Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Otomen (vol. 1) / Aya Kanno / 208 pgs /1st in the Series Challenge

Otomen = a guy who does not want to be a girl, but who likes feminine things (like cooking, sewing, cute toys, and shojo manga). 

Asuka Masamune is the captain of the school's judo team and is mysterious and aloof.  He looks like the epitome of masculinity, but underneath he really craves girly things like flowers, cute toys, and girl comics.  Asuka does not want his classmates to find out his secret love of all things feminine, because he has convinced himself that this is bad an not how men should act.  To complicate matters Asuka falls for a tomboyish girl named Ryo who is completely hopeless when it comes to the feminine arts. 

I'm not sure how long this series can run on this gimmick of gender roles before it gets too exaggerated, played-out, or just plain insulting.  There are some funny moments though, as Asuka has cravings to buy cute, girly things and just goes crazy. 

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