Yandere Kanojo

Firstly, this is to help wavering people to decide whether to read or not read this manga.
Secondly this will be to explain what's up with joker and online (versions of the manga).
Lastly, this is based on my personal experience, meaning I may be incorrect. Please feel free to correct me or give constructive criticism. thanks

To begin, I would like to say read joker before online or concurrently. Otherwise you would miss the introduction of many characters (it makes it a lot more confusing). Also, most online is the online version. However, simply reading the online version will still give you enough details to understand the story. Even so, there will be a feeling of emptiness, as if you missed a chapter or two ( I honestly checked if I did ).

The manga is a sweet love comedy, with the plot progressing(somewhat). More characters are introduced and the backgrounds of main characters are revealed. As it is partly 4-komu (fits a ton into a single page) not every panel can be copacetic. However, it helps as the plot does not lag on endlessly ( eg. taking 100 chapters to confess, it takes 1 ).

The characters are very cute, and the main character is able to be decisive and only love his girlfriend ( yes, he does not have a harem ).

Overall, it is a very fun manga and definitely worth your time if you want some humor. Try it when you're in the mood! Have fun on your manga adventure!

ps. it is always advisable to read the translator's notes. it helps clear up jokes and explains items (or tells you to google it). the translator is pretty funny too!

tl;dr: Come for the gags, stay for the interesting plot supported by strong character/relationship development. 

Firstly, I should note that though its called Yandere Kanojo, it doesn’t mean traditional yandere (yanguire-dere), but rather yankee-dere. There’s no actual yandere in this series.

Now with that out of the way, I suppose I should start off by saying this series completely surprised me by how much it grew. It starts off as a simple 4koma gag manga with flat characters that aren’t much more than simple tropes and small stories that don’t seem to have much purpose beyond having a punchline after every 4 panels.

However, as it goes on those repeated jokes start adding up, small details that are slowly inserted with the jokes start adding up to flesh out characters pretty well, and the characters start feeling more and more developed as not just characters that are amusing, but characters that are easy to sympathize with and get invested in. It isn’t clear to me exactly when things changed, or rather maybe there wasn’t really any single point where things changed, but ultimately the stories started getting really well developed. It takes the characters that had been developed through the gags, and starts telling really good stories with them, ones that involve complex relationships complete with flashbacks, drama, twists, etc. that all contribute to quite a lot of character and relationship development.

And the thing is, it does that for pretty much everyone, not just the main couple. Characters get introduced and feel incredibly flat and like they’ll never be anything more than that, but they too get well developed back stories and good character development. While this is happening, it often drops the 4koma format, but it also keeps it quite a bit, even for the more serious portions. The end result of that is that it ends up moving quite fast. And that combined with the fact that it keeps the solid humor it's had from the beginning with running gags that built up over the course of the 17 volumes, and the fact that it deals with so many characters, gives the series really really good pacing.

This is a series that truly vastly improves as it goes on, eventually building up to an ending that while not epic, wraps up quite a bit more than I ever expected such a series would ever need to wrap up and wraps it up really well, and ultimately left me very satisfied with the series. If there’s one complaint I have with the manga though, it’s the art, in that it starts off not very good and ends barely decent. Still, this isn’t a hindrance to the story it's trying to tell so it's not too much of a problem. The art actually looks pretty good occasionally during covers and such so I’d assume this was an issue of having to get through so many panels per chapter, which was a strength of the manga so I’d say it was worth it. 

First things first. This is my first review, so don't send me to hell if it goes bad.
I advise you to not skip any parts that seem boring, or to read it hurriedly just because it's long.

This is a pretty underrated manga, but I'd say it's definitely worth reading. "Don't lose faith!"

Also, this review is completely based on MY opinion. I know that sounds obvious, but many forget that just because a reviewer likes a manga and praises it, that doesn't mean it'll necessarily be as good as the damned reviewer said. Again, please don't send me to hell if you read my humble review, decide to check the manga out and then dislike it.

If you've read Onidere, you might think "Bleh, this is just a copy of it - why read it anyways?" If you do think that way, then you need to be told this:
This is a thousand times better than damned Onidere. GO READ IT ALREADY. :D
(Once again, this is just what you should do in MY opinion.)

If you do check it out, then I'd suggest reading it at Mangafox. Other sites are often missing the omakes, you see. And if you do read it at Mangafox, chapter 0 probably comes from a one-shot, so don't be confused.

Whatever, now to the review itself.

--x--

A) Story: That earns a 6, sorry. I didn't feel it was that original, to be honest - Maybe because I was one of those that read Onidere first - but it still didn't get me tired.
I don't want to keep comparing mangas (we have the recommendations already), so trying to see this one as an individual and non-inspired one: The story keeps you hooked.
..Nothing else to say.
(Why would I say anything else, if you only wanted to know that anyways?)

B) Art: 9. Am I the only one that thinks everything is designed perfectly? Some of the covers don't look that nice, but i find Reina just too cute when dressed as a "girly-girl", and the way Manabu reminds me of the two-faced hero from Ai no/wo Utai something (except Manabu is better), and.. Well if I were to describe everything I'd take your sweet time.
(But beware, for I shall take all opportunities to do that in the Character Section. Bwahahaha.)
Just know this: This manga's art really fits the story and characters, contributing to that "10" I put on Enjoyment.

C) Character: 9 as well. Am I too overprotective of mangas and characters I like? Perhaps. The point is, ALL characters are likable in this manga (IMO again), and they all get the right amount of character development. There's no confusing who the main characters are, but you can't forget the side ones either.
Well, except for the one-or-two-appearances-only characters, but when they do appear the manga usually leaves it clear what they are: Characters that no one will remember. So it's ok.
Again, I was going to be happy and describe all characters here and all, but then I read the Review Tips/Guidelines. It said:
• Try your very best to not write any spoilers.
So yea, I'll let you figure out how the characters are on your own. But rest assured, you are not being decieved if you believe they all will captivate you on their own way.
..Or not. Again, this is MY opinion. Don't send me to hell if you feel decieved.

[ALERT: BORING MONOLOGUE PART. DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO.]
But then again, I'm pretty sure you won't end up feeling that way.
But maybe our opinions differ too much? But I don't see how you could dislike those characters. But can I understand how the others would feel? But..
[/END MONOLOGUE.]
Yeah, whatever.

D) Enjoyment: 10. High rating is high, I know, but I just love this manga. The way the art and characters and story are connected is just great. I'm not saying "you can see that all events are connected in the story" - What I'm saying is that EVERY element of the manga is connected with each other, no matter how much that single element displeases you. Even if you don't find one of the elements good, what makes you enjoy the manga is exactly the sum of all of them.
..All I have to say, again. I feel like I'm reading too much into it, so yea.

E) Overall: 8. Why 8 if it sounded like I liked this manga so much, you ask?
That is because no matter how much I liked it, it still DOES disappoint me in the fact that is was probably heavily inspired by Onidere. The similarities are too great, and Onidere began getting published before Yandere, too - But Onidere doesn't really have that thing that makes you ask for more, if you get what I mean. So even if this is supposed to be just a "parody-ish manga that was made with the intention of surpassing the original", rest assured - Because it DOES surpass the "original", and by far.
The Review Tips and Guidelines say:
• Be sure to tell us the reasons for WHY you liked or disliked this anime or manga.
And I'll say - If you still don't get it, re-read my review. Especially the Enjoyment part.

--x--

Now, onto more boring stuff.
You may be asking, "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU COMPARING IT SO MUCH TO ANOTHER MANGA?" That is because the comparing part was NEEDED for who already read Onidere. You have no idea of how much those people complain.

Sorry if the damn review was so damn long, but this damn reviewer got too absorbed on it. Damn me, huh? But don't send me to hell.

Another question: "IF YOU FOUND THE MONOLOGUE PART BORING TOO, THEN HOW COME YOU STILL INCLUDED IT?" Calm down, and don't send me to hell. I just thought that if I kept that on, the reader might understand a bit of how I feel, and then end up not sending me to hell. (Or even better, he might be able to interpretate the review and then take his own conclusions correctly!) Capische? ^^

To the ones that said "hell, are you finished already?" and yawned, I'll say:
It's F*KIN COMPREHENSIVE, AND NOT LONG. :D

Sorry if you found this review offensive in any way. If you did, be assured that it wasn't meant to offend anyone or anything - I was merely expressing my humble opinion, in the hope that it would help anyone.
The sentence above was meant to be a mini-joke. Sorry if it sounded stupid.

YTR.

It starts of real good, a decent, funny 4koma manga full of wacky characters and precious punchlines. Good comedy with romantic background. Too bad about halfway through Shinobi took a turn for worse. Comedy was toned down and we were instead served a needlessly tragic drama, that's messy, forced, unnecessary and worst of all, unfinished. It didn't go well with all those wacky characters at all.


----------HEAVY SPOILERS BELOW-------------
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MC's mother takes shit from everyone so she abandons her son and tries to make him hate her? Why? MC's dad abandons his mother to be with his... sister? At one point grandfather specifically says he COULD smooth things over and make everything go away. Bit too late for that, don'tcha think? All of this was so messy.

Although comedy was good, serious arcs sucked.

Yandere Kanojo is a manga that reminds us of what real life (and love) are about.

It's a funny gag manga with lighthearted, cliche characters. They fall in love in a ridiculous way and have ridiculous interactions and go on ridiculous adventures. The guy with glasses studies hard, the girl with a bat hits people with said bat, and so on.

Then ever so slowly, real obstacles start creeping up, one by one, just like they do in real life. Sometimes they get solved in the same lighthearted, comical way as the rest of the manga, but sometimes they are just hinted at and are put off for later. It happens so subtly that you almost forget about it in between the hints and foreshadows...but as you get towards the end, all those unanswered questions start bubbling up to the surface and can't be ignored any longer.

Yandere Kanojo reminds us that life, no matter what, should mostly be fun. It doesn't matter if you're from a loving and functional background or a conflicted and discordant one: what matters is that you find people that you can laugh, love, and belong with. What matters is being able to move while under our individual inhibitions and burdens and find enjoyment and happiness in our day-to-day lives, even if those burdens weighs us down to our very core and threaten to take away everything we have. It shows us what happens to those who embrace that, those who never find it, and those who are caught in the middle. It reminds those of us who are lost that it really doesn't take much to find that happiness again, and it reminds those of us who are happy that even beneath the bubbly surfaces of those around us, everyone is struggling with something.

Yandere Kanojo reminds us that love is more than just a moment of attraction, or a confession, or even a state of being together. Love is about making new memories together; it is a thing that grows with each passing moment (or page). Love makes people do wonderful, heartwarming things, and it makes people do callous, hurtful things, and it makes them do everything in between. Love is far from perfect, and sometimes it is the most enchanting thing and sometimes it is the most upsetting. Sometimes it blooms into a beautiful firework and sometimes it festers into a thorn that bristles out of your heart and hurts those around you. And sometimes...sometimes things just don't work out and there are some things that love can't overcome.

Love isn't perfect, but it's all we have. And if you choose love, the kind of real, tempered, imperfect love that Reina and Manabu have, then no matter what happens, at least you can go through it with a smile and a 4-koma gag.

This is one of the best mangas for passing time.
[Note : This review is for Yandere Kanojo (Joker) as well as Yandere Kanojo (Online) since both are really the same]
Those who don't know, this is Yandere Kanojo (Joker) which features in some magazine. The other comes online (although now both are available online). I'll tell the difference ahead.

So Yandere Kanojo doesn't have much of a plot really, but thats not important. It's a 4 koma manga with many normal pages in between. There is no separate story in each 4 koma, they are all related in that chapter, so it doesn't make a difference really.

Yandere Kanojo is a really good gag manga and hilarious sometimes. Full of gags, and sometimes normal jokes, and sometimes lame ones....so lame that even the characters mention how lame jokes the author can make! The characters can be very funny. Stating obvious cliches and all. So it's really good for those who enjoy gags.
There is a story involved here too but it moves rather slowly.
The characters develop slowly too. First only the protagonist girl and guy are present but later more characters are introduced and soon become main characters. This has been updated up to the point where character back-stories have finally started to emerge and it's actually quite intense and good for such a silly manga

Story :
So this geeky glasses guy and the deliquint girl have a love at first sight under the cherry blossom trees (cliche!) and so they start dating but secretly or the deliquint girl will ruin her image. Aaaaannd thats it! Thats the main story atleast. When the other characters develop, the story gets developed along with them.
Where i am reading currently, the story has just began to evolve and complicate, so at this point i can't say much.

Difference between Joker and Online :
Like i said before, they are really the same. The gags in both are hilarious. The main plot is all the same but it's ''sub-stories'' which leads to the main story are different and are not included in each other. Every charachter other than the main are introduced at different times in a different manner.

Don't keep reading serious mangas all the time...read a little gags too sometimes ^_^
Gags all the way!

although the plot seemed interesting, i was hesitant to read it because it was a 4-koma. Generally speaking, im not a huge fan of story lines that do not have a linear sequence of events, but are instead made up of what will be "fillers" in a standard manga/anime.
However, this manga caught me by surprise by being actually quite enjoyable. If I were to compare it to another work, it would be most similar to the format of Gintama in the way that there is not really much of a linear story but does have important story arcs spread across the span of the story and subjects/characters that may seem unimportant at first but grows to be important later.
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One of the things that makes this manga unique other than being a 4-koma is the relationship between the main characters, Takana and Reina. They cut right into the chase being a couple and do not have chapters of stalling or conflicts of "do i like him/her"?
It differs from other shoujo manga by having them star as a perfect couple. They help each other grow, are open with one another, and are supportive and trusting of one another. They do not argue out of jealousy for a love rival, feel the urge to own one another, or make each other feel insecure.
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The typical shoujo gender roles are also somewhat reversed. Reina is a strong, independent, violent lead, contrasting the usual clingy, insecure, crybaby of a female protagonist. If anything she resembles the usual male protagonist being rash, cocky, and arrogant.
On the other hand, Tanaka is passive, kind, and smart. Honestly there's not much to say about him and his strongest quality is his love for Reina and his gramps. He has his fair share of trouble which ends up being a large part of the story towards the end.
The other characters are all fun and and adds a lot to the story's entertainment value.
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The art is simple but it fits the light heartiness of this manga perfectly.
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The manga was a bit hard to read since there are two versions and you have to go back and forth between the two so you dont miss anything. But every chapter is worth it.

This is a very underrated manga. Of course it might not have an amazing story or art style but the comedy in this is amazing and you're sucked in by the characters in this story.

It's simple to understand and this is a manga where I turn off my brain and just enjoy because this is a really funny manga regardless. My problem could be that I wish that it was shortened but nonetheless it still maintains a plot through the gags it has and introduces new stuff. So this may not be a new riveting idea of a manga but something to laugh at.
I hope you will enjoy this.