Jimoto no Ijimekko-tachi ni Shikaeshi Vol 01-02 - Shigure, Kanae and Akira. How can anyone choose?!

Jimoto no Ijimekko-tachi ni Shikaeshi Shiyou to Shitara, Betsu no Tatakai ga Hajimatta. is a romantic comedy harem manga series written and illustrated by Kengo Matsumoto. The series began in early 2023 and is still ongoing, with nine volumes released so far. 

The story follows Kotarou Hinode, a high school boy who spent years training to fight back against the childhood bullies who repeatedly defeated him at pretty much everything (video games, wrestling, and academics). Now that he is strong, capable, and ready to exact his revenge, he enrolls in the very same high school as them.

I had a different picture when I imagine bullies, beautiful girls didn't come to mind!

Akira is the first girl to get the cover treatment. I guess it'll move between heroines as we go.

The catch is that they are all girls, and he simply never realized it. On top of that, they are all exceptionally gorgeous, and every single one of them has been DEEPLY in love with him since childhood. Naturally, he remains completely oblivious to their feelings, kicking off a dynamic where he constantly tries to defeat them in their areas of expertise while the girls scramble to find ways to make him their boyfriend.

Honestly, when I saw the word "bully" in the title, I assumed it would be closer to something like Nagatoro with real bullying/teasing happening, so this premise was a genuine surprise. It's definitely a welcome one, as I love rom-coms driven by mutual misunderstandings.

It's fine Shigure, it's just a small grab. Don't make those noises in public!

Now I wasn't expecting her to be that vtubre. How is that going to affect their relationship?!

The three heroines are Shigure Mangetsu, an experienced gamer and VTuber who went from poverty to living in a mansion thanks to her streaming income; Kanae Oborozuki, the wealthy daughter of a massive conglomerate's owner; and Akira Mikazuki, a more grounded, down-to-earth girl whose family runs a dojo.

Honestly, all three are adorable, and picking a favorite is a very close contest between Shigure and Kanae. Shigure's shy personality is particularly great, especially when combined with her competitive streak against the others, which often leads to extreme outfit choices (like wearing a T-back, for example). In general, though, they are all great fun to watch. The scene where they turn borderline yandere while watching Kotarou run a three-legged race with Sumika Sanae, a friend of Kanae, was especially hilarious.

Kanae is definitely the most glamorous of the heroines. Plus she has good taste when it comes to underwear?

Sulking Shigure is downright adorable. Just look at her facial expression, how can you not like her?!

Speaking of Sumika, she might become a pivotal character because she is secretly the VTuber whom Kotarou adores and refers to as his "lover" (making the main heroines intensely jealous, completely unaware that it's just standard VTuber fan terminology). What will happen if Kotarou ever discovers that his favorite idol is right next to him?

The volume ends on that note with Sumika, so I'm guessing the next one will delve deeper into that dynamic. I've only just started the series, but I'm having a lot of fun with it, so I'll probably write another post soon covering the next two volumes. It's always great to stumble upon a series you genuinely enjoy!