This is a great shoujo manga with a fantastic and unique protagonist. Takeo is strong, helpful, heroic etc., but also insecure and very thoughtful in his first romantic relationship. At first glance, Yamato seems like more of a generic love interest, but that's selling her character short. For instance, she's unusually proactive for an FL, which makes perfect sense in how their relationship is depicted.

Ultimately, I liked this story a lot, but not all of the story arcs were a hit for me. The story got a bit tropey at times, but Takeo occasionally resolves the tropes in novel ways.

That said, this was still an outstanding manga, shoujo or otherwise.

... Last updated on March 31st, 2021, 3:17am

This is a capital "F" Feel good story about true wholesome love. Is this the best-written story ever? No. But for me, it's my favorite. I like my drama in romance but what makes this special is the real lack of it. All of the characters are mature and will take the time to talk to each other. The main couple actually gets together fairly early on in the story, which is a nice change, so most of the drama is focused on the couple's insecurities about themselves. What's nice is that they almost never doubt the feelings that they have for each other, it's always "Am I good enough for him/her?". A fear that I can personally relate to.

Takeo, Male MC, I really relate to him and his insecurities. I may not be a 7-foot slab of pure muscle, but mentally he and I are similar and have the same values and fears. Yamato is the sweetest thing, she is cute and the perfect opposite to Takeo's character. Lastly, Suna (Makoto) is the best Bro that anyone could ask for. He is super understanding and acts as the voice of reason for the lovestruck couple, willing to listen and help with each of their problems. The Bromance between Takeo and Suna is real.

This series is Pure diabetes. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Shoujo and romance. Also, watch the anime. It is an excellent adaptation.

... Last updated on February 17th, 2023, 7:09pm

I finally got to finish this hahahaha.

I am personally very simple minded. If the story is good and not annoying, I will read and finish it and not go too deep just to complain about it.

First and foremost, I don't understand why cant a shoujo manga not just be about girls?? The genre is to target mainly female audience NOT that it has to be about girls only.

Secondly, I admit that there are not much proper climax (/problem) to really overcome in this whole story. They solved it all pretty quickly and cleanly, but oh well, it isn't supposed to be 100% realistic anyways lol

Thirdly, I love OT3 - Takeo, Makoto (/Suna), Yamato
While the bromance is cool and all, I actually find it nice where Yamato is also able to confide in Suna as a friend would. She doesn't act all giddy being with him and Suna also doesn't become that 2nd lead dude who falls for his bbf girlfriend because they confide in him.

Lastly, the only reason why I put a 9 instead of 10 for ratings is that towards the end, it felt a little...stale?

But it is a good short read. 🙂

This series is amazing and should be required reading for all femoids young and old. Yamato is the platonic ideal of a femoid and it would do so many uppity femoids good to learn a lesson on proper feminine behavior from her. It is quite easy to tell some previous commenters have been upset at having their abundant inadequacies rubbed in their face while reading this, leading to unfair unfavorable reviews.

Oh yea? U guys wanna talk about how Yamato is suffering bc of the social conventions and how she must act or else she'll be hated by other characters? Lol. Honey, I've read a lot of bothersome mangas with useless heroines and their asshole partners. People hating this must not have read other shoujo mangas lololol

A lot of "shoujo" fans are bashing this show reallyyyy hard and then there's *cough* Wolf Girl and Black Prince *cough*

... Last updated on June 13th, 2017, 7:31am

The premise of Ore Monogatari!! is kind of a double edged sword. Is it incredibly cute? Yes. Does it pull off the comedy? Pretty well. Is a story like this that breaks Japanese attractiveness stereotypes unique and a long time coming? Absolutely!

But at the same time, there's no real drama or tension, and so I'm never really rushing to get the next volume - I just pick it up and read it when I have the chance. It lacks the momentum for me to ever consider it a favorite title, but it accomplishes what it sets out to do and I would recommend it.

what else??

it's categorized as shoujo
but i see it too manly for shoujo

mostly main char in shoujo is girl catch up a "GREAT" boy and the end is their having together
this one is mostly make the custom fall apart
the MC is guy with, well, very build body, but good heart
at least there are some girl notice and fall in love
and luckily (yeah this is the best part), they going out
not some romcom and tsundere style whatever
straight, the like each other, they going out
and this is the story of them when they going out
not the story before they going out where the end is when the confess

at least this story i like to continue to read
for now it's good for male and female audience


oh btw, the MC (takeo) is not dense or whatever about girls around him that (secretly) liking him
he is only have one in his mind, and it's yamada
which is nice

... Last updated on June 2nd, 2015, 2:13am

The comments are funny. First this is a Shoujo, so expect 120% unrealism with stereotypical characters and little depth. Not saying there aren't any Shoujo with depth, it just generally speaking, it doesn't have depth. In Shoujo, most male leads can be mistaken for supermodels and the "plain" female is the supermodels better looking sister.

"because it just means you went looking for shoujo so watered down and sterilized that your world views are not challenged and that you are not made to sympathize with--God forbid--a teenage gir"

If you have the view above, don't bother reading this manga or majority of mangas. Most mangas do not challenge your world view, most are a form of escapism, unrealism and idealism. What they would consider plain looks, in the RW would be considered attractive. Feminist are not going to like this, so don't bother reading it. Seriously, why would anyone read a manga to challenge their views? Don't set the bar so high for a manga or set your views so low. Anyhow, manga already challenge reality and in many cases gravity.

lemonpuff comment kinda of tackles much the haters issues.

My personal views:
This is a superficial manga. The three most interesting characters are Suna's sister Ai, Takeo and Suna.

Being a bloke what first caught my attention is the brolove between Takeo and Suna. They are so different from one another yet seem to get along well. And I have nothing else to say about that.

Ai love is true love that was nursed over a long time and I feel sorry for her. I am curious as to what is going to happen to her. She's my fav character.

Takeo is a very nice person, and he is not ugly he's just big and a real dunce. He is the protagonist and everything revolves around him. As to Yamato, she's high pitched (anime) overgrown gerbil that lost it's body hair. She's very good at baking like a "good little wife" or maybe she's very good at a passion of hers. I would love to be able to cook like her, but, I neither have the passion nor skill. I don't even know 99% of the items she bakes. She's talented, loving and caring. She's a nice gerbil that deserves the best in life.

As to the relationship between Takeo and Yamato, it is as deep as a puddle. It's puppy love. They are young and good luck to them and their puppy love. It mainly consists of the dialogue "she's cute" and "he's cool". Their relationship feels like a side story and all the other characters I named have more of a presence than Yamato.

One thing I don't like is the way women seem to thank Suna for Takeo's deeds. But I guess it's part of the comedy. Every female seems to fall head over heels for Suna's looks.


The only thing condescending thing about this manga is the views from the haters who think every male should think like them and have same standard as them. It's OK to hate this manga, just not OK to look down upon others for liking it (even for the wrong reasons).

One last thing, if this was a novel without art or if it took itself (too) seriously, I would drop it in a second. It's too shallow to be taken seriously.

... Last updated on June 2nd, 2015, 8:26am

First thing I'm going to say is to take the opportunity to read the first couple chapters of this series or even watch the first episode of the anime that's currently airing. Make the judgement for yourself to see whether the series is a great light-hearted comedy or a huge male-chauvinistic piece of work. These comments contain some SPOILERS so read at your own discretion.

I will state that yes this is a guy's opinion, but more importantly, a manga lover's opinion. Some of my favorite series include Hana Yori Dango, Sailor Moon, Kimi ni Todoke, and 14-sai no Koi.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I read Textualpoacher and yamaken-dono's review of the series. While I understand that they're entitled to their own opinions, it seems like their disapproving comments are more about how Ore Monogatari is a terrible shoujo series rather than evaluating the work for itself. Their statements imply that no girls would be interested in getting into this because the females are portrayed as characters that care too much about looks and are "subservient". This is a blatant exaggeration, and the only reason I would agree with not recommending this series is if you're expecting the primary character to be a girl, in which case you'll probably be disappointed as the narrative follows Takeo, a kind, gorilla-like man.

Let me comment on some of their arguments.

1) [The women in the series don't like Takeo because he's an ugly dude. That's sexist and boo-hoo for Takeo, no reader should care]. It's true most of the females don't like Takeo because of his looks, and you know what, if I were in their shoes I would do the same. Takeo simply doesn't make the best first impression while Suna (the good looking friend) does. HOWEVER, the series clearly shows that the females that spend more time with Takeo begin to accept and be friends with him. Heck, he has multiple girls that like him! I feel that this is pretty realistic, and if you look at the supporting male characters in the series, they all are idiots that take every opportunity to fawn over cute girls, but hey this stereotype/trope isn't a problem. Additionally, Takeo is a great guy that NEVER ONCE complains about being ugly. He accepts that most women don't want to give him a chance, but still tries his best in both pursing love and being a good person. He has an awesome personality.

2) [This is a story catered to guys because Takeo's not a catch while Yamada is.] While I can understand this sentiment, it's kind of like saying no guy should read the Hunger Games because it's about a girl and she's in a love triangle with two guys. It's true, but that's not what the series is about. The emphasis is placed on how love can happen for people who wouldn't traditionally be considered a great match (similar to one of the author's other works Tomodachi no Hanashi), and the comedy from everyone trying to accept this fact. You get the same great flowery shoujo art style and feel-good storylines despite having a male protagonist.

3) [Every female, especially, Yamato has to pass all these "tests" like being pretty and being able to bake to be a "proper" girl]. This is just BS. First of all, you'll see characters like Suna's sister who is very independent and strong-willed, and Takeo's mom who is not pretty, but awesome for her not giving a shit attitude including doing heavy lifting while being pregnant. Is Yamato cute? Yes. Should Yamato be ugly because hey ugly people should only date other ugly people? No. Can Yamato bake? Yes. Should Yamato not be able to bake because hey that's the only character quality she has and that's sexist? No, because Yamato is a lot more than a baker. She tries her best to protect Takeo from mortal danger, she stands up for her boyfriend in front of all of her friends, and doesn't give up. She's a good person and instead of recognizing her as such, it seems to be a lot easier to tear down her character to being unrealistic instead of accepting that girls can be like her.

In the end, what I want to say is I do understand if female readers don't want to read the series because it's not their thing. But I don't think it's right to justify not reading the series because the series is "bad" or "chauvinistic". The characters are easier to relate for guys yes, but the story stands out for defying tropes, providing genuine laughs, and having great pacing. I can assure you that if you give the series a chance and keep an open mind, you'll see how great Ore Monogatari can be.

I completely agree with Textualpoacher. I haven't read a manga that hates its own demographic more than Ore Monogatari. Each arc is another of the innumerable dos and don'ts Yamato must strictly adhere to or be vilified like her friends, or Suna's sister, or all those faceless girls who like Suna – in other words, the real demographic who have real emotions and are affected by petty things like social conventions. Not to mention, many of which conventions are straw man, because as Textualpoacher said, girls' appearances are judged much more harshly. What results is a puritanical denunciation of everything a typical girl actually wants.

Here's the thing, I sympathize with the desire to root for Yamato to pass the tests lest she be labeled the s-word – not so much the self-righteous nods of approval from the “never-read-another-shoujo-in-my-life” crowd though. I also recognize and appreciate the places where the manga flirts with slightly more positive and helpful depictions of girls, like when Yamato lifts the steel beam. Ultimately though, I'm not impressed that it is compelling for the wrong reasons, and a bit of special treatment for Yamato does not begin to balance out the hate directed at every other female character.

As a final note, the mangaka carries a hammer and uses it indiscriminately. That is, the narration likes to tell you exactly what you're supposed to take away from an event before showing it in the most awkward, transparent, and repetitive manner possible. Seriously, most of the time the takeaway is “Suna is more popular with girls than me wah wah,” cue girls A, B, C, D, E, F etc. saying – in one case no less than 12 times in 2 pages – that one is handsome while the other is ugly. Not to mention, almost every single arc I've read boils down to the what must Yamato prove this time? shtick, and it gets old real fast.