I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute story. I especially liked the designs of the female lead and the villainess. Kusunoki was charming and awkward in a way that made her endearing.

Shizuki was... less endearing to me. The way he and other male characters interacted with women was unpleasant to read, though it felt realistic to how real boys behave at that age. Despite Kusunoki being the titular character, the story is about Shizuki's desires, which does suit this kind of book. It simply wasn't for me.

In the future, I hope that these characters experience more character development. I'd like to see the villainess as a more complex character instead of a caricature.

If you want to read this, by all means, pick it up. But there are a lot of books in the same vein that you could read and enjoy more.

*Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up* is a charming and humorous rom-com manga that delivers both heart and hilarity. From the team behind *Life Lessons With Uramichi Oniisan*, this manga dives into the world of high school reinvention with a fresh and comedic take on personal growth and romance.

The story centers on Keisuke Shizuki, a former outcast whose painful middle school experiences have propelled him to transform his image and start anew in high school. Determined to avoid the social pitfalls of his past, Shizuki has meticulously reinvented himself, shunning interactions with the “pretty” crowd that once spurned him. However, his plans hit a snag when he discovers that the school’s most stunning girl, Shizuka Kusunoki, is none other than his former middle school classmate and fellow outcast.

Kusunoki, having undergone her own dramatic glow-up, finds herself struggling with the social complexities of her new persona. Despite her new looks, she’s still grappling with social awkwardness and turns to Shizuki for help. This request for assistance puts Shizuki in a tricky position, as he must navigate his lingering fears of pretty girls while dealing with the unintended attention that comes from being associated with Kusunoki.

The manga’s strength lies in its endearing characters and their relatable struggles. Shizuki’s journey from a phobic outcast to a more confident individual is depicted with both empathy and humor, while Kusunoki’s challenges with her newfound social status add a delightful layer of complexity. The chemistry between Shizuki and Kusunoki drives the narrative forward, providing plenty of comedic and tender moments.

The art style complements the story well, with expressive character designs and engaging visuals that enhance the comedic and emotional beats of the narrative. Fans of *Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible* and *True Beauty* will appreciate the manga’s exploration of self-improvement and social dynamics, all while enjoying a lighthearted and funny romance.

*Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up* is a delightful read for anyone who enjoys stories of personal transformation and romantic comedy. It’s a heartwarming reminder that even as we strive to reinvent ourselves, our past and our connections can lead us to unexpected and fulfilling outcomes.

I couldn't stop chuckling while reading this manga! Every chapter is just so entertaining that I devoured this volume so quickly. This story follows Keisuke Shizuki, an introvert and outcast in middle school, who is now determined to reinvent himself, overcome his trauma, and start fresh in high school. Unfortunately, he ended up in the same class with Shizuka Kusunoki, a former outcast that he knows from middle school. Unlike him, Kusonoki is having trouble with her high school glow-up so she turns to Shizuki for help.

I really enjoyed this book. It's so hilarious! The humor in this book definitely hits the mark. This manga series is marketed as a rom-com but the romance doesn't overshadow the story. It primarily revolves around the themes of friendships, trauma, bullying, and identity. My only issue with this manga is that the characters were lacking, I liked Shizuki because he is relatable and authentic, Kusonoki, on the other hand, could use some development. Her lack of social awareness often leads to inappropriate behavior, making her character unlikeable or frustrating to read. I don't think this was intentional though, so I hope we get to delve deeper into her character in the next volumes.

Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up is a delightful mix of humor and heart. It's funny, genuine, and unexpectedly sweet. If you liked Komi Can't Communicate and True Beauty, I recommend picking up this manga series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for review.

Two middle school outcasts find solace in each other when they come to realize that although they can change their looks, sometimes their personality might not match.

Shizuki is living his mediocre high school glow up dream. He's got two whole friends, average grades, and sits right in the middle of social standing in his class. It's all he's ever dreamed of since getting rejected by the mean girl in middle school. However, Shizuki finds himself catching the attention of the only other student that attended his middle school- Kusunoki! Kusinoki's glow up reflects that of his own, however as the prettiest girl in their class Kusinoki struggles with making friends! Boys swarm her, girls hate her... she feels like she can't win. She makes it her duty to befriend Shizuki, the only person to know she is more than what she is on the outside. The two soon navigate a fast and new friendship together. However, between Shizuki's jealous friends and familiar face from the past, the two find themselves struggling to adapt easily into high school life.

This was so cute! I loved the premise of the story, where two "ugly ducklings" find solace in each other. Their friendship is something I can't wait to follow in future volumes, and the humor is unmatched. 5/5 solid stars.

Short and Sweet. I'm usually not into glow-up stories but I really like this one. Its well written, it doesnt get weird at any point and the characters are relatable. It can be seen as cheesy, though I find it charming. Only "complaint" I had was that I wish there was more chapters. Wasn't quite ready to stop reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! I’m starting to really like manga! This was a cute and fun story of odd characters trying to be new versions of themselves. If you like manga and quirkiness, give it a try!

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

Sadly. This didn't work for me. Mainly because of Kusunoki.
I loved the art. Loved the transformations both characters went through. See Shizuki make the best of his high school years. Some people may call him a dick and yes he had some moments but I actually found it refreshing how he tried to set boundaries because Kusunoki DOESN'T get it. I loved that both Kusunoki and Shizuki were big book lovers and found solace in the library.

Kusunoki was just WAY too irritating to me. She just didn't even get the most basic of basic social cues. When Shizuki tells her he wants to help her and be her friend... she immediately stalks him both inside and outside of school. When he doesn't want that she proposes they call EACH NIGHT, which thankfully Shizuki is able to get down to less. Oh and also during that talk about the friendship toning down in school (for good reasons as we can see that people are turning sour) she doesn't just tone it down, oh no she just completely ignores him at school and when he asks she states that this is what he wanted right? NO, girl. He just wanted you to not stalk him and be with him 24/7. I wouldn't mind if she was just a shy girl who has some issues with communicating, because that would be cute and I would root for her, but she is just empty inside. There is nothing in her brain. I am sorry to say. I just wanted to slap her at times to hope it instilled some sense of common sense. Oh, at one point there was a competition and afterwards she was surrounded by people and apparently EXPECTED our MC to save her because OMG people and she was about to faint. WHAT?

Not in the mood to write much more. So I will keep it at this.

Shizuki and Kusunoki were antisocial, introverted, bottom-of-the-social-scene middle schoolers together. Unexpectedly, they find themselves in the same class in high school where they both had a glow-up. While Shizuki has worked on becoming more social and staying socially in the middle of the hierarchy, Kusunoki still can't speak to anyone yet has found herself dubbed the cutest girl in school. Kusunoki asks Shizuki to help her get better at speaking, and despite not wanting the attention she brings, he can't help but say yes.

It was so cute to see them learn how much they have in common, and how they are fine with each other while she is otherwise anxious around boys and he is nauseated by cute girls. They have so much potential and I can't wait to read more!

This definitely gave "Komi Can't Communicate" vibes, but these introverted sweethearts will have their own challenges to overcome (I'm worried about that one girl!). Definitely a great read for those a fan of two introverts finding each other with lovely artwork.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

4 stars

Cute story about two introverts who have glow ups when entering highschool. The FMC kind of annoyed me and feel like her character was done a bit too over the top in a pick me girl kind of way. Interested to see what happens to the two.

This was a fun, lighthearted coming of age manga. It reminded me a lot of Komi Can’t Communicate, but with a less likeable male lead. Shizuki was not very likeable to me, but that actually made the story feel more real for me. He seemed like a real middle school/high school boy.

Kusunoki was adorable and easily the best part of the story. She is cute and awkward, without ever playing it like she was dumb.

I’m looking forward to reading the next volume and seeing what happens next!

Kusunoki did not really understand social cues at times, but I feel like this is characteristic of really shy high schoolers or individuals who don't really socialize often. Overall, I really enjoyed the story. It was cute and I can't wait to see more of Kusunoki and Shizuki's budding friendship/relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Mitsuki Mii for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion.

Such a cute manga about teenagers trying to find their way in high school. Bullies and teen angst are obstacles to overcome. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was SUPER cute! I really love Kusunoki's character. She's awkward, trying to overcome her fears and have friends while she's in high school. Its a cute book about the struggles of making friends and realizing you're not alone. I'm really looking forward to volume 2.


Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC!

Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up is actually josei, which makes sense when you read this. Keisuke Shizuki was a nerd and an outcast in middle school and now he has changed himself for high school. He finally has friends, but still has hard time looking girls in the eyes because of a trauma. Shizuka Kusunoki used to be like that too and the two were in the same class in middle school. Now Shizuka wants to be friends with Keisuke. This all sounds quite cliched, but the best part is that Keisuke is actually a really interesting character! We get inside his head and he doesn't want to have anything to do with Shizuka and then there's the girl that caused the trauma too. His friends are jealous of course and this is an interesting situation. Many of the characters have an actual persona, there's humor and Keisuke is really relatable.

The art looks great and works well with the story. I still need to know more about where this is going and such to give it more stars, but this felt different in a weird and sarcastic way. Such a good choice and finally not too many feelings!

Kusunoki is Flunking Her High School Glow-Up
Release Aug 20
Volume 2 release oct 22
Volume 3 release December

Another cute manga Kodansha is releasing in August. It is a high school setting with both the ML and FL wanting to change their library lurking middle school self to someone more popular. Personally I’m not huge into the mindset of completely changing oneself and hiding their interests for others to like them, but I get it and I still enjoy the trope of it in manga/anime. I liked how their first phone call went and Kusunoki was super talkative about her favorite series resulting in Shizuki staying on longer. I feel this since I'm super quiet around others until someone starts talking about something like anime/manga. Kusunoki is so adorable and love how she unknowingly causes misunderstandings from her classmates.

Summary:
Shizuki was determined to change himself in high school and never trust a cute girl again. He decided on a high school no one knew his past self and on the outside it looks like he was successful. There is a small ripple in his plan. Kusunoki, someone he used to be fellow library lurkers with, attends the same school and is said to be the cutest in their grade.  However, he learns she is having difficulty making friends and approaches him for help. Unable to say no to her, Shizuki becomes her temporary friend. Not long after there are already misunderstandings with his classmates based on what Kusunoki says and does. Shizuki tries to draw a line between them, but Kusunoki doesn't quite understand where that balance should be. On top of that, someone appears that Shizuki wishes never to see again.

I enjoyed this story and will be looking forward to vol 2 releasing. Both MC are navigating life after changing their outward appearance, yet still being the same internally. I’m excited to see how they progress as characters.

This was a cute premise. I liked the characters and the idea behind it. It didn't have a big romance feel to it to me. It was very focused on popularity and friendships. I'm not sure if I will continue with this series but I would probably pick up more if I came across them. The illustrations were great!

This was a cute manga about two high schoolers who get a 'glow up' to make sure they fit in. The MMC is a bit annoying at times because he believes all beautiful girls are inherently evil, meanwhile, our FMC is literally adorable. They are, in the end very fleshed out characters, who behave according to their ages.
The art is simply beautiful, the story a bit predictive, but a fun read overall.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a wonderful light read, I will be looking forward for the next volume.
Thanks to the author, Kodansha Publishers, and NetGalley for the ARC.

It seems like a cute story, high schoolers who were bullied as kids now trying to change their lives even if they have to fight back against the bullies they find in high school.

interesting

Okay, this was a fast read too. So, I'm not good with names. Lol. But, FL and ML are both in same Junior High. When they were in JH, they are what you can call nerds, the Otakus. The outcast. They also look physically like an outcast. When they get to High School (Senior High) they glowed up. Like literally from ugly duckling vibes to a beautiful swan. However, the FL and ML both can't communicate to the opposite sex, respectively.

ML got traumatized by this female classmate so when a girl talks to him he can't looked them in the eye and he always feels like vomiting. FL also got bullied by male classmates. BUT since they knew each other from Junior high they kinda formed a camaraderie. Which is the whole thing for the volume one. It's so nice to see them be friends even though the FL is just pushing him at first to be her friend. They ended up with lots of things in common.

I liked that it tackled bullying (this is actually a very common thing in Japan schools), how to engage to the other people. How they try to get to know each other and finding out they have lots of common hobbies. However, sometimes I'm a bit stressed out on how the FL is so innocent in a way she doesn't even know that most girls and boys don't really associate with one another like what she's trying to do. LOL. And it stresses the ML out but always ends up doing whatever the FL wants because he (I know and feels this) cares about what she thinks and her feelings. Definitely one for the books! I would like to read the next volume for this manga too.

Thank you for the chance of reading this manga! <3