Mangaka ANDOU Yuki didn’t change the manga game, but she did make Machida-kun to Sekai a solid story worth anyone’s time.
Machida-kun no Sekai stars a high schooler named Machida Hajime. A guy not that good at school or much anything else. But, the one thing he absolutely excels at is relating to other people. Machida knows how to talk to others, get them to open up which leads to him helping them in some way. This is a character piece. Every chapter Machida is either helping someone to trying to understand his own feelings about people and the world around him.
This series feels good. A battle manga is fun, but it’s nice to enjoy a good story about a kind person trying to do the right thing. Not, by fighting, but by sympathizing and talking. It hits on an emotional level. Every time I finished reading a chapter I feel better than when I first started. It’s uplifting without making the main character some all-knowing guru. Machida has flaws too, he just happens to be great at talking to people.
There’s nothing especially bad about the series. The art’s not grandiose but it gets the job done. Maybe the misunderstanding with the main female character may bother some people, but that doesn’t last too long.
Machida-kun no Sekai is a heartwarming slice-of-life series. Not overly dramatic, but also not the most memorable story ever told and that’s okay. It makes you feel good. Good about the world, other people, and also, yourself. Yes, you’re flawed. Yes, crap has happened to you, but that doesn’t have to define you. Hope is what this series offers and I’m more than happy to take it.
Mammoth Base Opera Castle 