We all know about the classic elements seen in shoujo manga: the heroine and hero are childhood friends, the rivals are horrible pricks, and the hero is always there to save the heroine. And you’d think by now most manga artists would have managed to change things a bit and spice it up? Unfortunately, no.
This is where No Longer Heroine comes in.I’ve read my fair share of shoujo manga over the years and I believe I’m in my place to say–quite exasperatingly—how difficult it is to find a good plot that defies the basics (somewhat) and is successful at it. So when the first two volumes of No Longer Heroine were shoved into my arms, I had the usual thoughts: “Will this school romance differ from other stories?” and, “If this manga is so unique, how come I’ve never seen people talk about it?”
No Longer Heroine takes place in your typical Japanese high school setting, where pretty people rule and the others are rarely seen except for comedic purposes. Our heroine, Hatori (who by the way lacks everything defining a true shoujo heroine) is part of the pretty people group and plays the rather superficial teenage girl role to its finest. Before you go on hating her however, you quickly notice her hidden incredibly goofy side and her habit of somehow breaking the fourth wall by regularly self-proclaiming herself as the heroine of this manga.
And as in every manga, there’s a hero to go with the heroine — Hatori’s childhood friend, the handsome Rita. From an exterior point of view, it only seems like a matter of time before Hatori confesses to Rita and things end happily. But it sadly isn’t the case since nonchalant Rita seemingly likes to change girlfriends every few weeks or so and ignores the heroine’s not-so-discreet hints to her love on a regular basis. Yet Hatori preserves and believes Rita will realize her love! At least until Rita seriously falls in love for the first time with the not-so-pretty, yet very forgiving Adachi.
The art is a tricky little thing. Before jumping into the story, you can’t say that it doesn’t resemble a large number of shojo manga art. While Momoko has spared us the cringe-worthy characteristics reminiscent of old shoujo manga art that has miraculously survived throughout the years (You know, those manga that steer you away just by looking at the art) and thankfully has this modern style to fit in the story, the art remains…boring. Except when Hatori unleashes her goofy side and makes hilarious expressions recalling famous manga styles à la Golgo 13, Georgie, or Ashita Joe.
Now that’s we’re gotten the art talk out of the way, let’s get back to the story.
As you can see, No Longer Heroine promises a dynamic story that’s bound to keep you reading until the final volume due to its countless twists and turns and upside downs. But that’s also a problem in itself since it reaches a point where things get ridiculous and you lose patience since the characters can’t manage to handle their emotions and ruin the fun. Plus, the heroine can’t make up her mind when everyone clearly knows who the superior one is between the two guys and keeps hurting those involved with her. This gets bad to the point where a few people do want to drop the manga and be rid of all the drama it keeps smacking at their face, but wish to know what happens at the end.
Another issue I had with the story is how all the characters are somewhat dislikable apart from Hatori and her best friend. Rita has no personality and can irk one quickly since he, just like the heroine, can’t make up her mind, Adachi is just there, and Rita’s rival (who actually has an interesting side to him) lacks something to make him a likable character.
No Longer Heroine, while short (only nine volumes), had what it takes to be a shoujo manga similar to known titles such as Switch Girl!! or any other known shojo these young’uns know today. The big problem NLH had was how confusing and often the twists were to the point where one can’t keep up and decide drop the manga all together.
But regardless of its faults, No Longer Heroine is a series I highly recommend just for all the laughs it’ll provide you with thanks to Hatori’s many faces, the characters’ epic fails, or just to see
