Who Is the Author of Medaka Box? Nisio Isin | My Review and Impressions

I'm only just realizing now, but "Medaka Box" (original story by Nisio Isin, art by Akira Akatsuki, 22 volumes total) was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump.
I'd like to write about that.
*I will omit information that is already available on Wikipedia.

story

At first, it has the feel of a school-themed story with each episode being self-contained.
However, since it's Weekly Shonen Jump, there are battle elements here and there.
Once the show's popularity stabilizes to a certain extent, it tends to move beyond self-contained episodes and into longer storylines.
(If the focus shifts from battles to carefully depicting gags and human characters, I think it might end up being something like "Meiryo-tei Gotou Seijuro," which was previously serialized in Jump.)
It is a battle manga based on the themes of effort, friendship, and victory, butThe original author, Nisio Isin, is more adept at taking unconventional paths than following the mainstream, so this work is not a straightforward, conventional story.

As a story, it doesn't feel like it's being dragged out blatantly, and I think it gives a sense of having accomplished its goal.
The characters' combat powers keep escalating, but since the story also involves ability-based battles, I don't think it felt too forced.

Characters

Like most characters in Nisio Isin's works, they all have bizarre names.
The names are naturally wordplay, and there are many that are unforgettable once you hear them, or too complex to remember.
They appear so often that you wonder how they can produce so many of them.

Personally, I think there were three main characters.
There are many unique characters, and the popular characters get plenty of opportunities to shine, so I'm personally satisfied.

Highlights

The highlights are the character dialogue and the witty battles, both written by the genius Nisio Isin.
Many of the lines and skill names are verbose and repetitive, making extensive use of puns and wordplay.
Whether this is considered a negative point or not will likely depend on whether you're a fan or not.

Even if the battle doesn't make much sense, if the logic holds and momentum is there, you'll have the upper hand—a battle style reminiscent of parts 6 and 7 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
That being said, it did have all the elements of a proper shonen manga, and it's reassuring to read that the protagonist ultimately wins.

Even so, the appearance of characters with over 10 quadrillion skills, seemingly mocking the inflationary nature of the game, was refreshingly overpowered.

It's not just battles; there are also many games and puzzles along the way that involve psychological warfare, and I personally loved that aspect.

Overall review

If you asked me if I would recommend this manga to the average person, I would say I wouldn't really recommend it.
Compared to Nisio Isin's typical works, the eccentricities and quirks are toned down, but I still think it's difficult to read.
Conversely, people who like Nisio Isin's works, wordplay, or works with a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) vibe might enjoy it.
It's not an overwhelming number of volumes, only 22 in total, so if you're interested, why not give it a try?

Medaka Box Monochrome Edition Vol. 1 (Jump Comics DIGITAL)(Amazon)

Rakuten Market: Medaka Box (Monochrome Version)