How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, LN Recommendation!

Article at a glance:

• How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend features a well-paced plot with engaging twists and deeply developed characters, making the harem dynamic work effectively.
• The light novel adds depth through better character monologues and pacing compared to the anime adaptation, making it the preferred medium for the story.
• Focused on the growth and relationships of its small cast, the series offers relatable character arcs and evolving dynamics, enhancing its emotional impact.

It has been a while since I talked about this series. This is one of the few examples of the harem genre being used well. How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend has everything from a compelling plot to interesting characters and good character arcs. And the harem dynamic ends up working well here even though you know which girl the protagonist will end up with eventually. And while the anime adaptation is decent, I feel like the LN adds more depth to the characters because of better monologs.

So welcome back to another edition of our LN recommendation series. This week we are talking about How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend. Let’s get started.

Introduction

How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend is written by Maruto Fumiaki and illustrated by Misaki Kurehito. The LN was sterilized from July 2012 to October 2017. It has 13 volumes or 120 chapters. As for the anime, it is made by A1 Pictures and it has 2 seasons of 12 episodes each, a finale movie, and a few special episodes. As I mentioned, the anime adaptation is decent but I prefer the LN because the character development and pacing are slightly better in the LN. But you can watch the anime as well, no issues.

Plot

Tomoya Aki had never thought he’d fall in love despite being good friends with two of the most famous girls in his school. But one day, during spring break, Aki has a “cinematic” encounter. He is so moved by this brief encounter that he decides to make a VN about it. But he soon learns that the girl in his encounter was his unremarkable classmate, Katou Megumi. Still, he pulls her into the fold and the other two girls I mentioned, Eriri and Utaha as well to help with developing the VN.

And as you might expect, things aren’t that easy. So despite sounding simple, the plot is really well-paced. There are plenty of good plot twists. And these plot twists lead to some awesome character moments. Even putting all the good character development aside, the plot of this LN alone will rope you in. It is that good. But, of course, it is made better because the LN actually gets you to care about its characters.

Characters

This LN has a small cast of just 4 major characters. It is hyper-fixated on developing these 4 and evolving their dynamics. Aki or Megumi may seem bland at first but their characters are developed incredibly well. The harem dynamic works here because Aki does so much for the other characters while admitting his flaws and learning from them. And then we have a good supporting cast with characters like Michiru, Izumi, Iori, etc.

So while Utaha is my favorite character, I can’t deny that Aki, Katou, and Eriri also got some amazing character development. Each main character has a focus arc, each main character has their issues to deal with and this makes them relatable. Katou is the most “normal” person among the main cast but once she sees how serious Aki is about the VN, she too gives her support.

Summing Up

Here’s why you should check out How to Raise a Borin Girlfriend LN:

• Awesome plot
• Amazing characters
• Good character development and dynamics
• Great character designs

That is all for now. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. I will take my leave here. Check out this week’s anime recommendation here and I will be off to play some more Elden Ring! See ya!