This is a review of the first volume of "The Delinquent Girl Beside Me Suddenly Dyed Her Hair Black".
The Delinquent Girl Beside Me, Volume 1, the English translation by One Peace Books is a compelling work of art, an understated and belated continuation and slow romance.
The young criminal girl next to me suddenly dyed her hair black.
The Delinquent Girl Beside Me Suddenly Dyed Her Hair Black Volume 1 made its way to the West as part of a series of romance manga recently published by One Peace Books.
What does the story show?
The first volume is about Daiki Honda, an ordinary high school student who spends his days aimlessly and with activities. After a conversation with his friend Shunya about the type of girl he finds attractive, the girl sitting next to him, Kei Shimizu, arrives the following day with dark hair and begins acting in ways that fit his role model.
Before this change, Shimizu had a reputation as a white-haired criminal. She repeatedly refused teachers who told her to dye her hair black and even missed cooking classes. In the new behavior shown to Honda, she attends cooking lessons and poses as an exemplary student.
The story later reveals another reason for Shimizu's move: the two met in middle school, but Honda ignores him when she discovers that Shimizu has dyed her hair pink to get into university.
Why is adaptation slowing down?
The manga is derived from an ongoing light novel, and the first volume was fairly slow. Honda is portrayed as not only a good guy but also a fluid leader with little personality. Reflection on his first meeting with Shimizu suggests that there may be more behind his current conciliatory attitude, though the first series gives little room for this measure to grow.
Shimizu is much more interesting than Honda, but he tends to fall into the role of a normally shy tsundere. While this character type can be supported by light novel's long slowness, there is little room for explanation in the manga version. The light novel has not yet been licensed and English readers still have no way to transition from original work to adaptation.
Romance manga are not as rich in the marketplace as isekai titles, but many first volumes can quickly connect readers with a solid foundation or uniqueness. This opening ceremony was also unclear.
Art and Translation
The manga's artwork by Sanada Waka is one of the book's strengths. Characters are drawn in an engaging way, and Kaga handles comic moments well. While not erasing the overall feel of the work, the art does its job, especially since this appears to be Waca's first series.
This edition may be of interest to readers who are already familiar with the light novel and want a broader view of its characters. While this is the intent of manga adaptations, it has had little impact in English when readers cannot find the original first hand.
The translation is a bit harsh in some places and gives the impression that Honda was lax.
Timeline of publication and follow-up
Volume 1 is a slower introduction than the solid first link; there are only 3 volumes in the series, and English readers will have to wait until June ၂၀၂၇ for volume 2.
KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Waka Sanada, Teika and Hamu. The result is a delightful romance novel that isn't bad but not remarkably memorable. Combined with its slow release rate, it can be quickly forgotten if readers have no reason to follow the actors from an easy novel into manga.