Manga 151604 Youchien Wars Reviews

Art:★★★★☆
Story:★★★☆☆
Character:★★★★☆
Comedy: ★★★★☆

With Spy x Family and Buddy Daddies, the juxtaposition of assassins and child care has been proven to be a great narrative formula. Youchien Wars takes that formula up a notch by setting the story in a kindergarten run by literal criminals.

Youchien Wars distinguish itself from other shounen-action-childcare titles by sprinkling in tons of over-the-top rom-com gags and direct reference to shoujo manga. And by putting the adults in the center stage of the story, it remains true to the formula while offering something new for those starting to get tired of the constant nagging of preschoolers. This adult assassins centered story does ... not fail to deliver the waku waku factor either. From Rita's desperate search for a boyfriend only to find herself in a sea of handsome red flags and deal breakers. To the high-octane action sequences involving guns, grenades, and helicopters. This manga never misses.

Every panel is brimming with personality. The comedy is on point. The actions are cinematic and exciting. Every character has traits and backstories that stand out and make them look cool or endearing. Definitely give it a read if you are a fan of the action/childcare genre.

Try it or you will be missing out meter: 96%

I really like Kindergarten Wars. It's an unapologetically silly comedy that consistently manages to be fun and make me laugh. A lot of the running gags, although extremely similar in setup and execution, are played JUST differently enough each time that it never feels stale. I'm

The characters are all fun and likable and have sympathetic backstories that do a good job at making you root for them. The story, in all honesty, is pretty basic but a series like this doesn't really need some super complex plot or anything. That being said, there have definitely been some lorebait hints of something deeper going on ... in terms of plot, but overall the series typically keeps its focus on "assassin kindergarten teachers fighting wacky assassins."

But what really makes this series stand out in my eyes is how, in between all the over the top comedy, it's VERY good at making you emotional when you least expect it. I'm gonna be vague about this so as to not spoil anything, but there was a string of chapters recently that actually made me cry, and I don't exactly cry easily from fiction (If you're caught up with this series, you know what I'm referring to here). Again, Kindergarten Wars IS a silly comedy, but part of what makes the series so good in my opinion is that it knows how to use the overall silly tone as a foundation to juxtapose darker, more tear-jerking moments. Both the silly comedy and the darker moments stand out due to juxtaposing each other, which I'm honestly all for.

So overall, really solid manga. I think out of all the "Assassin/spy SoL" series right now (I think that can be considered a subgenre at this point lol), this one is definitely my favorite. I recommend giving this one a try if you haven't.