An ode to youth

Useless storytime : I was bedridden with a somachache and I wanted to read something to distract myself from the pain. This is when I found Nan Hao Shang Feng. I had never heard of this chinese comedy & slice of life before so I was like yeah let's give it a try.

You better believe my stomachache got worse.

(cuz I laughed too hard)

(in case you didn't get it)

~ STORY ~
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Nan Hao Shang Feng is hilarious. A huge part of why it's so funny is due to how relatable it is. This manhua is absurd. The most common things happen but each chapter feels like an adventure because of how it's told. We're in the mind of highschool boys. A broom is a weapon, riding a bike to go to shcool is rushing trough an hunchbacked desert on a motorbike. Any daily activities become epic. There are characters who straight up have animal as heads, scary students are unbielievably muscular and mc's crush is a blondie with blue eyes. Every trait of character is exaggerated due to the boys POV. We're in their world. Within all this dizarray, though, you're able to find a sort of stability. Why ?

Because at the end they're just like us fr. You quickly get used to their chaotic lives because in a way they are ordinary. Their craziness isn't uncommon for highscool boys. You get accustomed to their abnormality because these feel normal. They're odd, just like anyone thus they are common. This feeling of proximity with the main characters is very important because, at least in my case, it reassures me and give me a sense of comfort. Humans are very similar. I'm french and even at the other side of the world I can relate to chinese highschoolers. Seeing their mistakes, habits and ridicule selves makes me downplay the seriousness of life. We're all the same, your life isn't always a tragedy, you can find humor in everything. My life is a mess but I'm glad this mess is mine and they are millions and billions of people who have it worse than me. You may be lost or under a lot of stress but if you see the beauty of life, maybe just maybe you'll feel more free and realise everything you have.

~ART~

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The art is actually incredible. I could have choosen dozens of stunning pages but I don't want to ruin your surprise when you'll scroll down and happen to see a case comparable to One's drawing skills in term of perspective and clothes movements. It's that willd. The style perfectly fits the content. The author knows when to blur characters, make their faces unseeable or overly exagarate their facial expressions or poses.

~CHARACTERS~

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I love them. At first you only see characters for their role in the story. The class president is the class president, the best friend is the best friend etc but they gradually become more and more nuanced and you get to know their personality better. They're all endearing teenargers with endless potential and relatable struggles. You root for them as you want to keep seeing more of their lives.

~CONCLUSION~

I hope I made you want to read Nan Hao Shang Feng in this short review, it's a meme machine and an emotionally captivating story. As much as it is exaggerated it feels real. I personally usually read manga and manwha so it was very intersting reading a slice of life manhua. I discovered their culture, the diminutive they use and an idea of how schools work there. Some people might think that this is just an irresponsible feel good story glorifying adolescence and I perfectly understand that. But because of what I said in the Story section, I think it is more valuable than that and I think making light of our lives sometimes is better than overthinking it.

Due to the art, humor and themes, this manhua heavily reminds me off Grand Blue, I often like to reffer Nan Hao Shang Feng as the Chinese Grand Blue or vice versa. The plots are completly different but I feel like it's the same spirit in and out. Also check that out if you haven't.
https://anilist.co/manga/87395/Grand-Blue/

thanks for reading! you can comment on this post to discuss or tell your opinion about this review, I'd be glad to know what you think : https://anilist.co/activity/519968694