Yankeekun to Hakujou Girl is a manga that completely surpassed my expectations. From the cover art I expected a fluffy slice of life romcom and could you really blame me? The blatantly cheerful cover the brief and seemingly wholesome description the pieces were already there for yet another forgettable timepasser to smile at. And then after seeing the genres they cemented the deal for me as nothing to write home about so I decided Id give it a quick read as I was in the mood for some wholesome shenanigans. Little did I know the ride this manga would take me on. From the first chapter it really doesnt seem as though its anything special. The delinquent who actually has a soft heart and meets a cute girl who he instantly falls in love with despite his seemingly unapproachable nature? Wow havent seen that one before But really though it does take a few chapters the manga continues to introduce new characters new dynamics added themes and actual conflict Id like to just do a quick overview of every element of the manga from this review out to disclose every element but trust me when I say its strongest element is its... Characters: 10/10 With Romcom especially a major gripe I have always had was boring onenote stereotypes. The tsundere kuudere deredere etc. I hate when authors get lazy and simply turn to these tropes to rake in some easy character dynamic. Initially this manga seems to be filled with them but slowly every character even the seemingly explicit gains so much growth and depth. I was particularly impressed by Yukikos character arc as I simply expected her to stay a simple tsundere throughout. However the way she so elegantly tackles the primary themes of the manga with such poise never failed to amaze me. And that goes for every character. Without spoiling anything I can say that the dilemmas of every single introduced character in this manga have been fresh realistic and nuanced. Not only that but these characters in part bring up the other characters and bring further dynamics to their issues as well Story: 7/10 The story of the manga is well done woven properly and never feels bumpy or disconnected. Though it does follow the usual romcom style which is the arcs being finished individually within 710 chapters every sequential arc does well at creating new concepts and doesnt feel like padding for chapters. I think this is because the manga releases the chapters in bunches rather than 1 at a time so every arc feels like a very thoughtout narrative. Its not particularly great but it doesnt pander and thats impressive for a romcom. I wont be talking much about it in this review though but the themes present in every arc all connect well and its gratifying to watch every story pan out thanks to it. Art: 5/10 The art is cute and I personally liked it but its very very amateurish. It can often hurt the more emotional scenes due to the lack of emotion on characters faces and at times can kill the vibe the manga is going for. Male bodies are disproportionate and a bit stiff and faces all look very very similar sometimes enough to confuse me about who was who. However one good point is that the mangaka draws Yukiko very well and can make Morio extremely menacing Like when hes about to beat up the bully. With time the art has improved a little but for now its still a negative point. Enjoyment: 8/10 Overall YankeeKun to Hakujou Girl is a great read and holds a surprisingly engrossing story within its seemingly generic lens. I highly recommend anyone to read this manga especially fans of the romcom genre who want a little more nuance to their stories.