Secret☆Girl

Frankly, when I get to reading a shoujo manga I don't really expect depth of story and/or character, and those low expectations are rarely wrong. It's the same with this particular manga. The plot of a girl entering an all-boys school pretending to be a boy is nothing new. The fact that she is a rather complacent, passive character opposed to a strong, protective male lead is also nothing new. Basically, Boku ni Natta Watashi offers nothing new. There are hints of examining the established gender roles, but the mangaka does not go into it deeper - she keeps it superficial - as if allthere is in being a girl is wearing frilly dresses and showing off your tits (if you have anything to show). The major resentment I normally have with gender bender is that, so far, I have not found a manga that offers a deeper psychological insight into what it means to be a boy or a girl, and I was somewhat disappointed that Shimaki Ako opened these questions but did not pursue the answer. All of that being said, I absolutely adore Shimaki Ako's art. It's beautiful, simple, yet expressive, and despite being far from original both her stories and her characters are amusing and they offer a reasonable amount of fun. On that superficial level, I truly enjoyed this manga, and if you're fine with a superficial, cute love story, you should just go for it and read Boku ni Natta Watashi. However, if you are easily annoyed by an author taking the easy way out, you should just forget about reading this one.

i loved this manga, the only thing is thats its a little bit short. Very funny and stupidly romantic! But there could have been more character development and a better storyline. I really liked the way Itou was portrayed, he was kinda like a badboy/overprotective/calm boyfriend. He always shows up when momoko is in a sticky situation and danger. May seem silly but i really enjoyed it (: I didnt like the end very much because i didnt get to see momoko and itou together as girl and boy haha. I also enjoyed the art of this manga! tho i think Momoko should havebeen prettier!!

Saving your brother's acceptance into a prestigious all-boy's school by pretending to be a boy and binding your chest everyday is what Momoko Takanashi intended to do, or so what her mother forced her to... only to meet the handsome and elite Itou Kunio. Boku ni Natta Watashi (I Became a Boy) is all about Momoko Takanashi's adventures inside the all-boy's school and dormitory as she struggles to live a life as a boy without getting caught and trying to find love in the form of her roommate, Itou Kunio. This happened all because Momoko's twin brother ran away to pursue his dream of becoming aphotographer and leaving them nothing but a note. Momoko is your average girl, with marks not above average and is rather pretty clumsy, or to put it densely, stupid. Rooming with the popular and gorgeous Itou Kaunio, Momoko lives up to be the boy who passed the exams and stop herself from falling inlove. The story is pretty simple and the art is very well done. The setting is paced just right, with the proper humour and the proper get-to-know the characters which is quite important in any story. It's not your usual falling in love out of the blue kind of shoujo manga, but it will not make you wonder how they managed to fall in love, have conflicts, solve them, and fall more in love. Overall, I give this a 9/10 having caught my attention with the art and how the main characters are pretty much how they should really be.