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Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki Light Novel #3
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 3 (light novel)
The first semester is over, and summer vacation has begun-although that doesn't mean Tomozaki will get a break from his training with Hinami. His mission this time is a tough one: a coed overnight trip! And not only that, she wants him in a relationship by the end of the summer?!
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 18, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 8, 2020
Well, it took three volumes, but this volume was actually a pretty decent read. To be fair, three volumes are nothing when it comes to light novels. That’s basically one normal novel! Anyways, enough beating around the bush. This volume of Tomozaki-kun was is definitely the best by far. The first volume was downright painful at parts to read. The second volume wasn’t as bad as the first, but still wasn’t that good. This volume, the third, shows a turning point in this series. Whether or not the next volume will be better than this one is not yet known, but we’re not here to speculate--we’re here to review.
This volume takes place during summer vacation. Normally, Tomozaki would spend that time to grind in Atafami--he can’t this summer though, since summer vacation is the perfect time for normie training. He has plans to get a part-time job, go to the movies with a girl, go out BBQing with his new cool friends, and much more! Tomozaki is truly ‘leveling up’ in the game of life, as insane and corny as that sounds.
What makes this volume stand out from the first two is that it asks the question ‘Is this really what I want?’. Is Tomozaki’s training really worth it? Is this what he wants out of his youth? Does he have to go to the point of writing out conversation cards for separate people to know what to bring up when he goes and hangs out with them? I’m not exactly the most popular person (or ‘high-tier character’ if we’re going by the terminology of this series), but I’ve never gone to the point of using flashcards to write out simple conversation points to bring up at a later date. Why? Well, because that’s fucking psychotic. It’s one thing to practice talking if you’re not confident in the way you speak. It’s a whole other thing to pretend to be someone you’re not and ape conversation points and mannerisms from other more popular people. This volume finally brings that point to a head. Does Tomozaki want to soullessly climb through the social ladder? Does he just want to simply learn how to not be such a dork and how to talk to people? Or does he not give a damn anymore, and would rather go back to playing Atafami every day? It’s one thing to get out of your shell and enjoy your youth with others. It’s a completely different thing to pretend to be someone you’re not and lose yourself on the way.
This volume also finally gets to differentiate the other girls (the ones who aren’t Hinami). Mimimi was already standing out from the others due to her arc in the second volume. Kikuchi (the girl on the cover) finally gets the depth that her character needed for people to care about her. Izumi still hasn’t gotten enough time, but from what time she has gotten from the first volume until now, we can differentiate her from Mimimi. Hanabi wasn’t in this volume at all, so I can’t really say anything about her. But from what I know, she’ll get more of a focus in the next volume.
The one main issue I still have, and will probably have until the series concludes, is with Tomozaki being the ‘best Atafami player in Japan’. He still hasn’t mentioned getting any money from his skills. Maybe in this universe, you just don’t get much recognition for being a ‘pro-gamer’. Maybe he’s just what they call an ‘onliner’. Either way, it’s still a ridiculous concept for me. I know it’s not about the money for him, but still, scoring a bit of cash on the side can make your life easier, especially if you’re trying to go out more. Also, I don’t know how much top Smash players practice in real life, but I’m guessing it’s somewhere in the 4+ hours a day range. I’m just nitpicking at this point, but the concept is just incomprehensible for me to believe. Best in your school? That’s nothing to sneeze at, but more believable. Being the best on the islands of Japan? Come on man. There’s also the issue with Hinami being second on the leaderboard, but that’s a whole other diatribe.
What makes this volume better than the first two is that it shows a proof of concept of where the series wants to go. It shows a divergence of where the series seemed like it was going, and corrects it somewhat. Tomozaki has enough foresight to realize that ‘gamifying’ life (both in an actual gamer-sense and in a PUA one) is dangerous, and has to ponder about how he wants to continue. This volume was the first one that I actually wanted to read. Unlike the first two volumes, its conclusion wasn’t poorly wrapped up or cringe-inducing. Sucks that it had to take three volumes for this to happen, but at least it did. Here’s to hoping that the fourth volume continues on the right path that this volume started on.
This volume takes place during summer vacation. Normally, Tomozaki would spend that time to grind in Atafami--he can’t this summer though, since summer vacation is the perfect time for normie training. He has plans to get a part-time job, go to the movies with a girl, go out BBQing with his new cool friends, and much more! Tomozaki is truly ‘leveling up’ in the game of life, as insane and corny as that sounds.
What makes this volume stand out from the first two is that it asks the question ‘Is this really what I want?’. Is Tomozaki’s training really worth it? Is this what he wants out of his youth? Does he have to go to the point of writing out conversation cards for separate people to know what to bring up when he goes and hangs out with them? I’m not exactly the most popular person (or ‘high-tier character’ if we’re going by the terminology of this series), but I’ve never gone to the point of using flashcards to write out simple conversation points to bring up at a later date. Why? Well, because that’s fucking psychotic. It’s one thing to practice talking if you’re not confident in the way you speak. It’s a whole other thing to pretend to be someone you’re not and ape conversation points and mannerisms from other more popular people. This volume finally brings that point to a head. Does Tomozaki want to soullessly climb through the social ladder? Does he just want to simply learn how to not be such a dork and how to talk to people? Or does he not give a damn anymore, and would rather go back to playing Atafami every day? It’s one thing to get out of your shell and enjoy your youth with others. It’s a completely different thing to pretend to be someone you’re not and lose yourself on the way.
This volume also finally gets to differentiate the other girls (the ones who aren’t Hinami). Mimimi was already standing out from the others due to her arc in the second volume. Kikuchi (the girl on the cover) finally gets the depth that her character needed for people to care about her. Izumi still hasn’t gotten enough time, but from what time she has gotten from the first volume until now, we can differentiate her from Mimimi. Hanabi wasn’t in this volume at all, so I can’t really say anything about her. But from what I know, she’ll get more of a focus in the next volume.
The one main issue I still have, and will probably have until the series concludes, is with Tomozaki being the ‘best Atafami player in Japan’. He still hasn’t mentioned getting any money from his skills. Maybe in this universe, you just don’t get much recognition for being a ‘pro-gamer’. Maybe he’s just what they call an ‘onliner’. Either way, it’s still a ridiculous concept for me. I know it’s not about the money for him, but still, scoring a bit of cash on the side can make your life easier, especially if you’re trying to go out more. Also, I don’t know how much top Smash players practice in real life, but I’m guessing it’s somewhere in the 4+ hours a day range. I’m just nitpicking at this point, but the concept is just incomprehensible for me to believe. Best in your school? That’s nothing to sneeze at, but more believable. Being the best on the islands of Japan? Come on man. There’s also the issue with Hinami being second on the leaderboard, but that’s a whole other diatribe.
What makes this volume better than the first two is that it shows a proof of concept of where the series wants to go. It shows a divergence of where the series seemed like it was going, and corrects it somewhat. Tomozaki has enough foresight to realize that ‘gamifying’ life (both in an actual gamer-sense and in a PUA one) is dangerous, and has to ponder about how he wants to continue. This volume was the first one that I actually wanted to read. Unlike the first two volumes, its conclusion wasn’t poorly wrapped up or cringe-inducing. Sucks that it had to take three volumes for this to happen, but at least it did. Here’s to hoping that the fourth volume continues on the right path that this volume started on.
September 25, 2020
This is his best work so far, and I'll keep following the series.
I absolutely loved the character development in this one. The MC truly shines in this one, and is a major factor why I really love this volume.
First, the flaws.
I found the summer vacation chapter (no spoilers) absolutely unnecessary, contrived, and overall uninteresting. I get that it was needed for character development for Hinami, Misuzawa, and MC, but the author could have introduced another more interesting scenario. The main reasons they even did all this is for 2 other characters, and they're so boring and developed enough for me to care. Oh, and Fuuka continues to be a very boring character despite all the efforts of the author.
So why is it rated so highly? It's because everything after that chapter was absolutely amazing. The subsequent chapters knock everything the author has written so far, even from previous volumes, out of the park. It has me hyped for the next volume, that's for sure.
So, yes. Up until Volume 3, I would highly recommend this series. It's a fun read, though it does drag on a bit on boring high school drama, but I can't expect much from the light novel/Japanese pop culture influences.
I absolutely loved the character development in this one. The MC truly shines in this one, and is a major factor why I really love this volume.
First, the flaws.
I found the summer vacation chapter (no spoilers) absolutely unnecessary, contrived, and overall uninteresting. I get that it was needed for character development for Hinami, Misuzawa, and MC, but the author could have introduced another more interesting scenario. The main reasons they even did all this is for 2 other characters, and they're so boring and developed enough for me to care. Oh, and Fuuka continues to be a very boring character despite all the efforts of the author.
So why is it rated so highly? It's because everything after that chapter was absolutely amazing. The subsequent chapters knock everything the author has written so far, even from previous volumes, out of the park. It has me hyped for the next volume, that's for sure.
So, yes. Up until Volume 3, I would highly recommend this series. It's a fun read, though it does drag on a bit on boring high school drama, but I can't expect much from the light novel/Japanese pop culture influences.
September 23, 2020
I liked this one. It's been my favorite so far. The last volume was good, but felt like the lessons weren't as big to me. Volume 3 has more of the interaction with Tomozaki-kun and Hinami-chan what to me have been a pretty big draw to the series. Once again there are assignments and challenges for Tomozaki-kun and some successes and some seeming failures. I particularly enjoyed the ending which I have to admit I wasn't expecting. (I want to tell you but hate using the spoiler tag.
Verdict: If you enjoyed at least the first one, you should like this one. If you're hesitant about the series, it's light fun, give it a read!
Verdict: If you enjoyed at least the first one, you should like this one. If you're hesitant about the series, it's light fun, give it a read!
April 26, 2021
An interesting take on a high school romantic comedy, where both the romance and the comedy take a back seat to navigating high school life. And this doesn't just apply to the main character, Tomozaki, who of course is the focus here; a socially awkward nerd trying to gamify his way into vibing with normies. We see it also with the friends he starts to make, and with his social success guru, Aoi, who we finally see in this book is in fact too good to be true, and is in some ways pretty messed up herself. Didn't expect all this nuance going in (in fact almost didn't start b/c the premise was so incel-y), but have been very pleasantly surprised.
September 28, 2020
I loved this volume perhaps even more than the first. The story moved along at a good pace, the projects Tomozaki was working on were entertaining to read, the two main characters had excellent growth arcs, and the side characters embellished the storyline without taking it over.
We began to see Tomozaki coming into his own, and we saw Hinami’s mask exposed. In addition, the dialogue didn’t annoy me at all in this volume. There was great balance between the plot’s pace and the character development. I’d be surprised if this series doesn’t see an anime adaptation soon.
We began to see Tomozaki coming into his own, and we saw Hinami’s mask exposed. In addition, the dialogue didn’t annoy me at all in this volume. There was great balance between the plot’s pace and the character development. I’d be surprised if this series doesn’t see an anime adaptation soon.
March 19, 2024
Me esta gustando mucho esta serie.
Espero la historia siga como ahora o mejor.
Espero que si se queda con alguien sea con Kikuchi. Es como el personaje de Yotsuba en las quintillizas. Desde el inicio, antes de empezar a cambiar, ya tenía en el radar a Tomozaki. Y es quien le da ánimos para seguir cambiando si es lo que quiere él.
Los demás personajes son agradables, pero no lo topaban sino hasta que empezó a cambiar.
Espero la historia siga como ahora o mejor.
Espero que si se queda con alguien sea con Kikuchi. Es como el personaje de Yotsuba en las quintillizas. Desde el inicio, antes de empezar a cambiar, ya tenía en el radar a Tomozaki. Y es quien le da ánimos para seguir cambiando si es lo que quiere él.
Los demás personajes son agradables, pero no lo topaban sino hasta que empezó a cambiar.
April 10, 2025
Oh, I am so proud of tomozaki for that ending. pulling through with socializing and with standing up for what you believe is right, brings you fulfillment and want hurts but he did it lets goo.
that's it, good one. I feel like from now on it might be more on the drama side and reiterations than the life lessons but I hope I am wrong.
that's it, good one. I feel like from now on it might be more on the drama side and reiterations than the life lessons but I hope I am wrong.
January 30, 2022
Un excelente volumen eh de decir, el clímax fue muy interesante al poder ver a tomozaki-kun cuestionandose todo lo que ah hecho y si es realmente correcto, además de que la conclusión deja mucho la expectativa de que es lo que sucederá de ahora en adelante y como lo manejaran
June 5, 2021
This is best volume for me, I'm looking forward next volume
September 18, 2021
Where the anime ends.
May 27, 2022
Kikuichi San you are the reason I'm reading this novel 🙌🙌✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
September 24, 2024
2nd season
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews