What comes to mind when you hear the word “Yankee”? Are you perhaps thinking about the professional baseball team from New York or the American Revolution? That would probably be your thoughts if you’re in America. However, if you’re in Japan, the word takes on a whole new meaning: a juvenile delinquent. Let this sink in for a bit because it might be unexpected. Although there are fewer Yankees in Japan nowadays, they still exist in Japanese culture like manga, which is a Japanese black-and-white graphic novel read from right-to-left, unlike the American style of reading. Yankee-kun to Megane-chan, or Flunk Punk Rumble, is a manga written by Yoshikawa Miki explaining the life of a Yankee named Shinagawa Daichi as he begins to change for the better.                    

      Yankee-kun to Megane-chan is not only a delinquent manga but is also part of many other genres: slice-of-life, action, comedy, romance, and shounen but the female audience can read it as well. The story centers on Shinagawa Daichi, a well-known troublemaker from Mon Shiro High School, and the class representative, Adachi Hana. They first meet in the boy’s bathroom because Adachi wants Shinagawa to go on the social studies class trip. She persists for him to go on the trip and says that they would have fun together but Shinagawa isn’t interested; he is eventually dragged along though. They were able to become closer and spend their entire high school lives as good friends with new characters joining them. The manga records the group’s adventures as they progress towards college in 23 volumes, which is a bit longer than a typical manga series but is still a worthy read.        

      The male protagonist, Shinagawa, is a short-tempered Yankee that is always being pestered by Adachi. He doesn’t care much about high school until Adachi appears, forcing him to participate in class activities and events. Shinagawa was able to change from these high school experiences though; he used to hang out smoking in a bathroom stall the entire day, not attending any of his classes but he was able to quit these behaviors later on. His influence, Adachi Hana, is the female protagonist of the manga and although she has the power to change the Yankee, she is surprisingly dense. However, unlike the stereotypical nerd, Adachi gets really low grades, even lower than Shinagawa, who skips class every day. She is also a peculiar character because she wears glasses and puts her hair in braids to “look” smart, even though she doesn’t need glasses. Despite this, Adachi is an amusing character filled with secrets, surprises, and good humor.

      Besides the two protagonists, there are many other significant characters whose stories are told.  The supporting characters that are later introduced in the manga are Chiba Seiya, Himeji Rinka, and Izumi Gaku. Chiba is first introduced as a character that is close to being held back for not attending school for months so Adachi and Shinagawa try to convince him to go back. His appearance and personality is very shocking to readers but he is the kind of character who thinks like us (an example is that if you have a suspicion about someone, Chiba would be the person to voice or think it as well); Chiba is still his unique self though. Himeji Rinka is a close friend of Adachi’s back in middle school. There is more to her than that, though, and be prepared to find a fun twist to Himeji’s personality. Izumi Gaku is like a combination of Shinagawa Daichi and Adachi Hana, making him an interesting side character. Many other people are introduced in the manga later on and what I find very intriguing about Yankee-kun to Megane-chan is that the author develops most of them, making each individual important. That is what is truly amazing about the characters in this manga: Yoshikawa makes many of them grow along with Shinagawa, Adachi, and everyone else, even though they vary in age.    

      The dialogue of the characters plays an essential role in stories because often, many amazingly developed characters have horrible, cliché lines. This isn’t the case for Yankee-kun to Megane-chan though. The dialogue sounds very similar to that of a real teenager because it has an informal tone and includes swearing. I have only read the English version so I’m not sure if the translators, Mahou-X Scans, translated the manga correctly but it is fine because the dialogue matches the characters exceedingly well. Each line fits the person and the situation. What really struck me about the dialogue that made me enjoy the manga so much is the cursing because it remarkably matches the voices of teenagers in a realistic, accurate way. 

      Art plays a major role in manga because most of the book is artwork. The artwork in this manga is far from disappointing. The characters are drawn in a simplistic style with a few shading lines here and there but that is what is great about the artwork. Some manga artists put so much detail in their art that it is difficult to differentiate between the hair and outfit (this is usually when drawing the women) since everything is white, gray, or black. Yoshikawa is also creative with her artwork when she does the expressions for Shinagawa and the other characters. Many times their faces and poses are extremely comical, causing me to burst out laughing every time I see it. An example would be cartoonish bulging eyes or scrunched up angry faces, which add to the comedic side of the manga. Besides the hilarious and fun artwork, the females usually have the same style for the face but the varying expressions most of the characters make totally compensate for that.                

      This manga is great for teenagers that need some comedy in their lives or are struggling with high school. The manga gives readers a feeling of light-heartedness with the entertaining scenes of the characters’ early high school years and as the characters grow older, the struggles and scenarios are relatable for students heading to college. Yoshikawa is able to portray their lives and difficulties realistically, which make the characters seem like real people even though they don’t look like it. Overall, Yoshikawa Miki’s manga, Yankee-kun to Megane-chan, is a wonderful piece of literature that will make you tear up from laughter but I warn you to not become a delinquent yourself and to read this when you have time or else you might become like Adachi.