Otomen

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“If loving flowers is sinful then it might be immorally beautiful to commit such a sin.”

What do men think about? That’s what most girls want to know and heck most guys too. Otomen, however, answers this question without a second thought: Guys think about girly things.

Asuka Masamune likes pretty, shiny things, the color pink, and even stuffed animals. Not to mention shoujo manga. Sounds normal enough right? Well, it’s not if you’re boy. At least not to Asuka, who’s suppose to maintain a “manly” image at all times and not shame his family with his fondness for girly objects. To him, walking around with a ... sowing kit and a stuffed bunny is not the ideal to keep his reputation intact. After his father left his mom to become a woman and completely devastating her, she made her only son promise her he would be the manliest of men.

The story is sweet and I have yet to see more character development from Asuka in accepting himself as who he is, but there are still more volumes to go. It just goes to show you some men struggle with their own stereotypes too. It’s not one of those stories you lose sleep with turning page after page because you NEED to know what happens next, but it’s still the one you read and remember it for it’s charm. It would have been more interesting to me, if instead of his girly inner persona he would have had to deal with questioning his sexuality as a whole. But I fear that would have given this manga a serious edge versus a cute fluffly one, which doesn’t seem to be the mangakas intentions. Underneath it all, Asuka is still a guy and his journey into winning the heart of the girl won’t be all cakes and rainbows which makes it all the more interesting

Which brings me to the characters themselves.

Asuka is a different sort of character who hides who he truly is in order to maintain the illusion of what people think he is, including his own mother. Being known for being the prince-like figure in his school because of his fighting abilities and his overall serious demeanor. He has his secret lifestyle under control until the day he saves a girl from being bullied and starts crushing on her. Everything is going more or less on the shoujo path until Juta, a classmate, who’s always been watching him confronts him about the girl and his secret.

Juta was a great addition to this manga where all characters seem to have a closet persona. In his case it’s that he’s the creator of Asuka’s favorite manga. He starts off with the role like his fairy godmother and even though sometimes his intentions aren’t clear, meaning for whose gain he does certain things, they still get done with his meddling (at first). He keeps the fact that he’s a shoujo mangaka a secret from everyone at school to maintain his promiscuous guy imagine, or maybe because of it…Overall, he does lot of things with unclear intentions but he’s definitely a complex and deeply layered character.

Ryo has her own secrets and just proves that not all girls are, well girly. Being raised only by her father, he wanted to make sure he raised a daughter who could take care of herself like a man would. Together this unlikely trio will in a weird way be each others anchors and comfort in finding their true self’s and hopefully find the courage to come out of their shells.

There many more characters some that jump in and add to the story but only for a short time, while Asuka and friends help them deal with their issues and hope they don’t discover his secret while they move on their way. Which feels like it’s the recurring theme with new characters. Drop in, cause confusion, things get settled by doing something involving cake batter , flowers, or pink (or all), and then everyone is happy. Other characters stick around and become more involved and turn out to be enjoyable side characters that make the manga more fun and unpredictable.

I would like to say that all the embroidery and cakes don’t feel repetitive after the first three volumes but that is not the case. It dies down a little and we get to see more sides to Asuka, his boyish charm and chivalry everyone seems to be in love with.

The art is pretty (yes, pretty), I could swear I can see pink everywhere even though it’s in black and white. I blame the way Asuka blushes and light’s up every time he seems something “cute.” There were no disproportions and the kendo and martial arts sections, though short, were nicely drawn. Asuka is the main change in the manga, when he’s being manly or his regular stoic self he looks his part but when he starts changing into his true self, the one that like to sow his aura completely changes, making him look more delicate. Very nicely done.

Otomen or not, the message is clear: Be yourself. Whether you think you’ll be accepted or whether people will ever really understand you. In order for you to become truly happy and succeed, you have to be yourself.

I felt that Otomen needed some more reviews, because it is such a unique manga to begin with. Definitely not a typical shojo manga.

Story : 7/10

The story isn't particularly heavy, at least, not so far it isn't. It's a simple concept that Asuka (the male lead) is a man that adores the cute and comfortable things in life. Such as sewing, knitting, cute things and reading his favorite shojo manga. Unfortunately, after his father left their family due to his hidden and strong desire to be a woman, his mother had barred any and all feminine things from her son. In ... absolute fear that he'd want to be a woman too. So Asuka has to live his life as an 'otomen' (a man that likes cute things, but is still a man), in secret, and show off that he a is a strong, brave, willful and most of all... MANLY.

It's an excellent concept, and it is played well. So far the chapter-by-chapter plots haven't been particularly dramatic or stressful, giving the manga and calm and sweet air most of the time. But when there are some more pressing moments (that aren't laced with bizarre comedy), then it has the capability to be interesting. There hasn't been a dramatic moment as of yet (well, deeply dramatic), so I will be curious how some real drama will be played. I am positive it'll be played well.

Art : 9/10

Her style is beautiful. It is clean, but well done. It doesn't seem to morph too much between the 3 volumes that I have read so far, and it is rather beautiful to look at. All of her manga seem to share this quality, excellent art that is easy to look at. Most particularly Asuka is drawn very well, and he fits the appearance of a sort of strong-male type character very accurately. But, in her skill, she manages to pull off his 'otomen' side excellently without him seeming childish or comical to look at. So when he moves to his true personality, it definitely is not jarring and doesn't take away from the manga.

Character : 8/10

Excellent characters. Particularly the two male leads. Asuka is brilliantly written, and she writes both sides to him perfectly. The strong male and the cute-loving Otomen. Something that is hard to do. Her mastery of art helps to bring the concept across without it being distracting.

The side characters are also interesting enough and a lot of them seem to be leading double lives, or have another aspect to them that isn't entirely obvious when you first meet them. Or, they seem to very strongly follow whatever aspect about them that has been laid out. (Such as a cute-loving 'princess' that we meet later on). While they are one-time characters so far, they aren't annoying and don't seem shallow. Which is good.

Enjoyment : 9/10

This manga is easy to enjoy. Good characters, interesting plot, awesome drawings. Good to just sit down and read. It isn't your typical manga, and things are done slightly differently to the norm. But that's what makes it original and awesome to read. I myself thoroughly enjoyed it.

Overall : 8/10

A good manga. Worth at least the try. Not for everyone, and not for people who are looking for a manga where they can predict everything, or what certain things to happen (such as what happens in a typical manga), but that's defiantly what brings it's charm.

Otomen is steadily becoming popular, and is available now in English, at least up to volume 5 in bookstores (or soon to be).

So you all decide if you think the manga is worth the read, and enjoy Otomen!

No review on this yet?Aww...such a shame.

Story 8/10
Remember reading the summary of it before reading the manga and really appealed to me,so I thought"why not give it a shot?".It was a good choice after all,though hard to find at first.I really like the idea of a handsome guy having what one would call "girly hobbies" and seen him attept to hide it.Don't think I've come across any of this so far(my personal opinion).I didn't give this a ten cause I'd love a little more comedy,it'd be a really nice addition and because you can see some things coming,but still it worths giving it a chance.

Art ... 9/10
The art is very balanced,both looks like shoujo and at the same time you can mistaken it.I found the characters beautiful and well designed in fact.Nothing out of the "ordinary" but that's something to be expected by a shoujo manga.I won't hesitate to even admit that this is one of my favorites when it comes to art,just don't know,the characters(appearances)are just impressive.Will say this again,but so well designed.

Character 8/10
I like their roles and I love the idea that the main character is more feminine and the heroine more muscular(in a good way,not muscles bursting out of muscles).I just mean that their roles have reversed a little.And then we have Tachibana,a mangaka who gets his ideas for his manga from those two.He is funny and not what you can find in any manga.But I'd like to see some character developement.

Enjoyment 9/10
I enjoy reading the manga just like the first time I did.It's unusual and unique in its own way and some might find it weird,but that's what makes it more enjoyable.

Overall 9/10
It was a hard choice,I was really hesitant at first cause I don't rate manga/anime that high exepct of they're really rare and fun to read.So this basically means that according to me this is a rare finding,and pretty rare at first when it came out.I'd recommend this to any fan of romantic genre who is also open-minded and doesn't mind that this doesn't go the traditional way.

Let me know whether you liked my review.

Inside every man resides a woman – this may sound weird but such is the case when it comes to Otomen.

Story:

It is a story revolving around a high school student, Asuka Masamune who leads a double life – the first being a charming, chivalrous and masculine president of the Kendo club and the second being his true self, that is, a boy that likes everything girlish and excels in everything (from cooking to sewing to baking) a woman does. Yet he is forced to hide his true self in an effort to meet society’s expectations of how real men should act like.

Nonetheless, ... that all changes when one day he saves a female classmate from bullies in school and fell in love with her at the first sight. Unfortunately (and fortunately), the girl is not all about hearts and flowers.

The story itself is commendable, with a gratifying degree of originality. So far, I have hardly come across another manga that explores the concept of boys being portrayed in a feminine way while at the same time still manages to retain that mannish nature. I like how the mangaka draws readers into this genre in a light hearted way without appearing to be trying too hard to please. Throughout the series, I could feel the pure joy and satisfaction the mangaka derived from drawing this manga.

Characters:

When it comes to the male protagonist, Asuka Masamune, it is sort of a love-hate relationship with him i.e. I love him and hate him at the same time (although love makes up the majority in this case).

I love the fact that he stands out noticeably as the gentle, loving, meticulous and affable hero. His strong sense of masculinity, confidence and steadfast perseverance in standing up for his beliefs and protecting his love ones balances his overall image. As a female, it’s difficult not to like him and to a certain extent he reminds me of Kim Jaejoong of the TVXQ fame (i.e. k-pop shippers will know what I’m talking about here).

However at times, Asuka’s totally-too-good-to-be-true good-nature potentially irk readers off, especially in times when you wish he could have been ruder on his attitude and put himself before others. It’s like, this nice chap is forever so patient and affectionate and has never once exploded with anger. While such attributes are admirable and makes a perfect recipe for a manga hero, a pleasant chap like him is likely to be friend zoned by his female counterparts in real life.

The female protagonist however sort of lacked character and personality to bring out her tomboyish image (which is what she is portrayed to be). It felt like the mangaka tried not to put too much focus on the female e protagonist as the limelight of the series is supposed to be on the hero and exploring the realities and challenges young Otomen face in today’s society. (i.e. basically Otomen refers to men who have feminine interests and hobbies but are not necessarily gays).

The supporting characters are also rather likeable – you have Otomens of all sort – a boy who is passionate about make-up and cosmetics, another who is obsessed with flowers and a delusional shortie that is constantly coming up with ideas to change himself and attract girls. Overall, they provide a solid support for the main characters and comic relief to the series.

Art:

The art work is clean and crisp – the lines are neatly defined and greyish shadings are kept to the minimum so as to convey the bright positive image of the manga. The characters are nicely drawn and I love the mangaka’s portrayal of Asuka (the male protagonist)’s boyish charm and chivalry. I especially adore the contrast between how his face blushes and his eyes lit up warmly when he sees something cute / fluffy as opposed to the manly aura his eyes and posture exudes in the face of danger and adversities.

The little details – such as the decorations, bentos, pastries and cakes are deliciously illustrated that even in black and white, the desserts and food look yummy and you wished it would just popped out of the manga and turned into real food.

Overall:

Although certain chapters may seem repetitive, the underlying message in Otomen is clear – be yourself because no one else can. Accept yourself for who you are and make the best out of your attributes such that they become your greatest assets and strengths.

If other shoujo titles are about wacky romance, laughter and tears, then Otomen is a notch sweeter – it’s about smiles and sweet moments.

If you are expecting hard core romance or intense drama, then Otomen is not for you. However, if you don’t mind a toffee-like taste of sweetness albeit slightly placid pace of story, Otomen definitely does you justice.

Overall, Otomen is a sweet, light hearted read that leaves readers with the feeling of a light spring breeze. It makes a good company if you want to spend a lazy quiet afternoon in the comfort of your room with tea and cookies.

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.

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 love waiting for the batter to bake. I think of the smiles and the pleased looks of the people who eat it. When i do that...it warms my heart"

Story: 9/10
Art: 10/10
Character: 10/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall: 10/10

A slow start for the story while characters were introduced, this story built up into something truely heartwarming.

The plot idea, as most who are interested to read this manga can tell, is very original and you probably have yet to read anything like this. However, I do feel that the story lacked a tiny bit of development in terms of the plot. And if you want to see very lovey ... dovey scenes, well you won't get it from this manga (you'll get really heartwarming scenes though, which i feel is just as good)

The characters are very unique and what made me come to love this manga is the character development, especially in the later part of the manga (since, as i said earlier, the manga started pretty slow and slowly built up). The main (male) character slowly came to be (and love) himself for who he really is through the different experience with his friends and other characters.

What I love the most from this manga is how every character is developed, not so much so that it is overly draggy, but enough for you to understand their actions and how they change. See, character development right here for you. While the side characters were being developed, the main characters weren't left out either, and you could see the relationship between each character grow.

Art was beautiful too. Look at it. Enough said.

If you have time and some patience (to get through the front part of background infomation and slow build up) please pick up this manga. I promise you you will not regret it.

Honestly I dropped this manga for a bit after the front part because of how slow it was, but when i picked it up again boy did i regret dropping it. So if you ever get bored of it, just stop reading it and leave it for another time.

ps. it's quite funny here and there too, especially with how "manly" Ryo is and how Asuka can just randomly break out with sparkling eyes (he's so cute!!)

Otomen is quite an outstanding shojo manga. It's clever, cute and, in my opinion, very original :)

It's not your average shojo manga in many different ways. For starters the story itself revolves around the feelings of a guy rather than a girl. I find it refreshing to read a romance from the guy's point of view because honestly as a girl I already have a pretty good idea of how girls think when they like someone and it's just intriguing to see how a guy might think in the same situation (even if he is an otomen).

Asuka is also such an adorable guy, just ... seeing his otomen ways makes me wish I had an otomen for myself (he's just so darn cute >.

I love this manga!!!

When I first started reading it a few years ago, the plot really struck me. I found it interesting, but ended up dropping it because I had my own gender biases at the time. Interestingly, about 2 weeks ago, I started thinking about this plot and wondered about the name of the manga. I ended up finding it while looking up other mangas to read! I was thrilled to have found this manga again, and actually finished it in a week!

Regardless of your nationality, it might be hard for some to understand the imagine how the stereotypes depicted in this story could ... be possible. However, I can testify that the biases, social norms, and social pressure to act according to your own gender is no joke in some places around the world. Because of this, I am thankful for Kanno sensei for bringing this contradictory issue to light. It is not only important to those who face discrimination to be heard, but also to those who have no idea of their own subconscious biases to read about a different point of view.

This manga has taught me a lot about how to stay true to yourself and love yourself while you love others. All the characters were lovable, and the relationship between Asuka and Ryo was epic! The ending was also very satisfying!!