Kusunoki’s Flunking Her High School Glow Up tells the story of Shizuka Kusunoki and Shizuki Keisuke, two introverted nerds who were schoolmates at their old school, where they faced bullying and trauma. This experience fueled them to transfer to a new school and change their outward appearances. However, Kusunoki finds it hard to change inwardly, especially with her interpersonal skills. Meanwhile, Shizuki is still haunted by his fear of Ririsa, who also transferred to their new school.

After reading the first few chapters, I thought this would be another hackneyed high school romance, and in many ways, it was. But despite that, I found it surprisingly interesting. The dynamic between these two nerdy high schoolers, and the twist of them changing their looks to fit in, added a lot to the story. As a nerd and introvert myself, I could relate to Kusunoki’s struggle with communication from elementary school through college. I love how the characters felt authentic, and their struggles were portrayed in a way that resonated with me. However, it was frustrating to see Shizuki ignore and push away Kusunoki, who was trying her best to be friends with him, but I kind of understood his perspective. Another thing I didn't like about Shizuki was how he generalized all girls based on his bad experience with Ririsa. However, with the introduction of Hebikawa, I’m eager to see what happens next between Shizuki and Kusunoki. Will it affect their growing friendship? Will Shizuki overcome his struggles? Will Kusunoki be able to talk to others without stuttering and make new friends? Ughhh, I can’t wait to read the next volume.

Overall, I highly recommend this to fans of high school romance with cute characters.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for giving me a copy of this manga. I really enjoyed it.

✨𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄:
📌 HIGH SCHOOL ROMANCE
📌 CHARACTERS WITH TRAUMATIC PASTS
📌 MAKEOVER
📌 FOUND FRIENDSHIP
📌 NO SPICE

🖥️ GOODREADS REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6734936981

💻 BLOG REVIEW: https://kimthebookdragon.wordpress.com/2024/08/07/arc-review-kusunokis-flunking-her-high-school-glow-up-volume-1-by-mitsuki-mii/

👩‍💻 INSTAGRAM REVIEW: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-YaAzgysz7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Very cute start to a new school life romance. I like that both the ML and FL are characters that are reinventing themselves. And the presence of the second female lead looks to have some interesting drama coming.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for giving me this ARC!!

This was such a cute first volume, I honestly loved Kusonoki so much. She was so relatable since I was always a shy girl at school and was always nervous to talk to others!!
I’m definitely going to continue with this Manga series and I’m excited to how our main characters develop throughout 🩷

Thank you to Netgalley & Kodansha for providing me with a digital arc for review!

I'm in my cute manga era and Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up fit the bill. Kusunoki had a glow up before entering high school, but she's incompetent when it comes to talking to others. Shizuki took a more holistic approach -- looks and confidence. But dude cannot handle looking at cute girls. Is it a bit silly? Yes. But I thought the entire cast was adorable, and I enjoyed the art.
Sometimes a silly little story is exactly what you need, you know?

This was so cute, I love the art style. It’s all about sweet, shy Kusunoki trying to make friends. Her and Shizuki were loners in middle school and then they both had a major glow up in high school. Shizuki is able to converse with other people in their class whereas Kusunoki is too shy so she wants Shizuki to help her make friends.

I cannot remember the last time I read manga but this story has broken that spell! I honestly could not stop reading this cute story, the clean art style combined with a story that has a fun new twist on the coming of age high school manga trope really was fun and engaging to read. The mangaka manages to give you a full backstory without information overload and allows you to fully jump into the story. I really love the art style, it reminds me of a more wholesome version of My Dress Up Darling, and I could see Kusunoki being a popular cosplay character because she is so cute and nice.

This manga would be a great read for anyone in high school and up! Shizuki and Kusunoki are so relatable as awkward high school freshman trying to navigate the new social expectations that comes with being a teenager. Watching their friendship blossom is so cute that I cannot wait to read the next volume!

I will be adding Mitsuki Mii to my must read mangaka list, this is only her second published manga and already I can see a huge jump in her skill level. Worth giving a try for her art style alone!

Much thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC copy to enjoy!

Rating: 4.31 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 4/5
-Story: 4.75/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: romance
-romance: 3.5/5
Type: Manga
Worth?: Yes

Hated|Disliked|Meh|It Was Okay|Liked|Really Liked|Loved

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

Another manga I have a need to keep reading. Stayed up way too late to finish but worth it! The ML is a bit annoying at first, well for a good portion, but it gets better. Really need to see how this goes.

4/5 Stars

This novel game me Komi Can't Communicate vibes, and I was really into it! Our story follows two high-school students who undergo makeovers after junior-high to better fit in.

I found Kusunoki to be a relatable character, someone who is too nervous and afraid to make new friends so she latches onto the first person she actually interacts with: Shizuki. Unlike Shizuki , Kusunoki has not made friends or improve her people skills so she asks him for help.

Its the start of a fun, awkward and interesting slice-of-life story, and I can't wait to see where our characters go from there.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha for an e-arc!

Shizuki has made his high school debut. From losing weight to wearing contacts instead of glasses, he is on his way to becoming an ordinary guy in high school and not an outcast anymore. However, it looks like he's not the only person who transferred to his new school from his old junior high school. Kusunoki is now a problem. Especially since she was also an unkempt outcast from their old school, and now she's the most popular and prettiest girl in their first year class. And she needs his help to talk normally to their classmates.

The plot on this was so interesting. It's actually nothing new. I read a one-shot manga before of two classmates moving unto a new school for a high school debut. But this is more interesting because it's a more fleshed out story, and the male lead just wants to have friends.

This first volume was such a good introduction of the characters and it already gives you a good idea into what the story of the manga will be like. I like that we get to understand the personalities of the character and their goals at the very beginning because readers would know that there will be a lot of things coming for these characters.

I'm very impressed with the art as well. It's very clean and you can't tell the difference if this is a shounen or shoujo manga. I really appreciate the speech bubbles because they made sure that you can differentiate how the voices may sound like. And just something funny and non-spoilery to add. It made me laugh about the losing weight montage because it only lasted one panel. It's just very cliche in manga.

For a start, this was super fun to read, and the story will not make you bored. Would love to read the rest of the series.

A cute read about two outcasts who each go through make-overs in high school. Now with popularity and the looks to back it, they are at the top of the chain. Except it isn't as perfect as it seems. Shizuki has a phobia of pretty girls and Kusunoki lacks some social skills. With the help of each other, they hope to solve each other's problems, and maybe become friends along the way.

The artwork was loveable and Kusunoki was so endearing. The pacing of the plot development was good and that ending had me wanting for more. A perfect read for a lighthearted mood! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up Vol. 1 by Mitsuki Mii
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this manga and can’t help but wish it gets turned into an anime. It’s so cute and reads so smoothly, with dialogue that feels genuinely conversational. The illustrations, especially the facial expressions, are spot-on and added to the overall charm, often making me laugh out loud. This is a perfect pick for anyone looking for a quick, fun read about self-worth and personal growth. 100% agree- definitely for fans of "True Beauty." It's an adorable story that keeps you engaged and leaves you wanting more. I'm ready for volume 2 out this Fall.

With a lovely lightness, this is a cute romance, which tackles issues surrounding self-imaging and friendship.

Keisuke was at the bottom of the social ladder in middle school, but he's got things covered to hit high school with new zing. He might not be popular, and that's great. Middle ground all the way! This works nicely until the hottest girl in the class asks him for help. It turns out that she was the library nerd, who sat across from him in the library during middle school...and she's really changed to master high school. Now, she's about to mess up his middle-of-the-road bliss and he's not sure what to do about it.

This is a pretty straight forward read with a simple plot. And that's great. Keisuke is happy as a 'normal' kid in high school, which is refreshing to see. He carries a little bullying baggage from middle school, and it's this which marks the theme of the book: how to handle going from a nothing to normal and if it works. There's a little humor sprinkled in, and while this is a romance (I think), it definitely is slow burn. There are a couple of side characters, but this stays to the minimum and keeps the concentration on the two main characters.

It's an easy read with enjoyable graphics, and great for a lazy moment of relaxation.

the premise is quite simple: kusonoki needs help with her social skills, she wants to make friends but the challenge is proving harder than she had initially thought. to achieve her goal, she asks for shizuki's help, one of her classmates, and he accepts. in this lovely manga the two characters find each other and make new memories together. the art style is really beautiful, the story is engaging, and i really liked kusonoki's honesty when talking about her feelings with shizuki. looking forward to the sequel!

This manga about a formerly nerdy boy meeting up with a fellow nerdy outcast girl from his middle school and discovering they both had a glow up was fun! Kusunoki, the girl in question, needs help learning how to make friends after not doing so in middle school. It has been many a year since I've read a manga so it took me a moment to get into the groove of reading one, but I remembered why I enjoyed them in the first place after finishing the book.

The art was so cute. Based solely off art, this book would gain about a full star. It's cute and fun and sweet. Definitely great skills from the manga artist, which is nice, because that can be weak at times from other artists. The story is also sweet like sugar and like the art. Kusunoki's sweet attitude helps keep this so kind and gentle.

So why only 3 1/4 stars for this book? Well, besides the fact that nothing really seems to happen besides one dodgeball game, the different weird type font for Kusunoki when she feels insecure drove me mad. It was more like serial killer font.

I would definitely consider reading more in this series. I think the setup is done now and it's ready to go and build to something better than this individual book.

Better than I expected. I liked the main characters, but I hope he loosens up soon. I hope he is going to relax around her more. She is such a genuine person. And they are both so socially awkward. I'm very interested to see where this story progresses to.

I enjoyed reading this book. Was a nice story about a girl who wants to make more friends. It's also a very sweet story in my opinion. Like how he helps her. I also like the setting of the book. Very curious to what his deal is with that one girl. So i will definitely continue this serie. What i also like it's that it is a manga, so it's very easy and fast to read.

It was okay over all. I think I'd like to read the second volume before making a decision. The MMC is kind of meh and Kusunoki is sweet but seems to have more depth than the MMC. Also, im so tired of men having one bad experience with women and using that as their justification to be jerks. ( and the woman in question here Wasn't even mean to him directly he overheard something)

Kusonoki was considered a loser middle school along with her library buddy Shizuki. Both of them were painfully shy, and because of this and other reasons, they were bullied to the point that unbeknownst to each other, they had a complete glow up for their first year in high school. Now, Shizuki is exactly where he wants to be in the high school hierarchy, and he assumed Kusonoki is feeling the same. Except she's not while Kunsonoki make look the part of a glow up, that's about it, she still can't talk to anyone and she's determined that Shizuki is going to be her first friend whether he likes it or not!

As a kid who was teased in middle school, I actually opted to get homeschooled because my last middle school had been awful. This was pretty spot on. Especially in terms of what Kusonoki goes through, guys think you're "hot," girls think you're stuck up, and now you are a pariah. When you are genuinely terrified of talking to people. And oddly enough, I actually met the human who is my husband today during this time frame, so this hit me right in all of the feels. I also wouldn't say I enjoyed but definitely understood Shizuki's getting physically ill when he had to talk to a girl, I had that level of anxiety when it came to talking to anyone really so again pretty accurate for me there too.

The art is definitely gorgeous as well, and I really loved the fact that the girl who pushes Shizuki over the edge has snake eyes. That definitely was a nice touch.

Overall, definitely recommend this one really for anyone who has been on either side of the bullying spectrum, but if you were a middle school geek like me this will probably hit you just the same as it did me. It's just relatable enough that you don't get too emotional over it, if that makes sense.


As always, thanks to Kodansha and NetGalley for the eArc

The art style is right up my alley, it's cute and pretty but isn't fanservice-y. The expressions and poses seem good to me. It feels like it would adapt very well to an anime as well. It was a very quick read for me as it's under 200 pages.

It is a somewhat typical school-life manga. It reads a little similar to Kimi ni Todoke in that the girl is a little awkward and strange and it causes misunderstandings at times... but it's kind of the same for the boy. And she's the one who's popular but only via the rumor mill. So maybe it's a stretch but if you like a story where the characters develop, i think this will appeal. In my opinion it isn't revolutionary but I think it's a good casual read for most people.

This was pretty cute in the end. Basically two losers in middle school change up their image to make them much more popular in High School.

Except they're still the same inside. The girl here really attaches herself to this guy who is equally kind of a loser, and a bit of a dick, but he can't see she obviously likes him. So there's a lot of miscommunication, but in their hearts we know, they gonna fall for each other. Some cute situations, good art, fun all around. If want a laid back rom-com comedy this is pretty good!