** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

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Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan 1, by Gaku Kuze
★★☆☆☆
278 Pages


Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me. I was actually tempted to DNF a few times, but persevered to see if the story could improve, or turn the story around. I'm sorry to say, it just never happened.

I think it's supposed to be satire, adult humour and dark comedy, but it just...isn't? It fails to make me so much as smile about 80% of the times, and didn't ever make me laugh. Also, what's with that weird triangle shape imagery? Does it mean something, that I just don't understand?
It felt a bit endless and repetitive, with phrases and scenes repeated almost exactly, just with different words and costumes. Monotonous. It feels like it got lost in translation, somewhere, like an inside joke between friends that, when explained to someone else, just isn't funny. Instead of being funny, it just feels like an insult and making fun of people with depression.
It kept breaking the 4th wall, to refer to “chapter” and “this book” which I always find irritating.
The names and appearances of the two male leads are so similar that it's often hard to tell who is talking, and who is who, until one starts thinking about triangles and one starts acting depressed.
It seems there were Translation Notes at the end, that explained every character's name was a pun of some sort – my absolute worst style of humour is puns, so this irked me – but it bothered me that they waited until the END of the book to tell us. It would have made so much more sense to know this beforehand, the way the original Japanese manga readers would have. It also waits until the end to explain some of the cultural aspects which really didn't help my understanding. In other manga's I've read, there's a line or small print paragraph beside the panel that references it, and that's much better than leaving it until the end of the book when it's out of context.

Overall, I thought the artwork was stunning, and typical of what I expect from manga and the yaoi I read. However, the story was abstract and strange, with an abrupt ending. The plot went nowhere and failed to sum-up or build towards a “reason” for the story. I actually found the kids to be the most mature characters, and funniest people of the story. The rest was just lacklustre satire.

So, the humor in this particular title didn't really hit well with me. It was a little too pessimistic for my personal taste. I did enjoy the art and the general concept for the series though.

The premise of this sounded interesting, but the humor fell flat for me and left me more sad for the characters than entertained. Also I couldn't really determine what exactly was really said on the show. They way it appeared I didn't understand how they continued as a legitimate children's program.

Seems like a brand of humor that doesn't work for me.

I don't think this book is for me. I didn't find this book funny.
The illustrations are good, Probably it just took so many pages to introduce the characters in the first book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This manga started interesting and I was curiousto see where it was going but then it got repetitive and depressing and dull. There was some humor but at the end it was borring. I didn't get attached to the story or the characters.
The story is about a 31 years old Uramachi who pretty much hates his job as a host in a kid show, he complains and expresses his discontent about how being an adult is difficult and unfunny. All the characters have issues with their adult lives.
This manga didn't work for me and it was not the right one to read at this period of time.

Gaku Kuze’s Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan, Volume 1 is one of the funniest things I’ve read in a long time. The cynical perspective of a 30-something whose life didn’t turn out how they thought it would is already a topic rife with potential for black comedy, but run through an extremely questionable kids variety show, that humour hits a whole new level.

“Okay kids, what does the U in Uramichi stand for?” “UNFULFILLED!” “And the R?” “READY TO CHECK OUT!” … “You did a great job faking interest in that, kids! That’ll definitely help when you’re job hunting!”

Such is Uramichi Omota’s (aka Uramichi Oniisan) approach to playing the exercise leader on a little show called Together with Manan. He’s a former pro gymnast who somehow wound up in a job he hates, whose only option is to just get by, one day at a time. So how does he get through the day? By playing peekaboo with his will to live; by singing children’s songs about struggling to get dressed in the morning because you have no energy left for basic chores; rewriting the lyrics to try speak out against Japan’s equivalent of the RIAA (and then giving up the protest amongst immediately because “sometimes grown-ups abandon their principles overnight because they’re weak! ⭐”)

There’s no real ongoing narrative direction to Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan; it’s a slice-of-life manga with each chapter focused on some specific incident or event in the studio. But through these moments, the book paints a picture of the depressing lives of Uramichi and the misfits he’s surrounded by, and finds every opportunity to pull laughter out of that bleak reality.

Awful though the whole crew may seem on the surface, there’s an endearing quality to them. They’re all a bit pathetic, quietly supportive of one another, and all just hanging in there together. They seem to dislike one another, and Uramichi especially seems to find his co-presenters especially annoying, but they also find comfort in each other’s company—though they’d never admit it.

We are all Uramichi, in some way or another. What makes Life Lessons so funny, aside from the absurdity of it all, is how relatable it is. “It’s funny ’cause it’s true”, but also, it’s depressing ’cause it’s true, and it’s funny ’cause it’s depressing. Such is a cycle that comedians have worked forever, and Gaku Kuze’s oddball twist on the timeless formula is delightful—not just despite the bleakness of the topic, but because of it.

Life Lessons also often delves into some fourth-wall-breaking humour, like a gag whose punchline relies almost entirely on a change in colour—before Uramichi points out to the person trying to make the joke that this is a black-and-white book, so it’s not going to work. There are little margin notes, the likes of which you often seen in manga, but with comical little reflections on the comic itself (“We’re spending a whole page on this?”) or things like an erroneous literature citation to back up Uramichi’s claim that “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!” is “one of the top three most useful adages in life!”.

A lot of credit has to go to the translator here, Matt Treyvaud. Translating is a difficult job, but translating comedy is especially so, especially when you’re dealing with puns or other such language-specific things. The English version of Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan manages to keep all that humour and all the comedic timing perfectly intact.

The result is a book that is, as I said, one of the funniest things I’ve read in a long time. The grind and monotony of adult life has long been a fountain for black comedy that’s all the more humorous for how relatable it is, and seems more relevant now than ever. Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan, Volume 1 takes an offbeat approach to that tradition that’s hilarious from cover to cover.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei meets Heaven's Design Team in this manga about a cynical kids' TV show presenter.

I vibed with that manga on so many levels. As a teacher who often works with children, I never try particularly hard to use a different voice or tone or avoid certain topics around kids. They are not that different from adults, to be honest.

The MC of this manga, Uramichi, takes it to the extreme. Everything he teaches children during the kids show he's hosting has a dark and realistic twist, even the ABCs. Well, he isn't wrong when he says that positivity is just a respectable sounding name for denial and abdication of responsibility, is he? There are other people working on the show, too: all the cast are burnt out or depressed and all the crew look like they are Lady Gaga impersonators.

I like dark humor, I like people being cynical and I like the comedic relief of Uramichi's twist endings. It was all fiction, but I think all people who know what being overworked or burnt-out means or simply find the millennial way of being making fun of one's own hopelessness will appreciate this brand of humor.

This book takes the things we sometimes want to say to the children (and others) in our lives, when the obligation is to plaster a smile over every negative emotion.
Instead of finding humor in this book to put it simply I was left feeling incredibly uncomfortable. I don't know if it's because I'm worried I'm going to one day become dead inside or if it's just that the humor isn't hitting the same because I am dead inside...

Review rounded up from 4.5

This manga is ridiculous and I loved every sarcastic, nihilistic moment of it. This contains the first two volumes of the series and honestly I couldn't stop laughing. Uramichi is a huge mood and I'm looking forward to more!

If you like dark comedy, you will like this! We all know adulting sucks and this series makes fun of it.
This seems to be a very character driven story. There’s not really a “main storyline” with crazy drama or whatnot. It kind of reminds of me of Horimiya but it’s an adult version with dark humor.

Thank you, NetGalley for letting me read this!!!!
I will be buying a physical copy soon!



#LifeLessonswithUramichiOniisan1 #NetGalley

Uramichi is a 31-year-old host on a kids' show who leads exercise routines and teaches life lessons colored by one main theme: 'Adulthood sucks'.

While Uramichi seems to be a fun happy guy, but in real he wades through the misery of working life, one sardonic comment at a time.

Unfortunately this book was just not for me. While the artwork and illustrations were good, I just couldn't connect with any of the characters. Also, I found the story kind of repetitive and I did not find it funny at all!

Thank You to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this ARC!

Uramichi is a host of a children's TV program. But instead of teaching kids the cute songs and crafts he has a more cynical approach.
I really liked this. I don't think that mangas like this one are meant to be read in one go. They usually release a chapter weekly or monthly, so you can read a chapter from time to time and get a good laugh without it becoming too repetitive. This is something made specifically to amuse you and make you laugh, and for me it worked. I actually found Uramichi scarily relatable, we are quite similar and I am scared for myself now lol. This was a lot of fun and I will be continuing with the series.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This manga is a collection of short stories that are linked by the characters. It was a nice read but it was not amazing, maybe the second volume is better. The problem in my opinion is that I didn’t get any emotions from the stories and didn’t get attached to the characters. They are cute and pretty and Uramichi doesn’t seem like a bad guy or anything but I just didn’t care that much about them. I loved the kids though, they are really cute and so innocent, always here to give advices. I think I liked the last two chapters the most because it is where we learn more about the different characters. I enjoyed the drawings a lot, it’s really pretty, however, I kept confusing Uramichi and Iketuru because they look very much alike so it made my reading a bit more difficult. I still will read the next volume if the opportunity comes up because I am sure that the second volume will develop the characters more and tell us more about how they met and things like that. I recommend this manga to adults who like a bit of sarcasm.

3.5/5

This was a whole lot of fun in a very specific way. I personally thought that it was funny the whole way through but I could see how others could find it repetitive. The type of humor that were working with here is also more complex and subtle than what I find in most other things I'd designate as humor. If you liked the type of humor prevalent here I'd recommend Sayonara Zetsubousense It gave me some similar vibes as this book. A very clearly depressed adult spending every day with much livelier children, who knew this would come up again. I really liked the art in here, it suited the purpose and made things work well. It was not stand-out but I have seen worse. The characters were a bit flat but I feel like they could become more fleshed out over time as this is only book one. I was definitely intrigued and amused by everyone and their quirks. I'd give this a try if the humor strikes you as something you'd understand and not get too bored with.

Uramichi is the 31-year-old former gymnast host of a children's television show whose main theme is adulthood sucks. He somehow manages to make it through work and life one day at a time.

I thought this would be funny, but it's just... not my brand of humor, I guess. It was just depressing.

C/W: Burnout and high-functioning depression (this isn't named in the manga but there are undertones)

This probably has the potential to be my favourite slice-of-life manga.

Uramichi along with the other characters work on a children's show called "Together with Maman". While this is not exactly where any of the characters expected to work after university, they make do. None of them really love their jobs but acknowledges it pays the rent. I think it's an interesting insight to what adult cast-members of shows like "The Wiggles" may feel.

The situations are hilarious, the aspirations human and there is a good mix of dry-humour and children show feels that really come together in such an entertaining manner. While at times the situations or writing may feel repetitive, I do have hopes that it will change as the story goes more in-depth with the characters and situations.

Overall, I really loved this double-volume and liked the fact that it came with a set of explanations at the end for readers who may not be familiar with terms or puns present in the manga.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for letting me read an e-arc of this manga in exchange for an honest review.

I like the concept of a kids' host with a cynical disposition but why is it never addressed why this is encouraged in the first place - is this common in Japan? I don't think so, so why in this world do they encourage the host to be so dark and depressing around kids and then broadcast it? It should be addressed because it's so unusual but it never is and I don't know why. Other than that, the stories are really repetitive - we get it, he's down, he doesn't like his job. Why doesn't anything change or go anywhere? It's just not very interesting to read essentially the same story over and over again in a book like this. An interesting concept that isn't well explored or that interesting to read unfortunately.

The premise sounded interesting enough but just didn't care for the character or what was happening to them.

Life Lesson with Uramichi Oniisan tells the story of a 31-year-old Uramichi, who is a kids’ television host, and his struggles to find meaning in his adult life.
The art is detailed, offering not only expressive characters but intricate backgrounds as well. The art provides clarity to the character’s actions, motivations, and offers a sense of place. It is easy to follow along, and you never have to question what is happening or where people are like you do in other manga series.
Uramichi is very likable, despite being a downer. Maybe it’s because I’m the same age as him and I find myself often questioning my own life’s accomplishments, but I find him very relatable. While it’s clear that Uramichi has issues that only a medical professional could help him with, the story never feels like it’s being maudlin or melodramatic. It feels like an honest portrayal of depression in adulthood, and despite the dark overtones, it manages to be quite humorous and heartwarming.
“Our audience isn’t exhausted shitty grown-ups like us! They’re children packed with sharp sensitivities.” This line is really the crux of the story and maybe in time, Uramichi will come to appreciate the community he has and find his own self-worth again.