先輩はおとこのこ

SENPAI WA OTOKONOKO

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
10
RELEASE
December 30, 2021
CHAPTERS
100

DESCRIPTION

Can true love really overcome any obstacles? Saki, a high school student, confesses her feelings to Makoto. Taken aback, Makoto reveals his secret, but the sudden discovery doesn’t seem to bother Saki who is already head over heels for him. After being rejected, Saki asks Ryuji, Makoto’s childhood friend, for some advice on how to win his heart. A love triangle unfolds when Ryuji realizes that he might also have some feelings for his old friend.

(Source: WEBTOONS)

CAST

Saki Aoi
Makoto Hanaoka
Ryuuji Taiga
Konatsu Taiga
Mika Hanaoka
Makoto no Ojii-chan

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO SENPAI WA OTOKONOKO

Cover Art for Otokonoko ga Kouhai ni Kokuhaku sareru Hanashi

MANGA RomanceOtokonoko ga Kouhai ni Kokuhaku sareru Hanashi

ANIME ComedySenpai wa Otokonoko

Cover Art for Senpai wa Otokonoko: Deai-hen

MANGA ComedySenpai wa Otokonoko: Deai-hen

Cover Art for Senpai wa Otokonoko: Ame Nochi Hare

MOVIE ComedySenpai wa Otokonoko: Ame Nochi Hare

REVIEWS

femboydirt
89/100
More than a crossdressing manga. Its everything a good coming of age story needs to be.
As a queer person myself, I enjoy reading manga about femboys/otonoko/crossdressing/etc. I initially checked out this manga solely for its title and summary. Something about wholesome queer romance just hits me. This web manga was more than the premise though.

The first chunk of this review will be mostly spoiler free. I will only be talking vaguely about themes and characters. The second half will be filled with spoilers, but I will leave my scores before that.

I was not mentally ready for this manga. I went into it expecting a fluffy rom com with crossdressing. I had just caught up with a different series that was just that. This manga is about a crossdresser and the MC's relationship with them, but it also deals with themes of choice, sexuality, gender identity, identity crisis, self worth, bigotry, difficult parents, etc. Too many things in this manga hit really close to home for me and so many of the struggles felt so real. Self doubt and indecision are core themes of this manga.

I loved how the manga portrayed queerness. All aspects this manga covered was done so well and tastefully. Even the best queer manga can have some problematic aspect to it, but this one manages to understand itself.
The story is a character one. The plot and is shaped by the main 3 characters. The manga seemed to only be planned up until the first major climax. But after receiving serialization and then even printing, the manga continued till 100 chapters.
It is clear the story from that point on is the mangaka writing characters first. While some may read this and feel 100 chapters was unnecessary for the story that was told, I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter. I was deeply invested and wanted to see the characters make it to the end and be happy. There are many swings in the narrative, but none ever feel forced. There was never a point where I felt they were just padding out the story.
I am also the type to want mangas to go on forever. As childish as that sounds, I love the stories that really take their time and let the reader enjoy reading. But characters you want to read about are required for such a feeling. This is not to say the manga goes slow or just meanders around. The plot is always moving somewhere.

The art is really pretty when it needs to be and is in full color the entire time, but I wouldn't call it amazing. Its a pleasing style to look at.

For Story its a solid 9- Same for the characters. Both are easily the stand outs of the manga. A lot of your enjoyment in reading the manga will be how much you connect with the main characters.
As mentioned, the art is good. I personally give it a 7. It has its moments, but its just a good looking web novel for the majority of it.
Where 5 is average for everything, giving this manga a high 8-low 9 comes a lot down to how much I personally got from the series.

Moving into the spoiler section:

The love triangle that forms about 1/3rd through was meh for me at first. Ryuji struggling with his sexuality really did click with me and I felt so conflicted. The manga really does make you root for Ryuji and then reminds you that rooting for him means the main two wouldn't work. Ryuji struggling with his sexuality while Hanaoka struggles with his gender make for such an interesting dynamic.
Seeing Saki deal with indecision and struggling with two absent parents and an aging grandmother while trying to figure out all of her emotions was so engaging. I just wanted to reach through the screen and give her a hug.

So many stories like this have miscommunications and half truths and people not saying what they want to say. I always disliked when mangas would do that. Most of the time, people talk it out and this manga doesn't shy away from that. The characters talk to each other and it doesn't always work out. Each character is dealing with their own issues and can't always support each other.
Sometimes I did wish the manga was more light hearted. Saki's story with her parents and Hanaoka's story with his family really did a number on me emotionally. The fact it mostly worked out in the end and the main couple finally got together is good enough. Its not the perfect fairy tail ending but it didn't need to be.

This review was much more informal than my others. I just had such strong emotions towards this manga.
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