Photo by Nicole. Koda, Volume 1 Cover Art, No Longer Heroine, Yen Press.
No Longer Heroine – Information
Author of Story: Momoko Koda
Chapter Count: 10 volumes, around 36 chapters
Status: Completed
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Abandonment
- Bullying
- Cheating
- Topics involving mature content
- Light depictions of abuse and violence
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
No Longer Heroine – Plot Summary
Imagine your usual shoujo set-up: the female protagonist likes a guy, but then a pretty rival shows up who, for some reason, hates the main character and is just downright mean. Now, imagine a story told from the perspective of that mean love rival. This series, No Longer Heroine, is exactly that!
It follows Hatori Matsuzaki, a high school girl who is in love with her childhood friend Rita Terasaka. In her own head she’s the perfect match for Rita, as they have been friends for a long time and she completely understands him.
Rita, on the other hand, simply goes from girl to girl, ending relationships over the smallest things. Hatori considers these his “passing flings,” because in her mind, she’s the destined heroine. But all that goes down the drain when Rita begins seriously dating a classmate who happens to be Hatori’s total opposite!
This slightly older shoujo (first published in Japanese back in 2010) is an engaging read for those who want something different than the usual shoujo vibe, featuring an anti-heroine protagonist throughout.
The main character (and others) are often drawn with ridiculous, exaggerated faces (similar to My Love Mix-Up, if you’ve read that)—and Hatori is a bit of a “girl fail” character due to her self-centered and slightly rotten personality. If you enjoy this sort of shoujo style, as well as plenty of drama, definitely check this one out!
Quick Note: I use the terms “anti-heroine” and “anti-hero” in this review a lot, and because there are many interpretations of these terms, I thought I’d clarify what I mean. I’m simply referring to a hero and heroine that act unconventionally to meet their goals (unconventionally meaning in very differing ways than a typical shoujo protagonist).
Koda. Volume 2 Cover Art, No Longer Heroine, Yen Press.
My Opinion on No Longer Heroine
Plot:
If you’re a shoujo enjoyer that loves reading for the sake of drama (think Boys Over Flowers or Peach Girl, for instance), this manga may be a great choice for you—although this one can be considered tame compared to those iconic series.
I personally don’t think this story has a great romance, but it does grab your attention with the most ridiculous drama and unusual characters. All of the drama revolves around romance and love though, so I felt a review of it still could fit on my site!
I must warn that this manga’s plot is all kinds of messy. Broken hearts, schemes, cheating, misunderstandings, and all sorts of things occur in this series. You may find that you dislike some of the characters, yet can’t stop reading.
Some dumb choices are made, but that’s what makes the story so interesting and difficult to put down—why are these characters making such bad choices? How can they only care for themselves? What is going on?!
In other words, if you love reading exaggerated, nonsensical drama in shoujo and don’t mind unusual (or even unlikable) characters, you may find this series really fun. The premise is interesting, unique, and exciting to read.
Even though the main character is purposefully unlikable, you’ll still find yourself rooting for her to find her own happiness. It’s definitely a different read, but if you’re okay with something unique or different, then you should consider No Longer Heroine.
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Characters:
For this shoujo manga review, it is only right to start with the protagonist and anti-heroine (or the disqualified heroine, as the Japanese title implies). Hatori is a bit of a rotten girl—she judges others, belittles them in her own head, is hypocritical, and thinks very highly of herself. Quite the opposite of your usual shoujo heroine.
However, she has occasional moments where she realizes she’s in the wrong. She even seems to want to stand up for others, but is just never brave enough to do so. These small moments make you unable to completely hate her. And at the very least, she is earnest about her love. You can’t help but want her to experience love.
Obviously, she isn’t completely likable as she has very little self-respect, very little character growth, and makes some really questionable choices to get what she wants—but this is entertaining in its own way. Hatori struggles to truly become a “good” heroine. She can’t decide between pursuing her romantic feelings and making choices that won’t hurt others.
She is constantly comparing herself to Adachi, Rita’s latest girlfriend. Adachi is a textbook heroine who cares for and forgives others, even those who wrong her, and so Hatori feels intense jealousy and hatred towards her—and therefore does some pretty awful things.
Although Hatori is a “girl fail” or “anti-heroine” for these reasons, I still like her character a lot. There are plenty of very good, kind female leads out there that are perfect, self-sacrificing, or who help others earnestly. Seeing a unique character like Hatori fight to find her happiness while staying true to herself is fun.
That is simultaneously Hatori’s one major flaw and identifying personality trait: she’s just very self-centered and focused on her one goal. She wants what she wants, and that happens to be Rita, her childhood friend.
Rita, at the beginning of No Longer Heroine, starts out as your typical gloomy guy who doesn’t get much characterization until later. He’s supposedly a handsome playboy when it comes to women, but is nice to outcasts in the school. Rita’s main characteristic is that he is lonely and afraid of abandonment (due to his past experiences), which explains his dating behavior of seeing different girls all the time.
I couldn’t come to completely hate this character, as he simply wants to find happiness without hurting others, but his indecisiveness and personality become frustrating throughout the series. Because of this, many readers seem to prefer the second male lead.
The second male lead, Kousuke Hiromitsu, is yet another handsome playboy, but one who seems to love stirring up drama. I didn’t really like his character much at first, but he is one of the few in the series with actual character growth, so I did end up enjoying his character a lot more later.
Often, second male leads can feel annoying and intrusive in shoujo, but I didn’t feel that way about Kousuke. His character actually brought a lot of interest into the story!
Lastly, we have the only sane person in the entire series: Hatori’s friend, Nakajima. I want to especially mention this character because she constantly seems to say what the readers are thinking, haha. She’s blunt and unafraid of speaking her mind towards every other character in the series. She’s great, and a much needed addition to this wild manga.
Art:
I may be biased as someone who loves older shoujo styles, but I really liked the art style of this series. Rita’s design, Hatori’s fashion, and the general style of the series is so fun and brings me back to when more mangas had this fun style. I really enjoyed reading this series and seeing the clothing and hair styles throughout, which were reminiscent of the 2010’s era.
Additionally, seeing all the fun expressions from the heroine was hilarious! It’s yet another fun perk of this story that follows an unconventional heroine. I really liked seeing a pretty character like Hatori cry, scream, laugh, and react in realistic and goofy ways, as girls do in real life.
I feel like shoujos sometimes (not always) restrict their heroine to acting soft, sweet, and calm, so it is really fun when a series breaks out of that mold.
Koda. Volume 3 Cover Art, No Longer Heroine, Yen Press.
Any Cons?
Unfortunately, this series has a number of cons. The major con of this series, in my opinion (and seemingly many others’ opinions) is the ending. I won’t go into detail here for the sake of spoilers, but it feels a bit rushed. You can read my thoughts about it in the in-depth section (contains spoilers).
Another one of my major complaints is that for a series focusing on romantic relationships, there’s very little romantic moments to enjoy. The few romantic interactions that do exist are often nonconsensual (gross). Even when the main character begins dating other characters, the romance isn’t… well… that romantic. There are a very small handful of actually cute, romantic moments.
Lastly, most of the characters have little to no growth. Especially the main character. It’s a bit of a letdown, but you can still enjoy the drama of the series! I just wanted to warn those who aren’t accustomed to reading a story with an anti-heroine or unconventional protagonist that you may actually hate her for this reason, haha.
More In-Depth Review (Warning: Spoilers!)
Welcome to the in-depth manga review for No Longer Heroine! This shoujo is a unique depiction of a romance between an anti-heroine and anti-hero. But a lot happens in this series, so let me give a little breakdown of the main events (feel free to skip this list if you need):
- We begin the story learning of Hatori’s strong affection for Rita. However, due to her personality, she doesn’t even consider confessing to him. When Adachi confesses to Rita and they begin dating, Hatori spirals into despair and jealousy. Hatori eventually confesses to Rita—who rejects her, but still treats her kindly as usual. Unfortunately, this kindness gives Hatori hope.
- The second male lead is introduced, who begins meddling in the situation and exposing Rita’s possessiveness for Hatori. This again gives Hatori more hope for a relationship with him.
- Adachi goes on a long trip, and Hatori tries to make Rita notice her. Rita, with abandonment issues, kisses Hatori and begins to realize he has feelings for her. However, he fails to break things off with Adachi.
- Rita rejects Hatori again, seemingly only because he feels bad for Adachi and chooses not to leave her alone with no friends. Kousuke pursues Hatori harder and actually really falls for her.
- Rita struggles to focus his energy on Adachi, and can’t help but worry about Hatori. He insults Hatori out of jealousy, only to realize he truly loves her—and regrets his actions. Rita soon confesses his feelings to her, but she doesn’t pursue him, as she is dating Kousuke now, and wants to try to be in love with him.
- Rita decides he’ll simply become like Hatori—supporting her from the sidelines while she finds her happiness (not giving up on his feelings). He and Adachi break up.
- Hatori enjoys her relationship with Kousuke, but still worries about Rita. Feeling guilty, she once again tries to dedicate herself to Kousuke and forget Rita. However, Hatori doesn’t have the will to actually hurt Rita by telling him to get lost, and gives Rita hope. Rita begins to actively pursue Hatori without a care that she’s in a relationship.
- Yet another love rival shows up. Kousuke gets a part-time job to earn money for a trip with Hatori, and happens to have a cute coworker. Hatori shows hypocritical jealousy over Kousuke being near a new cute girl.
- Soon, Kousuke’s coworker kisses him without consent, then later apologizes profusely. Hatori (again, hypocritically) yells at Kousuke’s coworker for kissing him when he has a girlfriend. Kousuke tells her she’s taking it a bit too far, and Hatori becomes upset that Kousuke doesn’t take her side.
- Hatori and Kousuke break up because Hatori wants a boyfriend who will side with her even when she’s in the wrong (like Rita would). Hatori then realizes she can’t deny her love for Rita any longer. So, Hatori does what she does best: chases after Rita, and as they form their relationship, they both admit that they are anti-heroes who suit each other for that reason.
This is definitely one of the more unique shoujos I have read. Much of the story involves Hatori denying her feelings and true anti-heroine self. She starts off rotten, tries to change, but in the end just utterly fails and ends up with a guy she truly deserves: an anti-hero.
While it would’ve been great to see these characters experience character growth and become a true heroine and hero duo at the end, I will say it sure was interesting to see them just stay awful people at the end, haha.
Anyway, let’s dive in to these characters and the actions that made No Longer Heroine so interesting…
Starting off with the main protagonist, I found Hatori’s character to be really intriguing. I sort of liked her and hated her at the same time. I liked her determination and how realistic she was (she was a bad person and she knew it, at least) but her lack of self respect or character growth was frustrating. She did many things that made her feel like an anti-heroine:
Outside of her generally rotten behavior towards others, lack of self-respect, extremely hypocritical attitude, and inability to think for herself, Hatori makes many other bad choices. For example, she forcibly kisses Rita, and constantly chases him without a care for Adachi’s feelings.
She pursues someone else’s boyfriend under the notion that she “deserves” him—then later criticizes others who do the same. The fact that she continued to date someone while obviously having thoughts about Rita still is pretty sad, too.
Regardless of the bad choices she makes, she still does many of these things so that she can experience her true happiness. And, despite all these bad choices, I couldn’t help but hope for her happiness—which is why I consider her an anti-heroine of sorts.
Next we have the anti-hero, Rita, who also made a lot of horrible choices. At the beginning, he shows a possessiveness for Hatori even though he’s supposedly in a happy relationship with Adachi. He leads Hatori on constantly while still dating Adachi. He kisses Hatori and develops feelings for her, but still stays with Adachi.
Supposedly, he does all this because Adachi would be left all alone, and he couldn’t make up his mind on whether to hurt either girl. Regardless of his good intentions, he still makes some stupid choices that hurts both girls anyway. It sort of felt as though he just didn’t want to feel guilty about whatever choice he made. A suitable anti-hero for the anti-heroine, as these two really just care about themselves.
The ending of the story is arguably bad, and many readers really dislike it, but I actually can’t deny that Hatori and Rita deserved to end up together. They both shed their goals of “being the good guy” and finally just go after what they actually want for their own happiness. It took a lot of drama to get there, but that is simply the plot you’d expect from a shoujo about an anti-heroine.
A lot of readers don’t ship Hatori and Rita, but there’s a reason as to why I do: Adachi and Kousuke deserve better. Okay, that’s not the only reason, but it is true. Let’s talk about these two more!
To start, I really liked the contrast of Adachi’s character to Hatori. Although Hatori is completely rotten and constantly making bad choices, I like that Adachi still makes mistakes even as the “good heroine.” She tries to do things for others’ sake or the “right way,” but ends up not thinking of other people’s feelings at all.
I really liked this depiction of the good vs bad heroine, and how neither are necessarily perfect. Hatori and Adachi were unhappy in their own ways, and had to find happiness in their own ways (even though neither of their methods turn out good, lol).
I actually wanted a much better ending for Adachi. I think the story could have ran with her good heroine personality. The author could have given Adachi more confidence in the end while keeping her core personality traits… but unfortunately the author decided to make Adachi do a 360 in terms of character. Why? To support Rita’s ability to move on, perhaps? But it just felt unnecessary and random. I really, really, really hated this change.
There’s nothing wrong with Adachi’s new appearance or desire to date, but the author just completely changed her character’s attitude and depleted her self respect and personal goals. I really think Adachi could’ve just become the cool past girlfriend (better than Rita could have ever deserved) and gone off to pursue her dreams of being a journalist.
This is honestly the worst part of the series, because the author seems to push this notion that women need to be fulfilled by a partner. Both Adachi and Hatori could’ve been fine without Rita.
I understand the whole story revolves around Hatori wanting Rita, and that’s fine, but at the very least let Adachi achieve her dreams and not whatever that was at the end of the story. I was so sad for that character, whose entire personality shifted due to a wishy-washy guy like Rita.
As for the second ML, Kousuke, who many see as the better option for Hatori… I just don’t agree. At first, I didn’t even like him. I thought he was just one of those pointless love rivals, and another playboy who just found joy in mixing up the drama between Hatori, Rita, and Adachi.
But once he got serious about Hatori and started having growth as a character, I began to like him a lot more. He was incredibly forgiving and mature, and put up with a lot of Hatori’s poor decisions. I actually really liked his character by the end, and that’s why I’m glad he doesn’t end up with Hatori. He simply deserves better!
Overall, it is clear that Hatori is meant for Rita. She’s definitely not the type to leave him—which is perfect for Rita, who has a major fear of abandonment. They both make bad choices, but by being together they could achieve happiness and no longer involve others in their bad choices. While the ending of No Longer Heroine feels rushed and sort of unsatisfying, I actually don’t hate it completely.
This story really is one of those shoujo mangas that’s fun to read because it’s messy. The protagonist is crazy, her main love interest is crazy, and it is strangely fun to experience their unnecessary drama. I liked the unique take on the typical shoujo romance that brings together an anti-heroine and anti-hero!
Final Thoughts
While this manga series isn’t necessarily the fluffiest romance out there, it is a very engaging and wild drama that I’m sure many will enjoy. If you’ve ever gotten tired of the sweet and soft shoujo protagonist who always cares for others, perhaps you’d like this anti-heroine story instead.
The characters are unique (and crazy), and it’s fun to see what in the world will happen next. The art can be both cute and goofy, which blends the story’s plot and comedy together nicely. If you’d enjoy a wild drama or a female lead who is very unique to other shoujo, maybe give No Longer Heroine a try.
Disclaimer: Any images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Koda, Momoko. No Longer Heroine, Yen Press, 2022.
