Let’s just say Eru has a horn problem. No, seriously, that’s the problem: the size of your horn is a good way to determine your power and potential. Eru’s horn? Tiny. Cue all the size jokes. But while the students make of fun of Eru for this, the one who will trouble him the most is Rihito, who is considered one of the best at the school, and he can’t stand Eru. They won’t be able to escape each other sadly. Alongside Noin, a quiet student, they’re roommates, which means they’ll have to get along…or things won’t be great.
School of Horns is a seinen manga that feels more like a shoujo/otome work. From the character designs (pretty boys) and to the personalities, from the shy Eru to the aggressive Rihito, there are types to get attached to for sure. The problem for this manga though, is that it’s aggressively mundane. The characters, particularly Eru, go through a few trials that are mostly simple and not all that interesting. This basically makes it weird to care about any of the characters that do appear in the manga. Mone, one of the few girls in this volume, did stand out because she did help Eru early in the manga (and has an affection for cute things), but she doesn’t appear all that much in Volume 1.
The information regarding the types of horns, the skill levels of students (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs), and the general level of the ones at the top (called Aces) are dull to know as well. It didn’t feel presented in a way that wanted me to know more about this, and the characters, again, don’t quite help matters. The only time this work was actually intriguing, unfortunately, happened at the end. Of course a transfer student would shake things up for this manga, but as it turns out, he has just enough backstory and personality to make him a welcome sight.
That’s why it’s disappointing that overall this volume was mostly a drag. School of Horns could get better based on the cliffhanger, and maybe its momentum can carry into Volume 2. But this doesn’t seem like I’ll really get into it that much, so I’m going to pass.