Nisekoi: False Love

Mod Edit: This review may contain spoilers. ---- The thing that I loathe the most is when a harem story doesn't have a harem ending or at least an open ending. I mean, why the hell make a harem manga if you are not even gonna stick to it till the end? I know Polygamy is illegal in real life, but isn't that reason why we read or watch anime/manga? Yes, as you can see I am feeling super salty right now. It is like watching one of those horrible NTR hentai because I didn't get my favorite ship, and why the hell not? When you reada harem story where every girl is giving an equal amount of effort. My main beef is that don't make a harem story if you are gonna at least show us a harem ending. I mean, hell even an Open ending is perfectly fine where everyone is running after MC on some sunny beach and credits roles, then it leaves it to your imagination. Plot- The story started out really good. I still remember it when it had only 13 chapters and I thought, wow this looks really good that has great rom-com with decent amount of lovable characters, but it went hell after something like 100 chapters. It just got so repetitive and cringy, I guess I have to blame the big hype and popularity that this series got over the years that Author milked the shit out of this. I mean, you can already predict with whom our Dense MC is gonna go out with, within the first 10 chapters, but it far-stretched to 226 chapters, and going through the last arc is like self-torture, SO MUCH PAIN, SO MUCH CRYING, SO MUCH BREAK UPS. It was god-awful, seeing them leaving one by one, but I still hold on to that tiny bit of silver lining, and boy, did I regret so much. I should have dropped it long time ago, now that I am suffering from the aftermath which is gonna remain for weeks. Characters-The only character that I supported is Marika, why? Because she is the only woman who is straightforward and doesn't wuss out when it comes to confession unlike other females in this story which are your generic stereotype tsundere that drags the arc till the end. As for Raku, holyshit. He is the fucking worst Main Character I have ever seen. He takes denseness to whole new level and the most terrible part that he goes through no growth until the very last arc which felt like Tom and Jerry Chase all around the world. If only he had man the fuck up, things might have gone much better. Art:- I guess this is the strongest point of the manga, and the main reason for the popularity? Because I believe Author focused more on the moe moe and kawaii shit of the females and polished their personalities through the series instead of the important issues that this story suffers from. Enjoyment:- The only redemption is that thankfuck everyone moved on at the end because they seriously don't deserve an indecisive guy like Raku. Shuu is much better and has the balls to get the job done. He should have NTR'd him long time ago :D Oh Damn, we are going side-track here. Do yourself a favor and read Nisenisekoi which is much better than this whole train wreck. 1/10

It's been years since I started the journey that is Nisekoi. I remember watching the first few episodes of the anime to only lose track of where I was not to finish it. Funny right? With an overall score of 9, how could I just stop? I like to watch/read things through to the end. One at a time and really savour the work. So this past weekend I decided that Nisekoi would be my target. Recalling the unique story that I began years ago was nostalgic and heart-warming all at once. I watched the first season of the anime through to the end onlyto end up with an immense love for the production. The first season of Nisekoi was incredible. The music oh the music. It was like scenes were written for the music. I absolutely loved that you could dive into the show and be captivated not only by learning more about the story and characters but the music that took you to their world as well. For this alone, the first season holds a special place in my heart. After finishing the first season I kind of thought that I had seen it before and must have actually finished it when it first came out, but boy was I glad that I thought I had not. The first season leaves an impression on you with its unique love story, voice actors, music, and storyline. It makes you so excited for the second season... Don't watch the second season. To me, it seemed like it did a complete 180, and I only realize after reading the manga why. Start at chapter 51 after finishing the first season of Nisekoi and you will not be disappointed. The entire second season felt like OVAs and fillers. The reasoning is because it was. After reading the manga the production team left out basically all of the substance chapters in this season and only added the smallest chapters of story progression. Let me just say I was thoroughly disappointed. I would only recommend watching this season after you have read the chapters corresponding to the episodes so that you can enjoy them animated. That way you can at least be satisfied with what is available. Now on to the main review of the Nisekoi MANGA: I read the entire series in a day and let me just say I was swept up in the Nisekoi universe hardcore. After rewatching the anime only to feel frustrated about its second season what else was there left for me to do, but read the story from start to finish? |STORY| 10/10 To me, I believe the story is unique and memorable. It was the love story that made me come back to Nisekoi after all of these years and give it another go. The phrase: "Zawsze in love", the keys, the locket, and the book. What a memorable setting. It was almost as if I was dying to know 'who' after almost seven years of starting the series that I could never let it escape me without knowing the ending. A lot of people may harp on the author about fillers and I get that. However, in the manga, I felt like the 'fillers' were mini-sagas for each potential girl that added depth to each character's interaction with one another. Sure it may have dragged the story out, but it added to the overall world beautifully. I felt as if the author was building the relationship between each character in a way to set up for the ending and with that in mind I had fond memories of Clannad while reading. Very nostalgic indeed. What I love most about this story is that there were no loose ends or loopholes. Everything was round circle. Some things were predictable, however for the most part I was never certain I would be right. I played a fun game contemplating who might be the "promise girl" throughout the series and who might be the other keyholders. It was amazing to be able to start imagining what could have happened and fabricating your own Nisekoi as you anticipated what was coming next. Overall, I believe this is one of the better stories I have read in a long time. In the first fifty chapters, (anime season 1) you are introduced to the fumbling love between the characters and in chapters 51-106 (anime season 2 partial) you enjoy the relationships as they develop. Afterwards, everything was brand new and exciting. A Nisekoi I had no recollection of. Chapters 107-229 were an absolute rollercoaster. Happiness, sadness, resentment, pity, guilt, love, and relief. It came in droves. I reread the ending (Last ~15 chapters) 3 times after I finished it the same day and cried every time. The story builds up to the point where you can not help but feel what each character is feeling in the end. It is a story worth reading and rereading. |ART| 8/10 The animation is beautiful as was the soundtrack for the anime. All I can say is that I believe the anime did a way better job depicting the emotion in each chapter than the manga with the music selection and ambience. However, the score of 8 comes solely from the manga as I believe there were a lot of missed opportunities to really drive home the emotion of a scene with a larger panel to depict what was happening more vividly. Unfortunately, that simply was not done. Sometimes it was hard to understand what exactly was happening in some panels, however, I did not dislike this as it made you reread it into understanding the scenes better. Overall the art is pleasurable and light-hearted. I enjoyed the emotions the author gave to the audience, but for some, I just wish that they gave us more. (Maybe I'm just being greedy). |CHARACTERS| 10/10 I won't go into too many details about the characters because I'm sure each person will have their own "promise girl" throughout the series. Let me summarize the main character: Ichijou, Raku. Son of a yakuza boss the troubled boy had trouble making friends throughout his school career except for his best friend Shuu who remained at his side since kindergarten. The story begins by introducing Raku's past marriage promise made with an unknown girl during his childhood involving a phrase, storybook, a locket, and a key. From this alone, we learn of Raku being hopelessly romantic. As the story progresses we learn of the truths of Raku's heart as his feelings develop toward each girl unconscious to him. He remains dense, kind, and dashing throughout the manga so much that you cannot help but root for the guy in understanding how the girls fall for him. To summarize each of the girls would be something on its own. I believe each of the girls was well thought out and reputable in their own way. You fight yourself rooting for different ones through each of the mini-sagas I mentioned before. Each girl is unique and not one is like the other. The girl's interactions with Raku were all special to them and their character design. I believe this is one of the reasons I truly loved reading this manga. It was like reading the girl's multiple loves intertwine into an orchestrated masterpiece. Overall each character has their unique personalities and quirks that show off who they are. Their interactions with Raku are what make the story so engulfing. Do not take this manga at face value instead learn to love the characters as they grew feelings for one another. I felt myself getting nostalgic whenever I would. |ENJOYMENT| 8/10 I'm not sure if crying is considered enjoyable, but if so then did I ever enjoy this manga. I probably already said it above, but getting to create your own Nisekoi to experience the characters in a "what-if" scenario throughout reading was very memorable to me. I believe this aspect makes the manga so worth it. You are always wondering how Raku's feelings will develop when new loves blossoms and how that will affect the emotions he already has. I give this only an 8/10 for the second season of the anime. I am so peeved at what they did to it that I can not help but be upset. I would love to see the whole story animated. Getting the production and music just right for each scene like it was in the first season and actually doing the story with character development. Not just random hand-picked chapters from 51-106. It just really makes me sad that something as heartwarming and heart-wrenching as Nisekoi will not get the screentime it deserves. Overall if you are looking for a story that you can fall head over heels for then look no further. You will enjoy every moment of Nisekoi and love meeting each character as they develop throughout the story. Really just skip the second season, don't be disappointed. |OVERALL| 9/10 Well as you can probably tell I do not like the second season of the anime very much. However, I am very happy it exists and I can watch Nisekoi come to life. The ending though. Oh my god, the ending. Fall for the characters. Fall hard. Reach the end and enjoy. Nisekoi is an emotional rollercoaster that seems to start off goofy only to develop into a work of art that made a grown man cry more than he has in years. Truly a great story with relatable characters. I recommend Nisekoi to anyone looking for a fantastic love story and a good cry. TLDR; If you are thinking starting Nisekoi is a good idea? It is. There is no harem anime out there that goes full circle letting you experience so much emotion for every character like Nisekoi. Enjoy the fillers. Learn to love the characters. Experience your own Nisekoi.

Well now that Nisekoi is finished I can review it and explain why you shouldn't read it. Story : 6/10 The story is great. It's well paced during all the chapters and feels natural. It has arcs dedicated to specific characters that develops the characters and progresses the story... ...Or at least it was great until chapter 200. Komi clearly rushed the final chapters, you can see that in multiple aspects. At the chapters 180-200, Komi completely abandoned several characters in terms of development, such as Yui, and Onodera. Yes, the other main girl, Onodera, stopped being developed somewhere around the chapter 190. [Spoilers] The complete switch ofsides from Raku also felt incredibly unnatural. Even though Onodera would have never won, I'd at least expect some sort of reaction from her other than just dealing with the fact that her best friend just stole her love. Naturally, when a person loses something or is rejected in love, they feel sad or angry, even if that person is very kind, something that Onodera does not do. Art : 7/10 The art is very good. Komi's art style is one of the best art styles I have ever seen. The art is very detailed too. ... Or at least it was until chapter 210, where it started to feel rushed and lazy. The deciding chapters 226 through 228 looked awful. Chitoge was drawn in such a sluggish manner. Character : 1/10 The more I read Nisekoi, the more I realized how unnatural the characters are. Raku is literally a rock, Chitoge is an unlikable hyperactive ape, Onodera is way too kind to Raku and Chitoge, Yui serves no point in the story and Marika is way too farfetched and unnatural. So that leaves Tsugumi, who I find to be the best character in the manga, Ruri who isn't really that present and Shuu. Enjoyment : 5/10 The manga was amazing at first. Then great. Then good. Then ok I guess. If I was to mark only the ending, it would have been 1/10, but taking in consideration the rest of the manga, that I actually enjoyed, the mark elevates to 5/10. Overall : 5/10 Nisekoi isn't terrible, nor is it good. It's somewhat in between that I would not recommend reading since there are plenty other manga out there that are more worth reading than Nisekoi

I think a pretty clear sign that a manga hasn't had the best writing is when you have a story with probably the most heated waifu war in recent memory, yet even the supporters of the winning side generally seem to agree that the story sucks. That's Nisekoi for you. The biggest problem with Nisekoi overall has quite simply been its progression, or rather its lack of it. Seriously, why did this manga need to be 229 chapters long? You could easily have accomplished just as much in less than half of that. The sheer amount of filler, wasted opportunities at romantic progression and plot conveniencesis almost unacceptable. But despite everything, Nisekoi has still managed to stay somewhat entertaining throughout at the very least. For what it's worth, I really think Nisekoi did have an interesting premise for a romcom. The idea of having a guy and a girl being forced to pretend to be a couple even though they don't actually like each other led to a ton of great comedy moments early on, and for the first few dozen chapters it's a really solid manga. But past a certain point it just feels like the story flatlines completely. I'm not sure if the author is to blame or if it's Weekly Shounen Jump for wanting to milk the series as much as possible (probably both), but either way between roughly chapters 100 and 200, basically *nothing* happens in this manga. The jokes and usage of clichés keep going in circles, repeating the same events over and over again. There is no trace of progression in terms of either plot or romance, and it's pretty hard to keep caring about the characters anymore. Speaking of which, the characters aren't exactly a whole lot better either, which is pretty ironic given how dedicated the fan bases of many of them are. Raku is denser than anything on the periodic table. How he consistently fails to notice any of these girls' feelings after all the things they put him through is so far-fetched it barely even feels realistic. I guess you could argue that he's too blinded by his supposed love for Kosaki to notice anyone else, but there's a line to be crossed here. Also, the so-called mutual affection between the two of them is some of the most awkward writing I've ever had to sit through reading. Seriously, these two have been in love with each other for so many years already, yet they are both completely incapable of making a move on the other no matter how many golden opportunities the manga provides for them. Especially Kosaki who has a ton of love rivals is the one you'd think really ought to step up but instead she's basically a doormat throughout the entire story. Chitoge on the other hand is probably the only character who actually has somewhat decent writing as she actually changes over time, going from full violent gorilla mode in the beginning to a rather sensitive and kindhearted girl towards the end. But even so it doesn't change the fact that this could easily have been accomplished in half the time. And then there are all the other girls that join in on the love rivalry over the course of time such as Tsugumi, Marika, Haru and Yui, but it's painfully obvious from the start that they're never going to have a chance at winning the race, and it really just feels like the author threw them into the harem because he could. Their sheer existence is ultimately nothing but fanservice. And then... there's the whole "promised girl" aspect. This seriously has to be one of the most awkwardly executed plot mechanics I've ever seen in a romcom. Raku has a pendant which supposedly contains the memories of his "promised girl" from his childhood, and it just so happens that he doesn't have the key to it, and it just so happens that all the girls all seem to possess similar keys that might fit the lock, and it just so happens that despite realizing this they don't unlock the damn thing until close to the end of the manga, and they all just so happen to be connected to whatever happened in the past yet none of them actually remember it, and... I feel like I could go on forever. Why. Is. It. All. So. Convenient? This seriously made me cringe so hard whenever it was brought up. It's neither funny, romantic or emotional. It's just incredibly dumb, through and through. While the manga eventually picks up pace again around chapter 200 and then keeps it up for what little is left before the end, it sadly remains as predictable and cliché as ever even when the plot progression is trucking along and it eventually culminates in a rather average ending. Not terrible by any means, but certainly nothing impressive either. And in the end I just can't help but ask what the point of this whole manga was? It started out great, but before long stagnated into nothingness and then climaxes in a predictable ending that might as well have happened before the stagnation even took place. Nisekoi literally could have ended over 2 years ago and it'd probably have been a better manga than it now is. In the end though, I still can't make myself hate this manga. Why? Well despite everything I never really found it straight-up boring or filled with plot holes or anything like that; it's just painfully average. Everything about this manga bar the start is either cliché or just... meh. And whilst being meh certainly doesn't make it anything I'd recommend people, it's not total garbage either. But hey, if nothing else Nisekoi has undoubtedly cemented its position as yet another classic meme in the anime/manga industry, so I guess that'll make people remember it at least.