Summary
- “I Wanna Do Bad Things With You” is a heartfelt romance manga that deals with social perception and teenage rebellion.
- Mamori idealizes villains, Soshi violates social norms, and both are united by their shared fight against problems related to social perception.
- A romance interwoven with themes of rebellion and coming of age, it offers readers characters who make bold statements.
This review contains SPOILERS for “I Wanna Do Bad Things With You” Volume 1
Readers of shōnen and shojo romance manga were lucky with current hits like Komi cannot communicate to convey positive messages to its readers, but Weekly Shōnen Sunday has another wonderful series localized. Courtesy of VIZ Media, Kimi to Warui Koto ga Shitai, known as I want to do bad things to you, is much healthier and sweeter than the title suggests.
Similar to Komi cannot communicate, I want to do bad things to you is about a high school premise in which male and female protagonists overcome their social standing and build bonds despite the cruel social structure of high school life. I want to do bad things to you is not a copy of Komi cannot communicate, as it had a short period between 2022 and 2024, with Volume No. 1 will be released for the first time in North America on August 20, 2024.
The story follows Mamori Wataya, a tall, beautiful girl who is ostracized because of her unusual size and resigns herself to looking and acting plain and withdrawn, and the formerly sickly Soshi Fuji, the brother of the highly praised “prince” of high school, Koichi Fuji. While it is predictable that these two will fall in love, I want to do bad things to you, Their romance is based on teenage rebellion.
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“I Wanna Do Bad Things With You” addresses problems of social perception
Social anxiety is more than communication
Part of the appealing hook of I want to do bad things to you is like Mamori idealizes villains from her favorite Tokusatsu seriesnamely her favorite literary character, King of Darkness III, for never compromising their beliefs. She is under the thumb of more popular girls and resents things like demeaning tasks, including cleaning the school swimming pool. When it turns out that Soshi is draining the pool out of rebellion, Mamori is charmed by his impulsiveness and even more by his unwavering determination to dance to his proverbial tune.
Mamori is limited by social perceptions due to their size difference, which affects everything from dating prospects to friends at school. Soshi had a difficult childhood, held back for years as he was the opposite of the school prince, his younger brother, who was favored as their rich father’s heir, and is instead scorned as a black sheep and joker. But when Mamori witnesses Soshi’s rebellion in I want to do bad things to you, She sees Soshi as her idealized “villain” archetype and quickly falls in love with himSoshi also finds her very likeable, as the two behave like outsiders.
While Komi cannot communicate deals with immense social anxiety and the communication disorder of its title character, Mamori and Soshi communicate well in I want to do bad things to you. How they deal with the perception they receive from others is an act of rebellion. with their destructive habits, which soon aimed to hinder Soshi’s brother’s attempts at social advancementsuch as becoming class representative. Komi cannot communicate adorable moments show how Hitohito Tadano helps Shōko Komi to find 100 friends, but I want to do bad things to you Mamori and Soshi fight against the world as they fall in love.
An outsider romance that will melt the hearts of manga readers
Soshi and Mamori bring out the best in each other
Mamori also discovers that Soshi is just as desperate to enjoy life, as evidenced by their “practice date” in Chapter 6, where he flawlessly plans a trip with her.
The best romance anime and manga have recently understood well what makes an attractive pair of romantic main characters, such as with gamer hooks in My love story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 or Cosplay in My favorite dress.I want to do bad things to you initially includes similar, contrasting characters: a tall, beautiful, oppressed young woman and a small, talented, scheming young man. As Mamori learns more about Soshi’s upbringing and stays in his environment, She continues to have a crush on him as the two make up for lost time and enjoy life in their own ways.
Soshi’s revenge plans include hatching a plan to make Mamori Koichi fall in love with her in Chapter 3 or sabotaging Koichi’s speech to the school council in Chapter 2. Mamori lives from rebellion and sees in this behavior everything she loves about a villain while developing a sense of empowerment. Mamori also discovers that Soshi is just as desperate to enjoy life, as evidenced by their “practice date” in Chapter 6, where he flawlessly plans a trip with her.
“I Wanna Do Bad Things with You” deals with rebellion and growing up
Acting out is an important part of growing up
Soshi is the typical slow-witted male lead, surprisingly perfect for Mamori, but seemingly unaware of his effect on her.
I want to do bad things to you is by no means free of romantic manga tropes; Soshi is the typical dim-witted male lead, surprisingly perfect for Mamori yet he seems unaware of the effect he has on her, which includes insisting on being close to her, holding hands on a fake date, picking out and buying outfits for their outing, and even carefully crafting a perfect bento box for her. Meanwhile, Mamori falls into the typical shōnen cliche of a buxom female lead who is unaware of, or perhaps repulsed by, men’s perceptions of her figure, which is sometimes used for fanservice.
But the romance is closely linked to Soshi and Mamori’s youthful rebellions, which contribute to their coming of age. I want to do bad things to you. Soshi shows a wide range of talents and makes up for the lost years he spent in the hospital. At the same time Mamori finds someone who accepts her escape from reality and discovers feelings that weren’t there before. Mamori and Soshi quickly discover and realize that they need each other in I want to do bad things to you.
Yutaka creates a solid romance manga for teenagers
Readers can benefit from characters with courageous affirmations
Much of the news in I want to do bad things to you is not in youthful anarchy or rebellion, but in not getting involved in a society that disregards its people. After volume 1, this quickly becomes the case when Koichi invites Mamori to a surprise event while she spends time apart from Soshi; or so she thinks. But already in chapter 1 I want to do bad things to you has some strong moments, including a particularly good quote from Soshi, in which he coaches Mamori on how to deal with bullying at school:
Are you telling me you don’t mind everyone pushing you around all the time? If you don’t like it, if it makes you angry, if it frustrates you, then get angry.
-Soshi Fuji
It is simple but effective and advice that resonates with Mamori and gives her the courage to rise to the occasion, especially when it comes to defending herself or her loved ones. Much of the message from I want to do bad things to you is about how the two characters regain their agency and discover how strong they already are, culminating in the volume’s most memorable panel in Chapter 2, where Mamori carries Soshi, surprised at her strength, while he entices her to spend more time with him I want to do bad things to you.
Review copy of I want to do bad things to you, Volume 1 provided by VIZ Media.
