Misumi-san Can't See Through

When I initially read this, I was looking for some run-of-the-mill, basic romance manga, fully expecting to read some pretty bad stories. The premise of this manga is one that definitely appears to fit the bill, with the idea of a boy who will randomly end up seeing through people's clothes being one that obviously will be used for ecchi moments. I was not expecting to find this as enjoyable as I did. While the clairvoyance does frequently get used for fanservice, it serves a role beyond that. Many manga might have used the gimmick and then relegated it solely for facilitating the required ecchi moments, butthis one makes the clairvoyance be a central focus that also is the reason the mains grow closer over time. The characters are pretty simple without much depth to them, but they also aren't walking cliches. With the main two characters, there's the typical MMC who is average, low self-esteem, and a bit awkward. But he doesn't fall into either of the main styles of protagonist these sorts of manga often have. He isn't solely focused on the lewd side of things, nor is he a spluttering mess at even the slightest hint of intimacy. If anything, I'd say he's fairly close to how a normal person would be at points. The FMC is a bit more confusing. She falls under a lot of your archetypes, being a hyperactive, weird, but also super-attractive girl with a complete obliviousness (at first) towards romance. She can often feel like a fetishised ideal more than a person that could potentially exist, but I wouldn't say she's terribly written. When it comes to the art, it is something that might put some people off. For the most part, it is rather standard, however there are panels where the MMC's eyes are slightly off in an uncanny way, and the FMC's face is drawn with a lot of noise to it that can make looking at her a bit difficult. Those are rather minor faults, though, and the general character designs are good enough to make up for it. There aren't any cases where proportions are completely off, nor moments where characters are in poses that are physically impossible for the sake of tantalisation. There are 4 side characters in this story, and each hold a minor, but still present role. There's a side romance that gets a couple of moments in order to drive the main plot forward. One of the MMC's friends feels like he's only there to balance the cast into 3 pairs, but the other 3 contribute in their own way. The thing that impressed me the most about this manga was the pacing. I'm sure everyone has experienced manga (especially romance) where it has a dynamic start, then hits a status quo of fun comedic and heart-warming moments and then... just stays there. Always remaining in the status quo but teasing something more until it becomes stale. Some of the most popular romance manga have this problem and have often led to me dropping them, but this is different. Only 32 chapters, and pretty much every one of them is a step towards the end. There's a clear beginning, then the premise is delivered upon in some light hearted chapters before the direction shifts in the middle and the romance becomes more prominent. Then a sub-plot following a secondary romance is interwoven throughout and amidst doubts, provides a push to bring the story into its conclusion, where the relationship is formed, and we get a few moments to bask in the new normal before the story ends with a promise that all will be well. Over all, this is one of the manga I would say is a sleeper-hit. There's issue, for sure, such as the heavy reliance on ecchi in the early parts especially and the rather one-note characters, but it doesn't try to be more than it is. A nice, easy read that you can get through in an hour or two, that I'd suggest people give a chance if they have the time and are in the right mood. Not quite to the level where I'd say you must seek it out to read, but if it's there, you might as well.