm not sure if this was a translation issue or content from the original novel but it stood out to me. Thankfully it toned down over the course of the novel but it never quite disappeared.

Overall, this was a fun story and I would recommend it as a decent light novel read.

[C.R. Saxon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely my favorite series I've ever discovered. The protagonist is easily my favorite character I've ever read. If he was real and we'd been in high school together, we could've been best friends. It's like he's a reflection of my soul and my own attitudes and feelings toward the inane of everything that surrounded me as a kid...and at times even as an adult. Love this series. And recommend it to everyone who loves a good laugh and an unforgivingly realistic look at reality through the eyes of someone who's just done.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is all about students at a high school. Some of them are very popular, some are not. The ones who are the least popular have to deal with a lot of unfair treatment from both the students and the teachers.

The great part of the book is the development of the characters. There were some laugh out loud moments. There were also some moments that were extremely sad and made me want to cry as I remembered my difficult childhood.

[Pinky]

Hikigaya Hachiman - the modern philosopher of loners

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't exactly sure what to think of this. I purchased the book thinking it might just be some slightly-better-than-run-of-the-mill rom-com light novel, as its title didn't really suggest otherwise, being that same dumb really-long-sentence motif of so many other light novels. It thus confused me that this was the second highest rated LN series according to MAL, a website I generally do not really trust for taste, but their #1 was Empty Box & Zeroth Maria, which turned out to be pretty good, so I figured I'd give this a chance. And, like Sword Art Online Volume 1 before it, I was able to buy this for only $4, so it wasn't like it was a huge monetary loss.

I guess the strange thing about this novel was that I'd seen reviews (again, on MAL, gross!) trying to push this novel's/series's worth as being because it concerns "truth" rather than fantasy, as if Hikki/8man is some wise philosopher for his views on Life/Youth. I got around to reading the novel, after months of owning it, because I'd seen Sakuta of Seishun Buta Yarou get described as a mix of Araragi from Monogatari Series and Hachiman from this, though the character turned out to feel like a mix of Araragi and Kyon from Haruhi Suzumiya. I love Araragi and Kyon as narrators, and I was enjoying the Seishun Buta anime, so I figured I may enjoy Hachiman as a character, and thus began reading his book. Maybe I expected something different from those comparisons, because Hachiman seems like a parody of the self-parody Araragi seen in Kizumonogatari, when he's a loner character who hates the world and society, in a prequel novel released after the novels in which he's seen to have a fair amount of fun with a number of friends. The Araragi of Kizu- is great because of how different he is from chronologically-later incarnations, and the novel takes him somewhat seriously, with Araragi's first-person p.o.v. blocking any other characters' looking down upon him. Hachiman is instead quite hard on himself, deflecting his poor character traits with a lot of self-deprecation and handwaving "I'm definitely not lying!" comments. He comes across as a bit more sad, but it's kinda clear he's supposed to be the butt of the author's joke.

So that's the thing. Hachiman rejects the fluffiness of Youth as seen by his peers, and is instead quite the cynic, but I don't think we're exactly meant to sympathize with him, or the author's pulling some 4-D Chess moves on his idiot readers. A lot of light novels focus on escapism and power fantasy, with many stories being set in fantasy worlds, or worlds with fantastic elements, but even the "realistic" rom-com novels still have female characters riding the bland MCs' dicks. OreGairu pretends to do otherwise, with Hachiman's narration constantly informing us of how Yukino and Yui aren't perfect archetypal rom-com girls, but... they still kinda are. Yukino is bitchy to Hachiman, sure, but she's nowhere near a cunt as, e.g, Senjougahara from Monogatari Series, so it's not like the author's breaking new ground. Hell, Hachiman is a fan of Kodansha BOX, who publish Monogatari Series, so it's clear the author is a) aware of the series, thus we can assume b) he may be partly influenced by NISIOISIN's writing. If we're trying to subvert rom-com expectations, does it really do well to do a weaker job than NISIOISIN, who even went further to include supernatural elements in his rom-com subversion? And, anyway, Yui is barely different from other rom-com characters, with her bashful attempts to hide her appreciation of Hachiman, so the only real difference is that Hachiman calls her a slut and a bimbo and stuff, which I guess gives the facade of subversion? Whatever.

The biggest issue is that it seems Hachiman was built from the ground up to be "/ourguy/," but like any such character he's pretty clearly a glib facsimile of "real" loser-loners. It's not just that he clearly has female (Yukino, Yui) and male (the trap and the chuuni guy) friends, and one of them (Yui) seems to tease at being a love interest, but a lot of what Hachiman says in general is just clearly missing its mark. Hachiman laments about not being ugly enough to fit among the "real" otaku, not being able to discuss anime, manga, light novels, and vidya with them for fear of being labelled a "faux-taku" (in the Yen Press translation), with perhaps a slight inference that Hachiman fancies himself a "real" fan of those things, basically outing himself as a "faux-taku" in the process, though maybe this is my own bias that a Sincere fan of Anything would/should surely have the self-awareness NOT to lump themselves into any silly subculture, for issue of conforming to some external pseudo-ideal. Anyone who labels themselves an otaku is, paradoxically, not an otaku, as the mere label cancels any Sincerity.

Maybe, then, I'm reading too much into Hachiman's character, as I certainly don't feel this type of thing (being a light novel) warrants such close reading. I find it hard to believe the author is genuinely attempting to mold the raw Matter of the light novel medium into the Form of Art. Certainly, the existence of illustrations cancels any true Aesthetic drive, insofar as the novel is forcibly brought down to the level of "mere" light novel. Monogatari Series can make the best claim to being art-adjacent due to its limited illustrations (only on the cover and first couple pages before the main text), and things like Empty Box and Boogiepop are the next tier down, limiting illustrations to chapter title pages. Spreading illustrations more liberally throughout the text "sells" the novel more definitively as a "mere" light novel.

Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. I've been confused at how this series, with its almost-egregious title, could be rated so highly, and so I never had any hope of seeing it as anything other than a "mere" light novel. That said, it was still a fun read.

The main body of text is divided into small-ish episodes, focusing on introducing new characters to the main cast, as is true for most first installments in any manga or light novel. Some chapters (the chuuni guy's introduction) feel somewhat worthless, but most of them add up to something like a "big picture." Hachiman and Yukino's chapters are about what you would expect, mostly just establishing the primary character dynamic to drive the rest of the series. The real "meat" starts with Yui's introduction, which sets up the conflict with Miura and the other "cool kids," whom Hachiman despises. They become antagonists for the trap's arc, being the opponents in a game of tennis, in which the "Chad"-type guy seems to play mostly for fun, but the bitchy "Stacy" Miura wants nothing more than to shit all over Hachiman and his fellow club members, with the specific point of making Yui feel bad (again) for hanging out with anyone other than Miura herself. The "conflict" of the actual tennis match is kind of worthless, since it's really just a proxy for Miura's exercise of her "queen bee" status, making sure no one "inferior" to her can do anything of which she might disapprove, and she has little characterization other than "cunt," so she becomes too easily hateable for the reader, to the degree of feeling hollow with how clearly she is the "bad guy." The only catharsis from the conclusion, then, is that Yukino and Yui both seem to get along better with each other and with Hachiman, which kinda has nothing to do with the trap boy, who was the impetus for the tennis hoopla in the first place. This wouldn't be so bad if we hadn't spent way too much time describing a tennis game in a novel that isn't even specifically about tennis.

I feel like my review seems to be extremely negative, but I actually did enjoy this volume. It wasn't the greatest thing I've ever read, certainly, but it's a fucking light novel, so I didn't go in expecting Pynchon or anything. It satisfies because it's funny, and the point is for it to be funny, so it meets its goal. I wasn't blown away, necessarily, but I did have a good time. Same sort of deal as Hataraku Maou-sama: I'll continue to read the series because it's simply Fun.

[D E N Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

When asked "What is your favorite anime?"
I always say I have a lot, but one of the first things that come to mind is always Oregairu , or My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected; so when I saw this book on a shelf, of course I bought it instantly! I, for one, am curious as to how my favorite anime is originally written.

In all honesty, much like the anime, the book started out really slowly. But what really made me push through here was I honestly loved Hachiman as the narrator/POV. As someone who can somewhat relate to Hachiman (I HAVE FRIENDS THOUGH I SWEAR!!!), I found myself reading and liking the book. I'm also someone who finds self-deprecating jokes funny at times, so the fact that this novel had a lot of that, I also found myself laughing at times.

While there is something wrong with Hachiman's romantic comedy, I can say that this novel is off to a good start.

[A.S. Ember · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's charming to think this is exactly the sort of novel I would have written in high school, an impression helped along in this translation by relatively clumsy English diction. The witticisms and insults, over which you can almost hear the author giggle, are fun and the slow reveal of Hikki's empathy is very sweet. Truly, a light novel - wryly funny and pleasantly evocative of my own "wasted" youth.

[monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just because you got the world’s most relatable main character does not mean the story’s any good. I’m sorry but it’s just so BORING. The service club does not need to help you confess your feelings to your crush 😒🫸

[Pratik Jalan · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘My youth romantic comedy is wrong, as I expected’ is a Japanese light novel series written by Wataru Watari and illustrated by Ponkan8. The series consists of 14 volumes and 3 sub volumes. It has been licensed by Yen Press in North America for publication in English.

First off, I’d like to start with the fact the name can be pretty misleading, even I was taken aback once I had put the book down. So, here’s the prologue for starters:

“Those of you, who rejoice in youth, are perpetually deceiving yourselves and those around you. Under their discretion, lies, secrets, crimes and even failure are nothing but the spice of one’s youth. And in their corrupt ways, they discover something peculiar about failure. If failure could be seen as proof of one's youth, wouldn’t it be strange not to consider those who fail to make friends as experiencing the height of their youth? Of course, they wouldn’t acknowledge it. It amounts to nothing. The whole thing is nothing but a result of their opportunism. Therefore, it is a sham. Full of lies, deception, secrets and fraud that ought to be condemned.
They are evil.
In conclusion, youth, go blow yourselves up.”

NOT WHAT you expected? 

The series follows Hachiman Hikigaya, a realistic, pessimistic and cynical teen who doesn’t believe in making friends and is always alone. In an attempt to fix his twisted ideals and personality, as you can guess from the essay submitted by him on the topic ‘Looking back on our high school days’, WOW, his Homeroom teacher and Career Counsellor, Miss Hiratsuka forces him to join the Service Club,  an organization dedicated to helping students with problems in their lives!

Much to his surprise, he learns that the club president is none other than THE Yukino Yukinoshita, popularly known as the Ice Queen of their school because of her bewitching looks and sharp personality. For better or worse, she’s the one responsible for turning his life upside down from then on. Later, Hikigaya comes to realise that her own personality is as twisted as his, albeit in a different way. He is impressed by her line of thought, however, is unable to bring himself to accept it as correct.

Now, going forward, we have our second heroine who’ll have an equally great impact on their lives, Yui Yuigahama. She is the first customer of the Service Club and later joins in as the third member. An extremely popular and friendly girl, part of the highest social cliché in her grade. She is an expert at reading the mood and adjusting herself to it. Because of this she often hides her true opinion and states what others want to hear in order for things to go smoothly.

Since it’s the first volume, loads of other characters are introduced as well! We find our characters baking cookies, reviewing a light novel written by a certain weirdo, practising tennis with the cutest boy on earth and loads more! The beauty of the series lies in the monologues. As it is a first person narrative, it’s from the perspective of Hachiman. It has comedy, primarily focusing on the sarcastic exchanges between Yukino and Hachiman and trust me; it’s good enough to make you laugh out loud at times. The novel brings out the harsh truths of life that we often try to ignore but are forced to acknowledge or regret later. It is an extremely emotional series, even more as the relationship between the three develop and more characters are thrown into the fray.

Personally, I believe that the series shows a lot of potential and the first volume lays the foundation for moving forward. I’d say that it’s a must read for older teens. Highly recommended!

[Charles Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar to my experience with Monogatari, reading My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected after watching the anime is a lovely way to further interact with a story I thoroughly enjoyed. As a light novel, there's more narration by Hikigaya—this is both a strength and a weakness. I found some of the commentary and humor to be hit or miss, which is normal, but I think the beauty of animation and less reliance on internal monologue obscures the lower points in the anime series. That being said, when Wataru Watari is on, he's delightful:

"Of course I hate stuff like in-crowds and in-jokes. Oh, I like in-fighting, though. Because I'm never part of the 'in.'" (142)

Being the first volume of the series, a good deal of the novel is spent establishing characters and their difficulties with relationships—friendly or romantic. Hikigaya is the quintessential outsider who takes pride in his loner status, though it does seem this is a behavior he has accepted rather than explicitly chosen. Yukino Yukinoshita plays the opposite side of the same coin; she is beautiful and aggressively intelligent, truly "snow beneath the snow" in the sense that she is untouchable. Compounded by her unwavering convictions and direct language, Yukino is just as alone as Hiki—though this is from the perspective of the pedestal those around her obligatorily place her on. Bridging the gap between the two is Yui Yuigahama, their total foil. She is energetic, outgoing, and compelled to please people; in other words, she is capable of conforming to social norms and fitting in.
Despite my heavy reading workload as a graduate student, I'm really looking forward to volume two and seeing how Wataru illustrates the dynamic between these three as they grow and learn from one another's strengths and their own weaknesses.

[Albert Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story follows a high school student, Hachiman Hikigaya, an anti-social loner with an extremely cynical view of society and a pair of eyes similar to those of a "dead fish." Worried about his future, and as punishment for submitting an essay without proper content, his teacher forces him to join the Service Club, where Hachiman meets the ice-cold beauty, Yukino Yukinoshita, the president and sole member of the club. The activities of the Service Club consists of helping people with their problems, but rather than solving their problems directly, the club instead aims to lend a helping hand and give advice to encourage independence so that clients could solve their problems themselves. Although Hachiman possesses a rotten personality and a pessimistic outlook, some of his most outstanding traits are his impressive analytical and logical thinking skills and his result-oriented way of solving problems.

I found the main character to be very interesting and unique, as he is unlike the typical generic protagonist. When the author delves into the psychology of high school students, I feel that it has some truth in it (at least, in my experience). Although depressing at times, I especially enjoyed Hachiman's cynical and often witty comments on a variety of topics, like society and social norms. The story is also quite humourous with it's jokes and references, albeit often self-deprecating on Hachiman's end. In a way, this book has opened my eyes in some aspects of life and I even managed to learn a few life lessons, like to not blindly conform to the expectations of the people around us, or to improve ourselves rather than undermining others to make ourselves feel superior. Overall, I really had a lot of fun reading this book.

[Sukma Wardana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love book that using first person point of view, because you will know everything about the main character yet you need to rack your brain to understand the mystery around the main character itself and this book not only doing that, but do it very well. In my opinion this kind of book is easy to read and I would recommend to some one that wanted to read light novel at the first time.

Then about the story of the book itself.
I wonder, did Hikigaya Hachiman youth resemblance with mind back then?

Well, I believe it's not quite the same after all, neither have beauty teacher that look after me or girl that represent as Ice queen in my youth back then. The interesting was there is a lot trivia things about Japanese pop culture such as anime, manga and about Japan itself and I thanks to the translator and publisher that put an notes on this book (you will learn a lot about Japanese, I believe).

The book itself really well written and the comedy is very good (hope I don't have creepy smile while read this). I would recommend this book if you wanted to reminiscence your high school or for you who still on that age, but I swear don't follow Hikigaya Hachiman way! You need luck from God to be able found beauty girl (and boy too). So, just enjoy the story from this book.

[Monkuso_103 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a slice of life book that contains a relatable cast of characters based off of common tropes found in the world of youth. Our main character , Hikigaya Hachiman, despises social interaction and youth life and even writes about that in his paper for school. This is when his guidance councilor comes in and forces him to join a club that specializes in social interaction where there is only one other girl as a member. This girl is said the be smart and graceful but is soon realized to have "the personality of a garbage fire". This book contains good pacing, excellent comedy, a nice vibe and a relatable view that I found satisfying and somewhat deep. I honestly love this which is a hard thing to get out of me.

[Buo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I delicately waltz into the world of light novels, I try to find a gripping series that's going to keep me entertained all throughout it, and I finally found one

This is the story of Hachiman Hikigaya, a 2nd year high school student who's living a terribly lonely young adulthood.
It's a very entertaining novel, his bitter opinions on the fakeness of high school girls and boys are so funny, but he's also very sensitive to the insults and jibbers his new-found club partners throw at him.

"Watch what you say, Yuigahama, or I might inadvertently kill myself"
"What, are you part of the land mine disposal team in my heart now? Is it your job to dig up every single bit of trauma I have?"

can't wait to read the rest of the series!

[Thành Tuấn · Rating 5 out of 5]

the anime is good , the light novel editon is amazing . It is much funnier than the anime. I finished this book in 3 days. There are so much things you can see in this vol that not transformed into animation. I can read Hachiman's thinking. It's so strange and a bit funny. :V He always sees the negative parts of this world. I like him because i find myself into him : lonesome at highschool. I read lots lightnovel but its the first time i don't feel bored when this volume. 5 stars is not enough to rate this vol.

[Nicole Westen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A twist on the rom-com genre, but instead of a protagonist that is generally like or for some reason attractive to the female characters, this protagonist is written to be truly unlikable. Would've given this 3 stars for its interesting take on the genre, but Hikigaya consistently refering to Yuigahama as a 'slut' because of the way she dresses really pissed me off.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book for the serious anime/manga/light novel viewer/reader. There are so many references to series and terminogly used in the talking about anime/manga/light novels that if you are a beginner this book would make little sense other than outsider high school kids are thrown together.

That being said, it was a fun read.

[Shatha · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I wasn't impressed at all, and surprisingly, kinda hated hachiman. I'm not sure if my taste has changed (watched the anime in 2013) or it's the novel giving more insight to his pov which annoyed me. For example, slut-shaming females for just wearing short skirt.....really?
still, the smart funny dialogues reminded me why I loved the anime and enjoyed it.

[Nikhil Srivastav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well well well , Hachiman hikigaya is a cynic and somewhat like me. I've been a fan of anime and in fact it's my favourite show but reading novel was an experience that I was missing in anime. Wow it was funny , relatable and it broaden my Outlook towards the society as well. Hachiman is and will always be closed to the heart.

[Redric Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man this a great and mature novel, though it is lengthy, I would have given 5 stars, recommended to teens and adults who suffers or suffered from loneliness during school days. Also watch the anime