In full and blatant honesty I am reading this series out of a completionist mindset and sheer boredom; despite this, however, I feel compelled by my foolishness at 2:40am to write about how much I dislike the female characters and the dynamic at play in this series.
To start with, we should set some things clear. The MC is meant to be an exaggerated "Otaku loner" archetype that the reader can project upon. This is exaggerated so that any insults that are hurled at him (which are many) can be deflected by the very specific audience it holds as being only for those who are as bad as his exaggerated characteristics, whilst still making him relatable. The girls are, well, the main attraction just as how these series usually are.
The whole aspect of "socialisation" is demonized and made overtly (though at times sensibly so, perhaps due to the fact that I also lean to some degree into the archetype which this series appeals to) complicated. This is so it can be played for laughs and set up the main character to be relatable to the similarly pathetic, self-comforting and otaku reader.
However, I feel that the series falls into MANY common pitfalls and also writes a lot of these characters into dislikeable ones.
The Main FMC's motivation seems... strange, to say the least. Whilst having your life saved is a big thing, it usually doesn't just progress the romance meter to full; real life, and relationships, don't work like a Galgame. I would expect a manga like this to be more or less aware of that.
The Gal's plotline seems to be more or less solved with her rejection and shoving all Otaku-relations under the rug and insulting the MC. I find that this degrades her character as she really IS just a coward. But thats more just voicing a dislike towards the character following her intentional design, which, though I dislike, is not done poorly.
Prez I actually like.
A more general grievance that I hold is that all the characters are seemingly too willing to;
- Believe and act baselessly on rumours (which is exaggerated to some extent for the needs of characterisation as stated in paragraph 2, but nonetheless annoying)
- Unnecessarily hostile to the protagonist or willing to insult him
- Socialization is demonized for the sake of it
...That's all. Thanks for reading?