‘Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate 1’ was originally a webtoon; next week is going to be printed in a full-color paperback edition by Kodansha Comics Us on the 17th of June.
I’ve decided to read it, to see the difference with the Italian edition. The Us edition is more beautiful.
It’s a work of art!
The story is simple but complex because it touches many themes that are dear to LGBTQIAP+ community.
It is settled in a Japanese high school and three are the main protagonists:
- Saki Aoi, a cheerful straightforward brunette, she is a first year high school girl who has a crush on an older student, Makoto Senpai, a beautiful blondie!
When Aoi San confess her love to Makoto Senpai, she finds out that Senpai has a secret…Senpai is a guy, a crossdresser. She’s determined to enjoy both version of Makoto. She has always admire him for his gentle eyes, his height and his deep voice.
- Senpai is Makoto Hanoka. In the day, at school, he’s an Otokonoko, he dresses as a girl. The school is a place where he’s free to be himself, to express himself.
In the evening, at home, is just an ordinary guy. He lives with his mother who doesn’t know that her son is a crossdresser, she would not understand. In fact, at the beginning she is drawn without eyes to emphasize her inability to see and understand her child in his true identity.
In addition, Senpai’s figure is associated with flowers: chrysanthemums and lilies. The previous one indicates personal growth, finding the true self, healing and personal transformation. The latter is love, intense emotions and femininity.
The third character is Ryuji, Makoto’s overprotective best friend who will stand for him no matter what! He plays the role of the antagonist, he’s the one who is in competition with Saki San.
The three of them form a love triangle connected with a red string of fate.
What I’ve really appreciated about this manga is the use of colors, the illustration gallery and the notes from the translator.
Senpai’s world together with his friends are drawn and colored with light and pale watercolors, the colors used give us peacefulness.
To point out the stereotypes of society, Makoto sexual attraction to Saki as a guy, and moments of fear and silent of the past, the mangaka uses dark colors such as black, gray and dark brown.
The illustration gallery helps us to figure out the story and the notes from the translator are also important to understand the Japanese words such as Okama, Otokonoko and first names.
In my opinion, there are not negatives elements to list but it’s missing a guide on how to read a manga.
If you want to know how this story ends, wait until next week. This manga is a two-monthly series of 10.

Thank you to Kodansha Comics Us and NetGalley for the ARC!

5 star

Story: 8/10, Art: 8/10, Characters: 8/10, Overall: 8/10
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Blog: www.labardolettrice.it (the review will be posted on the 17th of June)
Social Media: Ig, Facebook, You Tube ( the review will be posted on pub day)

Massive thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for an ARC of this manga! This was such a fun and light-hearted read! lt's a slice of life story, looking into the school lives of three main characters; Makoto, who expresses his true self through cross-dressing at school, Aoi, a classmate that develops a crush on him no matter how he presents himself, and Ryuji, Makoto's protective but caring friend. The first volume sets up the characters and the trials that they face through their lives as teenagers and friends. I eagerly await the remaining volumes of this series!

First-year high school student Saki is downright obsessed with beautiful second-year Makoto. Even when she finds out he's a cross-dressing boy, her admiration only seems to grow. Between hyper-positive Saki and overprotective friend Ryuji, Makoto will slowly realize that he can be himself and still be loved.

I adored how supportive Makoto's friends were of the way he expresses his gender. It's not something he has a lot of, so seeing him bloom whenever they're together was the sweetest part of the story. Although Saki is so positive that she does feel a little annoying, I think it's her extroverted attitude that will ultimately help Makoto find the courage to be freer. And Ryuji's silent support and total denial about his feelings are too sweet for words.
The blurb goes on about how it's a love triangle, but I honestly never felt like that was even an element of the story. Yes, both Saki and Ryuji feel something for Makoto, but everyone's so pure and supportive that it doesn't feel like an issue. If you're like me and usually avoid anything that has a love triangle, don't let that line keep you from experiencing this sweet and supportive story.
The art is nothing special, yet it perfectly manages to convey the expressions and feelings of the characters.
I have a feeling that things will get a little dark later on, but I'm still looking forward to reading future volumes and seeing Makoto bloom into who he really is.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the thought-provoking read!

High school second-year student, Hanaoka Makoto, likes to dress as a girl at school, complete with a long blond whig. The entire school knows he’s a boy; he attends boys’ gym class and is referred to as ‘he’, but he’s otherwise feminine and likes cute, girly things.

First-year student, Saki Aoi, isn’t aware of this. She just likes the person she thinks is a girl and confesses her feelings. But when Makoto reveals he’s a boy, she gets very excited for getting two persons in one. He shoots her down, but she’s not the type to give up, much to his chagrin. He also fears that other students will make fun of her for talking to him.

Things get really interesting when a third peson, Makoto’s childhood friend Ryuji, is introduced. He claims not to have feelings for Makoto, which Saki instantly challenges. He agrees to help Saki win Makoto over, but then keeps hanging with the two.

This was a good start to a series, even though it was mostly character intros. We learn that Makoto hides his crossdressing at home, and how he’s been a bit girly since preschool, but nothing about how he took the first step in crossdressing—or where he gets his strength to continue. Even though the bullying here wasn’t all that bad, it’s obviously been worse. Saki is very childish, so if there’s going to be a romance, it’ll probably (hopefully) be between Makoto and Ryuji.

This was originally published as a webtoon, so art is in larger panels and in full colour. It’s very lovely. There’s some info on Japanese tradition of crossdressing at the end which I found interesting.

I really loved this manga and I can't wait to read more of the series! This is a lighthearted read even though there are hints that everything is not 100% okay. Makoto is a boy who likes to dress as a girl, but his mother does not approve of his love of cute, "girly" things, so he has to keep this side of himself as a secret by only dressing as a girl at school. He's supported by his best friend, Ryuji, and his new fan, Saki. Saki has a huge crush on her senpai, and finding out that Makoto is a crossdresser only makes her more ardent, declaring that she loves both sides of him! Makoto has a gentle, refined vibe, Ryuji is fiercely protective, and Saki is borderline unhinged in her pursuit of her charming senpai. I enjoyed the friendship between the three, and can't wait to see how their relationships develop. Also, the character designs are very cute and the art is soft and lovely. This is definitely a manga I will order for my personal collection!

What isn't there to love about this manga. The art is adorable, the story is cute and funny, the characters are endearing, and i cannot wait to see where it goes. If you want a light, cheery, palate cleansing manga, this is a definite go to. I cannot wait tonread the next one.

This Book was provided by NetGalley but all opinions and reviews are my own.

Love and love this manga

I thought at first it will be mere story about man liking another man who crossdress as a woman. It turns out to be a but different. Very lighthearted and it comes in color too. It's still on first volume it already captured my heart!

But regarding the love of the person to the otokonoko senpai i feel like it's kind of too good to be true. It can be hope to others tho. Is there really a person who love the guy no matter what form he is out there?

It also explore about the guy identity in home and outside home.

It’s a cute and simple story that made me laugh a few times. The artwork is nice and I love the full color. I would definitely keep reading this series.

Our protag is in love with a girl. Turns out, that girl is actually a boy, who prefers to dress as a girl. She's still in love with her, and wants to go out with her. Add in a childhood best friend with a crush, and you have a tiny trio of chaos.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book. I think it is an interesting exploration of gender presentation and how some people may be more comfortable than others certain ways. I do wish I had some confirmation if this kid was trans or just prefers women's clothing and cute things. Either of which is totally valid I just wish I knew so I could refer to the character accordingly.

I thought the story was pretty sweet and a lot of fun. Also, the manga was in full color, which is really cool. I was pleasantly surprised there. I can't wait to read the next volume when it drops.

I remember when the Senpai is an Otokonoko anime was set to air and there was aaaaaaaall sorts of all over the place nonsense on twitter about it, from assumptions to, "no guys this is really good."

I didn't watch it (but only because I just haven't been watching anime much in the last few years?) but I can tell you after reading volume 1 that I'm firmly in the latter camp - it's good! The art is pretty simple but it's also full color, which is pretty rare for manga, and as something that started as an online vertical scroll comic this makes sense. The characters look pretty young but then again, they're just first years (and I know from reading Love Me the Way I Am that baby looking characters don't necessarily lack depth even if I'm skittish after being an anime for 20+ years about it), and we're just starting to get to know them. It's an interesting take on cross-dressing as its own thing not necessarily tied to gender, and you can't help but sort of root for both of the other kids who like Makoto.

A cute title; looking forward to volume 2 in September. Thanks, Kodansha, for the eARC!

Its a cute little comic and i’d be interested in continuing it! I didnt expect it to be from the POV of the crossdresser but it is and i honestly think it’s better that way. I like how on some panels the art gets more detailed its really pretty. Overall a good quality comic and it you are interested in the description I’d recommend trying it.

DNF at 73%
I just don't think the topic handled in it was for me. The art was cute and nice.
It was a little cringe if I must admit, but that isn't something rare among mangas.
I don't think I will continue this series, nor read any more books form the author.

Cute little comic about making friends and exploring gender expression. I feel so bad for Makoto having to hide who he is at home and all the boys doing dares to ask him out :(

The art was pretty enough, some panels definitely got some extra attention and those were GORGEOUS. But the rest of it was fairly bland with hardly any backgrounds.

Ryuji as a love rival is cute, I didn’t mind him like some other people are complaining. I thought he was sweetly protective and I like that Makoto has someone in his corner. Aoi was a little odd. She’s cute and I like her tenacity to at least spend time with Makoto, but I don’t love that she’s not really taking him or his wants into account. Ryuji and Aoi’s friendship was sweet! :)

I really enjoyed this story a lot. It shows children that it is normal to have thoughts and feelings of wanting to be the opposite sex. Finding acceptance in your peers is very important for everyone and hoping the story goes on to show more acceptance for the main character. I hope their mother accepts the main character feeling comfortable dressing up as a girl throughout the story and understands the main character's reason on why they dress like a girl. I would recommend anyone to check out this book.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this story.

I liked the art for this and I thought the story was okay. A story about someone being loved for who they are is always nice but I think this needed some type of drama. I also don't know how I feel about Aois character I found her persistence a little off putting at times. but that's me personally it didn't seem to be an issue in the story. This seems like something for a younger audience so I don't think this is something I would continue

This title was cuter and lighter in tone than I expected. It portrays one student (well, after a few chapters, a rival enters) who confesses to their "female" senpai, only to discover she is biologically male. The protagonist is more than okay with that--she's portrayed as a fervent sort of fan/devotee that happens in manga, where there's often a few shades of sexual harassment. It makes this maybe not the best rec for a newer manga reader? But it's still cute and funny.

I have a problem with how Saki reacts to finding out that Makoto is a cross dresser. When Makoto tells Saki, Saki gets a nose bleed and yells"I get to enjoy both a male and female version of you?!". This is straight up objectification. It makes a very important aspect of Makoto's sense of self into something done /for Saki's benefit/, seeing Makoto simply as a thing they can use and not an actual person with their own feelings. It really rubbed me the wrong way and made me not root for Saki for the rest of the story. If someone ever comes out to you, DO NOT immediately make it about yourself and how their gender/sexuality is beneficial to YOU.

Saki DOES have her sweet moments, but it never really feels like she's making an effort to learn about Makoto's feelings - then again, Makoto is guarded and doesn't really trust anyone easily, so I can't really blame Saki for not being able to get too close. But, I'm sure that will change with upcoming volumes in the story.

Probably the thing I enjoyed most about this story is how Ryuji and Saki interact with each other. Ryuji's over-protective schtick is a bit much at times, but his intense aura to Saki's airheadedness is a fun dynamic.

The art style is very pretty. It goes between a more simplified style and minimal shading to a lot more detailed illustrations for more impactful scenes.

When Aoi confesses her love to Makoto, an older girl at school, she finds out that Makoto is in fact a cross-dressing boy. However, this only makes Aoi fall harder, and despite her senpais initial rejection, Aoi decides to keep pursuing her, much to the annoyance of Makotos close friend Ryuji.

This story explores deep topics, but still manages to keep a light and cheery tone. The difficulties of living authentically as yourself when that doesn’t fit the norm, and how impactful it can be to be fully accepted as yourself by others, is handled with care and understanding. The pace is fast and the humour is on point, I laughed out loud multiple times reading it. The three main characters were endearing, all in their own way, and I am looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds, and how these characters continue to grow.

If you want to read about charming characters trying to navigate the messiness that growing up and figuring yourself out entails, this book is for you. Or if you just want a good laugh.

I received a free digital copy of this book for reviewing from Kodansha Comics via Netgalley, which I am very thankful for. However, my review is based on my honest opinions.

Aoi Saki, a high-school girl, is in love with her beautiful senpai, Makoto Hanaoka. Instead of outright rejecting her, Makoto reveals that he's actually a boy cross-dressing as a girl but Aoi likes him regardless and swears she's going to be his first love!
I loved the cute art style and the premise was so interesting. This was a perfect fluffy, heart-warming read. I already knew about this manga and I'm glad I decided to read it now! I'll definitely read more of this series.
～Thank you to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a great book about accepting people as they are and loving them still, which is beautiful. I liked how the friends all got on and how they acted together I really think this is amazing and also I loved the art work as it was stunning.