Entry #15: W Change!! (SoM 2018)

Y’know, this story’s almost not worth a full-fledged review. I think I’ll just point out various observations I had while reading it. Spoilers ahead.

The Female Lead’s Chest Changes Size

It’s a little odd. They’re already fairly big, though dependent on the frame, they kind of change size. Sometimes they’re noticeably big, while other times they’re HUGE. Almost as though the mangaka intended for them to be a part of her character in some way (like a touchy subject or a comical point), they are heavily emphasized in some portraits. I mean, sure, it’s easy to say “That’s basic sexual fan service, dude,” but you don’t understand. This manga doesn’t really have that much of that. They have one scene of her in the bathtub, one scene where a character points out that her shirt is low, and then continuous attires that show off her physique (skinny jeans and a tank top)—though the last example is debatable in its intentions. So… does the mangaka just suck at keeping her chest a certain size? It certainly seems like the size is intentional in how much its flaunted, except they don’t really note it at all. Kind of a curious thing I’m playing with… Could that be misconstrued?

The Writing is Really Self-Satisfying

So in the end, she conquers her dual-personality, which is treated like some demonic spirit controlling her consciousness (which is hilarious), and ends up fulfilling her dream of marrying the boy she likes. Just before this, the boy she loves almost dies sacrificing himself for her life at the hands of an opposing Yakuza leader. Oh, woe is her. I never would’ve seen it coming that he’d recover and they’d live happily ever after… yeah… uh-huh…

The final chapters, the last three or four, are also super anticlimactic because of this. I expected some all-out duel that’d take up a giant chunk of the manga’s length with trickery and, well, consequences. The mangaka decided that there would be no weight to anything and the good guys would just try really hard and decimate everything without even trying because they have righteousness on their side. What’s really deflating is that they set up this giant plot since the tenth chapter or so just to let it climax in the span of a few (relatively short) chapters. And then fast forward to the future where the main couple get married and, ha ha, Yakuza antics are so charming!

It just wouldn’t be Shounen without THE POWER OF EMOTIONS!!!. All hope fading, the female lead has been taken over by the “Shadow” of her dark self (which made me laugh audibly), whom is on the cusp of killing the male lead/partner. Male lead thus screams all sorts of emotional gush at her that makes a butterfly appear in the darkened chasm of her mind and allows her angelic light side to take control once again.

Y’know, people may wonder why I shit on Shounen so much, and it’s because of garbage like what I just typed out.

I Didn’t Hate It

Despite really self-satisfying, cliché writing and an extra helping of embarrassingly stupid Shounen situations, I didn’t hate this manga. Honestly, before the “dark side” took over the female lead, I wanted to know more about her. There are characters here that are interesting, though woefully underdeveloped. The lead’s female friend is decently assertive, which was nice. The male lead is also likable, though too perfect, but so is everyone on the “right” side. I can only wonder if I would like this manga more if they went a little more light-hearted with the story and focused on developing the characters through their goals and motivations, because the interaction between characters here was far more enjoyable than trying to follow the mindless, super-simple story. Bad guys are bad because they want power. Female lead’s group is a “good” Yakuza that aims to enact justice and nothing more. Wow. How riveting.

If there were any ounce of myself wishing to recommend this manga to people, it’d be to those who want a filler action flick, happy endings, and a “badass” heroine with a big bust that gets bigger the darker her personality becomes. I went into it expecting something more along the lines of Criminale! where the story would take a backseat to the characters, specifically the female lead’s desire to live a normal life. At least it stuck to one tone for the most part!

Final Score: 5.5/10

The rating for this title and all others can be found on MyAnimeList.

To see the ratings for all entries in this Summer and all others, check out the Summer of Anime Archive!