Ueno-kun wa Kaihatsuzumi #1

Ueno-kun wa Kaihatsuzumi, written and illustrated by mangaka Keiko Koyama, first appeared in the seinen manga magazine Young Animal. The series emerged from a contemporary trend of workplace and school-life romantic comedies that focus on eccentric, hyper-intelligent protagonists whose social interactions are complicated by their own unconventional hobbies and personality quirks.

The character design of Ueno, a middle school science club president, is intentionally stylized to emphasize her intellectual arrogance and social ineptitude. Koyama utilized the visual language of the mad scientist archetype, reimagining it within a middle school setting to create comedic friction. The series was generally well-received by readers of the genre for its absurd humor and the unique, gadget-centric inventions that serve as the focal point for each chapter's narrative arc.