On the bright side, the chuuni streak pays off.
And while I'm not one to condone corporal punishment, well... Assholes that try to assault children need to learn very severe lessons, and a broken arm or leg is a very effective lesson for not getting violent. And they're middle schoolers, so they're definitely old enough to know that pulling a weapon is not a good call. (Obviously, this is all set up so J is still heroic while beating children, but fact remains...)
This idea of young boys bullying and harrassing girls they like being a funny ha ha ha moment in Japan has to die.
He bullied her enough that she never want to go back to school again and despite the author trying to make a redemption arc for him I'm not warming up to that brat anytime soon until he bend his ass over to the kid.
Not just limited to Japan. That shit needs to die everywhere. And I'm with you: No free pass. He better actually learn a lesson in not being an asshole and make a dedicated effort to change.
The whole "oh he secretly likes her" thing is just... not funny. Or lighthearted. I've been in too many domestic abuse situations (on the receiving end and as a witness) to ever find "he does it because he likes you" tolerable. I remember liking Ranma 1/2 quite a lot, but the constant Akane-hits-Ranma "comedy" is what keeps me from ever revisiting it, or series like it...