Just finished the series today, and I think I've figured out something about myself: I have certain genre preferences, but any one of them can be overridden by my overwhelming fondness for dumb boys being dumbasses.
Slice of life? High school? Romance? I don't usually like any of these genres - I think the only thing I've enjoyed under this category outside of BL has been Azumanga Daioh. "But what if there are dumb boys being dumbasses?" asks this story. And then I was hooked.
I actually hesitated to start this one initially even though the web novel it's based on has a sister story that is very popular. Prior to this, I had enjoyed other BLs under the same genres (e.g. 我告老师!!and 18不限), but I had also disliked others (e.g. 靠近你会掉刺), so it seemed like a bit of a tossup.
So, what worked for me in this series?
1. Dumb Boys - the thing is, the main characters are both dumbasses. Like. They LOOK super cool, but underneath it all, they're just kind of idiots, in the most hilarious and adorable kind of way. Zhao Zhan might be the best student in the school, but also he tries (and fails) to woo his love interest with a cardioid math problem! Xu Sheng is introduced as a badass delinquent, but watch as he poorly and despairingly tries to navigate pretending to be a much better student due to the body swap!
2. A pretty decent plot - as mentioned, I can deal with a certain amount of stuff as long as there are hilarious Dumb Boys. That being said, as I found when trying to read 靠近你会掉刺, I do have some limits. The boys have to be dumb in a fun, relatable way, and on top of that, SOMETHING at least has to be happening (besides romance). While the plot isn't the strongest suit of this story, as it meanders a bit, it is about SOMETHING, which is the two main characters body swapping. The writing ultimately works okay for the type of story being told, and there is consistently a good sense of mystery (why is the body swapping happening, how does it work) and tension (how are they going to deal with being body swapped during exams/competitions). The slowest part is the segment where they're largely just dating, but that's cute enough and feels enough like payoff for what comes before, that I actually enjoyed this part.
3. A nice focus on the friendship/family/connections aspect outside of the main romance. I like BL, but I am always more interested in a story if there is meaningful interaction with other people. The two main characters feel believable and relatable because they have people around them and we get to uncover how they feel about those people, plus see them learn to interact with new people in new ways. One of the underlying themes is about the two main characters, who both start as outsiders in a way, establishing connections with their class and having a better and more satisfying high school experience because of it.
4. Creativity without edginess. This is a very warm, good-natured story. It generally tries not to make anybody a villain, people overall all mean well, and it's just a fun, funny time. That being said, I felt like the author still managed to make the tropey premise of body swapping feel fresh due to , but does this without falling in to the Hot Topic trap of trying too hard to make things dark, quirky, or otherwise not like other fanfics.
5. I quite liked the art! The artist did a great job of capturing emotions, and overall the style was very consistent and professionally produced.
6. This manga is actually really funny. This automatically wins points from me.
If there's one weakness I would call out, it's the later storyline, which feels like it gets a little less focused and more self-indulgent after the body swapping is more or less resolved. There is a fairly long denouement in this story, which isn't for everyone, but it does strive to be a series of payoffs and resolutions for the previously established story.
Overall, this is one of my favorite manga I've read recently. Highly recommend to anyone who also enjoys Dumb Boys.
10/10 . This book is the definition of perfection I love it . Everyone should read it . The story is so good I recomand it whit the hand on my heart I promise you won’t regret it . Believe me . My favourite manhua I ever read . It’s has BL school life , and a bit of fantasy and comedy . Please read it ❤️