Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun vol. 9 - Featured Columns 

Don’t Miss This – “Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun” by Izumi Tsubaki

By | January 16th, 2019
Posted in Columns | % Comments

There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we look at the the genre-parodying, “Bakumon” analog, shoujo comedy webcomic – “Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun.”

Cover by Izumi Tsubaki

Who’s This By?

“Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun” is a 4-panel manga by Izumi Tsubaki (“The Magic Touch,” “Oresama Teacher.”)

Cover by Izumi Tsubaki

What’s This All About?

Chiyo is a normal high-school girl with one thing on her mind: getting Nozaki, one of her classmate, to date her. After 178 volumes of stressing over how best to do this, the first volume of “Nozaki-kun” opens with Chiyo working up the courage to confess her feeling to Nozaki. . . only to be handed a signature.

After another series of misunderstandings, and oblivious to her advances, Nozaki invites Chiyo to his house where she finds out that Nozaki is none other than Sakiko Yumeno, a famous shoujo mangaka. From there, we meet more of the wild and wacky cast of characters, from the inspiration for his main character, to Nozaki’s other assistants -who all happen to be Chiyo and Nozaki’s classmates – to his former, tanuki-loving editor. Never is there a dull moment in the world of “Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun.”

Obliviousness, thy name is Chiyo. From Vol. 1, Pg. 7

So, Why Should I Read This?

“Nozaki-Kun” is a smart parody of the many tropes of the shoujo genre and a clever, humorous look into the grind manga creation. Tsubaki isn’t afraid to take pot-shots at the manga industry and it’s clear from the writing that many of these experiences are either exaggerations of personal experiences or stories she’s heard from her fellow creators. Adding this level of realism helps to sell the jokes, many of which revolve around Nozaki’s manga career.

By doing this, not only can Tsubaki use the characters to comment on and make fun of the shoujo tropes by messing with them in a more “realistic” setting, she can use the distance between the traditional tropes on display in Nozaki’s manga, the creation process, and the character’s of Nozaki’s world to diversify the ways in which the tropes are subverted and poked fun at.

We can't have Mamiko be a felon, obviously. From Vol. 1 pg. 22

However, the bulk of the comedy comes from the subversion and discussion of the many shoujo tropes at play. Right from the get-go, we are thrust into the biggest trope of the genre: (possibly) unrequited love and the failed confession. It’s a staple of the genre and almost as potent as the will-they-won’t-they, something that’s played with using a different set of characters.

By beginning the manga there, Tsubaki sets the tone right away, establishing the characteristics of our two lead characters, all the while getting straight to the point with breakneck speed. She then undercuts the tension through an increasingly ludicrous comedy of errors that concludes with Chiyo as Nozaki’s newest assistant.

A comedy of errors is only as good as its characters and toeing the line between believability and likability. If a decision breaks the verisimilitude of the world, no matter how much you like the characters, the jokes won’t land and will instead leave a bad taste in your mouth. Likewise, if a work indulges in an overused trope but does it in a clever or different way, or subverts it entirely, a wholly unlikable character can still be funny.

Take Yuzuki Seo. She’s a hothead, who unknowingly insults everyone she meets and is wickedly violent when playing basketball. In a more serious shoujo work, this kind of character would be an antagonist or at the very least someone that would, after a fashion, become grating. Here, thanks to Tsubaki’s energetic artwork and the tight constraints of the four panel format, these faults form the basis of the jokes and work instead to endear us to her.

Oh Seo. From Vol. 1 pg. 54

In fact, the four panels set-up is perfect for this kind of delivery. It’s quick, it’s got a built in rhythm and it means that each page ends with a punchline, much like a newspaper strip. In “Nozaki-Kun’s” case, while each page is its own joke and situation, the volumes are divided into chapters, which tie the various pages together into whole scenes. Each page also has its own title, making for an additional frame and for more joke opportunities.

Continued below

For those who are unfamiliar with the tropes of the genre, you may find that some of the jokes don’t land quite as hard as they would otherwise, but the magic of the manga is that even without the prior knowledge, the characters are funny all on their own. Enough of the situations are explained and there is a universality to the clash of characteristics and personalities. The joke that got me the most, as a reviewer, was when they riff on Nozaki’s inability to draw characters without a reference.

Each character looks and acts identical, making for a deeply uninteresting read on Chiyo’s part, who reacts with exaggerated shock. Despite it only being a two page joke, it got to the heart of some of the failings of the genre without malice or scorn and instead made the reasons for it a laugh.

Part of this is because her characters are so distinct — visually and in their characteristics. Tsubaki has a knack for drawing the most out of each of these characters in such a short amount of time. She puts them in conflict with each other, with themselves, and with their own reputations, creating a vibrant mix of situations that inform and are informed by the characters. Nozaki in particular is subject to this, making his manga creation process all the funnier. It’s the people that sucks you in and it’s the people that keep you there.

B. . .but which one should I choose? From vol. 1 pg. 46

How Can You Read It?

Volume 10 of “Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun” comes out on January 22nd and is available from you local bookstore, comic shop or favorite online book distributor. Digitally, you can find it, and volumes 1-9, on ComiXology, Bookwalker, Yen Press’s website, or any of the other digital bookstores. Plus, volume one is only $3 on ComiXology so there is no reason not to at least check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

Cover by Izumi Tsubaki

//TAGS | Don't Miss This

Elias Rosner

Elias is a lover of stories who, when he isn't writing reviews for Mulitversity, is hiding in the stacks of his library. Co-host of Make Mine Multiversity, a Marvel podcast, after winning the no-prize from the former hosts, co-editor of The Webcomics Weekly, and writer of the Worthy column, he can be found on Twitter (for mostly comics stuff) here and has finally updated his profile photo again.

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