Generally speaking, changing seats at school can mean saying goodbye to a classmate you’ve might’ve befriended. But for all intents and purposes, for one particular class, having your seat changed to sit next to the “Seatmate Killer” is not good. Yuuki Narito is the one who has to sit next to said “Seatmate Killer,” Yui Takatsuki, who supposedly strings the hearts of young guys along, and when they fall for those charms and then confess to her, she turns them down. And with her bubbly, outgoing personality and good looks, once she does show up, it’s easy to see why Yui has caught the hearts of boys throughout her school years.
But the first thing Yuuki remarks upon meeting her for the first time is that her teeth are pretty. So what she — and others — will begin to learn is Yuuki’s pretty oblivious to a host of things.
Turning the Tables on the Seatmate Killer! is first and foremost your general high school romcom manga (just this one based off a light novel), which means taking mostly anything seriously will be a big mistake. The first 7 chapters I’ve read sneaks in as many references (Attack on Titan, Doraemon, Ace Attorney to name a few) as naturally as possible either in text or art form. The main concept is also fun as the two leads get to know each other — Yuuki, who is indifferent to her charms, ends up slowly becoming a friend to her but in his own indifferent way, whereas Yui just wants to get along. Her time in elementary school made her resolve to be more outgoing, but for better or worse, this only attracts the boys she sits next with, and she’s not sure what to do about that.
That’s why these two seemingly polar opposites in personality and popularity end up finding a way to get along. Well, they get along, but Yui, whether she wants to admit it or not, starts to fall for him. Her problem is eventually getting Yuuki to understand that, because at this point, he doesn’t. She also doesn’t seem to realize that she’s coming onto him, which will also have to be fixed, but after one incident of him seeing her underwear thanks to the wind during an almost confession moment, it may be tough to change that.
Speaking of that moment, the ecchi parts of this manga will likely be either the major deterrent or entertaining factor for anyone in need of another romcom read. The windblown skirt ruining a confession scene and causing the leads (well, in this case, just Yui) to blush is pretty much classic at this point, but having Yuuki’s lively little sister Mina parading around the house with no pants on is the exact moment where you’re activating your drop or tolerate senses. It also somewhat undermines the Narito family’s unfortunate past (mom passed away three years ago) and Mina’s former shut-in life and her struggles of making friends at her school. Makes sense for her to feel comfortable at her home, but then your joke of Yui stopping by Yuuki’s house and eventually meeting a pantsless Mina isn’t exactly going to work out with most people.
So that’ll be a concern for some, and at times the art is kind of off at points. There are some standout scenes (the Ace Attorney reference was glorious) so it’s not consistently poor, but ultimately, the real interest is going to be finding out how this series’ clueless male lead and the “Seatmate Killer’s” relationship develops throughout the manga. If that doesn’t work, something like Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible or Komi Can’t Communicate might be better to check out. But for others, the combo of Yuuki flustering Yui instead of it being the other way around and the numerous media references might just be enough.