5-toubun no Hanayome

I read Go Toubun no Hanayome and that was amazing. It is different from other comics in three ways.

1) Main character
The main character Futaro is very cool. In most romantic Japanese comedies, the main character tends to be foolish and bad at guessing others' feelings, especially romantic feelings. That is a little bit weird. However, Futaro has a good ability to guess others' feelings. That is nice. Also, Furtado is very smart. That is also a big difference with other romantic comedies. He has pride and confidence. The other typical characters don't have that. He is very cool.

2) Break typical scenarios
In most of the Japanese romantic comedies, there are typical stories. One of them is that when the heroine confesses her feeling or something to the protagonist, because of some accidents, he doesn't hear her. Similar things happen in Gotubun, but this was different. I don't want to give away a spoiler, so I can't explain more than that, but it was amazing. This comic is different from ordinary ones.

3) Focus on personality
The interesting thing is that the heroines are quintuplets. That means all of them have almost the same faces. We can't identify them from appearance. For this reason, the comic book focuses more on the characters' personalities. Futaro has to decide on one person, of course, but this is not because of appearance but because of personality.

So the entire idea of quintuplets is a bit of a stretch, but if you run with it, this is a great drama/romance manga that will have you wonder what happens next.

The story is good, cliche, but I like it like that. Obviously a love story will unfold, and I'm all for it. When things started to heat up, I actually got a bit nervous. Not for the story, but for what the author is going to do about the ending. How can the ending be good with 4 other sisters being hurt in the process? The author is ballsy as well. There are times when a new character will show up, or something will happen that can eliminate a sister from being in a love hexagon (is that right?) but THESE OPPORTUNITIES WEREN'T TAKEN. The last, I say quarter of the story is a bit drawn out. I'm sure it was for dramatic effect since a lot of people wanted to know what was going to happen... But the ending was slightly anti-climactic for me. But good none-the-less.

The art is good too, not sloppy. Crisp and clean and to the point, with lots of great wide shots with detail during critical moments in the manga. I like it. Also has some funny drawings.

Characters are good, although the main protagonist very slowly matures through the book. There are a couple of times where I'm like "dude come on you're older than these girls grow up" but he doesn't and that can be frustrating, but I just roll with it.

I enjoy this manga quite a bit. It's not rushed, the pacing is good, and the more you read, the more you want to know how this whole thing ends. I recommend it.

I want this review to be as unbiased as possible, but i have to agree with the community on the manga nt feeling finished, it ofcourse only had one ending as any ordinary story but since there are 5 sister i think that Negi can atleast give every girl an ending that everyone can easily enjoy even though the ending is just 1 chapter long for each girl. But for the review a great love comedy with a intresting turn of event through out the story, ended a bit early as stated before but overall enjoyment was good and im glad i spent every sunday on the job reading this manga and i think you guys should too..

Peace out -Doogle 2020

Well, I didn't cry to this one like I have in the past. This manga had an amazing story. It put a unique twist on a "harem" story. Some arcs were pretty boring having to show every main character's prospective, but that doesn't really take away from the story. The ending though was kinda off putting. I wasn't really sure what had actually happened. I still loved this manga and feel like reading it from start to end again. Everything about this was amazing, however I found another manga with the same concept where the MC is a tutor to a group of girls. I accept this manga and its ending. It could have been longer and maybe a bit different. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a funny love story.

This Review Only Spoils Up To Chapter 60


Gotoubun no Hanayome was a great manga. The story itself just felt different because it was created from the premise of studying, something so simple. Also, it didn’t fell like every girl was trying to get all over Uesugi, like most harem anime and/or manga. Yes the quintuplets did do their best to get Uesugi to fall for them. The one thing they never did was throw their body out like it was a garage sale. This was more of a wholesome harem then any normal harem.

The art was honestly the thing that got me to want to finish the manga. Yes, the story was good it was getting a little harder to read with almost no drama nor romance at the smart, which is understandable. I will say that some of the pages were unnecessary. One of the them being Nino’s love confession in volume 8. I didn’t see the point of putting a whole to say “I love you”.

Something that got me to read the manga more was the characters, mainly the quintuplets. Uesugi is sometimes funny, while also being very bland and boring. Next, you have the quintuplets.

Ichika choosing here dream over chasing Uesugi was honestly great. Personally, I think it shows massive character development.

Nino probably has the best character development out of anyone in the manga. Knowing that she was the most sensitive out of the 5 made her my favorite. From treating Uesugi like crap, which went to far. After her confession, she started to change which I loved.

Miku is very shy and quiet, she’s pretty inactive unless she get motivated. In the start of the manga, Chapter 4, Yotsuba asked Miku if she likes someone. It was pretty obvious that she wanted to say yes but, she said no. By Chapter 31, it was confirmed that she liked Uesugi. In Chapter 38, Miku says why she’s in love with Uesugi.

Yotsuba is my second favorite quintuplet because of how accepting and caring she is. The problem was that she had no character development. Overall, she’s very wholesome character and has a very lovable personality as a whole. She’s not to great at doing much. If there was some character development she’d could easily be my favorite.

I love the first four about the same. Itsuki was just a mess of a character. She’s annoying and by annoying I mean annoying. After the quintuplet’s mother passed away, Itsuki took it the hardest, making her want to be like her mom. Even saying “I am going to be a teacher” at the end of Chapter 57.

I enjoyed this manga a lot. Honestly, I don’t have a sufficient reason to why I loved the manga so much. The reason why I gave the manga a 9 and not a 10 was because of the ending. I’m fine with who won, but where the graduation arc or college art. In between when Uesugi confessed to the bride, finally getting to the wedding. There should’ve been one of those arcs or both. This would make the manga a little longer but better. It just jumped from the confession to the wedding.

Note that his review is going to be incredibly mediocre it's my first review but I'll try my best.
This manga was able to invoke an emptiness in my heart that I haven't felt before. It is able to make you realize how boring your life is and how much you are missing out on. At the same time, the story is comforting and honestly was really good. For me, it really never mattered who won in the end because I always enjoy the journey more than the ending. Each arc developed the quintuplets into being all completely different and unique characters. Some definitely got more time to develop than others and that's why I gave the characters an 8, but I understand that as a writer it's really hard to manage 6 main characters and how they grow. The art style was really well done especially at the end with all the full-page pictures(I honestly don't like how the characters look in the anime when compared to the manga). Now for enjoyment, as I said at the start the end gave me an empty feeling in my heart after reading it. Making me realize I should cherish my youth and do more things. Though it made me feel this way I still really enjoyed everything about it. There is a character for anyone to like and there were so many plot twists and things that you will never expect. A lot of people have complained about the ending and it being rushed and could have been stretched out further. I wholeheartedly agree with them, but this is the ending we have to live with. Honestly, I'm not too disappointed in the ending, and the only thing I'm disappointed in is the fact that it could have felt a little more complete if it was given 2-3 volumes. All in all, there are so many pro's and if the only con is the ending then I say it is definitely a must-read for anyone who wants love-able characters and a great love story.

When we see that an anime/manga is a harem category, immediately we have doubts about it and that's what I exactly felt when I first heard of The Quintessential Quintuplets. I mean, is it just me or are we sick of an MC that is dense( cliche' as f-) and girls about 3-4 frowning for the heart of the said MC? Just me? then let me tell you if you're either sick or not, The Quintessential Quintuplets will have your back.

In the first few chapters of the manga, the cliche' is very, very noticeable. They have problems with MC when they first met but later on, got developed on to him. That is actually the nutshell of this manga but I realized, I got it wrong actually.

Later on the chapters, we can encounter the tsundere, yandere or and dere2x these girls have(like typical harem girls) but what's good about this harem manga is that it is actually unpredictable. The confessions will catch you off guard. The kinkiness and the flirts are actually enjoyable. And the best thing about this manga is the characters.

MC - We all know that harems will and will very likely have a dense MC and this manga is no exception. The only good thing about it is that it actually plays a big role in the story. When you think that it's cliche', it becomes not.

The Quintuplet girls -
If you think they are frowning on the MC, then you're not wrong. But the thing is, the uniqueness of the flirting is, IMO, actually the best flirting i've ever seen on a medium like this. I mean just read it. I highly recommend You will not regret it( tabun ^^)

*VERY MINOR SPOILERS*
(the "spoilers" mentioned are all basic things we learn very, very early on in the manga)

I'm writing this review after watching the anime adaption, as I genuinely loved the anime and wanted to continue the story after. It was very unusual for me as I generally don't read mangas, but the anime was so great I had high expectations for the manga. And let me say - it totally lived up to those expectations.

For those who haven't read the manga OR watched the anime, I'll give a brief overview (I wrote a review on the anime as well, although to be honest my ideas were a bit jumbled).

Basically, the story revolves around our main character Fuutarou, the number 1 ranking student in the grade and a pretty uptight personality. This isn't to say he doesn't care, because as we go through the story we learn more about the type of person he is; how he genuinely does care about others - he just doesn't give a damn what other people's perceptions of him are. Fuutarou is an incredibly fun and reliable MC to follow, he isn't the standard weak, useless, crying MC in a harem. He takes charge and steps up when it matters most. Even though he is a great MC to follow, he still has to suffer in poverty with his father and little sister. And to make money for his poor living conditions, Fuutarou takes up a tutoring offer from a wealthy man, asking to teach his five daughters who are failures when it comes to school. And as we all know from the title, these are the main girls.

The five daughters are all quintuplets, which includes the fact they look extremely similar. This is one of the reasons I gave the art a 10/10, because they look similar but are still distinguishable to the reader/viewer. Of course, these similarities lead to a lot of antics revolving around them pretending to be one another in certain situations, which is entertaining but also interesting for character development. More on the sisters, each one has their own unique personality. While the personalities are all based off of common tropes (tsundere, kuudere, etc) the characters are fleshed out extremely well, and aren't just walking ecchi girls.

In fact, there is very little ecchi to straight up none at all which is another fantastic thing about this manga. It looks more at an ACTUAL scenario (even if unrealistic of course) of five sisters slowly but surely falling for the main character, and their interactions with one another as they realize their changing emotions. The girls don't fall for him all in the first chapter and then turns into an ecchi fanservice, the story is very well put together and gives great progression of not only the girls' (and even Fuutarou's) character, but also their emotions for one another in terms of the sisterhood bond, another big theme in this manga.

Talking about story quick, I'd like to point out how great the pacing is. No one arc takes way too long, but also has enough time to make considerable development in the characters and the progression of the story. There is no filler, and every chapter felt like we learned something new about one of the girls or Fuutarou, learned about what potential problems will happen between the group, and gives lots of emotions mixed throughout.

For the most part, that covers what I wanted to review about the manga without giving any sort of spoilers. When I first watched the anime literally less than a week ago, I came in with low expectations and ready to enjoy another "trashy" fanservice anime. But I was genuinely glad to see how this show and manga took a different spin on the harem tag. Especially how easily the author could have made it a fanserivce, ecchi anime, the story's direction has a huge focus on each character on an individual and their relationships between one another. Picture it like a spider web, with each character having a string attached to the other five people in the main group (5 girls + Fuutarou = 6). And as the manga progresses, each one of those individual strings gets stronger as we learn more. It also has a big emphasis on the sisterhood between them, Fuutarou aside, which is another fantastic thing - they don't just oogle over our MC the entire time.

I wrote a lot, so I'll end it here. I gave this a 10/10, it truly is a fantastic series for what it is presented as - a romance, harem comedy with some drama mixed in. A lot of emotional moments from happy to nervous, and I had multiple periods of being anxious as to what would happen next. I highly recommend reading this, or even watching the anime which ends off on chapter 32/33 of the manga. I hope you all give this manga a shot, and thank you for reading. Hopefully my writing wasn't too fumbled with ideas scattered around. Thanks!

Im a sucker when it comes these types of tropes. I just found myself enjoying them. Nisekoi is a great example, but 5-Touban no Hanayome just did theirs better. It didnt make the promise girl obvious. Everyone one had their cute development and their time with Uesugi, some had more time with him than the others. Like wtf, why give a big contender for bride; a trash moment. I was pissed and ended up googling who won at the end. I was actually mad who ended up winning and continued to read on anyways, but as I read more with the winner in the back of my head. I was actually more immersed into the story. I was like no way best girl lost to worst girl, but I actually had a great time reading it. Winner difenitely can win, but her development wasn't as good as the others. The typical pull out a fast one to be winner is so trash. Atleast give her more time on screen so everyone had equal chance with Uesugi. I felt like there could of been more development between winner and another girl. It just felt like those two were forgotten most of the time I was reading, but suddenly had their time to shine in the later volumes.

If you're really into these clichés I would 100% recomend you this manga. It covers all the basics. dense MC, harem, and the occasional ugly bastard.

Overall I give it an 8.

The anime announcement was a matter of time, each week my twitter filling of opinions, discussions and debates about the last situation that happen, few romantic manga make it this effect. When I already felt that I was very out of the conversation circle and finally decided by reading it, occurred the announcement of the adaptation, I decided watch and read. Put on day took little time, finally I can be part of the weekly debate.

While I was reading understood where was the popularity of the work, a harem with real characters, who will say it. Let´s start with the main character, Futarou is more bitter and serious than average protagonist, conserving the level of compromise, with few touch but capable of decision. Isn't innovating but is a cool blew it that make it capture the attention.

The quintuplets are just like should be by inference, same and different. Each one has energy attitudes and brotherly appreciation, with qualities that make it distinguishable and unique: Ichika the most risky, Nino the most forehead, Miku the most demure, Yotsuba the sportier and Itsuki the most dedicated. The premise that belong the dynamics teacher-Student make it easier know her and deepen in scale, giving it the last touch to her addiction, count with the variety for that each one can choose their favorite girl according with their tastes.

The distribution of situations exploits the differences between the sisters, none chapter is similar to other, the variety of facts than happen, either in individual sense or framed inside a little arc, make uncheck it a little more of the work of their similar. Without forget it of the important narrative in retrospective, giving us in advance the achievement about that our dedication will be rewarded, no matter what, he will marry some of they.

Even better carry are the driving thematic and narrative development of each girl. Contrary to the prejudice about this archetype, the associated values intrinsically to the harem belong the group evolution, each girl supported each other or of the protagonist, where going defining selves in the exchange of touch, experiences, discussions and situations. Each quintuplet and the protagonist going finding the way of their life through the confrontation of obstacles, dealing with their feeling and the brotherly interaction.

Of this way (at least in general thematic level) none stays behind of the other ones, we count with construction of the self-esteem, the consideration toward the other, don’t give up in the search of dreams and one of my favorites, the celebration of joy. Deepen impregnated across of all the volumes, that tribute to the moments that just can live being young, when everything could be possible.

All these trends were accomplished with a careful watch out narrative development (except the last quart) each girl builds her own way, none is far respect to the others in the how that related with the protagonist, counts with unique moments, almost in certain point anyone of the 4 could feel perfectly feasible like “winners”.

An important highlight is despite being a harem, doesn’t count with explicitly Fanservice moments, if there is a comparison will be like Nisekoi being even more sweetened. Making more interest in the punctual moments where will happen these moments of so much PLOT (Ex. The Beach). Likewise is important like the other side characters, had their punctual contributions in the appropriate moment, never felt a narrative universe excessively locked.

Their development of individual chapters counted with one than another arc to speed things up, well writings, structured and measured, mostly all the exciting final stretch of the third arc, almost I had vertigo before read the chapter. Then, comes the last quart.

The final phase starts with power, surprises no so surprises, that overturned in a split arc of points of view, something that even if already used, the exaggerated complexity that tried, end up confusing rather than intriguing. Almost should use a timeline to known that was happening, a shame because the facts in self are the last touches to the narrative way of each sister, punctual moments really waited, bad executed.

Also considering the watch out previous rythm, surprise even more the accelerated of the last section, a burst of revelations and key instants than few time leaved to acceptance, mutually opaque, that by the inherent weight end up falling in the forget.

Still I must defend the end, itself the pure end, seems to me a nice end although don't have something solid by behind if reach be to the height, the waited ceremony in a victory that I can give by defensible, even happening everything that end up happening. The thematic lines had their respective messages, the general tone can keep it and the sweetie that test it, end up conserving it.

The draw is really good, the character design of each girl being similar and different belongs games in the narratives, and beautiful postal in the illustrations of double page or full page. The layout is directed to the effective, like should it expected of someone young, going better and experiencing according to the passing time, even in the last did hand go away.

There is a good work in the background, in the positioning of the characters respect to the environment, in the revelations moment also getting considerably better the work of the illustration. A really nice work, even the chibi draws are memorable.

The quintuplets will come to my memory like a roller coaster of emotions, weekly revelations where Negi need credit by be so talented for the story construction and the approach of chifflangers, at point of win the nickname of “troll” for the community, chest accelerated at the mention of new weekly chapter, read the ocean of theory’s than proliferated on twitter and Facebook, the intoxicant joy because finally my team was victorious, and the bittersweet of my feels while the end was each time more near.

¿Could have been better? Without a doubt, with the double of duration, a restructuration and more calm in the final section will be like a modern classic. But what happen has happen, and has been really good. I will miss all, will remember it with a smile, just like my youth memories.

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El anuncio del anime era un hecho de cuestión de tiempo, cada semana mí twitter se llenaba de opiniones, discusiones y debates sobre lo último que pasaba, pocos mangas románticos lograban este efecto. Cuando ya me sentía muy fuera del círculo de conversación y finalmente me decidí por leerlo, ocurrió el anuncio de la adaptación, decidí ver y leer. Ponerme al día demoró poco tiempo, finalmente pude hacer parte del debate semanal.

Mientras lo fui leyendo entendía dónde radicaba la popularidad de la obra, un harem con auténticos personajes, quien lo diría. Comencemos por el protagonista, Futarou es más amargado y serio que el protagonista promedio, conservando el nivel de compromiso, con poco tacto pero capacidad de decisión. No es un innovador más si un soplo fresco que lograba capturar la atención.

Las quintillizas son tal como deberían ser por inferencia, iguales y diferentes. Todas con actitudes enérgicas y aprecio fraternal, con cualidades que las hacían distinguibles y únicas: Ichika la más arriesgada, Nino la más frentera, Miku la más recatada, Yotsuba la más deportiva e Itsuki la más dedicada. La premisa que permitió las dinámicas Maestro-Estudiantes facilito el conocerlas y profundizarlas en escalas, dando el último toque a su adicción, contar con la variedad para que cada quién pudiera elegir a su chica favorita a gusto.

La distribución entre situaciones explota las diferencias entre las hermanas, ningún capítulo es similar a otro, la variedad de hechos que ocurren, ya sean en sentido individual o enmarcados dentro de algún pequeño arco, logran desmarcarlo un poco más al trabajo de sus congéneres. Sin olvidarnos de la importante narración en retrospectiva, dándonos de antemano el logro sobre que nuestra dedicación se verá recompensada, pase lo que pase, se casará con alguna de ellas.

Todavía mejor llevado son los manejos temáticos y desarrollos narrativos de cada chica. Contrario a los prejuicios sobre este arquetipo, los valores asociados intrínsecamente al harem permite la evolución grupal, una chica apoyada sobre la otra o del protagonista, donde van definiéndose en el intercambio de roces, experiencias, discusiones y situaciones. Cada quintilliza y el protagonista van encontrando el camino de su vida a través del enfrentamiento de obstáculos, el lidiar con sus sentimientos y la interacción fraternal.

Así (al menos en nivel temático general) ninguna queda menor a las demás, contamos con la construcción del autoestima, la consideración hacia el otro, el no rendirse en la búsqueda de sueños y uno de mis preferidos, la celebración de la juventud. Profundamente impregnado a lo largo de todos los volúmenes, ese homenaje a los momentos que sólo pueden vivirse siendo jóvenes, a cuando todo parecía ser posible.

Todas estas líneas fueron logradas con un cuidado desarrollo narrativo (a excepción del último cuarto) cada chica construía su propio camino, ninguna está alejada respecto a las demás en el cómo se relacionan con el protagonista, cuentan con momentos únicos, casi en cierto punto cualquiera de las 4 podían sentirse perfectamente factibles como “ganadoras”.

Hay que destacar que pese a ser una obra harem no cuenta con momentos explícitamente Fanservice, si tuviera comparación sería como Nisekoi siendo aún más edulcorado. Ejerciendo todavía más interés en los momentos puntuales donde tuvieran que ocurrir estos momentos de tanta TRAMA (Ej. Capítulo de la playa). Así mismo es importante como los demás personajes secundarios, tuvieron sus aportes puntuales en los momentos apropiados, nunca se sintió un universo narrativo excesivamente encerrado.

Su desarrollo de capítulos individuales contaba con uno que otro arco para acelerar las cosas, bien escritos, estructurados y medidos, sobre todo el emocionante tramo final del tercer arco, casi me entraba vértigo antes de leer el capítulo. Hasta que llegó el último cuarto.

La fase final comienza con potencia, sorpresas no tan sorpresas, que volcaron en un arco dividido en puntos de vista, algo que si bien ya había utilizado, la exagerada complejidad que intentó, termino confundiendo más que intrigando. Casi debía llevarse una timeline para saber que estaba ocurriendo, una lástima porque los hechos en sí eran los últimos toques al camino narrativo de cada hermana, momentos puntuales muy esperados, mal llevados.

Además considerando el cuidado ritmo previo, sorprende todavía más lo acelerado de la última sección, una ráfaga de revelaciones e instantes claves que poco tiempo dejaban a la aceptación, mutuamente opacados, que por el peso inherente terminaban cayendo en el olvido.

Aun así he de defender el final, en si el puro final, me parece un buen final que pese a no tener algo sólido por detrás si logra estar a la altura, la esperada ceremonia en una victoria que si puedo dar por defendible, todavía pasando todo lo que termino pasando. Las líneas temáticas tuvieron sus respectivos mensajes, el tono en general pudo mantenerse y el cariño que pusieron a prueba, termino conservándose.

El dibujo es muy bueno, el diseño de personaje de cada chica siendo similar y diferente permitió juegos en las narrativas, y hermosas postales en las ilustraciones de doble página o página completa. El maquetado se dirige a lo efectivo, como debería esperarse de alguien joven, va mejorando y experimentando conforme pasa al tiempo, aunque al final se le fue la mano.

Hay buen trabajo en los fondos, en el posicionamiento de los personajes respecto al entorno, en los momentos de revelación también mejora considerablemente todo el trabajo de ilustración. De verdad muy buen trabajo, inclusive los dibujos chibi me son memorables.

Las quintillizas pasará a mi memoria como una montaña rusa de emociones, las revelaciones semanales donde hay que darle crédito a Negi por ser talentoso para la construcción de historias, y el abordaje de chifflangers, al punto de ganarse el apodo como “troll” para la comunidad, el pecho acelerado ante la mención de nuevo capítulo semanal, el leer los mares de teorías que proliferaban en Twitter y Facebook, la embriagante alegría porque finalmente mi equipo se alzaba victorioso, y lo agridulce de mis sentimientos mientras más se acercaba el final.

¿Podría haber sido mejor? Sin lugar a dudas, con el doble de duración, una reestructuración y más calma en el tramo final hubiera resultado como clásico moderno. Pero lo que ha pasado, ha pasado y ha sido bastante bueno. Las extrañare a todas, las recordaré con una sonrisa, tal como mis recuerdos de la juventud.

Oh, Quintessential Quintuplets. I've been a fan of you ever since I began watching your anime. You left me with a cliffhanger, but you gave me an opportunity to continue by opening the path of manga for me. Thanks to that, I was able to continue enjoying my experience to the utmost. Up until the latest episode where everything will probably ( and finally ) be concluded. I acknowledge that what I'm going to say will be a very bad comparison. But if I am to describe 5-toubun no Hanayome. I would describe it as "Reverse Nisekoi But Better".

I have always been a fan of anime more than manga ever since I was young. For some reason, they just don't give off the maximum feeling I get from watching an anime. For me, reading a manga is like watching an anime but its potential is lowered to a worsen standard. Thus, resulting in me not having any ( or none at all ) feelings attached to manga. However, a small number of manga does actually shatter that stupid-ass ideal of mine and sometimes even surpass the majority of the anime I've watched. But these "fewer" manga are so rare that it's just nearly impossible.

- SOME SPOILERS BELOW, DO NOT READ ANYTHING INSIDE THE BOX IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE MANGA -

[ A manga that is able to make the impossible become possible means that it has favorably earned my uttermost of respect not just as a manga but also as a fine masterpiece. Inevitably, 5-toubun no Hanayome has become one of the manga that has made the impossible possible.

I started reading the manga at the chapter where the anime left off in hope that our gamer girl would be able to win Fuutarou's heart. As I progressed through the manga, my thoughts began to weaver as the other contenders ( aka the other girls ) began to rise up and somehow managed to reach the level of our gamer girl that I've thought was impossible at first. The battle between the quintuplets become more and more intense until I was no longer able to pick a side and transcended into the "I don't even care anymore" stage. Resulting in me not giving a damn about who's going to win anymore. I began to realize that I have grown to accept all the girls instead of being all offended when I was watching the anime. The only thing that is left and is keeping me to read this manga is who Fuutarou will end up with. And judging by the current chapter I'm in. I think it's finally over. Well, the battle of course. Not the entirety of the manga. ]

- SPOILER END -

The Quintessential Quintuplets is not just some random harem you'd get anywhere. This is a hidden gem that is probably one of the best harem manga out there. It's unique, it's entertaining, and most importantly, it sinks into my body and become a part of my important memories within my life. ( might be over exaggerating but whatever )

The anime's good. The manga's even better. I can't wait to see how this ends. I'm hyped! Anyways, I recommend this to everyone that is looking for some god-tier harem, school, comedy and romance. You won't regret reading this manga. Also, this is just an opinion. But if you haven't seen both the manga and the anime. You should first try the anime and if you like it then continue from where the anime left off just like what I did.

Reading the story before volume 12 is the best manga reading experience one may found. The characters were beautifully developed, the relationships and feelings between the characters were done really well; this manga is a "realistic harem manga" which you can't see elsewhere.

But from volume 12 (vol 12 is where the ending begins) everything just began to collapsed to the point that you may asked yourself what was happening.

First, There is a massive hold between volume 11 and volume 12. That hold contained everything needed to lead to the ending, the ending lacks of explanations. Because of that, the ending came as a surprise or i must say a shock.

And the second, the lack of justice for the characters. To make this clear we first have to talk about character X (aliases is to avoid spoiler). Unlike an usual harem manga which have the protagonist is the male character and the girls are the main characters, this manga has a female protagonist (X). Why do i say this? Just look at the manga closely and you shall see that X was driven the plot since the beginning, the story is heavily leaning on her. But in the end she was thrown a way like a side character. her ending does not fit her role in the manga at all. And about the victor, she had so much potential wasted. Everyone was waiting for her character development which never came. She and X have full of issues in their personality but while X has been through a fully development in the character she remained the same. The victor does not match X to be the victor in the ending. The one who should have been the victor (if not X) is another girl (yes another important girl who was thrown away like X in the ending, she is also X's biggest rival in the manga). After all what makes the ending a huge failure are the lack of proper ending for X and her rival as well as the lack of the victor's character development and a believable ending for her.

A beautiful manga ruined because of its ending, a waste it is.

A short disclaimer before I begin: this is my first review and as such I may go all over the place, and for that I'm sorry; secondly, english is not my native language so there might be a couple of mistakes here and there.

Now that the manga has practically ended I can safely say that this is a solid story, worthy of your time and that will entertain you.
That being said this manga is not without its flaws, first and foremost the art. As a matter of fact the art is average at best with a couple of good panels here and there, but it's nothing that will drive you away, it just takes some getting used to.

The characters are nothing that you haven't seen before in other anime but, once again, they have some sort of charm to them and they go through some major development (something that you don't always get in this media) so you will surely connect with them. All of them are defined by a specific quirk but the mangaka as been able not to make them the only thing going for his characters, something that usually happens in many harem anime and manga.

When it comes to the story I'll tell you this: it's really fun and entertaining and if you are late to the party (meaning you start this series when it's already finished) even more so.
It starts with the protagonist, Futaro, trying to make the girls study under him and from there you get to see him interact with them and get into all kind of weird situations.
Probably the best way to experience this series is though the manga by virtue of being better paced and more pleasing to the eye (the animation of the anime wasn't very good in my opinion).

Overall I give this series a 7,5/10.
It not a must read but it's surely something valid to read if you are undecided on what to read next.

Go-toubun no Hanayome is a special manga for me this series caught my attention feeling it one of a kind in its genre and left a deep mark on me.

In this story, the first thing to strike me is the intrigue of who of the quintuplets is the bride. Since they are similar, it’s hard to find her with the naked eye. This mystery leads to create theories to discover her identity, making the plot exciting.

Art is great and constant, showing the charm of the quints and their most meaningful moments.

The highlight in this series is its characters. The main character Fuutarou was a reserved and hard-working guy; but when he gets more involved with the quints, he became empathic and observant, getting to recognise those details that make them unique regardless of their resemblance.

The quintuplets are the reason that makes so worth it this manga.

Ichika is a dreamy, protective and confidant lady. She is a guiding light for her sisters, and her dreams are full of love for acting. She’ll always be a star.

Nino is the most passionate, frank, and brave miss in this series; her love for her sisters is infinite and she’ll give everything for them and for whom she cares. It’s easy to love the way she is.

Miku is the most intelligent, mature and modest girl in her family. She’ll fill your heart with warmth and tenderness. Her shyness won’t stop her, and she will show you she is a warrior. She’s a muse.

Yotsuba is a generous, cheerful and innocent girl; she’ll always be by your side when you need it most and will not quit until you are well, she won’t forsake you. She’s an angel.

Itsuki is a persistent, noble and honest miss. Despite the difficulties that occur her way, she’ll strive to achieve her goals. She will stand up for what she believes and prove us her invincible soul. She’s starlight.

The bond that the quints share it’s praiseworthy, they will never be alone, and they’re bound to be together. And this unique relationship of support, loyalty and love they have with Fuutarou is enchanting.

Seeing them grow and improve increased my affection for them. Watching them smile, fall in love and showing their strength, made me look forward to each chapter from beginning to end.

I enjoyed the journey of this manga; this series and its characters turned into something so special for me. Watching my dears quintuplets happy, fulfilling their dreams and the fact that they’ll always together no matter what is what left me satisfied. I’ll miss these wonderful girls so much and the wait for a new chapter every week.

The best message of this story for me is that family love is the most valuable thing one can have; they’ll always be there for you even if you are wrong, and they will never turn their backs on you. I recommend this manga, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

God, I just can't anymore. I hate myself for loving series like this even though I know ill just be disappointed in the end.

lets start with the characters; the MC first then the girls in descending order of personal preference.

SPOILERS

Fuutaro had the foundation to be a genuinely well developed romance MC, for the longest time he genuinely didn't have any romantic interest in the girls and simply wanted to support his family. he began making believable progress in how he felt for the girls until all of a sudden his character gets dragged through the mud with the rest of the story, having him act completely out of character to suit the authors preference.

Itsuki, the girl who constantly got shafted throughout the entire series. mystery is important in a show like this but it's better to have no mystery at all then to do it poorly. It would have made the most sense for itsuki to have been the childhood love, but that doesn't mean she had to end up with the MC. She didn't have much in the way of character development because the author just used her as an anchor for the other girls. consistently my favorite girl despite her treatment.

Nino is the best example of character development in the show and probably shouldve ended up with fuutaro even if she wasn't my number one. going from the most openly hostile to being the one to shout her love the loudest shows how much of an impact the MC had on her. a strong willed main heroine helps contrast an MC who spends so much of the show being indecisive. she showed more love for her sisters than anybody else and refused to let their rivalry destroy the love they had for eachother.

Miku would be placed at the bottom of the list of characters I liked in the series, this series usually does a poor job of usurping tropes but Miku is an exception. you would expect the quiet and reserved girl to be incredibly intelligent, although here that clearly isn't the case. which leads to a cute contrast. the first one we find out is in love with the protagonist made her a fan favorite, along with her bickering with Nino.

these three characters are the selection that could have feasibly ended up with the MC, yet they also recieve the worst treatment from the author in the latter third of the series.

Ichika constantly presented herself as the big sister yet consistently acted the most childish, betraying her sister for her own benefit is something none of the authors would have even considered.

yotsuba came out of nowhere in a move that made no sense to become the winning girl of the series for the simple reason of her being shoehorned as the childhood love. throughout the entire series she never gave the MC any reason to choose her over the others yet he did anyways. she was the bright light of the sisters and fulfilled her role well until the author decided she was best girl.


now story: literally Nisekoi with identical girls

finally art: fit well with the romance genre but didn't ever exceed expectations

Overall, this series is like an extremely fun roller coaster until you get to the final drop and realize that nobody finished the track. skip unless you're a "journey over destination" person.

Before I say anything, I WILL say that this anime/manga is the best harem i’ve watched/read and I cant see another harem being better than it. BUT out of all of the other romance manga i’ve read this was the most boring. I don’t know how to describe it but I was just reading to finish it, I didn’t find myself hooked and excited to read the next chapter, like with the other ones i’ve read. Some chapters of the story made me want to drop it just because I was thinking “Why is this still going on”. It should’ve ended at least 30 chapters before it did. Also in terms of just writing it wasn’t all that great either. They had some deep moments but most of it felt cliché unlike manga like LIW. I really just didn’t have that pull to it, even though it did try to have some moments to tug at your heart, even those moments felt boring. This anime/manga is really only popular because of the girls and how the fans want “their girl” to win. I didn’t really support a single character to win, although the ending was relatively surprising, none of the girls were great written characters but none of them except maybe Ichika is a girl that you would hate. Overall, while it is a good harem it is NOT a good romance, not to say its bad either tho.

Overall: 6.5-7/10

Calling Gotoubun a finished manga is like calling Fuutarou’s lunch a proper meal. It isn’t. It needed at least two more volumes to be finished, and much more to be entertaining. Once held in the highest regard as a romance/harem manga, its journey was cut short, and with it comes a bitter taste—a taste of overwhelming amounts of salt. From screaming fans nonetheless.

It flopped because Negi tried too hard subverting tropes. The ending shouts "haha *she* won you never saw it coming did ya" when in reality it lacked any substance. I started reading the manga when the first season aired, it was like 70 to 80 chapters long. And was a strong 7 to 8 for a while, until seeing the last 25 to 30 chapters.

It went from something interesting and unique into something like any other. The last festival arcs were especially dreadful, carrying a huge tonal shift that felt abrupt and out of place. But out of the five, Itsuki no doubt got the worst end of the stick. She was thrown into a corner until Negi was like "shit totally forgot about her" in the last arc. The biological dad, which had no impact in the story until then, felt like a convenient plot tool. It ended with melodrama trash, which was a distaste. The sharp writing was nowhere to be seen from then on.

With that, let's talk about the other four.

Ichika, she had no chance after the school trip, but at least an interesting character. I cheered for her all the way, and I would say I am satisfied with how she ended up. Definitely has the best resolve out of the four.

Nino, the confession scene was great, her blunt nature while still loving her sisters goes the same. Though by far with the most development under her belt, her change of heart can be seen as quite shallow. For reasons I can't mention because of spoilers.

Miku, the most generic. She later became Nino's ally and brought the two biggest ships together. Hot take, but she ended up being a more boring Nino. Nothing much to say.

And finally Yotsuba. Her story ended five years ago. The beginning teased about something great happening in the past but did not deliver. She has no resolve, and nothing of her felt finished once all the trouble was over. Worst character out of the five.

The art was good, Negi clearly got better the course of these two years as well. But nothing could make up for this mess of an ending.

There are times when you regret what you choose, and I regret being invested in Gotoubun. I remember the last time I became this disappointed in a series was when I finished watching Charlotte. Gotoubun lacked an explanation, and Negi's tricks to balance the chances of the five meant the story lack direction, there will certainly be outrage no matter who won with how it closed out.

It wasn't like any other harem, but it certainly ended like one.

"Devoting time... Getting to know their behaviours, voices, unconscious habits, would you not say that is love?" -Quintuplets' Grandfather

This has been a ride. Gotoubun no Hanayome, a.k.a The Quintessential Quintuplets, has and is an truly unique take on the harem romance genre. Does it revolutionise the harem genre? Probably not, but it sure does bring some breath of fresh air into this stacked genre. The very first chapter I've read this manga, I knew it was going to be something, and with this review, I'll tell you my thoughts as to why, I think this is a manga series that YOU, should not pass out on, albeit with a small caveat that I'll talk about in the finishing thoughts.


Story / Character -9-

The absolute reason why Gotoubun no Hanayome is this fantastic. Full of turns and twist, the story revolve around our male protagonist, Fuutarou tutoring the newly acquainted quintuplets, and as the story goes on, each quint starts to fall in love with Fuutarou. Unlike most harem, we have been told in the very start that the MC will choose one quint as the bride, and us readers are to figure out the identity of the bride. And the fun part of the story? Each quint is so well developed that you will find yourself scratching your head, constantly figuring out who might she be, and with the subtle hints Haruba Negi brilliantly put around the story as the icing on top of the cake.

As for the characters, they're also what contributes to such a dynamic story. Fuutarou, whom seems dense, actually picks up on things considerably well, he pays attention to the smallest details even though he doesn't show them, pours his heart out to help out the quints even though it may mean that his grades will worsen. Now to the quints, Ichika, the eldest sister is your 'Ara Ara' nee-san who constantly teases Fuutarou, which often times brings us the most interactive and engaging conversations. Nino, your classic yet unique tsundere, she is bold, she is always in your face, whatever she wants she will go out her way and get it. Miku, she's shy, she's subtle, she's also one of the best. The silent killer, she doesn't do much on the outside, but she puts all her efforts in the background that makes you uncontrollably cherish her hard work. Yotsuba, your 'Genki' outgoing girl, all she wants is everyone to be happy, and that includes you too, her action throughout the manga can never fail to make you 'aww'. Itsuki, the youngest sister, but she acts as though she is the most mature, and she is! As one who looks to become a teacher in the future, she does pour in extra effort to ensure she becomes one.


Art - 9.5-

Haruba Negi’s art is nothing less than phenomenal, and in Gotoubun, it very much shows. Each quint is drawn distinctly beautiful with an unique accessory to help us readers identify them. All characters look clean, the flow of the panels are well drawn out and are very easy to your eyes. Nothing much to say about the art honestly, the work proves itself.


Caveat

I’ve given the series a 8.5/10 as a whole, and most of the points come from the start of the manga till the very end of it, which is the last arc. (Mild spoilers ahead so do beware) The choosing of the quint and basically the entire arc felt very lackluster, as compared to the previous arcs. Where the previous arcs thoroughly developed all quints equally, this arc essentially destroyed the development and foundation of each quint to give way for the winner. What does that mean in one word? Rushed. The ending was inevitably rushed, despite the fact that the last 100 chapters were so well done I would’ve rated it a perfect 10/10 score, the ending arc was a hit in the gut. Not to mention the very last chapter of the series as well, nothing in the chapter was coherent, the ideas were painfully obvious that it was all over the place. Had this series been given another volume, it could’ve gone down as IMO the best harem series of all time, but as the fact stays, this ending is nothing but disappointing.


Conclusion

For someone who has literally followed the series from the very beginning, it has been one hell of a ride. Every week I would look forward to the release of the new chapter and keep thinking of different theories on who would be the winner, discussing it with friends and stuff. This manga had me so invested into the series that I could feel in on a personal level, and I’m sure many will feel that way when reading this manga, and that unfortunately will also mean that many will too, be disappointed in the series when it comes to the ending. Here comes the question, do I recommend this for people looking to read a Harem/ Romance manga? By all means yes, the development of this story for the grand scheme of things has been fantastic, terrific even. I do want to emphasize that, despite the lackluster ending, the reason I still think it's worthy of a 8.5/10 is because a few bad chapters does not and should not overshadow the great work that is the majority of the manga. It has been such a great read, and I will wholeheartedly recommend this series to anyone looking for a good manga to watch.

Warning: This review will contain no spoilers. I say this as a warning because not spoiling this manga means that this won't be a very in-depth review. Instead, this will be more of a brief "Should you read 5toubun?" and my initial reaction to the manga as it finally comes to an end after I've kept up with it week after week

Like I said at the beginning, this will be more of a general “Would I recommend this series to you?” than an in-depth review of the series and how everything (plot points, character development, etc) is handled. If you're a manga reader who's just completed 5toubun coming here to see a well-constructed review that perfectly summarizes how this series disappointed you at the end, this is unfortunately not that kind of review. I do eventually want to write a more in-depth review of this series, but I’d like to reread it a few more times before I feel like I could do a more critical and more in-depth analysis justice. As much as I love those kinds of well-written and eloquent MAL reviews that say what I think about a series better than I could ever hope to, I still think this site needs just more general recommendation reviews. That being said, onto the review!

Art 8/10

There’s not much to say about the art. I like Negi’s artstyle. It wasn’t super unique, but it didn’t need to be either. The series is good to look at from start to end, and that’s all that it really needs. The girls are cute!


Characters - 8.5/10


Probably the strongest part of the story to me. This is the first harem I’ve read where I legitimately liked all of the girls, and Fuutarou is a pretty good MC too. Even the more minor characters like Fuutarou’s dad and imouto were endearing. It’s just a shame some of the girls got way more love than the others from the author. A few got no development right until the end, or got sidelined for a good chunk of the manga, but that’s more on the story than the sisters themselves. Speaking of the story..

Story – 6.5/10

Ok, so the ending of 5toubun is probably the most controversial part of the series. And I’ll say that no, it’s not a complete fucking disaster like Prison School or Food Wars, but it is disappointing, and that’s why the score seems so low (I actually rate on a 1-10 scale and not a 7-10 scale, but 6.5 isn’t god awful!)

Anyways, the premise of the bride reveal is the main twist of 5toubun. From the beginning, they say “Oh, there’s not going to be a harem ending. Only one girl wins and gets married to the main character. The reveal of the bride at the end after all the hints and flashbacks is the endgame.” There’s no harem ending so no matter what, one girl will win and the rest will lose. That’s pretty bold for a harem manga to say right from the start.

The premise of the manga sounded kind of trashy, but after reading it for myself I was pleasantly surprised by it. The author manages to play with some tropes in a way that surprise you (for example, the tsundere isn’t actually a tsundere, she just fucking hates you for her own justifiable reasons from the start) and overall the story was good. The manga seemed to acknowledge some tropes and play around with them and subvert expectations. That’s one of its biggest strengths in the beginning, but at times (especially near the end) it feels like Negi got a little too cute with "Hah, you thought this would happen because it's typical, but actually this worse thing is going to happen because it goes against what you expect even if that would have been better!".
The first ~75% of this manga was great, but unfortunately the story didn’t manage to maintain that quality all the way through. If it did, I probably wouldn’t have even written this review, but the ending is pretty much what sours the rest of the series for me. I’m not sure if Negi wrote himself into a corner or he just wanted to be done with it (his wife did give birth to a daughter, so I assume he just wanted to wrap things up), but he definitely got too ambitious. There was too much hidden for too long, and the series tries to rush and answer everything in the end and wrap up all the loose ends, but it doesn’t feel satisfying.

At the very end of the series when Fuutarou is explaining why each of the sisters is special to him and important, he jokingly just brushes over the bride at the end and says “Welp, you’re you, that’s tha.t” and moves on. This joke hurts because that’s pretty much how the series handled the winning girl’s arc, and I can’t really give my own reasons as to why the bride was more special than her sisters because Negi didn’t really do anything with her. It feels like he chose the winner based on who fans would expect the least, and then didn’t have a plan to go from there. I would have been happy with her winning if it was actually developed more, but it just feels more like a pity win than what would’ve actually happened, like this was a weird branching non-canon side route in a 5toubun VN.

Don't let the people whose favorite quint won tell you that the people upset about the ending are "just upset because their favorite lost". I liked all of the girls, and would have been fine with any of them (if it was handled well, which it sadly wasn’t). The biggest problem of the manga's ending is in the execution, not the waifu. The series’ ending felt so rushed, boring, unfinished, safe, and pointless that it soured the series as a whole for me. There were so many loose ends and developments that were either never answered to satisfaction or didn’t end up coming back and mattering.

Some of the girls received lots of development that led to nothing, while others didn't get any until it got shoved in right at the end where it felt null and void (BioDad arc, anyone?). I found myself asking "Really? This one won? Like that? That's it?". The last couple arcs felt like they dragged on, and yet at the same time they feel unfinished. I think another volume between 12 and 13 really would've done this series good.
So, should you read 5toubun?
There’s a saying that goes “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey,” and if you agree about that, then I’d say you should read this series. The first 75% of it is great, but just know that it doesn’t maintain that GOAT quality the whole way through. If you’re fine with that, then yeah, give this a read. 122 chapters isn’t that long.

Enjoyment-7.5

Overall, I still enjoyed this series. It has good quality right until the end where it faceplants which makes it pretty hard to score. Before the faceplant, I would give it like an 8.5/10, but the last stretch felt like the author was writing it just to troll us. It failed the romance part of a romcom at the end, which gives a big mark against it for me. Most of the preliminary reviews of this series are pretty high, and mine would be too if it maintained the quality. Unfortunately, the conclusion leaves a bit to be desired.
People can say it was a comedy/drama before it was a romance and that you shouldn’t expect good romance from a harem, but with how well it handled other harem tropes, I still count this as a point against the series. It kind of failed at the romance aspect of the romcom part, rushing that at the end after all the buildup, and the ending that’s supposed to be happy feels somewhat hollow because of it.

Despite the kind-of-shitty end, it was still a great ride. I enjoyed the 5toubun Tuesdays where we got a new chapter every week to theorize and discuss, even when a lot of us were just wondering where the fuck the series was going at the end.

Overall- 6.9/10

(MAL doesn’t let you do half-intervals for score, so I decided to round it up to a 7. I actually rate my list from a 1-to-10 scale instead of a 7-to-10 scale, so this isn’t a bad score at all.) I enjoyed Negi's Wild Ride up until the very end where the Quintmobile got a flat tire and sort of hobbled to the finish, leaking oil and character development. The ending wasn't as bad as something like Prison School or Food Wars, but the ending definitely disappointed when the quality was so good throughout the majority of the manga. If you don't mind that, you'll definitely enjoy a majority of the ride.

7 quints out of 10!

Ah, The Quintessential Quintuplets. The journey of this manga makes me sad. A manga that, I personally dare say, was becoming one of the best romantic comedies of the new decade, alongside heavy hitter Kaguya-sama. If it weren't for some very glaring issues, I would've rated this manga even higher than an 8. Unfortunately, I can't talk about what gripes me about the story without a few spoilers here and there, so be prepared when I get to the "Cons" part of the review. I came in late, as I came to read the manga after watching the anime. I'll be referencing the anime in the review, but it may not perfectly line up. For context, the first season of the anime ends at around chapter 34.

Let's begin with what the manga does well.

Story: 7

While the manga starts off with a lot of fast paced standard comedy sketches, it soon evolves into more of a drama series, while keeping some of it's comedic moments. Personally, a large amount of the humor was at the very least amusing, but what kept me coming back was the drama aspect. The more plot driven parts of The Quintessential Quintuplets were executed beautifully. At some points in the story, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the conclusion to the next arc. The very solid storytelling along with the interesting drama points made this manga something I kept wanting to come back to. Of course, there's a massive issue which I will address nearing the end of the review.

Characters: 9

In my opinion, the meat of this entire story comes from telling the trials and tribulations of it's characters.

Fuutarou Uesugi, the bibliophile who focuses literally all of his free time on studying. Fuutarou is meant to be our looking glass into the story, so his character isn't made to be the most expressive. However, his overly serious and unwavering dedication to his studies does make him have his charm. Overall, the story would never be the same without him.

Now we move on to the quintuplets, and this is going to be the most controversial part of the review. Take it with a grain of salt, as this is my opinion. You're free to disagree, and I welcome any counterpoints. Now, let's go in order from eldest to youngest. **CAUTION, THIS SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS.**

Ichika Nakano. On paper, she's your typical "Onee-san" type character. The friendly smiles, the lazy attitude, the nurturing nature. Throughout the course of season 1, she got some solid character development, and I liked her even more than Miku. Ichika's character arc is asking the question; "Should I help my sisters or should I help myself?". She knows that Miku was crushing on Uesugi, which made her feelings even harder to accept. I loved this portrayal of her character. Her big sisterly nature is being put to the test, forcing her to decide whether to stay back and support Miku, or pursue her own happiness with Uesugi. Unfortunately, she gets pushed to the wayside in the latter half of the manga. Now, why does she like Uesugi? After spending the past 17 years of her life supporting her sisters with everything she has, Uesugi supports *her*. A mutual relationship built on trust and support suits her to a T. Of course, she came to like him a bit quickly, but she was one of the less hostile of the quints towards Uesugi, so it isn't entirely unrealistic. Overall, Her character was great, but it wasn't properly capitalized on due to her lack of popularity. She comes in second place on my list, even if only because she deserved more than what she got.

Nino Nakano. Hoo boy, there's a lot to talk about here. She starts off as the most hostile of the 5 towards Uesugi, feigning acceptance to him until she drugs him to sleep and gets Itsuki to bring him home. For the first 30~ or so chapters, I found myself loathing her. Her hostility seemed unwarranted in some areas. But, soon everything began to make sense in her character arc. Nino represents what the manga is all about: "From Hate to Love". After watching each of her sisters change before her eyes because of their involvement of Uesugi, she was scared that they would lose their unity as quintuplets. She was the most scared of the five to take the leap and change as a person, and to grow as an individual. Naturally, she blamed her sisters change on the outsider variable, Uesugi, and hated him for it. In her eyes, he was someone who was disrupting the natural harmony of their sisterhood. This was only amplified when Itsuki slapped Nino in defense of Uesugi. After living alone, talking to Uesugi on multiple occasions, and on top of that, uncovering Uesugi as Kintarou, the boy she thought was her type, Nino finally made the first step. She cut her hair. Now, this may seem like a typical "I've changed" moment in a romance manga. But, think about it for a moment. Her long hair was the last reminder of when the 5 of them looked identical. By getting rid of that, she's finally looking away from the past and taking her step forward as a person. This character arc, in my opinion, was textbook. It showcases a natural flow of change in her mindset, and it's riddled with symbolism from top to bottom. Now, we get into the juiciest part of her character, which is her inevitable falling for Uesugi. Her feelings for Uesugi build up in a natural way that feels realistic. Slowly coming to realize how she feels after denying her obvious signs of a crush. Her confession was easily the biggest highlight of the story in my opinion, and she singlehandedly changed the direction of the story. She took Miku's words; "First come First served" to a whole new level, being the first of the quints to confess. How did she come to like Uesugi? The answer lies in her entire character arc. Initially hating Fuutarou because he was changing things in her sisters, she came to love him after finally being able to accept it, and after having a change of heart herself. If Nino's love could be described as anything, it'd be an all out attack. She gets things done, without any of the waiting around of Ichika and Miku. This, along with her own character arc overall, makes her the best quint out of the five, no contest. First place. I had to cut out a lot of what I wanted to talk about with Nino, too, because this paragraph was getting way too long.

Miku Nakano. She's a good one, but I'm sorry, she just... isn't that interesting. A lot of people describe her as a less interesting Nino, and they'd be right, to an extent. Miku was the first of the 5 quints to fall for Uesugi, which may have artificially inflated her popularity, alongside her character as the shy introvert trope. She definitely has her own quirks that make her likable. Her determination to become a good bride for Uesugi, trying her best to outclass her naturally talented sister Nino in cooking, despite her clear lack of any skills. She has an almost unsettling interest in Japanese Warlords, which makes her the easiest of the 5 to tutor for Uesugi. Unfortunately, there isn't much else to talk about. She doesn't get much more development, unless you count her butting of heads with Nino throughout the story. Why does she like Uesugi? Well, it's simple. Uesugi accepted Miku's interests and supported her every endeavor. It's simple, but it makes sense, especially considering that Miku was the more lonesome type. Overall, she was a bit boring, but still likable. Her popularity makes sense, as she hits the target audience right through the heart. She comes in Third place on my list, because while she isn't very interesting, she brings a very valuable part to the story, and her character definitely isn't actively bad, unlike...

Yotsuba Nakano. Oh boy. Take your typical Genki childhood friend trope, and do literally nothing with it. That's Yotsuba's character. Avoiding spoilers, there isn't even any proper development of her character until the endgame of the manga. I don't even have much to say about her. She supported Uesugi from the start, helping him with dealing with her sisters and getting them to study. She's also the dumbest of the 5. Her character can be summed up as the "Overly Kind to a fault" type. This has great potential to be a great character arc. She reminds me of a worse Koyuki (Iris Zero), with even less interesting character traits. What are they? We can just make a list. Muscleheaded. Energetic. Dumb. Bad Liar. Friendly. Always tries to be helpful. Unfortunately, Yotsuba was one of the more popular of the 5 quints, which means I might get some hate for this from the Yostuba faction. Now, the spoilers. Why does she like Uesugi? Well, she liked him from the start, when they met 5 years prior, and they made a promise to study and get smart together, a promise which she never kept. This is meant to be her character arc. Her guilt from not keeping her promise to Uesugi. If done right, it could've made her a better character, but unfortunately it was too little too late. Overall, just boring, plain and disappointing. Fifth place. She should've gotten a better character arc, considering how popular she was.

Itsuki Nakano. If she was a spice, she would be flour. Joking aside, I love Itsuki. She's adorable. Her character does have some interesting parts, specifically her first feud with Uesugi, and the part at the ski lodge. Also the scrambled eggs arc, where she confirms her friendship with Uesugi. She tries her best to be a mother figure to the other quintuplets, after theirs unfortunately passed away. Her ambition to become a teacher is a great way to solidify this. Her character is just endearing, but unfortunately, that's where it ends. Due to Negi's "No first Girl" rule, she was pushed to the side even worse than Ichika was. She had an attempt made to make her more interesting with the Biological Father Mini Arc, which was disgraceful. I prefer to pretend that it never existed, because holy shit, it was a pain to watch Itsuki get butchered like that. How did she come to love Uesugi? Well, she doesn't. She sees him as more of an idol, without any romantic feelings involved. They're hinted at the end, but it's not concrete. Overall, I love her, but when it comes to character quality, there just isn't enough there. Fourth Place, but I personally wish I could place her higher.

Some important side characters include the Quintuplet's Father, Maruo Nakano. He's protective, strict, and if I were Uesugi, I'd be afraid of him. I like his character, how he goes from being a distant parent to being more involved with his daughters. Also Uesugi's Father, whose name I can't remember for the life of me. He tries his best to support his family and pay off the loans that he and his wife unfortunately racked up. He's a good father to Raiha and Fuutarou, even if he doesn't get much screentime. It also seems to be hinted that he knew Maruo from when they were highschoolers, which makes me smile. Raiha is a standard Imouto, who is worried about her brothers capacity for romance. I don't really have any problems with her character, but that hairstyle is just a bit ridiculous. Then again, it's anime, so who cares?

Art: 8

The art style really improved throughout the story, and it all did it's job well. Chapter 59 and 60 specifically had some incredibly well done panels. The fanservice is uncommon, surprisingly enough. It's definitely there, and it may turn you away from the manga, but it's not the main focus of this manga, unlike some others. Not really much else to say about the art other than it's a really good standard overall.

Enjoyability: 8

While I was part of the community that frequently read new chapters as they released, I had a generally good time reading it. There were moments in the manga where I'd swoon over a characters progress, or any bold developments made between characters. Times when I would laugh, feel sympathetic, and any other range of emotions that any romantic-drama-comedy worth it's salt would. However, as the series reached it's close, that enjoyability nosedived. This is where I should get into my most major issue with the story.

The Big Issue: **Major Spoilers**, By the way.

If you've read the manga, you know where this is going. As the manga approached it's ending chapters, specifically from around chapter 110 or so, earlier, even, it's quality sunk faster than my mood did. The moment Uesugi chose which girl he liked most, the amazing mystery that the show built up was kicked in the nuts and left to writhe in pain. Clues riddled throughout the chapters were completely disregarded, ending up as red herrings. Not only did the ending not do justice to the story that me and countless others were avidly reading, but the ending sucked on it's own. It was fast, but no where near clean and wrapped up in a neat bow that the wife always wore. Several questions were raised, and going over all of them would turn this essay into a thesis. The ending was rushed and messy, and it looked like Negi wanted to end the manga as quickly as possible so he could leave any people questioning it in the dust. But what annoyed me most about the ending, is that it butchered every character involved, and it abandoned the hard work that each quint put in to gain Uesugi's affection. Yotsuba winning would've been fine if she was a developed character with any semblance of interesting qualities. I'm completely fine with people that like Yotsuba, but people that say the ending was good are just wrong. Even the bride herself, who arguably is the easiest character to write in a situation that she was in, was completely done wrong. Just how can you fuck up that badly as an author? But I digress. Yotsuba herself won the war-harem because she made a promise with Uesugi 5 years ago. That's it. Sure, you can argue that she was there from the start, but little did she ever try to actually gain Uesugi's affection. Yes, this was explained, No, it was not a valid reason. Indirectly, the manga is just saying that fate wins over hard work. Miku, Ichika, Nino and even Itsuki to an extent tried to appeal to Uesugi throughout the course of the plot. In each of their own ways, they had a solid chance to have actually appealed to Uesugi as people. Yotsuba, on the other hand, had no major changes throughout the present time of the story. She stayed back and made no effort to actually appeal to Uesugi's affections. And in the end, she of course, wins. I would like to restate that, if she was a good character and actually did something remotely interesting in the story, I'd be fine with her winning. Well, it doesn't matter now, since the manga's over, and it left a bad taste in basically everyone's mouth, including people that were actually rooting for Yotsuba's victory. I feel pity for everyone that followed this manga from start to finish. Do I regret it myself? Not really. The manga, for the most part, was a great ride. But, just like food, bad tastes linger, even after eating something good. I'm giving this manga a lot of leeway by giving it an 8. To summarize my thoughts on the ending of the manga, I'd like to quote ReviewBrah:

"My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined."

TL;DR :

If I could describe The Quintessential Quintuplets in one sentence, I'd say "It's like building a house of cards." It's great fun and something to admire once it's been built up, but then it collapses in front of you and you just want to die.