My Androgynous Boyfriend

a series with such pretty art, but that's all it has? a lot of readers go into this manga with false expectations to begin with; you often see it recommended with titles like 'love me for who i am' and with it's title being what it is, you expect a story tackling gender identity to some degree. that isn't really the series' fault, it's the gap between cultures, and you can argue that displaying such blatant gender nonconformity IS a type of discussion on gender identity... but like, that's not the point, right? nothing really happens in this entire story. i don't see that as an inherentflaw, personally i love slice of life where the biggest problem is what to have for dinner, but there is somehow negative amounts of spark between any given characters. there isn't really anything wrong with any of them, as individual characters i think all of them are very charming-- my personal favorite was kira, i love cold but crazy beautiful characters with attitude problems. theres just no chemistry between anyone. no real relationship building, barely any personal development, nothing feels like it's happening for any like cause and effect reasoning. low stakes is fine... but you expect something to matter, right? choosing a meal for dinner your partner hates and causing a small argument is low stakes, and the resulting conversation about being listened to is development. i didn't really feel like anything mattered at all, and with nothing drawing me in to want to keep reading the last few volumes felt like they just dragged on and on. that all being said though, the art in this series is SOOOO beautiful! i love the attention to detail in fashion, and how pretty and sparkly everything was. you can feel the creators passion for fashion and makeup, something i really connected with personally and i really loved seeing someones passion for a craft be written out so lovingly. tamekou has a fantastic sense of style and is so knowledgeable about different variations... i love that!! any scenes talking in depth about clothes, style, and makeup were my favorites to read and what kept me coming back. this manga is for someone, for sure! i think there is a demographic who will get really into this and i'm happy it exists for them, it's just not mine.