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.

5 ⭐️’s

Arc review. This Arc was graciously provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion

Tropes:
Coming of age
LGBTQIA*
Romance


Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate (English version), follow’s a boy named Mokoto Senpai and his two friend’s, both who are crushing over him, as they all navigate hardships related to his gender expression.

Senpai is a boy whose love for cute things and desire to wear girls clothes has made it really hard for him through out his life. Until one day along comes a girl name Saki Aoi, who’s totally, enthusiastically, and I mean VERY enthusiastically…crushing on him. She doesn’t seem to even remotely care about his gender expression or that he is a cross dresser. (Which I just absolutely loved. Her energy is amazing and I’m totally rooting for her to be honest.)

After Aoi makes her love know Senpai’s best friend Ryuji enters the chat and attempted to run off her off. He seems to be the protective friend type. Maybe he believes that she might be out to hurt or make fun of Senpai, but more realistically it’s probably because he totally in love with his best friend, even though he won’t admit it.

Anyhow , I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I’ll leave it at that. However I just had to say I absolutely loved this story. Not only does it touch on material that probably super relatable for a lot of youth right now, but Aoi’s joyful, non judgmental attitude gave me all the feels.

I really enjoyed the drawings in this manga. The story line fit well for a school based storyline. I really liked the translation notes it gave some background and information about a place/culture that is different than mine! I can’t wait for volume 2!

This was an unexpected read. I thought it would be more comedy and instead it handled the topic of gender identity with seriousness and with a respectful tone, while still highlighting the issues of non acceptance.

Makoto is wonderfully refreshing and sweet, and loves cute things. I love how the author and artist conveyed his gentle nature and love of cute things in contrast with Ryuji, without jumping straight to stereotypes. I also love how Saki is accepting of everything, even going so far as to bond with Ryuji.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I thought this was especially well translated, with incredible cultural notes at the end.

Library's with patrons that like light hearted school stories should get this. Fans of You and I Are Polar Opposites, and Horimiya would enjoy this.

Reading the first chapter, and perhaps judging by the art, I expected more of a comedy story, and it does have plenty of comedy, don't get me wrong, but I was pleasantly surprised with the depth given to Makoto identity as a crossdresser, femenine man, maybeee someone that might fall under the trans/nonbinary umbrella?

I'm also very surprised at the depth of the relationships between the main characters and their clear personalities that come through even in this little amount of episodes. There's certainly some complicated feeling burried both with Makoto and "Master" (lol) and I can't wait to learn more about them. I'm also awaiting to see the growth of the relationships between Makoto and Aoi and also Ryuuji and Aoi.

Overall, a lighthearted enough book that can be read purely for the laughs but also contains characters that one can identify and relate with. I want to read more of It.

**e-arc kindly given by NetGalley**

The first volume of this series is a complete blast!! I can't wait to know how Aoi will try to win Makoto's heart. The part about Makoto's mom broke my heart, but it is so painfully realistic that it fits perfectly into the narrative. This was such a strong start, and I cannot wait for the rest to come!!

Thank you again, Netgalley and Kodansha!

ultimately its a story about acceptance and living the life the way we want to with no regrets. when we go on like this, we're bound to attract the best kind of people along the way.

if you're looking for a read on friendship, identity, and self-expression in a school-setting - here's one for you!

the art style here is exactly what you'd expect to see from an anime - making it much cuter! the bonus chapters also added a bit more to the side stories which were a nice bonus.

First year high school student Saki is head over heels in love with the upperclassman Makoto. Saki doesn't care that they are a girl and confesses her feelings anyway! But Makoto turns her down when in actuality Makoto is a cross dressing boy. 
When he tells Saki, he expects her to be disgusted as he knows all too well about gossip and disapproval but instead her feelings grow stronger! She doesn't care about his gender expression and hopes to win his heart.
But there's also his protective childhood best friend Ryuji who might have more feelings for Makoto then he would admit.
Caught between the two, Makoto must find where his heart lies and create his happy end.

I was so lucky to have received a digital copy of this book. It was a very cute first book for this series and I MUST pick up the next. The pacing was fast and the tone was very lighthearted even with Makoto being the centre of gossip at school and a disapproving mother at home. I am so glad to see a depiction of a boy crossdressing in a manga. I can't say I have ever seen a concept like this, but, I'm hooked. I can't wait to see where this story leads and the developing of these relationships. Who will Makoto choose?

I was a bit worried when I saw the title had the outdated word crossdressing, but I very much enjoyed the LGBTQ+ representation. Showing both the confident out and proud person vs someone who hasn't told their family, made for an interesting dynamic. There were some grammatical mistakes and the art wasn't always very detailed. But, I'm curious how the love stories will unfold with hopefully more self-love

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this manga! This was such a cute read.

We follow Makoto, who likes to dress up as a girl at school. The only place he feels he can be himself. We see his struggle of having to hide that side of himself from his mom. But he’s happiest when he’s dressed up. Aoi, a first year confesses her feelings and we see their relationship slowly blossom as Aoi accepts Makoto just as he is. Ryuji is Makoto best friend and we see their past and how their friendship came to be. I’m excited to see how each character matures and what will be revealed. I love the trios dynamic and while there seems to be some tension between Aoi and Ryuji, you can see they all truly enjoy spending time with each other.

I did not know there was also a Webtoon and Anime, I will definitely be checking them out!


Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Matoko loves all things cute, and he enjoys crossdressing. Most students know this about him except our first year, Aoi, who confesses her love for him, where he tells her the truth about really being a boy. Aoi is still insistent about her feelings, and Matoko's friend Ryuji is skeptical. I really enjoyed this first volume and the little moments between the 3 new friends. This volume also had some sad moments as well that I think will play into future volumes.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for providing this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Overall Vibe/Feeling: emotional, funny, hopeful, lighthearted, reflective, medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Star Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

I really enjoyed this manga! I was worried that it would somehow fetishize trans folks, but it was very gentle and the characters were super cute. I loved that the main love interest (Saki) was not put off by Makoto’s gender and did not make it something weird. She fully accepted him whether he was in boys clothes or girls clothes. And Ryuji was so adorable and protective! It was a sweet little high school romance that ended up being more about friendship amongst all odds, more than anything. I’d love to continue the series, for sure! The art style was very pretty and the translation was really great too. Looking forward to more by this author!

**Content Warnings = Graphic: Transphobia, Moderate: Homophobia, Minor (Barely There): Stalking, Dysphoria

A super cute, entertaining story centered around the theme of cross-dressing. Ridiculed by some, condemned by others and supported by those who support you. Luckily, Hanaoka has Ryuji, his childhood friend, and the energetic Aoi by his side, because they love him just the way he is!
I'm assuming there will be some more conflict in the series. Especially when it comes to the confrontation with his own family and the burgeoning love triangle.
On the whole, the drawings - all in color - are very successful and reflect the tone of the story well. We move back and forth between detailed panels and almost sketchy drawings, but always recognize whether it is meant to be funny or "serious". The emotions of the protagonists get obvious, even without any words or dialogue.
In any case, it made me curious & I thought the start was amazing!

I grabbed this on a whim in the read Now section on Netgally, and oh my GOSH this was so cute!! I love how AOI and Makoto's relationship is blossoming, especially towards the end with the fireworks and I love how all three of the main characters are navigating their way through the crazy world. I will absolutely pick up Vol. 2!

I love the idea of this story. We have a boy who cross dresses at school, a girl who likes both versions of him and his best friend who maybe has feelings for him too?
There wasn’t a whole lot to this first volume, it’s definitely laying the groundwork for the story, but I will be reading more.

Excited to see more of this series. Some basic staple fan girl moments in there. Beautiful illustrations

A cute exploration of teenage friendship, crushes, and exploring gender identity and sexual orientation. The light, well done illustration adds to the youthful feel of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha for the ARC
This is amazing! I'm immediately in love with this story and I want to read all of it.
Like Makoto is open about cross dressing to everyone but his mom but he still secretly yearns so be a girl. (I'm guessing in the OG they might use one of the gender neutral pronouns for him but in English they use he/him) But like seeing how he's been through the bullying and has just accepted it at this point as something he's always going to go through. Until Aoi comes along and confesses that she has feelings for Makoto.
But Makoto at first doesn't believe her, especially since Aoi didn't even know that Makoto was cross dressing. But after telling Aoi she thought it was the coolest thing ever! Which throws Makoto and his best friend through a loop bc no one has ever reacted like that.

I really like how Aoi is so open to everything and we can see why Makoto is so reserved bc like every trans person he just wants to exist in peace with no issues. i can't wait to read more and see how Makoto opens up and shines

I really enjoyed this manga. It's a wholesome story featuring LGBTQ+ themes, and the artwork is stunning.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and the author for the advance copy.