Medaka Box

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Update: Everything I said below still applies to this one-shot, but please do not go into the main series expecting a similar story of the council getting up to shenanigans while helping out other clubs. The main series quickly becomes a mediocre at best battle shounen that attempts to subvert itself with pseudo-intellectual ramblings in an attempt to cover up how completely generic the series actually is. Obviously, I was not a fan of the parent series, but your mileage may vary, depending on your affinity for the genre. I thought this was important enough to note.


Before diving into the main series, I wanted to ... give the one-shot a try so that I could write an informed review. As such, this review only concerns the one-shot, and intended for those who have not read the parent series.

Story, 6: This set the basis of what could be a fairly interesting story with nearly limitless potential: a student council president with a mostly unwilling sidekick helping out school clubs. This particular one-shot dealt with the judo club and had a rather unnecessary twist at the end, but it was nicely paced at least.

Art, 7: The art as a whole was pleasing with bold, dark lines, but the ecchi doesn't seem to add anything to the chapter.

Characters, 6: Given this one-shot's relatively short length, the characters felt fairly archetypal but still interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about Medaka's rather manipulative personality in getting Hiteyoshi to work with her, but maybe that will be discussed at length in the full series.

Enjoyment, 6: Despite my grumblings above, I still thought it was an enjoyable read. It piqued my interest in the full series as well.

Overall, 6: I would recommend to other readers who want to get a taste of what to expect in the full series (or so I assume), or are simply looking for an amusing, quick read.