Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki-kun

[justforthelulz]

@New17Doctor
Earlier in this very thread, a few posters mentioned that it is indeed getting an anime adaptation.

https://twitter.com/flyco_/status/1182617957865684993
http://tomozaki-koushiki.com

 

[2252020]

isnt this an adaptation i checked and there's a novel

 

[introvertchild]

Why'd they change the title to English?

 

[Ageha_Yoru]

@New17Doctor

Indeed it is getting anime adaptation! You can check the character design sheet in the subreddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/Tomozaki_kun/comments/fmgaox/character_designs_for_the_anime_by_akane_yano/
Also, you can listen to the voice of the seiyuu in this drama CD.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsy3Nc9XN2VlhahUEf5tUeNkAqJ0fl0r9

The new seiyuu for Tomozaki and Hinami is Sato Gen and Kanemoto Hisako. Before them, it was the SAO duo, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka and Tomatsu Haruka. Tomozaki sounds quite different, but Sato Gen did pretty good job IMO. Kanemoto is also great, just as I expected from seasoned seiyuu like her.

 

[icekatze]

Although it tries to present itself as motivational, this is a surprisingly cynical and adversarial take on human relationships. Pretty depressing, honestly.

 

[Ageha_Yoru]

@icekatze
I don't really see what's really depressing about motivating other people though... if you search on twitter #友崎くんチャレンジ you'll see a lot of fans are taking the series as their motivation to improve themselves, just like Tomozaki, and I see it as something positive.

Also, for people who think Tomozaki's effort is kinda depressing to watch, or wondering "does he really want that? Or did he do it just because Hinami told him to?", I suggest you to read the recently released volume 3 of the novel (and obviously volume 2 too), this will be your answer and it's one of the best moment in the series.

 

[icekatze]

@Ageha_Yoru
Motivating people isn't the issue. Hinami's advice reads like a mashup of fashion magazines and pickup artists. Like there's this black and white, correct and incorrect way to be, and people on the incorrect side of things are worthless. It's not surprising that it has fans, fashion magazines also remain popular in spite of their links to body image issues and depression, and "there's nothing wrong with people trying to improve themselves," is a common defense.

Treating people like goals in a game honestly feels uncomfortably dehumanizing. Maybe in volume 3 they switch things up so that Hinami's advice is revealed to be a narcissistic trap, but I don't think I can reach that far. I had to stop after a few chapters because it was too painful to continue.

 

[Ageha_Yoru]

@icekatze
But that's more or less what's you're going to get! There's nothing wrong with setting goals in your life, right? And if what you meant by 'dehumanizing' is "Tomozaki has to date this girl" as a goal, your opinion is basically in line with Tomozaki's way of thinking. So, keep reading and volume 3 will answer your dissatisfaction.
Honestly, people are very quick to judge and dismiss the message in this series, criticizing "I think Hinami is wrong and Tomozaki should've done this" without realizing the story is indeed heading in that direction.

Sorry if my wording comes as offending, but I think the manga isn't very good at conveying what the author wants to convey in this series, but that mainly due to the limitation of the medium itself (it isn't easy to do this in monthly serialization), and readers might have given up before they reached the top of the hill. I strongly suggest giving the series a second chance, the first volumes might come too preachy and left you uncomfortable with some of the ideas presented there, but that's the way the author built up the story for a "critical moment", in this case, the third volume. The author does this a lot actually, he often makes Hinami seem manipulative, overcalculating, and has "black and white" views on things, while he is slowly revealing Hinami's past which plays a role in her current self.
tl;dr version: Just keep reading the LN because it's awesome. 😀

 

[icekatze]

@Ageha_Yoru
Well, I suppose I can withhold some judgement until I can get some spoilers on volume 3. But if that's the case, the author really could have stood to hang the lampshade. As it is, it's still too painful to read, no matter what kind of payout may or may not be coming later on after the build up. If people are quick to judge and dismiss this story, it might be because they've had experience with this sort of thing in real life. That's certainly the case with me.

There's nothing wrong with setting goals for yourself, but when those goals are other people, it's not just your life that's at stake anymore. I may not be a 100% proponent of Kantian Deontological Ethics, but following the idea that one should "...act that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end, never merely as a means." has never done me wrong.

 

[New17Doctor]

You mad man, thank you for taking your time to tell me this. Thank you

 

[mip]

Is this harem? there is a tag in NU but is the manga different from the LN?

 

[Ageha_Yoru]

@mip
No, it's not harem. Story-wise, the manga is not much different from LN, however the presentation is kinda different. I don't know how to describe it, but I feel the manga is trying to be more funny with the cute art. The LN is better in my opinion because Tomozaki's thoughts are more well written and while it has its funny moments, it has more serious tone.

 

[Ageha_Yoru]

Spin-off manga page:
https://mangadex.org/title/51559/minami-nanami-wants-to-shine

 

[Ageha_Yoru]

Ah, sorry for double post.

 

[xIAmEzyx]

"How to normie" the manga

 

[ernanibiladeiro]

Thank you for warnings about this being a "how to normie" or "how to be a manipulative piece of crap", I will not be touching this manga or the light novel with a 10 foot pole

 

[toru_okada]

all i could think about reading this manga is, "well yes, but actually no."

people arent black and white

 

[george_priftakis]

@ernanibiladeiro

Tbh it starts like that but tomozaki realizes this behaviour is extremely manipulative and fake though that happens in vol 3 and the manga covers the 1st vol and some of the second so far. It's not really how to normie but how to be yourself and get more social(as long as you want to) and realise how to care about others.

 

[skeletor51]

Originally, I was skeptical of the 7.62 rating because I thought the first two chapters were really good. However, the story doesn't feel organic from that point on, as if the author was checking off events that should happen. It makes you feel like you're not really there in the story.

I also agree with the advice being very toxic to your mental health. It's something many people go through in their developing years as a result of their insecurity, and it always ends badly for everyone. You won't be happy with yourself because you're trying to appease others at the expense of how you naturally are.

 

[Ageha_Yoru]

@skeletor51
as @george_priftakis has said, Tomozaki will eventually realize that, and all your doubts about the series will be cleared off in volume 3. As of now the manga (raws) has only started the beginning of volume 3, so it's going take a long time for you to catch up if you're just waiting until the manga translated. Grab the LN, go read it and don't stop until volume 3 because from what I've seen from people who dropped the series early on, all their criticisms/problems with the series all answered in Volume 3. IMHO the first three volumes are only just the beginning of the series.