Otomen

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

One of the hidden gems of Shoujo manga which I think it's more borderline Shounen since the main character is a guy and yet another guy and a girl whose traits similar to a guy.

This manga tells a story about a masculine, nation's top kendo athlete, Masamune Asuka, who has it all: tall, rich, cool, not a playboy, dignified BUT he actually favours feminine hobbies: collect and make dolls, embroidery, cooking, decorations, house cleaning. When Asuka was young, his father left the family to become a woman. His mother felt disappointed and betrayed by his actions and swore never to let Asuka turned into his ... father - feminine and all. Lucky for him, his mother is a succesful business woman who travels a lot and whenever she is not home, he lets out all his doll and cross stitch collections.

The other character is Tachibana Juuta, school playboy who is secretly a shoujo mangaka under a pseudonym. He loves women around him and dates many of them because he is looking for inspiration for his manga. He wants to find this perfect girl who is feminine but alas he cannot find her, until one day he discovered Asuka's secret. Juuta then realized that there are no person more feminine than Asuka, the feared and respected Kendo captain. Juuta is also struggling to keep his identity hidden so that he can live a normal life and provide for his big family.

The girl of the story is Miyakozuka Ryo, daughter of a tough policeman, who was raised only by her father after her mother passed away. Her father raised her the only way he knows, tough and street fighting-style with a deep sense of justice (well, he is a policeman, anyway). One of the funniest part of this manga is when a teacher visited Ryou's house and went into her room and found out that the room looks more like a dojo instead of a girly room.

The romance is a triangle in this manga: from Asuka to Ryou and from Juuta to Asuka, although the last one is not evident but the way Juuta realized that no other person would made such lovely bento, stitch his loose buttons, make teddy bears, than Asuka. He is the one for him but in a personality kind of way. Juuta also admired Ryou and very supportive of the budding romance between the two.

The message is clear on this manga: love and embrace who you really are inside. Don't be afraid to be yourself because other people is also struggling to be who they are, as well.

When I was walking along in the manga section of the library, I saw this odd manga. I picked it up and thought it looked stupid. (Never judge a book by it's cover.) Still, I checked it out just for grins and giggles. This is by far the funniest manga I've ever read!

Story: 8/10
It is a basic love story, only with a girly male and manly female. There are a few "dramatic" moments, but, overall, it's a light-hearted story.

Art: 7/10
Personally, I wasn't too keen on the art because...well...it was too "girly" for my liking. But, it is a shoujo manga and it fits the story.

Characters: ... 8/10
Oh how I love these characters! Each one is so lovable! They all have their cons, but not to a point where they're annoying. Of course, they have their pros too. Most of the male characters you meet have their own little otomen side. Also, the characters develop a bit along the way. It's nothing major, but it's still fun to see certain characters grow closer.

Enjoyment: 9/10
Like I said earlier, this is the funniest manga series that I've read! I was actually laughing out loud, and it takes a lot to make me do so. Otomen also gives me the warm fuzzies at points too~

It's worth the read if you want a hilarious, light-hearted story. :3

I've only read the first book of this series, but it was pretty darn terrible. Basically, the story is about a boy who secretly loves "feminine" things, but feels he has to hide that side of himself and instead be overly masculine. Inexplicably, his friend is a secret manga artist drawing a manga based on the main character.

I'm all about breaking gender roles and stereotypes, trust me, but this just felt like it actually *enforced* those stereotypes more than anything. It still felt very binary and only marginally progressive, in spite of the opportunity for this to be so much ... more.

Not to mention, the characters are all fairly one-note, and remained undeveloped through the entire book. I realize it's only the first book of many, but there was still plenty of story and time to make the characters more three-dimensional and less shallow.

I don't believe I will continue on with this series.