CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE ART? THE ARTTT IT'S EXQUISITE! The way they drew Makoto AAAAAA DAYMM I love both versions(σ≧▽≦)σ. The open-ended nature of the romantic subplot presents an interesting dilemma, leaving the reader to contemplate the potential pairings of Ryuji and Saki. While I personally favor pairing Makoto and Ryuji, I can imagine him with Saki since the narrative subtly suggests a direction, yet the outcome remains uncertain. WELL, I get Makoto for trying to make his mom happy at all costs. That made me so emotional. I would do everything to make my mom not disappointed with me too(*T^T). The plot is still cooking so I'll wait for the next bookヽ(*´＾｀)ﾉ.

Delightful! Equal parts funny and cute, and even touching. Great for feminine guys who want to be seen. I am definitely going to be reading more! Thanks to NetGalley for the copy.

Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate Vol. 1 surprised me in the best way. I went in expecting a lighthearted romcom, and while it definitely delivers on humor and charm, it also explores gender identity and self-expression with more sincerity than I anticipated.

Makoto lives as his true self at school—cross-dressing in a way that feels authentic to him, even if it makes him a target. Fortunately, he’s not alone. Between a fiercely loyal best friend and a relentlessly earnest girl who confesses her love for him without hesitation, Makoto has people who truly see him—even if he’s not sure he can believe it yet.

What makes this work so well is how the three leads play off each other. Makoto has learned to deflect the casual cruelty of classmates, but it’s clear he worries Aoi, his underclassman, will face the same if she continues to pursue him. Aoi, meanwhile, is a gem—completely unshaken, accepting, and full of genuine warmth. When she finds out Makoto is a guy, she basically shrugs and says, “Even better.” Her openness is both funny and touching.

Then there’s Ryuji, Makoto’s childhood friend, who’s clearly wrestling with feelings he doesn’t understand—and doesn’t want to. His hostility toward Aoi’s crush feels like textbook projection. His arc is shaping up to be a complex (and potentially explosive) one.

This volume delivers a few standout emotional punches: Makoto’s quiet transformation as he heads home, Aoi’s dramatic tree jump, and the moment he reveals his true identity to her. These scenes land, and they’re beautifully executed.

While Makoto isn’t subjected to intense bullying, there’s a quiet ache to his story—especially in scenes with his mother. His forced duality, trying to be the boy she expects while hiding his real self, is one of the more heartbreaking threads, and you sense it’s only going to get more difficult as the story unfolds.

The art is generally solid—nothing groundbreaking, but expressive and impactful where it counts. Big emotional beats get the visual attention they deserve, and that’s a smart use of the medium.

All in all, this is a thoughtful, touching look at gender identity, acceptance, and the power of having even just one person on your side. It’s a story about finding yourself—and maybe love—when the world feels like it doesn’t quite fit. A great start to what promises to be a heartfelt series.

💘 Senpai is an Otokonoko
🌈 Romance / Gender Identity / School Life / Coming-of-Age
📱 Originally translated as a Webtoon
📺 Anime available
📚 Full-color print!

While this is just Volume 1 of a full series (and that’s all I’ve experienced so far), I really like where the story seems to be heading.

At its core, this is about three characters: the senpai, the kohai who confesses, and senpai’s childhood friend. The love triangle could feel typical—but it doesn’t. There’s emotional depth here, and already I’m wondering how each of them will grow.

The younger love interest (the kohai) already had a crush before finding out senpai “isn’t a girl”. I say it that way for two reasons:
1. Because I’m not sure yet where the story is going in terms of gender identity. I’m hoping it trends toward trans acceptance rather than just cross-dressing tropes—but I’ll let the author cook.
2. Because I love that the kohai’s feelings don’t shift. She likes senpai for who they are - Girl? Boy? Doesn’t matter. Just full-on pan girlie energy, and I love that.

That part alone made me want to keep reading—and now to possibly see how the anime handled it, too. It’s not a predictable story, and the emotional beats don’t feel shallow. I’m really curious to see how these characters grow, especially with so many routes this story could take.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the chance to read
#SenpaiIsAnOtokonoko for free!

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC 💖

I’ve been hearing about this title for quite a long time, but I never found the time to read it. At first, I felt a bit insecure about picking it up and now I kinda regret starting this story so late.
When I finally decided to read this webtoon, I wasn’t expecting such a sweet and heartwarming story.

Saki Aoi, a first-year student, falls in love with her senpai, Makoto-san, and decides to confess her feelings.
Little does she know that her crush is actually a boy who loves cross-dressing! Once Aoi finds out she becomes even more excited.

The story follows Aoi’s persistent and adorable attempts to get closer to her beloved senpai, while also building a friendship with Ryuji, a secondary character very protective of his best friend.

“Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate” isn’t just a school romance comedy, it also explores important themes such as gender identity and self-expression.
One scene that deeply touched me was when Makoto looked at his reflection in the mirror, saying goodbye to his true self.
And his relationship with his mother? Since when are boys not allowed to like pretty and cute things? It was upsetting to see her force her principles onto him.

Overall, this volume was a truly pleasant read, something I’d highly recommend.
There are many lighthearted and funny moments that will definitely warm your heart.
Also, the full-color format helps to bring out the vibrancy of the characters and their personalities!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)
"Senpai is an Otokonoko" is a sweet manga that handles gender expression and identity with a lot of care. When Saki confesses to her crush Makoto, she learns he’s a boy who likes to dress femininely—but instead of backing off, she keeps leaning in. Their bond was super cute and heartfelt. I liked the art, how the story avoided clichés and they handled the LGBTQ+ themes. Recommended.

4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a beautiful, sweet, and heartwarming story with great characters.

Ohhh my God, I adored Aoi 🥰 Her acceptance of Makoto without judgment and her constant kindness really stood out to me.

Makoto’s journey of self-acceptance was touching and empowering, and I appreciated how the story highlighted his struggles without losing hope.

Ryuji was another favorite for me. It’s clear that he struggles with his own internalized stereotypes while deeply caring for Makoto.

Watching Aoi and Ryuji together was pure fun. Their dynamic added so much life to the story.

One of the most emotional moments for me was the scene with Makoto’s mother. It managed to feel sad and wholesome at the same time.

I also loved how the story shows the importance of embracing who you are and surrounding yourself with people who support you.

I can’t wait to read the next volume, and I absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves stories about acceptance, friendship, and love.

This wasn’t what I was expecting and now that I love the story I can’t possibly stop reading this series!

Full color manga with lovable and enduring characters!

This story is quite interesting. It follows two students at high school. Aoi confesses that she likes Makoto, but it turns out that Makoto isn't a girl, despite her appearances, but is in fact a boy who enjoys dressing like a girl.

This could have been really impactful, and there were parts where it was. But it was also a little much in places which took away from the impact of the emotional parts.

I think Aoi's characterisation was a little too much - it reminds me a bit of one of those anime characters that kinda ruins the entire shows (yes I'm talking about Mineta), but just turned down a bit. I don't like the 'obsessed character' archetype, especially when it is played for laughs. What could have been some big emotional moments became a big laugh.

There were some interesting themes though - belonging and gender and acceptance and how society treats those who are perceived as different. I wish there had been more exploration of these but I did like what was there.

*3.75 stars, rounded up*

Das war ziemlich witzig. Makoto ist ein Junge, der süße Dinge mag. Seine Mutter hat ihm früh vermittelt, dass er ein Junge ist und das nicht okay ist. Also hat er für sich beschlossen, in der Schule als Mädchen aufzutreten. Da taucht die energiegeladene Saki auf und gesteht ihm ihre Liebe - zunächst allerdings seinem weiblichen Ich, denn sie weiß nichts davon, dass er Crossdressing betreibt. Doch das hält sie nicht auf und beschließt, sein Herz zu gewinnen.. so fängt das ganze an und es ist super witzig. Die Charaktere sind alle sehr herzlich und man muss oft sehr viel Schmunzeln, aber man hat auch sehr viel Spaß beim Lesen. Das Artwork wechselt viel zwischen sketchy und detailliert, situationsbedingt passt es aber sehr gut. Der Plot ist jetzt nicht sonderlich tiefgründig, hat aber definitiv Potential für mehr. Ich fand's sehr süß und freu mich definitiv auf mehr! 😊

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for this eARC.

I loved this one, it made my heart clench, and I cannot wait for the next volume. I have a deep and profound soft-spot in my heart for love triangles where the two people pursuing the love interest aren't competing. It makes it feel like they genuinely care for Makoto.

I also would like to praise the nuanced gender experience that they present for Makoto, and the difficulty of having a parent who loves you and is a good person, but struggles to accept the real you. That feeling is really tragic, but you can tell Makoto's mother loves him so it makes it not so black and white which I appreciate a lot. I also love both Saki and Ryuji so much and I feel like with such and strong and loveable core cast this manga is going to bloom beautifully.

I look forward to future installments. It's very sweet.

The beloved webtoon finally comes to print in a beautiful new full-color edition! A cheerful high school girl, Saki, confesses her love to a pretty upperclassman only to find out her senpai's actually a cross-dressing boy (otokonoko). But Saki has competition for the heart of her daring classmate in the form of Hanaoka's devoted best friend...

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for allowing me to read this graphic novel, (Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate 1
by Pom). I like it and wow didn't expect that he's cross-dressing. Overall, I love this book and I look forward to read the next book of this series. ◡̈ I giving this book a 4 stars.

#SenpaiIsanOtokonoko
#NetGalley.

A very cute and fast paced high school romance.

We follow Saki Aoi a first year high school student who confesses to her first crush Makoto Hanaoka. What Saki doesn't know is that Makoto isn't just another girl but a boy crossdressing as a girl in school. Instead of being weirded out, like most of the other students, Saki is ecstatic.
The story follows Saki trying to get closer to Makoto and get Makoto to agree to date Saki.

The story and art are very cute and in full colour. It is a mostly lighthearted romantic comedy where some of the classic shoujo romance roles get a bit of a reversal. The story shows some hints of more mature themes around gender and gender expression emerging, but stays predominately lighthearted.

Personally the pacing in this first volumn is too fast and there isn't much depth to the characters and story so far. There are hints that this may change in future volumns, but tonally I was hoping for something less energetic and slower building. Throughout the story Makoto is seen and addressed as a crossdresser instead of Trans, though some flashbacks indicate Makoto feeling wanting to be a girl and not just dressing feminine.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC copy of this book!

This Manga is lovely! I've watched the anime and loved it just as much. The drawing style is clean and cute enough to make the reader root for the characters. Makoto is such a delicate character that just seeing him for on the cover makes you curious about what the character's story is like.

The other main characters, Aoi and Ryuji, are so refreshing in the way that they interact with Makoto and each other. Even the mom is an important character, although I do feel the tension when she appears on the panel I think it makes the perfect contrast between his life in school and at home.

I could keep babbling for many paragraphs about how much I love this manga, but the truth is that it's the first time I've read something like this. It's not represented in a morbid way, instead it shows the soft side of how it's not all sunshine for the character.

Being non-binary, I think it's important to see all kinds of gender representation (even if it's not my own) as it allows me to appreciate the experiences of gender queer characters. I like the fact that Makoto is a complex character who enjoys being himself but is aware of all the dangers that can come with how he presents himself. Although, manga seems to be more used to queer characters, this one is a lot less explicit than most of the other available representations.

Overall, this was a beautiful and refreshing read. The characters and drawings of them are cohesive with the emotion that it wants to show. I recommend this book/Manga to anyone who enjoys reading about wholesome friendship and likes to follow characters' personal growth.

Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate Vol. 1 by Pom is a colourful and unexpectedly touching start to a series that blends light hearted comedy with meaningful reflections on gender expression and identity. At the centre is Makoto, a soft-spoken student who crossdresses at school despite facing judgment, supported by his childhood friend Ryuji and the bold first-year student Aoi, who declares she wants to be Makoto’s first love. Though romantic feelings swirl around him, Makoto himself doesn’t seem romantically inclined toward either friend—adding a refreshing layer of complexity. The story also touches on the difficulties Makoto faces at home with an unaccepting mother and rigid gender expectations, giving the volume more emotional depth than one might initially expect from its bubbly art style.

While the setup hints at a romantic comedy, there’s a surprising amount of heart beneath the surface. The characters are distinct, their relationships nuanced, and there’s a quiet vulnerability to Makoto that makes his journey compelling. There’s still a lot left to explore—especially when it comes to how Makoto understands himself and how the love triangle will evolve—but this first volume lays a strong emotional foundation. It’s sweet, sincere, and sneakily deep. A solid 4-star read, and I’ll definitely be reaching for Volume 2.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a truly adorable read about a rather unique situation: a new trio of friends where one boy cross dresses at school and the girl who loves every side of him, and the boy’s childhood friend who may have some complicated feelings of his own.

I loved their interactions throughout the story, the support around a delicate situation and the insistence on being themselves. The art style is adorable as well, the asides into a more comic style for comedy is excellently used to add additional depth to the emotional moments. I loved every moment of reading it and can’t wait to read the next in the series.

This was an absolutely adorable manga. I was concerned going into the book that it would contain harmful content, due to the word crossdressing but the book handles the topic well. Makoto, the main character, is not revealed as to whether they are nonbinary, gender fluid, or transgender. It was a really cute read, and I would be interested in reading further volumes.

This was a cute manga. A cross dressing boy with a best friend who likes him and a new friend who likes him as a boy or dressed as a girl. Their new little 3 musketeers moments are adorable. The illustration is pleasant. I do wish the writing was a little bit bigger on the e-version. It made it hard to enjoy at times.

This was a sweet, first volume of a series, that also is in color! Makoto crossdresses at school, and despite receiving unpleasant responses, is himself regardless. He is supported by his childhood best friend Ryuji who might be in love with him, but also a first year named Aoi who wants to be Makotos first love. Makotos mom is unaccepting and her rigid gender roles leaves Makoto unable to be himself at home. Though both Ryuji and Aoi seem to have feelings for Makoto, Makoto do not seem to be romantically interested in them. It is a quick read, touching on gender expression and gender roles, and it will be interesting to see where the story leads in volume 2!


I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate, Vol. 1 is a heartwarming story about a cross-dressing schoolboy. The art is adorable, the characters are wholesome, and the narrative gently explores the unique challenges faced both at school and at home. I especially appreciated how it portrays queer identity without fetishization, approaching the theme of self-expression with genuine respect and care.