Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo is a repetitive story that relies on flat character traits, bland story beats, and a plot structure so bizarre I can't even begin to describe it. It is without a doubt a manga that extended far past its logical conclusion and kept doing the same thing over and over until it came to an awkward conclusion. Characters repeat the same dialogue so often that I feel like I was on a treadmill while reading it. And of course, the amount of plot contrivances and mediocre payoffs leave the reader feeling almost betrayed. With all of that being said this was without a doubt one of my favorite reading experiences in some time.

I won’t go into too many details, mostly just painting large strokes on the story and its quality.

Story: Author Miki Yoshikawa somehow managed to create a narrative so interesting and entertainingly written that I couldn’t help but stay invested and interested. The characters, while not all together original, are plenty engaging and written well enough that it can be more or less excused. I ended up being so invested in what they were doing and what they wanted that I could easily look past the questionable directions the plot was taking. In a way, this aspect reminds me a bit of Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa, another great RomCom manga.

I will admit that this good will was a little spent by the time I reached the awkward final 10ish chapters, but they by no means ruin the experiences I had before that. The ending goes for a real funky plot twist that tries to explain things, but ends up feeling contrived and muddy. It doesn’t help that it uses a time skip epilogue, one of my personal least favorite ending types. The more I think about it, the more I actively hate the way the manga chooses to build up to the end. The actual final chapter isn't awful, but the rest feels like the most uncomfortable form of padding that tries to answer the central mystery of the series while actually doing none of that and actively bringing it down. The ending doesn't ruin it, and I still think it's worth reading despite it, but you have been warned. In the end the story ends up feeling like it has too many unnecessary layers that are just over complicating things. That’s probably what makes the first 90 chapters one of the best parts.

If the premise sounds interesting to you, but the idea of reading 246 chapters of questionable quality doesn’t interest you, I recommend stopping at Chapter 90. It contains the most tightly written narrative in the whole series and gives a relatively satisfying ending if that interests you. It will probably provide you with the best the series has to offer, though I personally feel you’ll be missing out in the end.

The art is great, with a clear increase in quality from Yoshikawa’s previous large work Yankee-kun to Megane-chan. The characters are all well designed with decent character designs that does let them stand out. I was almost never confused with who was who despite the large cast by the end. On the subject of the ecchi I have basically nothing to say about it. It was pretty weak and didn't add much in any scene it was in. I could take it or leave it.

In the end Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo is not a perfect manga, but it is 100% worth a read. If it wasn’t obvious enough already I think the flaws it has actually end up making it more endearing in the end. It may not be perfect, but please give it a try.