Author / Artist:
Aya Kanno
Asuka Masamune is a guy who loves girly things--sewing, knitting, making cute stuffed animals and reading shojo comics. But in a world where boys are expected to act manly, Asuka must hide his beloved hobbies and play the part of a masculine jock instead. Ryo Miyakozuka, on the other hand, is a girl who can't sew or bake a cake to save her life. Asuka finds himself drawn to Ryo, but she likes only the manliest of men! Can Asuka ever show his true self to anyone, much less to the girl he's falling for?
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Tue, 10/27/2009 - 15:47 — Anna
Pull Quote:
Wow, it has been a long time since I’ve read a first volume of manga that was so thoroughly captivating. Otomen is absolutely hilarious, with characters and situations that provide a refreshing antidote to the typical shoujo manga.
Tue, 11/24/2009 - 21:45 — Anonymous
Pull Quote:
Asuka is the perfect guy – he’s masculine, chivalrous, and gifted at martial arts. He also harbors a deep-dark secret, one that could cost him his reputation at school. See, Asuka also loves girly things; he loves to cook, and sew, and read shojo manga. When he falls in love with Ryo, a transfer student, his feminine side threatens to take over. Can he keep his true self hidden, even as it threatens to consume him?
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 10:24 — swanjun
Pull Quote:
High school student Asuka Masamune has a reputation as a cool and stoic guy. He’s ranked number one in the country for kendo, and has black belts in both judo and karate. His name alone inspires fear in the hearts of his would-be opponents. But Asuka has a secret. Beneath this carefully-crafted masculine exterior, he yearns to read shojo manga, make plushies, and fall in love. When he meets tomboyish Ryo Miyakozuka, his veneer begins to crack. He finds himself wanting to do things to help her, like finish a home ec sewing project, make tasty bento lunches, and teach her to make the perfect birthday cake for her father. After Ryo mentions that she prefers masculine guys, Asuka tries to be her ideal, but with some encouragement from frenemy Juta, eventually realizes that he wants to be his real self with the person he cares for.
Tue, 11/24/2009 - 21:48 — Anonymous
Pull Quote:
The irony continues to pile on as Asuka Masamune continues his reign as macho man on campus even as he secretly longs for all things cute and girly. He's even picked up a disciple, Yamato Ariake, a young boy who is constantly misaken for a girl, and has been teased about it ever since he was a kid. Ariake sees Asuka as the masculine ideal and sets out to be just like him. Of course, the reader knows that Asuka is anything but the embodiment of manly men.
Tue, 10/27/2009 - 15:49 — Anna
Pull Quote:
I continue to enjoy this series about a boy with feminine hobbies who is forced to act super-masculine, showing his true identity only to a couple of close friends. In the first story Asuka is stalked by a feminine looking boy named Yamato who has decided that Asuka is his ideal of masculinity. What will happen when Yamato finds out that Asuka loves to spend his time making adorable bento lunches?
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 10:25 — swanjun
Pull Quote:
This volume presents three episodic tales, two of which focus on Asuka’s challenge to be true to himself despite the expectations of others. In the first of these stories, he acquires an apprentice who wants to use him as a reference on how to be cool and masculine, requiring Asuka to suppress his girly tendencies, and in the other, his mother attempts to set him up in an arranged marriage and manipulates him by warning that her health will suffer if he should thwart her or betray any sort of preference for feminine things. This last story is insanely kooky, but it gives Ryo the opportunity to ride in on a white horse and rescue the about-to-be-wed Asuka, so I can’t fault it too much.
Tue, 11/24/2009 - 21:46 — Anonymous
Pull Quote:
Otomen continues to deliver a charmingly amusing tale about a strapping young man who has very girly tendencies. Asuka is a kendo champion and a leader of men, but he would rather be sewing together a cute stuffed animal or testing out a new recipe in the kitchen. Ever since his father abandoned the family to express his inner woman, Asuka has been under intense pressure to tamp down his feminine traits and be a man among men. With his humiliated mother to think of, he tries to reject his fondness for the cute and the frilly. Will he be able to deny the fact that he’s a raging otomen?
Thu, 05/20/2010 - 19:41 — Anonymous
Pull Quote:
I note that Aya Konno can clearly write romance, as is evidenced by the few meager scenes we see in this series. She just doesn't particularly WANT to. The series is about gender roles. Asuka's attempts to be manly, despite his love of girly things. Ryo's gung-ho tomboyishness showing him the way that it can be done. And a nagging tendency for all the tall, handsome, rugged men to love flowers and makeup. It's comedic (just look at that cover!) and can be very clever, but it also means that in some volumes, such as this one, Ryo is almost entirely absent.
