“The Delinquent Girl…” Vol. 1 Arrives October > Fandom Spotlite

One Peace Books is coming out with a brand-new series: The Delinquent Girl Beside Me Suddenly Dyed Her Hair Black?! starting with Volume 1 this year.

Releasing October 13th, this slice-of-life romantic comedy manga is full of awkward advances, clueless stares, and a variety of blushes. The manga is written by Waka Sanada with character designs by Hamu and the original story by Teika. It has 186 pages and five chapters of entertainment.

It was a short read for me, only a couple hours, and definitely made me giddy. Keep reading to hear my thoughts (mostly spoiler-free!).

Why is the toughest girl in school trying to be my type?! “My type? A girl with long black hair who carries herself well.” That’s what I told my friends during a casual conversation about romance. The very next day, Shimizu—the blonde delinquent who sits next to me—suddenly shows up with her hair dyed black. From then on, every time I mention my ideal girl, she starts doing things she normally wouldn’t—showing up to cooking class (which she used to always skip), packing me homemade lunches, etc. This is the heartwarming slice-of-life high school rom-com about the awkward advances of the school’s most intimidating delinquent girl.

The art and character designs are great, with simple backgrounds that allow focus on expressions and actions. My favorite parts were any bewildered faces and all of the intensity from Shimizu. I love how identifiable all of the characters are, too.

The plot flowed nicely, bouncing between normal high school interactions and scenes at home. It was engaging because of the character reactions and inner thoughts. Daiki is an easily lovable main character because of his overall goodness, friendliness, and smile.

Opposite him, I was fond of Shimizu. It is quite clear to me that her tsundere-leaning personality is hiding a soft, sweet side.  How flustered she was around Daiki was everything to the story.

The first couple chapters focused on Daiki, but the last chapters have a heavy focus on Shimizu. I was worried at first that readers wouldn’t get her point-of-view, but that was ultimately unfounded. I find her to be the more interesting character based on this first volume, yet, I find a lot of potential for a deeper dive into Daiki’s character, too.

In one of Shimizu’s chapters, it hinted about something more going on with Daiki. Maybe he has some past regret that is pushing him to be so kind and act selflessly so often.

As for side characters, the manga gave two strong contenders. Most stories need them to feel well-rounded, and this story is no exception. While Daiki’s friend Shunya Matsuoka is the character that shows insight into everyone else’s feelings surrounding romance and, specifically, Shimizu, Shimizu’s sister takes the cake for best side character in Volume 1.

Her trope falls into the “overbearing, energetic older sister,” and she plays it perfectly. Ai balances out the serious, somewhat angsty Shimizu, pushing her to talk about her crush on Daiki. It is so sweet to see her trying to help Shimizu impress him. As goofy as she acts, it is obvious how much she cares about Shimizu.

My only issue with The Delinquent Girl was the mild fan service (though summaries say there are none, my view might be skewed). As a high school romance, especially when in Daiki’s point-of-view, I’m not surprised for the focus to sometimes be on Shimizu’s body. That doesn’t mean I like those parts. The bath scene in particular seemed like an unnecessary addition.

As a high school teacher, though, it makes sense that these moments of the story would make me uncomfortable. From a narrative point, and for anyone that reads it that is in high school, it makes sense.

In addition to the cute high school romance aspects (and the fan service), the deeper message is nice. Oftentimes, “delinquents,” or kids that are marked as trouble or bad, have a deeper personality. They have a history and can be genuinely good beneath a hard exterior; appearances are not always the full story. This is reinforced through the manga, as readers get to know more of Shimizu’s backstory from middle school.

As a light-hearted palate cleanser, I was happy to read it. I would rate The Delinquent Girl around 4.25 stars out of five.

Not jumping to read it yet? Maybe tiny-Shimizu will (threaten) convince you!

Pre-order your copy of The Delinquent Girl Beside Me Suddenly Dyed Her Hair Black?! Volume One, to be released on October 13, 2026.