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Again!! #1
アゲイン！！（１）
『モテキ』の久保ミツロウが描く、高校生活タイムスリップストーリー！ ――高校生活3年間、友達も思い出も作らず卒業式を迎えた今村金一郎（いまむら・きんいちろう）。だが同級生の女子・暁（あきら）と階段から転げ落ち、気づいたら3年前の入学式の日へタイムスリップしていた！ 憧れていた女団長・宇佐美（うさみ）と再び出逢った金一郎は、応援団に入団し、宇佐美が独りで頑張る応援団の立て直しを目指す!!
201 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2011
19 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
Mitsurou Kubo
45 books23 followersMitsurou Kubo (久保 ミツロウ, Kubo Mitsurō) is a Japanese manga artist, writer, and radio personality born in Sasebo in 1975. She is known for writing on Yuri!!! on Ice, an anime series co-created with Sayo Yamamoto. Two of her manga have been released in English; Moteki by Vertical and Again!! by Kodansha USA. She and Mineko Nomachi have a radio program called Mitsurou Kubo and Mineko Nomachi's All Night Nippon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
September 29, 2018
I've never expected that I would love this first volume of this manga. I was really curious about how come the Kinichiro's high school was reset and I'm happy that I was given the chance to read this quite unexpected marvelous manga series. I hope I stumble to find the second installment because I'm really eager to know what happened.
May 8, 2018
Again!! is a manga with a painfully Japanese premise. Imamura is graduating high school when he realises that he hasn't made a single friend, never joined a club and barely even spoke to anybody in the last three years. He kinda liked the ouendan club, but that fell apart a couple of years ago. His life is full of regrets already, and there's no going back to fix things... or is there? On his graduation day, he runs into one of his classmates on a stairwell and they both accidentally fall down. When they wake up, they find out that they somehow went three years back in time, so now they can do high school all over again! Yay?..
The funniest thing is, this is not even the main premise of the book. The entire focus of this manga past the first few chapters is the ouendan club. It's a sport that's similar in purpose to cheerleading, but there are key differences to the way they dress and move, and ouendan is primarily for boys. Not in this case though, because the only member of this school's ouendan club is Usami, a girl with a very hard temper. She is very passionate about the club, but she treats other members so harshly that everybody left her, and now she performs all alone. There is an ongoing rivalry between her and the considerably more popular cheerleading club, and Imamura realises that in the future, the cheerleaders were the ones responsible for the ouendan club's closure. So he decides, since he has to live through high school all over again, at least this time he'll make a difference and save the club.
So yeah, that premise is insane and pretty convoluted, eh? It totally is! It's a very weird read, because you basically get a typical Japanese high school drama with a time-travel aspect which doesn't really figure into the plot that much past the inciting incident, at least for now. It's also not the most riveting read — I mean, a rivalry between two slightly different kinds of high school pep squads doesn't exactly scream "the most exciting thing ever". And yet I liked it. There's just something about these slice of life Japanese high school stories that I find really enjoyable. I mean, my days of going to school were nothing but miserly and despair, but it's never like that in manga and anime — their schools look nice, they have tons of fun-sounding clubs and activities and the students aren't (usually) puberty-stricken bags of rage and confusion. All I had was computer games and angsty music, and a school that looked like something from the days of yore (because it was). So I guess that's just my weird form of wish fulfilment and escapism, but I really enjoyed this manga. It looks hella pretty, too — the character designs, the emotions and facial expressions are all bold and distinctive, which is evident from the cover, and the the interiors are on par, too.
So if any of that sounds like something you might want to read, then it's worth checking out. This definitely won't be for everybody, but I liked it, and I am looking forward to the next volume.
The funniest thing is, this is not even the main premise of the book. The entire focus of this manga past the first few chapters is the ouendan club. It's a sport that's similar in purpose to cheerleading, but there are key differences to the way they dress and move, and ouendan is primarily for boys. Not in this case though, because the only member of this school's ouendan club is Usami, a girl with a very hard temper. She is very passionate about the club, but she treats other members so harshly that everybody left her, and now she performs all alone. There is an ongoing rivalry between her and the considerably more popular cheerleading club, and Imamura realises that in the future, the cheerleaders were the ones responsible for the ouendan club's closure. So he decides, since he has to live through high school all over again, at least this time he'll make a difference and save the club.
So yeah, that premise is insane and pretty convoluted, eh? It totally is! It's a very weird read, because you basically get a typical Japanese high school drama with a time-travel aspect which doesn't really figure into the plot that much past the inciting incident, at least for now. It's also not the most riveting read — I mean, a rivalry between two slightly different kinds of high school pep squads doesn't exactly scream "the most exciting thing ever". And yet I liked it. There's just something about these slice of life Japanese high school stories that I find really enjoyable. I mean, my days of going to school were nothing but miserly and despair, but it's never like that in manga and anime — their schools look nice, they have tons of fun-sounding clubs and activities and the students aren't (usually) puberty-stricken bags of rage and confusion. All I had was computer games and angsty music, and a school that looked like something from the days of yore (because it was). So I guess that's just my weird form of wish fulfilment and escapism, but I really enjoyed this manga. It looks hella pretty, too — the character designs, the emotions and facial expressions are all bold and distinctive, which is evident from the cover, and the the interiors are on par, too.
So if any of that sounds like something you might want to read, then it's worth checking out. This definitely won't be for everybody, but I liked it, and I am looking forward to the next volume.
April 16, 2018
3.5 stars
So here's the thing - my mom is obsessed with anime and manga. She's an almost 50 year old teacher, but she loves Japanese culture more than anything. It's endearing at times (and also frustrating), but she can give some pretty good recommendations. Hundreds upon hundreds of them. And for once, I have a recommendation for her.
Regret's a funny thing. Imamura is an 18-year old high-school student who, on the day of graduation, realises that nothing good or bad really happened to him for the duration of high school career. For the most part, he was drifting through the work and the people.
I like Imamura's look. I mean, those gorgeous blond locks are what I aspire to. He looks like he's going to whip out his Bankai any second now.
Due to some pretty strange circumstances, Imamura finds himself back at the beginning of high school and three years younger. He's given a clean slate to define high school life for himself all over again.
Pretty soon, Imamura finds himself enamoured of the school's ouendan leader, Osu. (Osu is also the only member of the ouendan.)
The ouendan is like a cheerleading squad, but with more horns, shouting and formal uniforms instead of short skirts, cute girls and pompoms. Osu, the captain of the ouendan, balks at nothing. She's not stereotypically cutesie or flirtatious. She's a hardass with a stubborn streak and the most gruelling training regime ever to strike the terrified hearts of young students
What Imamura realises is that there was so much intrigue, betrayal and mystery going on when he was being apathetic in his previous incarnation of high school. He's missed out on so much drama that he could have watched and reluctantly participated in. It's great that Imamura doesn't have a moment of "Wow, high school is great." Instead it's a moment of "High school is absolutely terrifying, ridiculous and petty, with some good people scattered in the mix. And it's worth it."
Again!! is a humourous, rewarding and solid manga that defies many stereotypes associated with the high school sub genre.
This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
So here's the thing - my mom is obsessed with anime and manga. She's an almost 50 year old teacher, but she loves Japanese culture more than anything. It's endearing at times (and also frustrating), but she can give some pretty good recommendations. Hundreds upon hundreds of them. And for once, I have a recommendation for her.
Regret's a funny thing. Imamura is an 18-year old high-school student who, on the day of graduation, realises that nothing good or bad really happened to him for the duration of high school career. For the most part, he was drifting through the work and the people.
I like Imamura's look. I mean, those gorgeous blond locks are what I aspire to. He looks like he's going to whip out his Bankai any second now.
Due to some pretty strange circumstances, Imamura finds himself back at the beginning of high school and three years younger. He's given a clean slate to define high school life for himself all over again.
Pretty soon, Imamura finds himself enamoured of the school's ouendan leader, Osu. (Osu is also the only member of the ouendan.)
The ouendan is like a cheerleading squad, but with more horns, shouting and formal uniforms instead of short skirts, cute girls and pompoms. Osu, the captain of the ouendan, balks at nothing. She's not stereotypically cutesie or flirtatious. She's a hardass with a stubborn streak and the most gruelling training regime ever to strike the terrified hearts of young students
What Imamura realises is that there was so much intrigue, betrayal and mystery going on when he was being apathetic in his previous incarnation of high school. He's missed out on so much drama that he could have watched and reluctantly participated in. It's great that Imamura doesn't have a moment of "Wow, high school is great." Instead it's a moment of "High school is absolutely terrifying, ridiculous and petty, with some good people scattered in the mix. And it's worth it."
Again!! is a humourous, rewarding and solid manga that defies many stereotypes associated with the high school sub genre.
This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
February 12, 2018
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Squee! I just needed to read this one. I have been planning to for a while, so imagine my delight when I spotted it on Netgalley. Manga! On Netgalley! OMG squee! And this one is by the co-author of YOI, a series that I absolutely adored to bits (Give me second season now please!).
This was just too much fun to read. We have our MC, Imamura, who is a loner. In the before (at the beginning of the book and in the flashbacks (or are they flashtocomes)) he is sporting long hair, an aura of come near me and I will throw you out of a window, and well, his years at HS weren't the best. But he gets a second chance when, after graduation, he gets curious about the ouendan club, or well, one specific girl who was the only girl and the captain and the only remaining girl in the club when Imamura joined the school. But he is spotted by another girl while doing some *cough* interesting break-in moves, and then during a chase they both fall off the stairs and time travel back to 3 years ago. Yep, instead of graduating, they are now back at the first day of their first year! :P
And so they can start their days in high school again. Imamura gets another chance at school, maybe he can make some friends, maybe he can make it a more fun time than the first time. I do hope so, that guy definitely deserves friends and a happy HS experience. I do get a bit tired of the trope of scary looking guys. OMG, the guy looks scary + bleaches his hair, how terrible. Give the dude a chance people, he is totally nice and friendly. He is just a bit awkward. I loved what he was trying to do for ouendan in this one. How he tried to figure out what was going on with it, why the members left, and how he could help out Usami (even though she doesn't want that).
Aki/Akira, I quite liked the girl. I had such a laugh when she woke up during that first morning and was shocked to see that her boobs got smaller. Poor thing. Her reaction to the fact she lost 3 years/has gone back 3 years was also hilarious, I think I would have done the same as she has. I did feel sorry for her and the fact that she and her boyfriend (well, he was her boyfriend in the present day parts) aren't a thing in this timeline yet. In fact, he doesn't know her. You could see the realisation hit her when he kept rejecting her/was spotted with a girl that should be his ex. I am quite curious what Aki will do in this one. Will she join ouendan? Or will she just go along with the path she followed in the present day (tennisclub it seems).
I am not too sure about Usami. I get that she is probably a sweet girl who just loves the ouendan a bit too much. But the way she is recruiting, the way she keeps shouting, the way she just does everything... well... I am sorry, but I didn't like her. I can imagine that no one is joining. Yes, this sounds rude, but given her attitude towards newbies and how she practically forces them to continue even if they are dying (yes, I get that this happened when you were in the club, but this is a new batch, you can't treat everyone the same).
The cheerleaders? Or well, one specific girl. I was so relieved at first that they seemed to be a good batch of cheerleaders. That we would finally break through the trope of bitchy and manipulative cheerleaders.. But no, of course not. Dear Lord, that captain is a bitch. She is like a cat, she likes to toy with everyone, and will manipulate those around her to do her bidding. And it seems this has been going on for quite some time. :| I hated what the girl did. Bah.
We still aren't sure if these two time travelled or that they are actually in a hospital. I guess as the story continues we will get hints to either of those. I am not sure which one I prefer. Both are tropes that happen in manga quite a few times, but they are tropes that I find interesting. Plus it brings so many fun and delightful questions with it. Like, if they are dreaming (hospital scenario), how can it be that they are both in the same dream? And if they did time travel, will they be able to get back or will they have to sit out all those years again (though then again, given that they know all the answers to the tests/questions, is quite fun)? I hope that the author will bring some more clues in the next volume.
The art is pretty great, I love the style. The characters look great, well, Usami just stands out, I am not too sure how to explain why. I also like the backgrounds.
All in all, I hope that these books also come out in paperback, as I want to add them to my collection (plus I still prefer physical copies). And I would recommend this book to everyone. Fun, drama, mystery, comedy.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Squee! I just needed to read this one. I have been planning to for a while, so imagine my delight when I spotted it on Netgalley. Manga! On Netgalley! OMG squee! And this one is by the co-author of YOI, a series that I absolutely adored to bits (Give me second season now please!).
This was just too much fun to read. We have our MC, Imamura, who is a loner. In the before (at the beginning of the book and in the flashbacks (or are they flashtocomes)) he is sporting long hair, an aura of come near me and I will throw you out of a window, and well, his years at HS weren't the best. But he gets a second chance when, after graduation, he gets curious about the ouendan club, or well, one specific girl who was the only girl and the captain and the only remaining girl in the club when Imamura joined the school. But he is spotted by another girl while doing some *cough* interesting break-in moves, and then during a chase they both fall off the stairs and time travel back to 3 years ago. Yep, instead of graduating, they are now back at the first day of their first year! :P
And so they can start their days in high school again. Imamura gets another chance at school, maybe he can make some friends, maybe he can make it a more fun time than the first time. I do hope so, that guy definitely deserves friends and a happy HS experience. I do get a bit tired of the trope of scary looking guys. OMG, the guy looks scary + bleaches his hair, how terrible. Give the dude a chance people, he is totally nice and friendly. He is just a bit awkward. I loved what he was trying to do for ouendan in this one. How he tried to figure out what was going on with it, why the members left, and how he could help out Usami (even though she doesn't want that).
Aki/Akira, I quite liked the girl. I had such a laugh when she woke up during that first morning and was shocked to see that her boobs got smaller. Poor thing. Her reaction to the fact she lost 3 years/has gone back 3 years was also hilarious, I think I would have done the same as she has. I did feel sorry for her and the fact that she and her boyfriend (well, he was her boyfriend in the present day parts) aren't a thing in this timeline yet. In fact, he doesn't know her. You could see the realisation hit her when he kept rejecting her/was spotted with a girl that should be his ex. I am quite curious what Aki will do in this one. Will she join ouendan? Or will she just go along with the path she followed in the present day (tennisclub it seems).
I am not too sure about Usami. I get that she is probably a sweet girl who just loves the ouendan a bit too much. But the way she is recruiting, the way she keeps shouting, the way she just does everything... well... I am sorry, but I didn't like her. I can imagine that no one is joining. Yes, this sounds rude, but given her attitude towards newbies and how she practically forces them to continue even if they are dying (yes, I get that this happened when you were in the club, but this is a new batch, you can't treat everyone the same).
The cheerleaders? Or well, one specific girl. I was so relieved at first that they seemed to be a good batch of cheerleaders. That we would finally break through the trope of bitchy and manipulative cheerleaders.. But no, of course not. Dear Lord, that captain is a bitch. She is like a cat, she likes to toy with everyone, and will manipulate those around her to do her bidding. And it seems this has been going on for quite some time. :| I hated what the girl did. Bah.
We still aren't sure if these two time travelled or that they are actually in a hospital. I guess as the story continues we will get hints to either of those. I am not sure which one I prefer. Both are tropes that happen in manga quite a few times, but they are tropes that I find interesting. Plus it brings so many fun and delightful questions with it. Like, if they are dreaming (hospital scenario), how can it be that they are both in the same dream? And if they did time travel, will they be able to get back or will they have to sit out all those years again (though then again, given that they know all the answers to the tests/questions, is quite fun)? I hope that the author will bring some more clues in the next volume.
The art is pretty great, I love the style. The characters look great, well, Usami just stands out, I am not too sure how to explain why. I also like the backgrounds.
All in all, I hope that these books also come out in paperback, as I want to add them to my collection (plus I still prefer physical copies). And I would recommend this book to everyone. Fun, drama, mystery, comedy.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Read
July 23, 2022i picked this manga up from the library on a whim, and i’ve really fallen in love with the story!
the tldr synopsis is: high school senior trips down a staircase on graduation day and wakes up 3 years in the past on his first day of high school. lo and behold: an opportunity for a second chance at life, making new memories, and saving the ouendan club from disbanding
i’d never heard of ouendan before so it was very interesting to read about! (the translator’s notes equate ouendan to a type of pep squad, using cheers, drums, and special formations to energize the crowd at sporting events. also traditionally male dominated)
the captain of the ouendan club, reo, is the most interesting character to me. she’s ridiculed and ostracized by her classmates for being the sole member of the ouendan and is bullied for her passion and dedication to the traditions of her club. seeing her maintain her energy and love for ouendan despite all the negativity from her peers was deeply moving to me, and i was surprised to find myself tearing up in certain scenes.
i’m interested to see where this story goes, and to see how these characters grow once given the opportunity to change the past!
the tldr synopsis is: high school senior trips down a staircase on graduation day and wakes up 3 years in the past on his first day of high school. lo and behold: an opportunity for a second chance at life, making new memories, and saving the ouendan club from disbanding
i’d never heard of ouendan before so it was very interesting to read about! (the translator’s notes equate ouendan to a type of pep squad, using cheers, drums, and special formations to energize the crowd at sporting events. also traditionally male dominated)
the captain of the ouendan club, reo, is the most interesting character to me. she’s ridiculed and ostracized by her classmates for being the sole member of the ouendan and is bullied for her passion and dedication to the traditions of her club. seeing her maintain her energy and love for ouendan despite all the negativity from her peers was deeply moving to me, and i was surprised to find myself tearing up in certain scenes.
i’m interested to see where this story goes, and to see how these characters grow once given the opportunity to change the past!
Read
January 16, 2020Not sure why the MC is so set on putting all his energy into helping the unpleasant team captain of the cheer team succeed, but otherwise it's well done and I am eager to read more.
May 25, 2018
I got to this manga the same way most readers will, I'm a fan of Yuri on Ice and thus I can't not admire Mitsurou Kubo. But I was pleasantly surprised this is no Yuri on Ice.
Our main character has always been isolated and now high school is over he has no friends or good memories, but one: the Ouendan club. When trying to get into the room o the now extinct club, he's seen by a classmate and starts chasing her, until both fall down the stair and end up reliving their lives from the day they started school three years before. And things won't be the same, regardless whether they want it or not.
I don't know if anyone is familiar with Yu Yu Hakusho but the main character half reminds me of Yusuke Urameshi, seen as a bad guy but it's just a misunderstand. Except he also sees himself wrongly. It's rather sad, so you can't help feeling happy whenever he does react to things.
Talking about characters, everyone here is very unique, even those I thought would just be in the background ended up growing on me. And I'm pretty sure I'll be shedding tears—or a river—in the next volumes, since one of them is already dead in the beginning of the story. And the captain! I can't wait to learn more about her.
Additionally, stories about time traveling always make you think of our choices—or in the case of this manga, his lack of action. How with even doing just a little made a lot in his life change already.
I'm not sure if this is a manga I can expect romance from. So far there was some ground-building but nothing that makes it definite. Although I'm a sucker for romances, I don't think I want it. It smells too much of a love triangle. Not my type of read.
In any case, this an entertaining story with lots yet to happen and lovely characters that will get you cheering nonstop. Pun intended.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Our main character has always been isolated and now high school is over he has no friends or good memories, but one: the Ouendan club. When trying to get into the room o the now extinct club, he's seen by a classmate and starts chasing her, until both fall down the stair and end up reliving their lives from the day they started school three years before. And things won't be the same, regardless whether they want it or not.
I don't know if anyone is familiar with Yu Yu Hakusho but the main character half reminds me of Yusuke Urameshi, seen as a bad guy but it's just a misunderstand. Except he also sees himself wrongly. It's rather sad, so you can't help feeling happy whenever he does react to things.
Talking about characters, everyone here is very unique, even those I thought would just be in the background ended up growing on me. And I'm pretty sure I'll be shedding tears—or a river—in the next volumes, since one of them is already dead in the beginning of the story. And the captain! I can't wait to learn more about her.
Additionally, stories about time traveling always make you think of our choices—or in the case of this manga, his lack of action. How with even doing just a little made a lot in his life change already.
I'm not sure if this is a manga I can expect romance from. So far there was some ground-building but nothing that makes it definite. Although I'm a sucker for romances, I don't think I want it. It smells too much of a love triangle. Not my type of read.
In any case, this an entertaining story with lots yet to happen and lovely characters that will get you cheering nonstop. Pun intended.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
April 28, 2018
This was a really solid first volume. I look forward to the second one! I liked the growing cast of characters and found the premise super interesting. I like learning more about the Ouedan and seeing how is contrasts with standard cheerleading. Also, I really love a main character who is a bit of an ass and seems perpetually indifferent, but you know in the end they are a big softie. Yeah, I got a type.
August 11, 2018
Through an inexplicable bit of time travel, on the day of his high school graduation Kinichiro Imamura wakes up in the body of his younger self on the first day of his sophomore year. A shunned loser the first time around, he toys with using this second chance and his knowledge of the future to change his entire high school experience.
This Groundhog Day ripoff gets off to an amusing start as Imamura finds himself getting involved in the school ouendan club, a sort of pep squad that often works with the cheerleaders to rally school spirit despite a deep rivalry between the two groups.
The time travel aspect is almost irrelevant, being a hook the creator used simply to get approval for his fun tale of high school club politics.
This Groundhog Day ripoff gets off to an amusing start as Imamura finds himself getting involved in the school ouendan club, a sort of pep squad that often works with the cheerleaders to rally school spirit despite a deep rivalry between the two groups.
The time travel aspect is almost irrelevant, being a hook the creator used simply to get approval for his fun tale of high school club politics.
August 17, 2021
This is an overview of the complete series. I will keep it as spoiler free as is reasonable.
Weirdest damn time-travel story I ever saw and I'm including Star Trek in that assessment. The best parts include: I Want to Die: The Musical! & the granny in the background. Hiro is the literal worst, followed closely Summerhiko and Suga. When you meet these characters you will notice a theme.
Usami deserved better. All of the ladies deserved better, even Abetama.
Weirdest damn time-travel story I ever saw and I'm including Star Trek in that assessment. The best parts include: I Want to Die: The Musical! & the granny in the background. Hiro is the literal worst, followed closely Summerhiko and Suga. When you meet these characters you will notice a theme.
Usami deserved better. All of the ladies deserved better, even Abetama.
February 17, 2018
I just love sports manga and Again!! is actually quite awesome, since it's about (male) cheering, Japanese ouendan. Imamura Kinichirou is graduating from high school and hasn't achieved anything, no friends, hobbies, nothing. He looks like a delinquent and everyone is scared of him and this leads to a minor incident that is falling the stairs with a girl face flat on the ground. They both end up jumping back in time to the first days of high school and they have to live it all again, but this time our Kin-chan decides to do it differently and thus begins his "career" in ouendan. The plot is very original and well constructed. The characters are interesting and multifaceted, which is actually quite rare. The series is twelve books long, so mid-length basically, and I think I want to see what happens, since not only is the sport rare and unique, but also how it's handled.
The art is very precise and looks more seinen than shounen, but it works well. I love Kin-chan's face and facial expressions and all in all the series looks very lively. There's also humor in the series and the rhythm and pace is awesome, so reading this was quite the pleasure. I'm happy this has been translated into English and out on the market, and I do hope it finds its readers, since Again!! works well. Thanks to other sports series we hopefully get more and these obscure ones are usually one of the greatest by far.
The art is very precise and looks more seinen than shounen, but it works well. I love Kin-chan's face and facial expressions and all in all the series looks very lively. There's also humor in the series and the rhythm and pace is awesome, so reading this was quite the pleasure. I'm happy this has been translated into English and out on the market, and I do hope it finds its readers, since Again!! works well. Thanks to other sports series we hopefully get more and these obscure ones are usually one of the greatest by far.
February 6, 2020
I was quite taken with the manga. It features two highschoolers who end up somehow back in time to their earlier years in high school, and looks like it will be about if they decide to make different decisions. The protagonist ends up accidentily being part of a performance group that has a bit of a rivalry with the cheer squad, and it seems like he isn't even sure if he wants to participate in it at all.
Overall it was quite entertaining and felt subtly deep. Will definitely continue the series.
This was my runner up for the Twitter poll for which "A" manga to read. I'm glad I decided to read it as well as the winner (Ajin: Demi Human).
Overall it was quite entertaining and felt subtly deep. Will definitely continue the series.
This was my runner up for the Twitter poll for which "A" manga to read. I'm glad I decided to read it as well as the winner (Ajin: Demi Human).
December 14, 2018
What would you do if you had the chance to do high school all over again?
In Imamura's case, he's going to make a difference. He wants to help the Ouendan club continue to exist. Not because he likes the captain or anything. His first time through high school was boring and lonely. He wants some excitement, and helping Ouendan thrive seems like a good way to get some.
Where this book shines is the self-absorbed characters. Everyone has their own reasons for everything they do, and while not all motives are clear, most seem entirely self-serving. And I really like that. Too often in manga, motivations are pure and to help the greater good. This one is realistic in that everyone is doing it for themselves, and I really like that aspect.
My only real complaint is the paper-thin cheerleaders. They are the kind Americans are very familiar with. Shallow, out to rule the school, willing and able to make boys do anything they want by batting their eyelashes (which says more about the guys than the cheerleaders, to be frank). They're out to get rid of the Ouendan club for... reasons? It's not entirely clear, but I think it's part jealousy and part Usami being in charge of the interclub cheer because... tradition?
The first volume is a little bit of a mess because so much is being introduced at once, but by the end of the volume things are smoothing out. It looks like this could be a wild ride.
In Imamura's case, he's going to make a difference. He wants to help the Ouendan club continue to exist. Not because he likes the captain or anything. His first time through high school was boring and lonely. He wants some excitement, and helping Ouendan thrive seems like a good way to get some.
Where this book shines is the self-absorbed characters. Everyone has their own reasons for everything they do, and while not all motives are clear, most seem entirely self-serving. And I really like that. Too often in manga, motivations are pure and to help the greater good. This one is realistic in that everyone is doing it for themselves, and I really like that aspect.
My only real complaint is the paper-thin cheerleaders. They are the kind Americans are very familiar with. Shallow, out to rule the school, willing and able to make boys do anything they want by batting their eyelashes (which says more about the guys than the cheerleaders, to be frank). They're out to get rid of the Ouendan club for... reasons? It's not entirely clear, but I think it's part jealousy and part Usami being in charge of the interclub cheer because... tradition?
The first volume is a little bit of a mess because so much is being introduced at once, but by the end of the volume things are smoothing out. It looks like this could be a wild ride.
March 4, 2018
'Again!!' by Mitsurou Kubo is a manga about school life. Usually these leave me uninterested, but this one had a unique twist.
It's Kinichiro's last day of school. He is an outcast who made it through school with no friends. He intends to graduate and get on with his life. Then a freak accident happens and he finds himself starting over as a freshman. This time, he knows what will happen. Will he do the same things or try to be more involved in the lives around him this time.
I really liked this story, and I especially liked the art. The story was unusual enough and even though I didn't know what Ouendan was, the story idea was so compelling that it pulled me along. I really liked this unusual high school story told in manga.
I received a review copy of this manga from Kodansha Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.
It's Kinichiro's last day of school. He is an outcast who made it through school with no friends. He intends to graduate and get on with his life. Then a freak accident happens and he finds himself starting over as a freshman. This time, he knows what will happen. Will he do the same things or try to be more involved in the lives around him this time.
I really liked this story, and I especially liked the art. The story was unusual enough and even though I didn't know what Ouendan was, the story idea was so compelling that it pulled me along. I really liked this unusual high school story told in manga.
I received a review copy of this manga from Kodansha Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.
July 2, 2020
I love the art! It’s so well done! It represents different faces quite well and all while being proportionate. I’m drooling over this gorgeous lineart!
The story makes this EVEN BETTER!! Some tactics have been seen and used before in different manga, but I really like how this author changed it up.
It’s going to seem slow and quirky for a bunch of people because that’s what it sort of is. The main character is SO ridiculous but I admire how he’s trying to be more social. It’s hard for him since he’s painfully bad at social interactions 7/10 times.
An unusual story, but I’m all for it!
The story makes this EVEN BETTER!! Some tactics have been seen and used before in different manga, but I really like how this author changed it up.
It’s going to seem slow and quirky for a bunch of people because that’s what it sort of is. The main character is SO ridiculous but I admire how he’s trying to be more social. It’s hard for him since he’s painfully bad at social interactions 7/10 times.
An unusual story, but I’m all for it!
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May 12, 2018Again!! by Mitsurou kubo is a very well written manga. Though at the start of the manga it seems to be very slow and boring. It does a really good job picking up the pace after a few pages which can keep the reader wanting to read more of the story. The story also does a good job with the characters personality and development.Well Art wise it is very detailed and fined tuned. the only thing have a problem with this story so far is the fact manga does have a speed problem, Taking a little while to get to the heart of the story I am hoping that volume 2 picks up the pace just alil bit. We will have to wait and see.
September 3, 2020
This is definitely an excellent manga. The story is great, the comedy is cute, and the characters are all levels of charming. This is definitely a top tier treat and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a good manga.
August 21, 2018
I wouldn't choose to relive my high school years, but imagine what you would do over or who you would choose to make friends with. Thoughtful, funny, little angsty. Going to check out some more.
July 15, 2023
I didn’t think I’d like this, but it’s so good! Kin-chan’s my kind of guy 😂💪💪
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2025
Boring and Dumb plot.
Has nothing really going for it.
Has nothing really going for it.
June 7, 2019
3.5 stars.
March 2, 2019
4.5 stars for an interesting beginning.
January 21, 2019
I loved learning about ouendan and have definitely watched a few videos 😂
I liked the characters for the most part and am looking forward to continuing on with the series
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I liked the characters for the most part and am looking forward to continuing on with the series
⭐️⭐️⭐️
July 19, 2018
If I could go back in time and relive that part of my life, how would I change it?
Everyone has had this thought at one point or another. It's human nature to want to fix our perceived mistakes. Again!! explores this idea through Kinichiro, who didn't do anything of note during his three years in high school. No friends, no school activities, no college or job lined up for the future - he doesn't have much going for him on the day of his graduation. So when he accidentally falls down the stairs and finds himself transported back to the first day of his first year of high school, Kinichiro isn't sure how to approach this second chance to do everything over again.
I really enjoyed this volume! I've always wondered what I might do if I could go through high school again, and this is a fun exploration of what might happen. Kinishiro is an intimidating guy who wants to help and be involved but is too afraid of other people to really open himself up to them. His pure desire to help Usami, the stubborn Ouendan club president, is hampered by his anxieties, and I'll be interested to see how he is able to combat these insecurities as he gets involved with the Ouendan. Also, I didn't know much about Ouendan before! It's pretty cool! The art leans more toward a realistic style, which I really enjoyed and lends itself well to the tone of the story.
Solid 4/5. A fun manga that would be a decent choice if you aren't familiar with manga or Japanese culture, as there are nice translator notes in the back and there isn't anything too wacky (as manga and anime can easily become).
Everyone has had this thought at one point or another. It's human nature to want to fix our perceived mistakes. Again!! explores this idea through Kinichiro, who didn't do anything of note during his three years in high school. No friends, no school activities, no college or job lined up for the future - he doesn't have much going for him on the day of his graduation. So when he accidentally falls down the stairs and finds himself transported back to the first day of his first year of high school, Kinichiro isn't sure how to approach this second chance to do everything over again.
I really enjoyed this volume! I've always wondered what I might do if I could go through high school again, and this is a fun exploration of what might happen. Kinishiro is an intimidating guy who wants to help and be involved but is too afraid of other people to really open himself up to them. His pure desire to help Usami, the stubborn Ouendan club president, is hampered by his anxieties, and I'll be interested to see how he is able to combat these insecurities as he gets involved with the Ouendan. Also, I didn't know much about Ouendan before! It's pretty cool! The art leans more toward a realistic style, which I really enjoyed and lends itself well to the tone of the story.
Solid 4/5. A fun manga that would be a decent choice if you aren't familiar with manga or Japanese culture, as there are nice translator notes in the back and there isn't anything too wacky (as manga and anime can easily become).
February 17, 2018
The story starts with a school student who is reluctantly ready to go to his graduation, wondering would things be different had he interacted more with his fellow mates or joined a club "ouendhan''. He has a horrible experience attending school and drags himself to graduation only to fall and go back in time to attend his school all over again. He is terrified yet determined to change the situation, since he has seen and been through all of this already. He is not scared of being a loner or losing friends as he has seen that part already.
It focuses on normal school drama, and has the mean cheerleader (reminded me of mean girls). Oh but i did learn a few Japanese terms like osu, senpai, kohai, the term 'kun' so that i found interesting (have not read any books by a Japanese author)
All in all not a bad read for the teenage group, i guess. However, i do not understand why was there another girl (Aki) in the story at all!! The author's idea to put another character with Imamura was somewhat vague.. The purpose wasn't clear. Although it did end abruptly, will have to read Volume 2 to find out the end. Sigh!! May be i will, may be i won't..
It focuses on normal school drama, and has the mean cheerleader (reminded me of mean girls). Oh but i did learn a few Japanese terms like osu, senpai, kohai, the term 'kun' so that i found interesting (have not read any books by a Japanese author)
All in all not a bad read for the teenage group, i guess. However, i do not understand why was there another girl (Aki) in the story at all!! The author's idea to put another character with Imamura was somewhat vague.. The purpose wasn't clear. Although it did end abruptly, will have to read Volume 2 to find out the end. Sigh!! May be i will, may be i won't..
February 25, 2018
Apparently a previous edition of this book actually explained what the heck it was on about, with all this talk about an ouendan or something. Seeing as this is actually a tenth of the story (yeesh), and seeing as it can't be bothered with being reader friendly, you know what? I can't be bothered to read it. However wonderful and different the 'High School Drop Out on Groundhog Day but only for one time over' plot may be.
June 9, 2018
Manga is so bizarre and this one is no exception. A manga about a highschooler who falls down a flight of stairs just after graduation and ends up waking up on his first day of high school. Imamura decides that since he is doomed to repeat his three years of high school that he is going to make a positive change. Along for the ride are Aki (another student from the future) and Reo.
July 24, 2018
I read this manga on a whim, not knowing what to expect. It's a fascinating premise, although not that original. Still, Kubo handles the story well, and the sense of returning three years to the past (unwillingly) and wondering how things may or may not be different is effective. I'm not sure I'll continue with the series, though.
April 7, 2021
this wasn’t bad. Imamura gets a do-over of high school, starting at freshman year. I don’t know if I’d read another volume or not. I’m very in the middle though I like how strong-willed/determined the captain is.
3.5
3.5
January 16, 2023
3.5 stars - an interesting concept, which is a little slow in the middle but leaves you on a clifhanger at the end. It’s mostly about high school politics surrounding a Cheer Club, which is something I’d have never cared for but throw in a time travel element and it’s definitely got some interest.
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