oh my gosh I'm so happy I discovered this! This has to be one of the cutest, most wholesome (but not boring at all!) things I've ever read.
I love stories about people who feel like they're weird for some reason or another, and then someone comes along and likes them just the way they are. I think a lot of us can relate to feeling like there's some part of ourselves that's too weird to share or we've been teased for it and that kind of thing. It is just the cutest thing in the world to see Aoi being not just accepting of Makota but fully admiring him the way he is, and treating him normally instead of 'othering' him.
It was giving me vibes of Sasaki and Miyano, both in the friendship dynamics, the hobby that isn't considered normal for your gender, and the adorableness of the crush.

If you are worried about the love triangle aspect, I got the feeling from this volume it won't be a huge issue. Unless I'm wrong, it's pretty clear who the end game should be. And the best part is every character is lovable, so at the very least you won't be suffering through an annoying third wheel.

I cannot wait to read the rest of this series. Definitely definitely pick it up and give it a try. You will be giggling and kicking your feet within a few pages.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC 💜

Thsi was a cute manga and an interesting beginning to a series. The story set-up is a bit funny, but then the actual story is more heartwarming than I expected, so it was a nice surprise.

A quick read with a cute story. Feels like most slice-of-life/rom-com type mangas but still a nice read nonetheless.

In this story, freshman Saki falls for an older schoolmate, Makoto, an otokonoko (cross dressing boy). Saki relentlessly starts pursuing Makoto and even wants the help of his best friend, Ryuji, to help her win him over to become Makoto’s first love. This book starts to show the blooming of a new friendship between the trio with hopes from Saki for more

Yeesh. This really was a nothingburger of a story, unfortunately. Otokonoko translates roughly to "male daughter"; a male who has a feminine gender expression. In English, we would probably just say that they had socially transitioned. The story has the potential to be interesting, but so far, it is just a comedic shojo that plays into every single classic shojo trope. The story itself, so far, really has nothing going for it. The art itself I also had issues with. A lot of it appears oddly low quality? I only say this because there are a few random panels, usually during the more dramatic scenes, where the art quality spikes really hard and looks gorgeous. It makes the rest of the volume like bland in comparison. It the art quality was more even throughout the novel, it would probably be a bit better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

A sweet high school romance with a gender-nonconforming twist. Some of the gender stuff doesn't seem to have an exact equivalent in the English language, which makes talking about it a little interesting -- it's unclear to me whether Makoto is meant to be read as a trans girl, since otokonoko is translated as "crossdresser" and Makoto is referred to by male pronouns regardless of how they're dressed. So far the plot, including the love triangle, is played pretty consistently with any other shoujo romance! I personally don't love a love triangle but your mileage may vary. The art is cute but not particularly memorable.

With the anime released last summer, I saw the handkerchief scene in the tree, which piqued my curiosity (I thought it was a yuri).

The gender bender/cross dressing is very common in manga. But sometimes it's just a pretext for fan service rather than a real story tackling important issues.

Here, in this full-colour webtoon, the story is pleasant to follow and promising. It explores the psychology of a character who is misunderstood and unaccepted by his family. There's also a love triangle in the offing, which promises to be exciting. I hope that trans-identity will be explored in greater depth in the sequel.

However, the transition between the basic/simple drawings (if not sometimes messy like page 55) and the very careful/detailed drawings (for example pages 18 or 30) is disturbing.

I hope Ryuji and Makoto end up together!

Senpai Is an Otokonoko is an interesting mix between web comic and traditional manga. Not only is the format unique, but the story as well. We follow along with the lives of Makoto (the titular senpai) a boy who likes to dress up as a girl, Aoi who confesses her feelings to Makoto, and Ryuji, Makoto's childhood friend.

"It seems that all things cute in this world... ...are just for girls."

I picked this up after watching the first season of the anime, which I absolutely adored. Pom knows how to delicately handle topics pertaining to both identity queerness and sexuality queerness. They perfectly capture the experience of being a teen, and having all these messy feelings to deal with. All the characters have rich inner lives and are brimming with personality.

"I like... ...both versions of you."

This first volume starts with a banger of an opening, and we can already see the author slowly laying down the puzzle pieces of what's to come. While we don't get the more elaborate backgrounds we usually see in manga, the art style is fresh and dynamic, and the character designs are clasically shoujo.

Senpai Is an Otokonoko is your next favourite read if you enjoy the exploration of various aspects of queerness combined with a coming of age story with loveable characters.

This was such a lighthearted and fun read! I am so invested in the characters and I can't wait to read the next volume!

I forgot how much I loved reading comics! Makoto is a kid who loves girly stuff and decides to cross dress at school. He gets asked out by so many boys, none of them knowing that “she” is actually a “he.” Makoto looks adorable in girls' clothing, and I was just as shocked as the first year girl who asked him out when he revealed the truth!

I had a suspicion that Ryuji, his childhood bestie, had a crush on him. I really loved Aoi’s determination to date Makoto—I was like, "This kid doesn’t give up that easily!" 😂

The bonus chapters were such a treat. This whole manga was so cute and funny; I finished it in one sitting. It felt like watching a movie about three school kids living a typical school life and enjoying their summer.

I can’t wait to read Volume 2!

This is my honest opinion about the ARC I received. Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity!

Thank you, NetGalley for an ARC of this manga

this was an interesting read about a boy called Makoto who has always had a pull towards things that are more feminine in nature so at school his cross dresses as a girl feeling more himself ( reading this book i saw this as more of an expression for a child slowly finding his true inner self which could show the journey of transgenderism ).

I have recently found out this is apart of a bigger series on webtoons and i am tempted t go and look it up, because i am interested in more to see where it leads since this is my first time hearing of this series

I will confess I hadn’t read this webtoon previously to it being collected by Kodansha but I am somewhat obsessed now. It is such a simple manga in the terms of being somewhat slice of life and somewhat romance and yet it deals with so much in its pages. I adored how it handles Makoto’s desire to dress and act as a girl but how they have to hide this from their mother. Like wise I adored that Ryuji and Saki love and care for them regardless. It’s equally light hearted and adorable.

The colour pallet used suits the story so well and the art is beautifully suited too. I am definitely going to be collecting this one.

As always thank you to Kodansha Comics for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

This is so cute, and the art is a perfect style for it the story, soft and a little melancholy, as if setting up for both hijinks and sad backstory. While what we get in volume 1 is mostly sweet setup, you can tell there's more to why Makoto has to keep his clothing choices to school, among other pains that all three of them seem to have hidden. I'm looking forward to more!

Where do I even start? I thought this was so cute and wholesome! The unexpected love confession that blooms into this friendship group was so cute and surprising! And the MC loving cute things but also doesn’t want anyone to talk to them because they’re scared they’ll get bullied broke my heart! Ugh I just want to give MC a hug! I think it’s sad MC has to hide themselves from their mom, but I really love that they have found a little slice of happiness with the friends they’ve made that don’t judge or treat MC any differently. very cute and would 100% read this volume again!

This is so cute! I can't wait to read the rest!!
This is such a fun and quick read! I normally don't go for cute mangas/books it's not really my genre but the crossdressing had me picking it up and I'm so glad i did!!

I watched the anime for this and was very excited to see the manga was being released.
Vol.1 did not disappoint! A lovely romcom that made me fall in love with the story all over again. Plus, the art was beautiful and fully colored as well which was lovely to see !

This manga is a simple and adorable read. Makoto likes to cross dress at school. With this comes bullying and isolation. But a girl named Aoi is determined to push her way in and get close to Makoto. Makoto’s childhood friend Ryuji is untrusting of those who try to get close to Makoto, but learns to make space for Aoi. This manga follows this cute love triangle along a path of friendship, acceptance, and understanding. I can’t wait to see this story continue.

The manga is exactly what I thought it'd be! A lighthearted adorable romcom with incredible art (also fully coloured!!)

The manga is about Makoto who cross-dresses as a girl and Saki who asks Makoto out and doesn't mind him cross dressing at all. It does showcase some of the challenges of how one identifies themselves and how other people react as well as how it impacts family, but it keeps it all in a light manner.

It's such a cute and fun read. I'll definitely be reading the coming volumes too as I'm excited to see where Makoto and Saki's journey will lead them and whether there will be more romance in the future.

Definitely recommend!

This was pretty dang cute and the subject of Makoto's identity was handled thoughtfully. I really hope to see more of this title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-book copy!

This title surprised me I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I think it handled the subject matter very well and I loved all of the characters so far. I am intrigued to see where the story will go and if romance will become more of a focus. I recommend giving this a try!

Thank you Netgalley & Kodansha for the arc!

The story follows Makoto navigating high school in pursuit of being his true self and expressing himself through cross dressing. Despite the difficulties he faces he’s got a support system with his best friend and his newest friend who is very persistent on wanting to become a couple.

This was my first introduction to the series as I had only heard a few things about it online and I’m so glad I finally got to read the first volume of the manga!

I really love how this volume handles the theme of self expression especially when it comes to how one identifies themselves and overcoming the challenges that come alongside it.

While the story is overall lighthearted, it does showcase the reality that some may experience getting backlash on trying to be their true self.

I’m so excited to see where this series goes and I can’t wait to learn more about Makoto, Saki & Ryuji! I hope we are able to explore more about the challenges Makoto faces, I feel like this series can be the perfect blend of comedy with tear jerking moments that really add to the character’s development and relatability!