Romantic Killer Manga Review – Choose Your Own Ending!

Momose. Volume 1 Cover Art, Romantic Killer, Viz Media.

Romantic Killer – Plot Summary

WARNING: Neither the Romantic Killer manga nor anime have any confirmed continuation of the story. It has been left on a sort-of cliffhanger in all formats, in terms of romantic developments (even though the anime says “to be continued…?”).

However, I still really enjoyed the series and wanted to recommend it regardless. If the possibility of not ever having a true romantic ending to a story really bothers you, you may view other recommendations on Romance Manga Recs instead! ♥

That being said, Romantic Killer is quite an experience. It’s a bit difficult to call a true romance because of the current ending. The story feels complete, but the heroine does not actually end up in a romantic relationship.

Without a continuation of the series, it feels as though the romantic developments were just getting started, or not able to be truly viable until the end of the current available plot.

Based on the afterword from the author, it seems that their plan for this series wasn’t to be a full-fledged romance, anyway. Therefore, this series as it is now mostly turns out to be a creation of friendships.

The Romantic Killer manga series may not have plans for completion, but the plot that is available for reading is really fun and a great series if you want to have some laughs. The reason I still want to recommend it—even though we don’t get many romantic developments for the characters—is because it still sort of presents itself as a romcom shoujo (even though it’s actually a shounen).

It lightly makes fun of typical shoujo antics in a fun way, and honestly felt like a slow burn in terms of what little romance is present. I love when stories let the characters build a relationship and connection first before the actual romance, anyway. We’ll just have to use our imagination for when the romance actually happens, haha.

Anyway, let’s talk plot. The main character, Anzu Hoshino, is a high school girl who loves chocolate, her pet cat, and video games.

One day, her world is turned upside down when a strange magical creature named Riri shows up and demands she falls in love. Riri claims the reason Anzu must fall in love is because she was chosen as part of a project to help fix the nation’s declining birth rate. 

They confiscate all of Anzu’s favorite things, saying she’s missing out on romantic opportunities because of them! With Riri’s magical abilities, Anzu finds herself constantly running into hot guys and silly romantic scenarios.

Momose. Volume 2 Cover Art, Romantic Killer, Viz Media.

Why I Enjoyed Romantic Killer

If I had to quickly describe the vibe of this series, it’d be hilarious, colorful, and incredibly goofy. It’s a bit exaggerated, gimmicky, and corny in humor, but I really enjoyed those aspects of it. It’s primarily comedic, but does actually touch on more serious topics later on.

As I mentioned earlier in this Romantic Killer manga review, this series hilariously uses the unrealistic shoujo tropes that many of us are familiar with. For example, at the beginning, Riri somehow gets rid of Anzu’s parents by making them move overseas for her father’s job, even though he’s just a regular postman.

It’s so random, but it allows for the “high-schooler who lives alone” trope to be possible. Every time a common shoujo trope is used in this series, it’s done with such a bizarre and funny method. It’s a fun way to make lighthearted jokes about shoujos, and I really liked it.

Anzu is also very against being forced to fall in love and not being able to enjoy her hobbies. Her character is an anti-heroine, and I really like that aspect of her character. She isn’t a mean or bad person, but has realistic reactions to her new situation and is a relatable character in general. She’s a bit dramatic too, which makes her extra funny. 

Although I say manga, this series was actually first released as full-color webcomic! It then had physical volumes published later, too. The art style of this series is very comic-like, and well suited for a comedy. It has a lot of silly, dramatic faces for the characters and the level of detail changes according to the situation (in other words, more details when it matters). 

I’ve gotten more into romcom mangas that use very emoted characters or that draw their reactions in a very comedic way. I think it’s a fun change after reading very sweet, cute romances that are more serious in their nature.

This comedic aspect of the Romantic Killer manga sort of reminded me of My Love Mix-Up (an actual shoujo series), so if you enjoy that sort of humor, maybe try both!

While the plot is mostly comedic, the romance is still technically sort-of present, showcasing a few different fun characters for the shoujo-like interactions to happen with. Their relationships outside of the jokes and silliness are actually pretty cute, and they all become closer later on.

It’s too bad the series hasn’t been continued, as I would’ve liked to see all their relationships develop more!

Momose. Volume 4 Cover Art, Romantic Killer, Viz Media.

You may have noticed that I tagged the Romantic Killer manga series as a reverse harem. I’ll be honest; I don’t really enjoy traditional harems; they’re just not my thing. I also very rarely enjoy reverse harems, but because this series was so hilarious and unserious, I actually really liked it. Anzu meets a variety of personality types (as usual with harems). 

First up is Kazuki Tsukasa. He’s a new student who transferred from another prefecture, and is a cool, reserved person. He becomes very popular at school very quickly.

Although Anzu expects him to be some big-headed popular boy at first, she quickly learns her impression of him is very wrong. Although Kazuki is quiet and uninterested, he is actually a very kind person.

Then Junta Hayami, the more sporty childhood friend, shows up next in the Romantic Killer manga. As the typical shoujo trope often follows, he has been love with Anzu since they were little (although Anzu hilariously has no clue who this poor stranger is).

She suspects he is some random brainwashed person, who has been roped into this crazy situation—and is being forced into romance. 

Lastly is the rude but pretty rich-boy, Hijiri Kogane. He’s extremely full of himself and is the schools so-called “prince.” His character doesn’t get as much screen time, but his ridiculous demeanor is hilarious, especially when compared with Anzu’s personality.

I also wanted to mention that the anime adaptation of the Romantic Killer manga series was very well done. It has 12 episodes and is a pretty good interpretation of the plot. It is not a word-for-word adaptation, but is still very good.

It even added some hilarious otome (dating simulation) game visuals to the series, which was a very random but hilarious surprise. For some reason the quality of the otome game it references is horrible. It’s ridiculous and cringy, but also really funny. 

Honestly, I might even say I enjoyed the anime more this time around. This is pretty rare for me. But the style, voice actors, and overall adaptation of the plot was all very well done. I really liked it!

Any Cons?

Obviously, the Romantic Killer manga series (and anime) is possibly never going to be finished, which is an obvious con. That is the biggest issue.

I wished to see more interactions between Anzu and Junta, as well as between Anzu and Hijiri. The plot so far has a lot of story involving Kazuki, which is great (I like his character a lot) but it’s too bad that readers don’t get to see as much development for the other characters.

Other than that, the only other con I can think of is that there isn’t many actual romantic developments that aren’t used as jokes. Readers who were expecting Anzu to eventually give in to romance may be disappointed.

I did, however, try to make it very apparent in this Romantic Killer manga review that the plot is primarily comedy and friendships!

Final Thoughts

This series is great for readers who are looking for a comedic story. Enjoyers of rom-coms, ridiculous shoujo-esque tropes, and anti-heroines will likely enjoy the Romantic Killer manga!

It does not have an ending with true romantic development, but was still a very likable story regardless. You might just have to use your imagination to come up with your own romantic ending, haha. It’s very fun anyway, so be sure to check it out!

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: Momose, Wataru. Romantic Killer. Viz Media, 2022.

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