I was very conflicted about this manga after finishing it. Don’t think it’s the kind that will appeal to everyone. Both main leads are flawed (you will find yourself disagreeing with a lot of things they do) and immature. The main leads are exaggerated extremes at the two ends of opposite personalities. The relationship also starts very early in the manga so if you’re looking for a slow burn crush to relationship manga, don’t read this one.
Stepping back and looking at this as a story of two young and immature teenagers trying to make a relationship work. I feel like the manga did a great job touching on almost all the beats that come with growing up together in a relationship. Most shoujo I’ve read end with the kiss, but this one starts with a kiss and delves into the struggles in a relationship after it begins. I like that given this, the story explores more mature themes of attraction without crossing a line. I’ve experienced growing up in a relationship and I think Ookami Shoujo did well conveying what it can be like.
Despite what praise I can give this manga, there were some chapters that were hard to get through. There was one chapter where
Erika’s younger cousin develops a crush on Kyouya. While Erika doesn’t seem to take it very seriously, there are a few points in the chapter where she seems like... she is genuinely bothered by it and doesn’t trust that Kyouya wouldn’t leave her for a (what I assume to be) 13 year old??? I think the chapter that bothered me the most was the one where Erika gains 10lbs and Kyouya spends most of it calling her a fat pig. And the running joke seems to be that she is having trouble starving herself while being tempted by food. Her health deteriorates and it’s treated like a gag.
I do not think a relationship like this would function in real life nor would I condone one like this in real life, given how actually cruel to her that Kyouya is for most of their written relationship.
One thing that also bothered me is that
we never really are told why Kyouya even likes Erika to begin with. I got the sense that he liked her because she was one of the first girls who didn’t hide her intentions from him, whereas most of the girls who wanted to date him just pretended to like him for superficial reasons without voicing them, Erika was the first to straight tell him she wanted to fake date for superficial reasons without lying or hiding it. I can’t recall if they ever have him give a reason, and whenever he’s asked, he just kind of thinks about her and smiles without an answer.
I see Erika getting a lot of hate for being clingy and annoying, but I think it’s important to remember she’s a teenager and I think the author did well giving her genuine flaws that she works on as the series progresses. She starts out taking a mile whenever Kyouya gives her an inch, but learns to bring it down a notch. It is hard to watch at times, yes. Teenagers, especially those in their first real relationships, are going to do a lot of cringey things. Once you get older, look back on your teenage years, even from your early 20s, and you’ll probably cringe too. You will change a lot very quickly in these years. I’m 22 and I was still doing dumb stuff at 21, probably going to feel the same next year. Erika learns to come down to Kyouya’s level and Kyouya works to come up to Erika’s level until they find their happy middles. This is a constant theme in the manga.
Overall, if you like a distant (and somewhat mean) male lead, don't mind that the relationship establishes early, and don't mind the female lead embarrassing herself a lot, I think this is a decent read. If you can look beyond the surface and read into the themes of growing up, I think you will find it a lot more enjoyable.