Comedy unpacks heteronormativity in this manga-esque rom-com about a girl determined to have a picture-perfect shoujo romance, only to discover that love often doesn’t follow a script.
Content warnings: Bullying, Harassment. This review covers Volume 1 of Not So Shoujo Love Story
Rei has always been the odd one out. With her cropped hair, delinquent reputation, and obsession with manga, she dreams of starring in her own swoon-worthy shoujo. Her crush of choice? Hansum Ochinchin, the most beautiful (and super bizarre) boy at school. If only she can get him to notice her.
But Rei’s carefully imagined storyline takes a sharp left turn when the radiant class star, Hanna, confesses her feelings to Rei herself.
The Story
From the very first page, Not So Shoujo Love Story is laugh-out-loud funny. Author Curryyuku plays with shoujo romance tropes in the best, most comedic ways to highlight how formulaic these storybook romances can be. But Shoujo fans don’t worry, the comedy never feels particularly mocking of the demographic. It seems very clear that the creator has a deep love and appreciation for shoujo. Humor of this caliber could only be written and fully appreciated by super fans. It explores familiar mainstays of shoujo high school romance stories (Tropes like: “Prince of the High School”, “The Prince’s Fan Club”, “Excessive Miscommunication”, “Rooftop Heart-to-Hearts”).
However, it’s not all comedy here. This story has real heart to it as well. Readers might even be caught off guard by some of the emotionally touching scenes. Rei and Hanna are both instantly likable characters. Readers may find themselves identifying with both of them at different parts of the story.
Rei dreams of romance, and through the manga and media she consumes, she can only imagine romance looking a certain way.
She has to get the beautiful boy to notice her and be a gentle, sweet protagonist to win the kind of love she sees in fiction. However, Rei fails to realize that Hansum might not be worth her energy. And that she doesn’t have to fit a shoujo protagonist stereotype to be worthy of love.
Meanwhile Hanna is a beautiful, popular girl who no one understands or wishes to know in a genuine way. She feels completely unseen and is given labels by her classmates that she doesn’t identify with. Which in part must be why she is drawn to Rei, who stands out, speaks her mind, and doesn’t let anyone get away with crossing her.
The ensuing romance between the two characters is turbulent, but one that you have to root for because their chemistry is magnetic. At many points in the story, they feel like the only real, multifaceted people in a sea of cliches. So it’s easy for the reader to get attached to the pair. No matter how hilarious or likable Hansum and his dorito-like chin might be, he just doesn’t stand a chance in this story about two girls figuring out what they want and going for it!
The Art
Visually, the series is wonderful. Curryyuku’s art style blends manga-inspired character design with the expressive exaggerations of western cartoons. Making it accessible and eye-catching for both audiences. The facial expressions in this are truly hilarious (I literally spit my tea out the first time I saw Hansum).
This story was originally published as a vertical scrolling WEBTOON, but the print version does an excellent job laying out the panels in a coherent way. The comedic timing is still spot-on when comparing the two versions.
If you were a WEBTOON reader, you might be wondering why you should bother reading the print version. This version has extra artwork displayed as chapter covers and contains a one-shot at the end. So fans of the original work may still want to pick up a copy for the extras and the quality printing.
The Deets:
Not So Shoujo Love Story is a romantic comedy WEBTOON created by Curryyuku. The print version of the story is brought to us by Viz Media, publishing under the imprint Viz Originals. The first volume is currently out, and the second volume will be released September 25th, 2025.
