3.5/5

A story about Shizuki Keisuke, a nerdy boy, wanting to reinvent himself in highscool because in junior high he was bullied and looked down upon. So he puts in the work, gets a makeover, and enters a school with a notoriously hard entrance exam so he could escape his junior high classmates. But what will happen when he not only runs into the female equivalent of himself, a shy girl named Shizuka Kusonoki, but also the main girl bully who made Keisuke’s life horrible in the first place?

Great start to the series. It’s a fun concept to have 2 secret high school makeover debuts unexpectedly meet. They’re both really interesting characters and seemingly have different goals than each other.

I was surprised to find out that the main perspective isn’t even Kusonoki, but the MMC pov instead. I don’t hate it, but I do hope to get more of the FMC pov in the future.

The extra story at the end really added to the plot. It’s a cute and intriguing story so far. I will definitely look out for volume 2.

This was a sweet and charming manga about two former middle school loners finding friendship in one another later on in high school. I found this style of high school glow up to be a refreshing take on the trope. The premise though a little simplistic or basic has a lot of potential, I think, and I look forward to seeing how Keisuke and Shizuka friendship/relationship progresses in future volumes.

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, and now I can't wait to read more! I laughed so much, too >.<

Funny, but also surprisingly realistic. I'd say it's a shojo that feels like a shonen, perfectly in the middle of both genres.

A funny romantic comedy about two high school nerds who went to a new school where they both had their “glow-up” debut.

When Shizuki was rejected by his heartthrob, he was not only left with a broken heart, but also became pretty-girl-phobic on top of it. He decides to opt for a fresh start: new school, new looks, new friends and a healthy portion of confidence as the icing on the cake. Shizuki selects a school where no one knows his secret former self, allowing him to start anew as a blank canvas. To avoid any incidents and not trigger his phobia, he strictly avoids having eye contact with all the popular girls… until one day, when the prettiest and most sought-after girl in school asks him for help!

The cute blonde turns out to be his dreadfully nerdy and totally unpopular former library “companion” with whom he never spoke a word. Not much has changed at least in that respect; fellow ex-outcast Kusunoki is still as shy and socially awkward as she used to be and only managed to upgrade her appearance, not her social skills – when it comes to looks she definitely reached max level. Unable to speak to her peers, she’s not able to put her looks to good use and begs none other than the seemingly confident Shizuki for help.

Shizuki however, wants to decline instantly. Not only does the cute Kusunoki challenge his deepest fears, but she also knows what an unpopular boy he used to be and could threaten his newly accomplished status. But due to Kusunoki’s clumsy cute demeanour, Shizuki gets roped into helping her overcome her social anxiety. From now on Shizuki has to navigate both his phobia and the extra level of attention he receives as he spends a lot of time with the school’s most popular girl…

My Reading Experience
I had a great time reading Kusunoki’s Flunking Her High School Glow-Up. It’s funny, cute and features clumsy nerds who try to become popular kids – ever since I read Wotakoi, Love Is Hard For Otaku, “nerds trying to be normies” has become one of my favourite tropes. Apart from that, I also loved the art style. The drawings are pretty and the character’s emotions are nicely developed. A bit over the top, yes, but that makes it extra fun in my opinion.

Who Would Enjoy This Manga?
Kusunoki’s Flunking Her High School Glow-Up is great for readers who enjoy a cute and funny rom-com with pretty artwork. Otakus and nerds who like the genre will be able to empathise with the former-ducklings-now-turned-swans and might enjoy it even more – at least I do, hehe! If you love Wotakoi, Love Is Hard For Otaku or Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, you will definitely have a great time with this manga.

Rating
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐
Story: ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐
Art: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think this is my favourite manga set in high school I’ve read so far (admittedly I haven’t read many). I really liked the art as it wasn’t too over stylised which is something I’m personally not a fan of amd there was a good balance of art panels too speech. The characters felt very relatable and fleshed out, their problems and reactions seemed genuine. The whole premise of the book just felt realistic which isn’t something I’ve come across before and I’m looking forward to seeing how the story develops if I can get a hold of Volume 2.

3.5⭐

Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up Vol. 1 by Mitsuki Mii has an undeniably adorable art style that really draws you in. The characters are cute, and the light, slice-of-life tone gives it a relaxing vibe. However, the story is a bit thin, and by the end of the volume, it feels like not much has actually happened in terms of plot development. Despite this, I found myself enjoying the simple charm, and I’d still love to see where it goes in future volumes. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the mood for something light and cozy!

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up by Mitsuki Mii is a high school romance manga about two former middle school classmates trying to reinvent themselves and make friends. The only problem is, the girl doesn't socialize well and the guy has trauma with girls. He reluctantly agrees to help her out, and they slowly start to become friends. This was a pretty cute manga volume, but it looks like there's gonna be a mean girl involved, so I might not continue this one. May be worth a try if you're a fan of school based manga though.

A sweet and funny manga about two former middle school loners finding friendship and guidance in each other following their respective high school glow ups is a plot that is both fresh and yet familiar. Who hasn’t tried to reinvent themselves when in a new environment and found that a familiar face can bring it all tumbling down. This manga is fun and sweet and beautifully illustrated.

A fun beginning to a new manga. There's a girl who's tried her hardest to "glow-up" now that she's in high school, and while it does seem to be working for the most part, she encounters new friends and foes alike who threaten to disrupt her scheme. There's plenty of humor and of course some wild shenanigans, so I think this could be a funny, adventurous romance manga!

It was a cute read!

Volume 1 left me wanting to see their relationship develop from their friendship!

The cover art and title is what drew me to this, I'll go to war for a cute pink-haired main character, but not much stood out about this for me. The premise so far is very basic, not much happened plot-wise in this volume which I guess is to be expected, but I don't feel drawn enough to any particular character to want to find out more. I thought the bonus chapter was quite sweet, the glimpse into their past sitting in the library together but by themselves, and Kusunoki being so nervous she was holding the manga upside down while pretending to read made me smile.

It was a cute little read but nothing groundbreaking . And I didn’t expected it to be .
Based on the synopsis I kinda guessed what was going to happen and it is normal for a first volume .
As for none specific opinion . I liked that the kids looked like kids . They are not portrayed older and the girls are not over sexualised which is pretty rare this days.

In this first volume we are following Keisuke Shizuki and Shizuka Kusunoki, both were outcast in middle school . Little introvert nerds that didn’t know how to make friends and were bullied by others.
But as they start highschool they decided to change their look to glow up and have the student experience they were denied.

As someone that was teased (I won’t call it bullying because back then I did not felt like a victim of bullying but the adult that I am now know that it was bullying) as a child by other kids, classmate and even teacher, I can relate to that feeling of wanting to come back someday to meet all those people with a new look and a new persona .
So the premise of this manga is suppose to fit me.

I expected a story about a girl that glow up and someone that new her secret kinda like True Beauty or Switch Girl . But the story don’t follow their path which was a good new.
Both of them changed the way they look and went to a school were they thought no one would know them .
They end up in the same class and they remember each other past. And that past actually never left them. They change their looks but not who they are.
Keisuke Shizuki is now an average guys but he still struggle because of the girl he thought like him . He’s not able to make eyes contact with cute girls.
And Shizuka Kusunoki , is still a dork . She can’t have a normal conversation. Like she have no communications skills . None.
Those issues wooed them into the idea of becoming friends to help each other.
Friendship that I think will lead to a more romantic relationship.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the opportunity to read and review this manga. This one, to me, is a combination of Komi Can't Communicate and Kubo won't let me be Invisible. At first, the story started out a bit jarring but then it redeemed itself towards the end with the character dynamics and the humor. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars

I love the contemporary and youthful art with fun characters. The plot is pretty easy and is set up pretty straightforward. Shizuki spent the summer between junior high and a new high school to get a glow up, but so did Kusunoki who was also a chubby ugly nerd who spent lunch in the library. She is in a bind because being pretty, popular, and new makes her a target for boy's attention and jealousy from girls. She asks Shizuki to help her social and conversational skills, but everyone thinks they're a couple. Also a former classmate of their now goes to their school, so it's mostly setting the stage for more high school antics for the rest of the series. It is a good pick for high school and middle school readers.

This was so cute and chill. It was so relatable too. Two middle school loners glow up for high school. Kusunoki has a problem making friends and communication, so she asks Shizuki for help. They were both bullied in middle school. Kusunoki is so sweet and kind and, though he doesn’t want to be, Shizuki is kind as well. It was so wholesome. And I have to say, I am glad there was no fan service in it that you usually see in romance manga. While I did enjoy it, there wasn’t much to it. I wouldn’t kind continuing the series, but I don’t think I will actively do so, at least not any time soon.

Thank you Netgalley and Kodanshi comics for the eARC.

Kusunoki is a high school girl trying to make friends after having a "glow up" from her middle school days. She reaches out to Shizuki, a classmate she knew from middle school who also had a successful high school "glow up". The two, sharing some comradery from similar pasts, get closer as Shizuki attempts to help Kusunoki get herself out there to make friends. I enjoyed this first volume, rooting for the two of them to grow as individuals as well as to get to know each other even more than before.

This is technically a late August release from Kodansha, but we couldn’t let it slip by! Mitsuki Mii pens this teen tale, all about the struggles of reinventing yourself for high school. After having his heart smashed by his first crush in middle school, Keisuke Shizuki transforms himself from awkward loser to cool kid. Funnily enough, past classmate Shizuka Kusunoki has had a similar glow-up… except her social skills are still lacking. She begs to be Shizuki’s friend. But there’s one problem: his past heartbreak has left him terrified of girls.

Kusunoki’s Flunking Her High School Glow-Up is a cute and comical take on common anxieties, with a surprise rival lurking in the wings as Volume 1 closes. Fans of Komi Can’t Communicate and The Dangers in My Heart will want to follow this fresh new rom-com from its beginning. Volume 1 is now available in print and digital.

So stinkin cute!!

I really like how he's trying to navigate the friendship without trying to cross the line. But she doesn't understand it because she never had a friend before. At the same time, they don't have much experience with the opposite sex also. It took me a while to warm up to the ML but I am already starting to ship. The art is also really nice. The way Kusunoki is drawn makes her super adorable.

A sweet and lighthearted manga about two highschoolers who have had a glow up. Both Shizuki and Kusonoki used to be outsiders in primary school and now they look so different they barely recognise each other. But while Shizuki has also managed to improve his social skills, Kusunoki is still struggling to make friends. Can Shizuki help Kusonoki to come out of her shell?

I love the fact that this manga is wholesome. That means no flashing panties or naive heroines. The story was wholesome and I really enjoyed the read. Please give me more manga with relatable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-book copy!

Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up follows the titular character and her classmate Keisuke, former outcasts who have experienced a glow-up in high school. Keisuke is embracing this change and can't wait to make new friends but Kusunoki is struggling as she lacks social skills. Keisuke agrees to help her grow her social standing but wonders how this will affect his reputation. So far, this series has the potential to be a fun slice of life with a splash of romance. Kusunoki is a fun character and I like her growing relationship with Keisuke as it develops past their initial agreement. If you were a little hesitant to check this out, I implore you to try this first volume as I think it sold me on continuing with this story.