My Life is Not a Manga, or maybe...

Suprised at the lack of reviews on this one.

It's always a pleasure to come across technically sound writing in a story and this one is no exception. Clear care has been taken to minimising typos and word choice is apt. The first chapter rambles somewhat when introducing the subject matter. That awkward bit of exposition aside, the rest of the writing is much easier to follow.

It took a while but i like the fact that the protagonist has started to act rather than react to/avoid certain scenarios. Genre savvy/common sense is usually a nice quality in protagonist and, is almost a requirement with this premise, and our lead has this in spades. It was appreciated to read about a lead who can think critically about, and react sensibly to, thier situation.

The supporting characters are all decently done but of those introduced as of Chapter 26, the only ones that really had me curious about thier backstory were the one with with the suprisingly wild past and the one with the unfortunate home situation. Given the premise/genre the majority of scenarios are inevitably contrived or coincidental and as a result I'd have like to see a greater emphasis on developing engaging characters. Thankfully the protagonists proactive attitude appears to be encouraging this development.

Overall the writing is good, plot is interesting and characters are nicely written. I would definitely recommend this work.

This story is about a guy who one day realizes he's in a harem manga and does everything in his power to maintain control.

It's fun to see the tropes subverted. You might think that x character is a typical tsundere/older sister character/something else, but the author has something up his sleeve. 

There is also a sadistic pleasure in watching the MC think he has more control over his life than he actually does. It's like pets in a box. No matter what they do or where they go, at anytime the big and scary human can do literally anything to them.

The author keeps things logically consistent and the grammar is good. There is no need to over think or memorize anything to enjoy the story. Just sit back and relax.

Let's do this in order, shall we? Mild spoilers ahead. Maybe.

TL;DR: Great story. Read it. Features a genre-aware MC, something of a rarity.

First off is Style. While I still have no idea what really goes into the Style category, so I'll just base this off of things like Memorability and Flow. Or basically anything that doesn't really fall into the other categories.

The story flows smoothly. I found nothing interrupted me in-story while I was reading. The problem, though, is how memorable it is. While the story's good. Like, really good. Sometimes the events all blur together in a general idea of 'This'. And while this may simply be a personal problem due to reading too many things at the same time, a few stories manage to stand out. Not a Manga, despite its rather unique premise, somehow fails to stand out as Impressive (note the capital I) in my mind.

Maybe a re-read is in order.

Next comes Story. The story is about Xavier, a normal high-school student. Or he is, until he breaks through the fourth wall and discovers he's a Manga protagonist.

So I've seen a few other stories advertising similar premises. But they tend to turn into Action and probably Harem stories, where the MC doesn't focus on subverting their tropes after a while. Which is a shame, because that's what I came in for. But hey, this one actually focuses on character development and subverting tropes! And it didn't get derailed by invading demons, system notifications, and mysterious magical factions meant to differentiate the various 'routes' of each girl!

... Okay, getting a little sidetracked there. Not a Manga, despite its Harem tag, is more about the Main Character trying to get out of the harem, rather than collect it. And while it takes a little bit for Xavier to start plotting, it doesn't get boring in the in-between times. Well, it didn't for me, anyway. A few people seem to think different. *shrug*

I expect there to be more plot now that we're out of the Harem genre. Or maybe we're still in it...?

Aaaand then Grammar. Nothing to really say here. It's practically flawless. Or at least, I've failed to notice any mistakes. 5/5

And last but not least, Character. I like the characters. They're great. At first they seem two-dimensional, like any self-respecting manga character should be (lol), but they eventually reveal themselves to have their own Selves. I mean, there are a lot of harem stories where the harem members get their own backgrounds, but they tend to become dependent on the MC. But these ones are just, y'know, they're like people. Once Xavier pushes them away a little, it's revealed that their worlds don't completely revolve around him. Unlike Some stories...

Xavier bumbles a little at first, getting to grips on a certain Thing that happened after he found out that he was in a manga. I saw someone complaining about it (or I think I did), but I think it's understandable, and totally in-character. It's nice to see that the MC isn't perfect. The story picks up after a while, if you wanna know. If you're too impatient to get through it... well then. Your loss, I guess.

He's genre-aware, which, despite many stories trying to incorporate that into their characters, they end up using as a get-out-of-jail-free card instead of a character trait. Not a Manga doesn't fall into that trap, and incorporates it into the character nicely.

Characters are important. Especially in a Harem story. The thing is, few people who actually write harem don't seem to get that, adding girls and making them like planets to a sun. In which the sun is the Main Character. That makes them kind of bland when you take them away from the guy. Only thinking about him. Will he like it if I wear this, would he praise me if I brought him that. Oh hey, other harem member, let's talk about The Man. Look it's a non-harem member background guy/gal, let's regale him with tales of our beloved! And so on. They're all so... so... what's the point of making a character with a background and a personality when all they do is swoon!?

*Ahem*

Sorry, this went into rant territory. Anyway, they aren't like that. I think. Maybe I'm biased, but it's my opinion on this story. And if you disagree with me, maybe write your own review?

Interesting premise but I found myself disappointed by the fact that after a bit the story devolves to just being a standard harem manga type story.

Nothing wrong with that but I was hoping for the MC to change things from the standard harem story given the fact that he is self-aware. If you enjoy these types of stories this novel is for you. if you expecting this novel to actually subvert your expectations then i would recommend looking elsewhere.

Still can't say I disliked it so ill give it a 3/5. I would recommend giving it a few chapters before deciding for yourself.

Please keep in mind I did not read all the way and my review is just based on what I saw in the first 10 chapters.

This is good! Hehe, I look forward to it. It’s only been 2 chapters so far, but I want moar.

it’s a ok read just didn’t appeal to me characters just couldn’t capture my interest.