Apr 8, 2025
This is a light, basic, and sweet genderbender/tensei manga. No part overstays its welcome and it's just a parade of cute moments.
Before I continue, let me list three main aspects of any GB story:
1. was the 'bent guy before the change already an effeminate boy, or more butch?
2. is s/he after the change more of a girly girl, or more of a tomboy (at least initially)? (Or in other words, how well does he adapt and "go native")
3. when do the people in his/her life find out?
The answer to 3. is "immediately", which is a bit atypical for those GB stories where there is a
...
permanent change. For 1. and 2. both it's "always girly", which I actually prefer. I have been reading genderbender manga for over 10 years, but I have yet to encountered one that really does a fully satisfying "very masculine boy becoming more feminine over time" variant. It's always either the effeminate or vanilla guys that are pulled off well.
So, let me talk about two moments I of this manga I enjoyed:
When Kei went over to Eito's house in chapter 14, s/he almost left in her lazy home clothes, but her nee-chan held her back to put on something cuter for the occasion. So Kei ends up going with a T-shirt that is just a little bit too cropped to be a guy's shirt, shorts that are in a style just a little bit too short to be seen on a teenage guy, and socks that are pulled up just a little bit too tall too.
Glorious: https://i.imgur.com/IuZIJGM.jpeg
I find it awesome because first of all I have something of a fetish for shorts and slightly boyish outfits on girls. I would absolutely be flustered and tripping over my words seeing my 'bent childhood friend like that (also, I can't stress enough how much I prefer shorts and pants over skirts ... we unfortunately don't live in the timeline where girls like in this manga have to wear serafuku with shorts/pants.....but...the future, is long).
But secondly, I think this little scene is a good contribution to the wider GB manga sphere, because most of these at this point would have done a full glow-up with the character doing their hair in a really feminine manner and putting on a dress or skirt (or being forced into one, the more common scenario. Yes, there already WAS a "being forced into a skirt" moment already, but I mean specifically in the context of "dressing up for your love interest"-type moments).
The other moment I wanted to briefly touch upon is the only genuinely dramatic scene in the manga yet. The only one that really makes one take a step back for a moment, cross ones arms, and go "hum".
It is the moment in chapter 8, when Eito switches to a last name basis for Kei, which in Japan is the standard between male and female classmates.
Don't do that now ...: https://i.imgur.com/0Zii3gB.jpeg
This really shows how genderswap is not just a vehicle for cute and fluffy moments, but can also deliver some hard-hitting and melancholic payoffs, if that is the author's intent. Indeed, Kei-chan herself later reflects on that, that the change made her and Noel (her girl childhood friend) closer, but brought more distance between her and Eito.
That's all there is to say, really. The manga is ongoing and any new chapter created by the fantastic Yuu Yabuuchi (who has been doing shoujo since the 90s) and scanlated by daily multivitamin is a joy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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