lastblossom reviewed Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up Vol. 1 by Mitsuki Mii (Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up, #1)
A cute slice of life for fans of the high school glow-up and sweet nerds finding each other. A classic mean girl character promises future drama, but this volume remains light.
The high school glow-up plot isn't new by any means, but there's a reason people keep returning to it. It's fun! In this case, we have two bookish children doing their best to reinvent themselves for high school. The twist here is that they both knew each other before the makeover. While they never interacted in middle school, they did spend their hours reading beside each other in the library. That tenuous shared history is enough for Kusunoki to seek out Keisuke's help. She may have picked a new look for herself, but getting the courage to speak to people is bigger hurdle, and one that only he can help with. Shockingly, he discovers that his own phobia of girls doesn't activate when he's around her. Maybe they'll both be good for each other? (Of course they will.) There are very few surprises to be had in here. Keisuke starts …
The high school glow-up plot isn't new by any means, but there's a reason people keep returning to it. It's fun! In this case, we have two bookish children doing their best to reinvent themselves for high school. The twist here is that they both knew each other before the makeover. While they never interacted in middle school, they did spend their hours reading beside each other in the library. That tenuous shared history is enough for Kusunoki to seek out Keisuke's help. She may have picked a new look for herself, but getting the courage to speak to people is bigger hurdle, and one that only he can help with. Shockingly, he discovers that his own phobia of girls doesn't activate when he's around her. Maybe they'll both be good for each other? (Of course they will.) There are very few surprises to be had in here. Keisuke starts out with a predictably dim view on girls as a whole due how he's been hurt, but his time with Kusunoki makes him reevaluate his stance. Meanwhile, Kusunoki's reasons for changing are little more hidden, with some hints towards bullying, but she's warming up quite a bit around Keisuke. Attractive artwork with clean lines and some exceptionally cute expressions pulls the whole thing together making for a mostly endearing read. The only plot point that keeps this from being entirely saccharine sweet is the girl who hurt Keisuke is also here, and... well, that's about it so far. Her presence and almost cartoonishly villainous name promise complications in the future, but so far she's done very little beyond stand around ominously.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.