Author tying it all together by showing Hino sucking on Koguma's breasts before cutting away.
Just wanted to agree with this as a way of addressing the “oh no, it ended just when we got some progress” argument by pointing out that Koguma was (shyly and tentatively) willing to have Hino suck her nipples in Chapter 1.
And I believe it was Chapter 10 (the “walking back into school sharing the umbrella” chapter) where it was perfectly obvious that Hino was very much in love with Koguma and not just pranking her.
While there are arguments to be made that some of the pacing of the arcs in this series could have been improved and that there could have been some more world-building detail (especially about the parents on both sides), I think this was an exemplary combination of repetitive gag manga and low-key (until the final chapters) slow-burn romance.
I especially liked the almost infinite variations on the inevitable half-trolling plot-twist that had the audience saying, “Author-san no baka!” along with Koguma, and that gag/pranking context made the actual relationship beats almost unbearably (not a Kogu pun, but let it stand) sweet.
The series was also visually enjoyable, with several effective variations on standard manga tropes, such as Hino’s hilariously dead-eyed “we’re about to go full-metal lewd here” expression, and Koguma’s corresponding “I just got the implications of what Hino said” look, along with Hino’s “multiple groping hands” effect and Koguma’s “whirlwind of tiny bopping fists.” As I mentioned before, I still literally laugh out loud at every panel on the page showing Hino’s CPR-practice protector.
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/hino_san_no_baka_ch110_5#6
And we’ve mentioned many times the author’s brilliance in implying elements of extreme lewdness while what’s actually shown on the page is quite sedate and unremarkable—the term “suggestive” is often used to mean “slightly risqué,” i.e., the lowest level on a NSFW scale, but in this series it’s quite literal—the copious upskirt shots, partial nudity, and other lewdnesses in the series actually take place almost entirely in the reader’s head.
This one goes in my hall of fame, anyway.
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