First, I loved that this was a full color manga. Second, I really love that manga with queer themes are becoming more mainstream.

I read “I Cross-Dressed for the IRL Meet Up” and loved how they handled the subject of cross dressing and being trans as well. When I saw this, I was hopeful it would be along similar lines and was not disappointed. I will definitely be continuing this one

I have mixed feelings about this manga. Not really sure how to feel about it. At first I wasn't expecting much but as I kept reading it got somewhat better. I expect this story will get better and better as the story goes on.

Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate it´s a very funny manga that stands out for its color pages. Although it doesn't go into the subject matter in a serious way, it keeps the attention and attracts the attention due to the personality of its characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for this advanced reader's copy.

Senpai is an Otokonoko is a fun full-color manga. Saki is a first year who has a crush on the older Makoto. She confesses her feelings, and Makoto reveals they're not a girl but in fact a cross-dressing boy. This revelation only causes Saki's infatuation to grow, but Makoto has sworn off love after being made fun of. His childhood friend Ryuji joins the mix protecting him from what he perceives as threats from Saki. The three have a fun chemistry and I loved the progression of the different storylines and seeing their background. I look forward to reading more of this series! Thanks to Kodansha and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much for letting me read this manga. This was such a cute and lovely manga and even in color.

Rating: 3 for manga's ability to normalize queerness

My Thoughts:
Makoto is a beautiful sophomore in high school, but when freshman Saki confesses her love for Makoto, Makoto has to let her know that he is actually a crossdresser. I don't know if Makoto is trans, but I will use the same terminology as this manga, so I am assuming that Saki is attracted to Makoto as a female, but once she finds out he is a male, she is still attracted, so I guess gender is fluid for both. I think that is what I mean by normalizing queerness. It's not a thing. For example, the reader knows that Makoto got harassed for being a crossdresser, but by his sophomore year, it seems to be accepted if not liked by all. In addition, Makoto's mom does not know that he is a crossdresser, but no one at school tells her, including the administration.

In addition, Makoto has a childhood friend, Ryuji, that is very protective of Makoto and cautious of Saki as a weird outsider that could harm Makoto. There is definitely more than just friendship vibes, at least from Ryuji towards Makoto, but volume 1 does not really go into that. I have not seen the webtoon or the television series of this story, but I think readers will get more of the same shenanigans with Saki chasing Makoto.
From the Publisher:
First-year high school student Saki is head-over-heels for the older Makoto. After all, this senpai is tall, beautiful, and oh-so-cool... Who wouldn’t fall for a girl like her? The bright and bubbly Saki doesn't hesitate to confess her feelings. But Makoto turns her down, because Makoto isn’t a girl, but rather a cross-dressing boy!

Second-year Makoto is used to the negatives that come with his love of cross-dressing: harsh gossip from his classmates, the disapproval of his mother... Most of his classmates already know, but still, when he tells Saki, he expects her to be disgusted. Yet Saki's feelings only grow stronger, and she says she doesn’t care about Makoto's gender expression. In fact, she's determined to win him over and become his first love!

Caught between the straightforward Saki and his overly protective childhood friend Ryuji--who may have feelings for Makoto of his own--Makoto must navigate a complicated love triangle and chart his own course to happiness.

Publication Information:
Author/illustrator: Pom
Publisher: Kodansha Comics (August 19, 2025)
Print length: 176 pages

Loved this! Makoto loves cute things and dressing up in a feminine way, but he has to hide what he loves because of his mother's strict expectations for him and his schoolmates. Being true to himself has brought a couple of people his way who truly accept him for who he is though - with his friends falling deeper into their love and appreciation for Makoto every day they get to know each other. I genuinely loved this a lot. I'm not too sure why I don't think I should give a 5 stars at the moment, it just doesn't feel right. Maybe it's the lack of insight into the way the characters think and feel beyond a few repetitive reasonings from the main character (Makoto)? I think this would be cleared up in further volumes of the manga when we get to know them all more, but for now I'm left a little unsatisfied.

I'll be keeping my eye out on the following volumes.

This first volume is so sweet and cute and exactly the type of manga I love. It's really nice to see manga stories evolve to the point where we can have such inclusive and varied portrayals of gender. This isn't the first manga I've read that plays with gender but it's a welcome addition to my beloved reads.

I definitely plan to stock this at my store and secure myself a personal copy. I also intend to keep reading as I'd love to see where it goes. I also love the continuing trend of publishing full color manga! The palette used for this series is lovely and adds to the cozy and sweet vibes it aims for.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the ARC access!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha, and Pom for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I truly enjoyed this! The art style is cute, and every character is incredibly lovable. Aoi's resilience shines through her stubborn hope that Makoto might one day return her feelings. What's even more touching is how she's slowly winning his heart simply by being unapologetically supportive of him, something he rarely experiences outside of his friendship with Ryuji. Their dynamic is genuinely heartwarming!

Story-wise, this manga could spark important conversations about romantic attraction, sexuality, and gender identity. Consider:

• Aoi developing feelings for Makoto while he's presenting femme, then lights up at the idea of experiencing "both versions" of him after learning he's a cross-dresser. She's drawn to him, regardless of gender presentation.

• Ryuji's potential romantic feelings for Makoto, complicated by his own unprocessed emotions and internalized norms.

• Makoto's love of cute things and crossdressing potentially being the beginning of deeper gender exploration.

There's so much depth waiting to be explored here. I can't wait to see where the mangaka takes this blossoming love story. Most of all, I'm rooting for Makoto to reach a place where he truly believes he deserves love exactly as he is.

Second-year Makoto has a problem, well rather several problems. He cross-dresses as a girl at school which has led to first-year Saki to fall for him. And Saki does not care that Makoto actually is a boy. She likes him as he is. Then there is Ryuji, Makoto's over-protective friend since kindergarten. In this volume, the trio has managed to come to terms that they can all live with, but what will happen next school term? We will just have to wait and see.

Thanks Netgalley and Kondasha for the chance to read this title.

This is a really cute cross bender manga.

I was skeptical in the beginning because I didn’t know how it would play out but I love the pacing and where the manga is heading first as far as being friends first and then most likely falling in love.

The art style is very nice and the characters are cute. This is definitely something I would recommend to others and I will be reading in the future.

Perfect for young queer kids wanting to read something that reflects themselves.

I like that it is simply that Makoto, a boy, likes to dress up like a girl. Like it is just laid out and you either get with the program or you are left behind. It's endearingly sweet. It's for an age group that does not get a lot of attention. I'm excited to see more stuff at this level!

This was such a sweet first volume- I didn't realise at first that this was adapted from a webcomic but I'm really glad I requested this one.
The art is super cute and the story (so far) is very sweet and easy to read.

The female main character is adorable, cheerful and positive and I love the energy she brings to the story. Even in the first volume seeing how the relationship between the two progresses is so wholesome and cute.
100% will be continuing the series and hopefully picking up a physical copy on release!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the advance copy.

This was such a cute first volume! The art is nothing to write home about in most panels and some pages feel a bit empty (probably from being adapted from a webcomic), but there are a few illustrations that are absolutely gorgeous for big and emotional moments throughout the volume. Makoto, Aoi, and Ryuji are all such interesting characters and while we don't know too much about them in this volume I will be eagerly awaiting the next volume! I am especially excited to learn more about Ryuji's feelings and his friendship with Makoto.

The story follows Makoto who has grown used to being treated differently for expressing himself but one day he meets Aoi who does not care how he dresses. She will do anything to go out on a date with him but Makoto doesn't think he'll develop feelings for her. Ryuji, Makoto's childhood friend, does not think Aoi is serious and tries to protect his friend but they eventually all end up being friends.
It's a short but cute story, I would have liked to see more stuff actually happen. I think it has great potential though and I hope we get to see Makoto overcome his personal struggles so he can be himself at home too.

Thank you Netgalley, Kodansha Comics, and Pom for the e-arc!

This series follows Makoto, a cross dressing boy who loves girly things and clothes, Saki, a girl with a crush on Makoto before and after she found out he is a boy, and best friend Ryuji, who also has a little bit of a crush on Makoto.
Makoto holds people at arms length because of bad past experiences that happened because of how he dresses as well as hides himself from his mother.

This is the first volume of what I believe to be a 100 chapter series, and the pacing was perfect. This is definitely a story I could sit down and binge read. Saki is such a cute and overly positive character and I love that the idea someone might not like Makoto because of how he dresses never crosses her mind nor makes sense to her. Positive queen.

Overall this is a cute story with a cute art style and I’m very excited to continue the series!

This was so CUTE! For such a short story, it really had a lot to say. Makoto is such an interesting character. It's not a secret at school that he likes to dress like a girl, but it's definitely a secret at home. It's really interesting to see the contrast where he's very reserved around his classmates, but then gets really excited at the idea of cute (ie. girly) things.

I really liked seeing the friendships grow between the first page and the last. Makoto became a little less reserved and more trusting, and he's actually quite protective. He knows he's different, and he doesn't want people to get bullied simply because they associate with him.

It was pretty clear this was simply a first installment to introduce the characters and their dynamic together. I look forward to seeing what these characters get up to in future installments.

I enjoyed this manga. It is realistic in how it approaches the theme of someone who has to hide who they are from their parents. Makoto loves cute things and wants to dress up in female clothing. He ignores the jabs from his classmates because he is able to freely express himself at school.

Their life changes after they get a sincere confession from Aoi, a junior in their school. Aoi is a breath of fresh air that accepts all of Makoto as they are.

Ryuji is Makoto's childhood friend that has his own issues to work through. He is protective of Makoto but also sees that Aoi would be good for them.

This manga is full of sincere moments and I can't wait to own a copy when it gets published.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-Arc and this is my honest opinion.

Senpai is an Otokonoki: My Crossdressing Classmate
-June 17
-Volume 2: August Volume 3: October
The manga is all colored with a simple art style for the majority of it; although there are some panels that definitely pop out compared to the rest. I didn’t realize this until today, but there is an anime adaptation of this series- I have not watched it so this post is solely based on what I have read in volume one. Aoi’s actions do seem to be breaking Makoto’s walls down that he has built to protect himself, while also becoming allies with Ryuji. I enjoy the fact that Makoto has two allies that accept him for who he is. Their interactions between one another are fun too, especially since Aoi usually brings to light what Ryuji truly feels/thinks. I also like that Ryuji was hesitant about Aoi getting closer to his friend until she basically found out his feelings for Makoto too. While reading you can get a sense of what Makoto has been feeling and what he has to deal with both at home and school. I have a feeling at some point his mom will find out about the crossdressing.

Makoto has liked cute things for as long as he can remember; however, his mother stears him toward things that are “suited for boys”. So he started to keep a secret from her. He only crossdresses and keeps cute things at school. Everyone at school is aware of this and keeps their distance from him. Then one day an underclassman, Aoi, confesses to him, even after discovering Makoto is a boy she surprises him by accepting both versions of him. Aoi is determined to get closer to Makoto, but she has to get over the hurdle of being accepted by Makoto’s childhood friend, Ryuju.

I liked it, I see potential in it, especially because I think it could open up interesting conversations around gender and identity. However, I do have some doubts. Crossdressing is mentioned as something frowned upon that the main character does in secret, but it doesn’t go much deeper into whether he simply likes cute things and that's his way of expressing himself, or if there’s something more going on. In fact, he seems uncomfortable being seen in his “male” clothes and behaving in a more traditionally masculine way, which makes me think this might be explored later on or maybe not at all, since I believe this story is a bit old, so I’m not sure what concepts it actually deals with.

I really liked the best friend character,I feel like the dynamic between the three main characters could turn into something really good if developed properly. On the other hand, the love interest didn’t fully convince me. The way she’s written, almost like a stalker, with some weird behavior felt a bit uncomfortable to me. Maybe it’s supposed to be part of the comedy, but if the manga took a more serious tone, I think I’d had love it more, because it does have these emotional moments where both the art and atmosphere shift and it ended up beautifully.

I’d only recommend it as a quick, light read for entertainment, especially if you’re not looking for something too deep. It has some lovely moments, but I’m still unsure whether it will handle the themes it hints at in a meaningful worthy to read way.

Thank you netgalley for a copy of the manga this was an honest review.