#IReadsYou Review: WE NEVER LEARN Volume 9

WE NEVER LEARN, VOL. 9
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Taishi Tsutsui
TRANSLATION: Camellia Nieh
LETTERS: Erika Terriquez, Snir Aharon
EDITORS: John Bae; David Brothers
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0951-1; paperback (April 2020); Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

We Never Learn is a Japanese shonen manga series written and illustrated by Taishi Tsutsui.  It began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in February 2017.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series under its “Shonen Jump” imprint since December 2018.

We Never Learn focuses on Nariyuki Yuiga, a high school senior who comes from an impoverished family.  He is eager to secure a full scholarship, known as “the Special VIP Recommendation,” to college before he graduates.  His principal agrees to give him the scholarship, but there is one stipulation.  Yuiga must tutor the three smartest girls in school:  Rizu Ogata, Fumino Furuhashi, and, Uruka Takemoto, so that they can get into their target colleges.  However, each girl wants to focus on a subject area in which she is practically an utter failure!

As We Never Learn, Vol. 9 (“The Flow of [ X ] Never End...”; Chapter 70 to 78) opens, Yuiga and Ogata are going to have a study session, but find that study hall is packed with students.  Ogata comes up with idea of using the empty biology lab, but it's supposedly haunted.  When evidence of an actual haunting manifests, Yuiga is determined that the easily frightened Ogata not see the haunting – even if he has to act inappropriately to keep her from doing so.

Then, the teacher, Mafuyu Kirisu, is substituting in a home economics class, but Kirisu is bad at cooking on a whole new level.  When Yuiga attempts to help her with her cooking, the kitchen becomes a place of inappropriate behavior.  Plus, Uruka gets some life-changing news that may affect her relationship with Yuiga.  Plus, what happens when Yuiga gets a hold of the wrong gift bag.

THE LOWDOWN:  The We Never Learn manga blends academics and teen romance, being a kind of high school comic romp and romance.  Like the Nisekoi: False Love manga, We Never Learn features a boy with several girls from which to choose.

We Never Learn Graphic Novel Volume 9 does not offer any story arcs, rather, it is a collection of single-chapter episodes of comic situations.  We Never Learn is a sitcom of a thousand situations, and most of them are quite funny.  Even without a multi-chapter story in Vol. 9, creator Taishi Tsutsui manages to drop a bombshell that will shape the overall narrative moving forward.  Translator Camellia Nieh once again does stellar work in bringing out the funny in this delightful series that seems to have as close to a perfect English-language translation of a manga comedy that we can get.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of shonen high school comedies will want to learn about the Shonen Jump title, We Never Learn.

A
9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.



-----------------------------------

Review: WE NEVER LEARN Volume 1

WE NEVER LEARN, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Taishi Tsutsui
TRANSLATION: Camellia Nieh
LETTERS: Erika Terriquez
EDITORS: John Bae; David Brothers
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0302-9; paperback (December 2018); Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

We Never Learn is a manga from creator Taishi Tsutsui.  The series focuses on a group of high school students struggling to overcome their worst subjects on top of managing crushes and burgeoning romance.  VIZ Media is publishing an English language edition of the manga in a series of graphic novels.  The series will be published bimonthly under VIZ's “Shonen Jump” imprint.

We Never Learn, Vol. 1 (Genius and [ x ] Are Two Sides of the Same Coin; Chapter 1 to 7) introduces Nariyuki Yuiga, a high school senior from an impoverished family.  He is eager to secure a full scholarship, known as “the Special VIP Recommendation,” to college before he graduates high school. His principal agrees to give it to him, but there is one stipulation.

Nariyuki must tutor the two smartest girls in school, Rizu Ogata and Fumino Furuhashi, and make sure they get into their target colleges.  However, each girl wants to focus on a subject area in which she is not at all good!

The We Never Learn manga is a high school romantic comedy.  Because most of the lead characters are female, one might assume that this is a shojo manga – comics for teen girls, but it can appeal to both male and female readers – teen and older.

We Never Learn Graphic Novel Volume 1 will remind readers of such shonen romantic comedies as the recent Nisekoi: False Love and the classic Strawberry 100%.  Like such manga, We Never Learn has at its center, a male character, who gets caught in a relationship circle that includes two girls, at least in the beginning.  We Never Learn has, to start, an attractive love triangle.

We Never Learn, like Nisekoi, has three nice characters to start the love triangle.  Both girls are really smart, and are also pretty (of course).  At first, Taishi Tsutsui focuses on the two girls' area of expertise, but with each chapter, we start to see more of their personalities.  There is some fanservice in the form of a bikini shots and boob grabbing, but this series will thrive the more we like these characters.  Well, this is a good start, and I think we will be looking forward to each new volume of We Never Learn.

8.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

---------------------------