She is a Japanese manga artist known for creating The Magic Touch and Oresama Teacher which have both been serialized on the Hana to Yume magazine. Tsubaki began drawing manga in her first year of high school. She was soon selected to be in the top 10 of Hana to Yume Mangaka Course, and subsequently won the Big Challenge contest.
This one's been in the "read, give three stars, move on" camp for a half-dozen volumes or so. The cast was never all that deep to begin with, and there have been so many new characters introduced that I can't keep track of them all, making some episodes more of an exercise in head-scratching "who?" than enjoyment. An incidence or two of much-hated tropes like hypnosis didn't help its case, either.
It's been over a year since I read one of these, and maybe that's helped me be a little more tolerant of it. It never made much sense for Mikoshiba and Hori to have no clue that the other was also one of Nozaki's assistants--aside from fueling episodes where they're talking across each other for humor's sake--and they finally managed to put two and two together. Good! The ongoing, and very similar, line where Wakamatsu has no idea that Seo is "Lorelai" also comes to a close. Makes me wonder if this manga itself will also come to a close before too long.
As usual, the episodes having to do with Nozaki's being a mangaka are the best part of it, and there was a bit more of that than of other stuff this time around. My reaction to the humor in this title comes and goes, but I had a better time with Chiyo and co. this time around than I have for a good long while, so it gets four stars.
Long-standing secrets lay revealed, but does anything really change? Editors will be editors, everybody will assume the wrong thing, imaginations run away with the oddest ideas, and why is that guy trying to show off his biscuits?
While I will try not to expend too much word count extolling the best bits, business continues as usual in the world of Nozaki-kun and the gang. Which means things are funny as heck.
What many volumes of this magical series have taught me is that this manga does its best jokes when it’s pointedly dunking on the process of manga creation. The high school stuff is also fun, but, man, this story’s sense of satire is sharp as a tack.
An example: the first story involves Hori, who draws the manga’s backgrounds, not being available, so Nozaki steps up, since he is a pro. Except his idea of being a pro involves not actually doing more work, but changing the story to suit his apparently limited skill set.
The permutations this goes through as a party turns into an ambush and then a classic trope and then a conveyance of foodstuffs and possibly sending both main characters to the afterlife, just so Nozaki doesn’t have to draw backgrounds, are brilliant. It’s deadly funny.
Any time this story once more raises the question of just who the hell even likes Nozaki’s manga (or perhaps Nozaki himself during a goofy cooking chapter) - in one instance the story slams his writing pretty hard - it’s pure gold. And understandable.
We see the return of ‘somebody’s playing a visual novel’ and, while nothing will ever equal the way the first instance of this played out (especially in the anime), there’s always some strong laughs from these segments.
That’s what makes Nozaki-kun a cut above most gag manga - it doesn’t just repeat the same beats to the letter, it’s constantly bringing back what worked and doing something new with it.
The romance angle is turned way down, which is fine because it’s hardly the point of this thing. There’s barely anything in this about Sakura and Nozaki, minus the very last panel, which brings back a joke from earlier and an accidental comment turns into a thing instead. The expression that closes this story is priceless.
Well, Wakamatsu figures out that Seo is actually the singer who saved him from his insomnia and that leaves him incredibly conflicted since he doesn’t especially like Seo, since she keeps messing with him (which is largely Seo being as affectionate as she’ll ever get).
In a way, the fact that this changes so little might be the best joke of all, even if we get an amazing sequence of Wakamatsu putting the pieces together and another where Sakura and Nozaki have very different interpretations of Seo.
This is replicated with Hori and Mikoshiba figuring out they both work for Nozaki, which also changes nothing. But shout out to Hori for being the unexpected MVP of this volume. He’s always been an okay character, but he gets a lot of the best lines in this one and a brilliant chapter where he’s trying to teach a way too eager girl about stranger danger.
And why should things change? This story has a great cast and knows how to deliver a joke. There’s a definite formula to it, but the ingredients keep getting tweaked just enough to make it feel new. An absolute joy and an all-timer for gag manga.
5 stars - “Why’s this guy tryin’ to show me his biscuits!?”
These characters have grown a little over the last few volumes, for example, now Waka knows who Lorelei really is and Hori constantly praises Kashima for her looks, though he really cares about her, also he’s acknowledge that Mikorin is the one drawing flowers in Nozaki’s manga and of course, we see Sakura fangirling over Nozaki.
They’re all wholesome and always make me laugh, but I felt this volume a bit more random than usual. Still, this is a great series and a reminder we don’t have to take everything too seriously.
Aku baru ingat kalau Kashima enggak boleh tahu Hori itu asisten komikus biar enggak direcokin, jadi sohibnya (Mikorin) yang bermulut ember itu juga enggak boleh tahu.
Nozaki dkk kan sering banget main bareng dan bahkan para asisten juga sering bertemu. Nah, memangnya mereka enggak bertanya-tanya apa begitu kalau ketemuan? Apalagi, seingatku, para cowok sempat mengeluarkan alat tulis berkaitan pekerjaan mereka pas mau sleepover di rumah Nozaki. Aku tahu Nozaki suka berdiskusi soal komik dengan para asistennya, tetapi aku enggak ingat apakah waktu itu Mikorin dan Hori sedang berdiri berdekatan apa enggak. Well, saking random-nya topik pembicaraan mereka, aku jadi lupa sih. Wkwkwk.
Omong-omong soal Maeno dan pasukan tanuki, kayaknya aku jadi teringat oleh beberapa komik shojo. Entah kenapa, pengarang tersebut suka sekali memasukkan animal sidekick di dalam setiap ceritanya. Enggak cuman protagonisnya, semua tokoh penting sepertinya punya hewan peliharaan yang bahkan lebih bijaksana daripada manusianya. Jadi, apakah waktu itu sedang tren zamannya?
Aku dapat pengetahuan baru. Menurutku, bad ending bahagia bisa jadi sesuatu yang menantang dan membuat penulisnya terkesan cerdas jika berhasil dilakukan dengan rapi. Ini ide yang bagus sebagai seseorang yang menyukai dunia kepenulisan dan plot twist. Eh, tunggu, ini itu sebutan lainnya bittersweet ending apa enggak sih?
Di volume ini kayaknya banyak hal kocak dan ikonis karena banyak yang kutandain. Pertama, stiker tone yang dikira media kutukan. Terus, aku selalu puas ketika seantero sekolah seakan tahu gebetan dan kegilaannya Chiyo sementara doinya sendiri ....
Yah, keduanya yang bisa mudah sekali untuk bahagia-bahagia saja dalam situasi mencemaskan itu menegaskan kalau mereka itu memang cocok sih. Oh, aku suka Nozaki yang selalu membuatkan barang-barang berguna buatan tangan demi membantu kawan-kawannya. Keren sekali.
Soal big reveal Yuzuki ke Waka, sejujurnya aku agak kecewa karena ekspresi tokoh-tokohnya kurang 'WAH' begitu. Namun, penulisnya sendiri bilang kalau Waka itu loading-nya lama dan ... ya .... Oke, bisa kuterima. By the way, Yuzuki cantik banget di halaman 127.
Finally back to these silly goofy kids! Here are some brief thoughts on volume 13:
I can’t believe it’s taken 120 chapters for Hori to learn that Mikoshiba draws the flowers. Tsubaki loves a slow burn.
I was extremely confused during chapter 121 because the website I use switched the first and last panels… The whole time, I was like “Where did these books come from? Where did you find this porn, Hori??”
“YUMENOOOO!!!” Poor Ken… 🥲
The moment has finally come! Lorelei is officially ruined for Wakamatsu.
“I can’t believe you had a spoiler reveal without me…!!!”
Chapter 126 is so freaking funny. I really don’t like Kashima’s sister as a character, so I was skeptical, but Hori fake flirting using lines from Let’s Love (that Suzuki said to a dolphin???) is priceless. And of course Hori and Kashima’s dynamic is still crazy. Realistically, I don’t know if they should date, but this tension is not sustainable!
Nozaki sewing oven mits for Chiyo… 🥹 He’s the mom character.
I hope Chiyo’s group got a good grade, because those cookies are so embarrassing.
Mayu getting blackmailed by girls to show them pictures of Mikoshiba… Only Tsubaki could think of this.
Wow, handholding?! Why does that feel like a much bigger deal than the weird fetish stuff in this manga…? Nozaki and Chiyo really leveled up their relationship lol.
Akhirnya bisa menyelesaikan komik ini juga ^.^ Bukan karena bosan sih, tapi pas mau lanjut baca, timingnya nggak tepat terus fufufu *sok sibuk ceritanya XD*
Ceritanya mulai ada perkembangan sih. Lihat ini jadi penasaran, apa judul ini bakal segera tamat, ya? Sedih juga kalau akhirnya series ini nantinya bakal tamat *tiba-tiba melankolis* T^T
Btw, mulai vol. ini, untuk versi Indonesia, mulai pakai cetakan baru menggunakan bookpaper. Beneran jadi tebal banget nih buku. Cuma jadi agak was-was nanti warnanya nguning atau ada bercak2 gitu karena kertasnya gampang banget teroksidasi (≧∀≦). Sebenar suka sih versi baru ini, tapi harganya lumayan juga, ya hihihi.
Wakamatsu almost gets outed as Nozaki’s tonist after tone stickers get stuck in his clothes. Hori finds Mikoshiba’s collection of naughty manga in Nozaki’s closet and wants to learn who they belong to. He never finds out, but Mikoshiba ends up telling him he draws all the flowers in Nozaki’s manga to distract Hori.
Seo finally makes Wakamatsu believe she’s Lorelai, which greatly affects his sleeping, but doesn’t really make him think more kindly about Seo. Yukari tries to get a hang of Ryousuke, but ends up making him a manga character.
Sakura gets her chance to make her interest in Nozaki known at home economics, though it turns out the entire class already knows. Everyone but Nozaki. But the volume ends with a bit of a cliffhanger: does he finally develop feelings for her too? I’ll have to read on.
Dla nikogo nie powinno być zaskoczeniem, że treść mangi ponownie skupia się na wszelkiego rodzaju permutacjach nastoletniej miłości. Młodzi bohaterowie, których losy śledzimy już od dłuższego czasu, ciągle balansują gdzieś na pograniczu prawdziwego związku i tym samym spełnienia swoich skrywanych emocjonalnych marzeń. Wiele podejmowanych przez nich decyzji prowadzi do istnego chaosu, będącego podstawą wielu gagów. Obok tego w trzynastym tomie nie będzie również brakować całej masy fabularnych zaskoczeń. Zostaną bowiem tu odkryte pewne sekrety, które mogą wiele zmienić w życiu bohaterów. Jest więc tajemniczo, zabawnie, emocjonalnie i co najważniejsze bardzo satysfakcjonująco.
I've been a fan of this series for a long time, and I liked this installment just as much as I've liked the others!
In this series, we get to see the cast through Kashima's little sister's eyes. Misunderstandings, as always, abound, in hilarious ways. And I have to say that since I became an author, Nozaki using EVERYTHING in his life as content or inspiration has taken on a new level of hilarity for me.
What I love - The humor. It is just peak shojo but in a self aware manner that just really keeps me turning page after page. And of course, the art! It is such a classic style, but in a fun, fresh interpretataion.
Who would love this: Long time shojo fans. Maybe slice of life... especially if you don't mind slice of high school life.
I chuckled quite a bit and LOL'd a few times. It's off to a slower start than usual, but it ramps up by the end. I can't pinpoint why it seems like it falls a little flat, but that's a small complaint. I can't believe the longevity of the premise and how much life has been pulled from this concept that no signs of slowing down or weakening any time soon. Waka is adorable. His realizations are the best part of this one. Poor Waka! 😂
Seperti biasa komik Nozaki nggak pernah gagal membuatku tertawa terpingkal-pingkal X"D
Reaksi Mikorin & Wakamatsu setelah mengetahui orang yang selama ini mereka cari tuh lawak banget wkwkwk.
Trus pas editornya Nozaki dikasih tahu perihal ide baru reaksinya tuh kayak "Oh ya boleh, dicoba saja." tapi dalam hatinya kayak "Yaudahlah yha paling besok-besok dia lupa sama idenya yang itu." seakan-akan sudah terbiasa menghadapi sifat Nozaki yang itu X"D
For being called "Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun," this volume really doesn't feature Nozaki-kun very much. Hori, Wakamatsu, and Mikoshiba are the real stars of the episode.
And OMG, characters actually figure things out. Hori and Mikoshiba discover they are both assisting Nozaki. Wakamastu finally learns that Seo isn't just pulling his leg, and really is his angelic Lorelai.
But what of that last panel of the volume? Did Nozaki actually figure something out???
I loved this volume!!! I was laughing out loud the whole time I was reading it! It had lots of hilarious stories in it!!! I also love the translation notes in the manga for the English translation version. All in all, there has not been a single volume of Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun that I haven't adored! If you are looking for a silly, cute, and fun slice-of-life manga to read, this is the manga series for you!!!
Mikoshiba and Hori finally know they are both Nozaki's assistants, and I love how they found out about each other. Also, Wakamatsu has finally accepted that Lorelai is actually Seo, and their relationship is now so odd, that it's hilarious. Can you have a crush on someone and also not like them at the same time? Wakamatsu is proving that can be the case.
More like 4.5 but it ends better than it starts. I didn't laugh out loud as much with this volume, but I did still enjoy it quite a bit. This series is just so much fun, a great pick-me-up. Still, it feels like the author is rushing to tie up a lot of plot lines here.
Another stellar volume, with plenty of hijinks and some subtle development? Maybe? Either way, this series never fails to make me giggle, and I love it for that. 🧡 Just wish I didn’t have to wait so long for the next installment!
The arc with people being baffled and trying to figure out why tone is stuck to their friends is surprisingly funny. Hori stumbles upon Mikoshiba's private collection and hilarity ensues! Obviously love everything to do with Waka and Seo
I loved this! This was exactly what I needed to read to cheer me up. It was so funny and adorable. I love how it doesn't take itself too seriously and leans into the ridiculousness of the plot. I can't wait to read the next volume.