Even Though She's in 6th Grade! First Volume of Manga Series Released: Story of a Girl Who Looks Scary but Loves Cute Things

Square Enix recently published the first volume of mangaka Nanoko's new series "Even Though She's in 6th Grade!" (originally 6年生なのに！) on June 22, 2025. This new manga is a gap moe comedy about the daily life of a sixth-grade girl who looks scary but secretly adores cute things.

At the center of the story is a girl with a sharp gaze and large build who frightens everyone at school. However, she actually has a weakness for teddy bears, brightly colored stationery, and small animals. This contradiction creates many comedic moments that bring a smile to the faces of both her classmates and readers. Nanoko handles this classic "contrast appeal" concept with a fresh perspective.

Nanoko previously worked on spin-offs of popular works such as "Kubo-san wa Mob wo Yurusanai", but "Even Though She's in 6th Grade!" stands out as her first long-running original series. Published in Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine, this manga quickly attracted the attention of "gap moe" fans in Japan, especially on social media. The first volume is on sale at an affordable price of 600 yen for 192 pages.

Such stories have become quite popular in the manga world in recent years. Discovering the soft hearts of seemingly tough characters gives readers both surprise and warmth. "Even Though She's in 6th Grade!" successfully captures this trend. If you liked series like "Aggretsuko" or "Komi Can't Communicate", you should give this new comedy manga a chance. The release date for the second volume has not been announced yet, but the series is expected to continue.