Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru.
My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected

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Dedicated to those who yarn for something geniune

As a passionate reader, I am thrilled to share my transformative experience with the novel "My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU." This literary gem stands apart from the crowd, offering a unique and thought-provoking perspective that distinguishes it from typical market offerings. The narrative unfolds through the lens of Hikigaya Hachiman, a self-proclaimed loner who navigates high school with a determined effort to keep his distance from society. His solitude is not just a result of his personality; it's a defense mechanism forged from past rejections and childhood trauma. The author masterfully weaves these elements into the fabric of ... Hikigaya's character, creating a protagonist whose journey is both relatable and compelling.

The catalyst for change in Hikigaya's life comes in the form of Miss Hiratsuka, a Japanese teacher and career counselor who disrupts his silent existence by coercing him into joining the Service Club. Introduced to Yukino Yukinoshita, the enigmatic "Ace Ice Beauty" of the school, Hikigaya's life takes a drastic turn. Yukinoshita, with her seemingly flawless exterior, harbors a defective personality that resonates with Hikigaya but challenges his understanding of right and wrong. The introduction of Yui Yuigahama, an initially naive yet endearing character, adds depth to the novel. Her admiration for Yukinoshita influences her character development, creating a dynamic interplay that adds layers to the storyline. The Tennis Court Finale incident and the theatrics involving a particular friend of Hikigaya serve as pivotal moments in this volume, propelling the narrative forward and setting the stage for future developments. One of the novel's standout features is the use of monologues. Presented in the first person from Hikigaya's viewpoint, these introspective moments provide readers with a window into the protagonist's mind, enriching the storytelling experience.

What sets "My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU" apart is its commitment to portraying reality in a world inundated with fantasy. Unlike popular series like SAO, Accel World, or Danmachi, this novel delves into the overlooked aspects of life from a loner's perspective. It resonates with the universal experience of loneliness, delivering a powerful message: never give up. This series is not only entertaining but also emotionally resonant, seamlessly blending humor with poignant moments. It establishes a solid foundation for future installments, making it a must-read for those seeking a fresh and different perspective on life. As I conclude, I assert that this series possesses immense potential, with the novel standing out for its detailed exploration of Hikigaya's thoughts. While the anime offers a visual feast, delving into the novel enriches the experience, providing a nuanced understanding of the protagonist's inner workings. Whether you choose to watch the anime first or dive into the novel, "My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU" promises a captivating journey that is both enlightening and enjoyable. Don't miss the chance to immerse yourself in this distinctive narrative.

Remember how popular the topic of Disney princess movies turning little girls into helpless princesses due to portraying their women as “damsels in distress” was? Yeah, that’s been the star of the show for a while. But what people fail to mention is the other side of the coin—how those same movies hardwire boys into thinking what makes a man is to risk life and limb for these very damsels, often at the expense of their own safety and well-being. A savior complex. What makes you a decent person? Not your smarts nor personality, but how much suffering you can endure without complaining. Oregairu doesn’t ... have castles to raid or dragons to slay, but it runs on the exact outdated script. The only difference is, instead of a prince charging into battle, you’ve got a dead-eyed high school boy doing all his “heroics” from behind the shadows, ruining his own life and image for the sake of people who wouldn’t show up to his funeral.


Hachiman Hikigaya: A Mouthpiece, Not a Character

That high schooler is Hachiman Hikigaya—self-proclaimed cynic, professional loner, and a part-time philosopher who just discovered Nietzsche last Tuesday. Good news: if you’ve spent your teen years thinking the world is garbage and everyone except you is an idiot, then Hikigaya is your kindred spirit. Sure, he does make good points, but most of the shit he spills out is either redundant topics from Philosophy 101 or some shit you’d see from a Twitter account named “Deep Nihilistic Quotes.”

Everyone likes to call this character relatable. And by everyone: pretentious teens who think they’re the most mature and philosophical person in the room. Which… yeah, to some degree I’d give them that. But that says more about the fans rather than Hikigaya himself. His worldview flips faster than a politician's during election season. One moment he swears he doesn’t care about anyone, the next he’s bending over backwards to “help” people he openly can’t stand. There isn’t a timeline of emotional and situational development—just sudden shifts of “heroism” whenever the plot needs him to save the day.

And his big heroic move? Dragging his own reputation through the mud for other people’s sake. I wouldn’t call it noble; maybe theatrical. He’s so committed to his martyrdom, Jesus would look away in shame. Problem is, this behavior isn’t realistic nor believable one bit. Hikigaya is less of a person and more an epitome of every “misunderstood genius” trope you’ve ever seen—introverted, intelligent, selfless, secretly kind—oh, and he just so happens to attract two heartthrobs without even trying. Yeah, super realistic.

Don’t get me wrong, Hikigaya is still an interesting character. But not because of the way he is written. He’s got a certain charm, he’s funny in his own self-deprecating way, and you can trace some growth over the series. But every time that “growth” surfaces, Wataru Watari takes the wheel away from his protagonist and uses him as a soapbox to deliver whatever social commentary he wants to spit out. That’s where Hikigaya’s phantom of maturity comes from—a teenager with the voice, baggage, and existential fatigue of a thirty-something salaryman. He’s compelling, sure. But not because he’s a methodically well-written character; he’s compelling because of the pseudo-intellectual soliloquies Wataru uses to lecture his audience, for better or for worse.

That’s my biggest gripe with the series. Instead of creating a chain of development that’ll allow our protagonist to see these mature themes and answers on his own, he’s already a built character who doesn’t need directions to mature. The author was so excited to rant about his disdain for the world, he just imposed the adult baggage he had onto Hikigaya instead of creating a coherent narrative. It isn’t deep or meaningful; it’s performative. Had he made the protagonist a more believable high schooler, had he made him face hurdles instead of falling to martyrdom, and had he been more patient in writing, this could have been the best coming-of-age story the light novel industry could offer. He has the skills—you can nitpick a few well-written scenes and compelling dialogues—but he was too proud a Nietzsche stan to not yap about his worldview through his protagonist.

Watari’s problem is that he’s too in love with his own work. You can practically hear the author’s voice bleeding through his characters. And while personal investment is good, there’s a fine line between sincerity and using your cast as sock puppets for your own TED Talk.

Let’s be honest, if you’re reading this review with your MyAnimeList account, veins popping out of your forehead, odds are you probably see a little bit of yourself in him. Except, you know, two pretty girls helplessly falling in love with you.


Codependency: Unresolved Conflict

Speaking of those two pretty girls, they are probably the most narratively frustrating characters in the entire series. Yui Yuigahama and Yukino Yukinoshita. Yui, to be completely frank, is nothing but convenient. Literally her only role in the story is to keep Hikigaya and Yukinoshita from falling apart. She’s not a character, but a support to keep the love triangle rolling. Oh, there’s conflict between dead-eyed boy and dead-eyed girl? Here’s Yui to save the day. The story fails to give Hikigaya and Yukinoshita independent growth both as individual characters and as love interests.

Codependency this; codependency that. Wataru Watari highlighted that the main conflict of the story is the characters’ inability to sustain their relationships without a club to glue them together, yet there was no resolution to the story and the outcome came out entirely forced. Thank you, Yui (They did you dirty).

As for Yukino Yukinoshita, the main heroine. She’s basically Hikigaya in a wig: same social isolation, same stubborn worldview, and same “I’m better than you because I read books” vibe. Much like how the story positions Hikigaya as someone grounded in his beliefs until he needs to save the day, Yukinoshita is portrayed as an unshakable ice-cold princess, until the story needs her to shake. She does receive the most development in the series, but like I previously said, it’s forced and unnatural; only with the help of her co-heroine could she have become the person she ended up as.

Despite the amount of screentime Yui received, the story could have just been Hikigaya and Yukinoshita. No other characters mattered. All this talk about our main cast outgrowing codependency, the author didn’t figure out that every other character’s relevance is codependent on their ability to make Yukinoshita and Hikigaya get together.


Codependency to Convenient Storytelling

And then there’s the Service Club—a pretty neat concept: basically a grievance system that helps out students’ personal requests. It was a breath of fresh air: a club that actually does something, helping people with their problems instead of just reading books, eating snacks, or just using the club room as a venue for character interactions. However, somewhere down the line, it mutates into this bureaucratic nightmare of student council meetings, vague planning, and logistical filler that lasts entire chapters to fill Wataru’s page quota or something. Early requests were simple and reasonable; however, further into the story the Service Club was basically invading other people’s privacy. Helping with confessions? Snooping into career plans they explicitly told you to stay out of? That’s not wholesome club activities; that’s meddling with other people’s business. Stalking with extra steps. What for? Obviously, doing wholesome requests will run stale, and the author obviously needed to raise the stakes of the story, but this development is just unreasonable and irrational. Which is ironic because Hikigaya was supposed to be this hyper-rational guy, yet he jumps on these requests like a hungry dog on table scraps.

Which brings us to the issue: convenience. This story runs on convenience like it is diesel fuel. Dialogue bends over backwards to force misunderstandings. Conflicts appear out of nowhere, like the infamous fake confession scene. And while convenience in storytelling is unavoidable, Oregairu builds entire arcs out of it, only for them to matter in the moment and vanish without touching the bigger picture.

To even make the protagonist seem like a good person, Wataru’s writing depended on stepping down on a decent character to make Hikigaya look good. Hayama wasn’t necessarily a decently written character, but someone with a good heart. However, he was evidently written to be Hikigaya’s rival—someone with opposing views and methods to his, but also as competition in whatever category Wataru wants them to compete in. This brings us back to Hikigaya not developing as a person because he’s already a built character from scratch. So to make him somewhat interesting, he pitted these two characters against each other to create more tension, making it seem like he’s outgrowing someone even though he’s just bringing Hayama down if you look at it from a wider perspective.


Final Thoughts

I don’t believe Oregairu, to the core, is a garbage story, though the way I’ve trashed every aspect of the light novel may make it seem like it. It had potential, and at times it actually delivered decent storytelling I was compelled by. So sure, I’d recommend Oregairu. It’s the romcom equivalent of a toxic relationship—frustrating, full of bad communication, but you can’t just break up with it because it has enough charm to reel you back in (I will not elaborate on why I know how that feels). Although I would recommend watching the anime instead due to the amount of unnecessary dialogue and logistical fillers that would put even caffeine to sleep. So if you like the same old harem setups with extra cynicism and a little bit of existential dread—or if you’re just an edgy teenager—you’ll have the time of your life. Just don’t expect it to be a flawless, soul-piercing masterpiece fans make it out to be.

>You're asking me will my love grow. I don't know, I don't know.
You stick around now, it may show. I don't know, I don't know...

I'd tried to find something similar to this work, from the musical lyrics to the peers Haruhi Suzumiya and Koten-bu Series, but nothing truly fitted the frame. Then I remembered I had watched How I Met Your Mother, and even though its ending was justifiable, the audiences' reception would change after that amount of time spent with the series. Still different is the case of Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru.


__Characters__

Let's be frank. Oregairu is character-driven, so talking about ... them will automatically do the work here. Warning: What following has the potential of upsetting the fanbase, so be ready.

__Yukino Yukinoshita__ is the front of the work. Any discussions of the work will eventually lead to her. Despite the attention she received, the character is the biggest failure. She had wished to change, yet Yukinoshita was the one showing the least effort, if ever existed. If she had genuinely wanted to do so, here could be some suggestions. I think Yukinoshita the Elder already spoke of something similar to 'codependency', and what should have been her answer is 'Why don't you sit back and enjoy the flow, Nee-san? I will prove this codependency of yours, and just wait for his dance in my palm.' That's how to shut Haruno Yukinoshita up. She had had a tongue, a very sharp one, but why did she need to behave like a cat eventually? Against the mother, well, let her be the plan maker instead of Hikigaya, suck him dry and recharge him with the word 'I love you', because it was already the end and why there was still no sign of Yukinoshita's Revolution, let alone the opportunity of freeing herself from the shackles of Hikigaya's solo performance so far at the gist 8th volume, which would have built up the much better momentum towards the end? If those things had been done, other ships would have been effortlessly sunken. However, I don't hold any particular hatred towards the character. Her state is what the author wanted to preserve, and her annoying constancy spoke the unshakable will of his. So congratulation on him getting the waifu. Yuki is always a good example of overcoming dependent tendency, and it is my pleasure to say the full name, Yuki Souma.

__Hachiman Hikigaya__ is the protagonist of this novel. Past experiences had left such bitter taste that he considered kindness was the cruelest thing. It got him resolving the least imaginable logic, which consequently made him self-explode many times during the journey. However, what he sought for was something genuine, and if it weren't to prove after bending, twisting, shashing, then there shouldn't any belief laid in it at all. If the character had always been himself, then it would be fine, but actually, it wasn't. He had desired for something genuine, yet proceeded kicking the balls to others and remained passive for the entire Yukino Yukinoshita's True End (Shin involved). Investigating further, there was no Hachiman Hikigaya in the first place. IT HAD BEEN THE AUTHOR ALL THE TIME. WAKE UP, JAPAN. ~~Wataru Watari~~He never considered getting out of his cocoon, so the character is so bloody relatable and realistic. Also, if you dream, dream of winning, being a proper individual. Don't be a loser just to get the girl, but in such case, it would no longer be the good old insertable Hachiman Hikigaya, wouldn't it?

So far only boring characters? There are also the interesting:

__Yui Yuigahama__ was seemingly a character academically disadvantageous, big boobs, TOTALLY UNATTRACTIVE... but when it came to common sense, she was such a clever person. She knew and understood everything, so most of the time she was playing the role of an observer. However, when Yuigahama was on stage, she shone brilliantly. The character possessed things the other clubmates didn't, so in the darkest hours, she was the one keep everything binding together. She was always the first one taking a step forward, leading the story out of the stagnancy with her 'I want everything', which is my greatest impression of the work, from the portrayal of the surrounding to every expression of the characters. Eventually, her influence surpassed that of the narrator, and I used to think of which season would be remembered every time taking a whiff of that smell, tea or fruit tart, because I firmly believed the bakery product would be much better to become a straight-forward person, or gain weight.

The supporting characters were also prominent. __Shizuka Hiratsuka__ deserves the title of a (lonely) mentor. __Haruno Yukinoshita__, as well as her childhood friend __Hayato Hayama__, were loners full of conflicts and regrets. __Iroha Isshiki__ also found herself solitary. The author had gathered many kinds of lonely souls in his work, and the way they struggled finding a solution was so human, but certainly it is not that realistic. On the other hand, __Saika Totsuka__ had initially appeared forgettable, but turned out he was the first to graduate within the series. After the revaluation, I believe these characters, along with Yui Yuigahama, were the motivation for me to pursue the end. Nevertheless, there is still this unshakable sensation that many of them were the devices buying time whilst Wataru Watari making the decision that should have been thrown out 5 volumes earlier.


__Something other than the characters__

References are just fillers. I never paid any mind to them, not to mention they mostly missed.

The illustration really grew with the course of actions, even though the quality was inconsistent at times.


__Conclusion:__ Honestly, I've never been onto the Shi* War, as all necessity would be for the characters to grow naturally. Nevertheless, Yukino Yukinoshita's True End offered no such thing. It had been fun, until it no longer was.

>Away, I'd rather sail away, like a swan that's here and gone.
A man gets tied up to the ground, he gives the world its saddest sound, its saddest sound.

Certainly, reality wasn't that kind regarding to what had happened so far.