Review of Senpai is an Otokonoko

Senpai is an Otokonoko – In the age of emerging societal issues about sexuality, this show couldn’t have come at a better time to define the current age of the fragility known as the collective human society. And I’m all here for it. Cross-dressing and bisexuality are only some of the better-known terms when it comes to this sensitive topic that’s called sexual orientation. I’m sure that you’ve often heard terms like queer/LGBTQIA, homosexuality, and same-sex marriages all around given the rapid (and unfortunately rancid) age of the internet shoving and forcing ideals that regardless of your sexual orientation, we as humans should all be lovedone and the same, and that we should have our own ways to deal with anything that’s outside of the norm. Case in point, the very conservative Land of the Rising Sun that is Japan, experiencing yet another boom and resurgence of the known phenomena, especially within the 21st century. In the current day and age where people are more outspoken, the majority of which comes from the younger generation, they’re quite vocal in support over the years that same-sex relationships and marriage should be constituted into the National Diet (that is Japan’s government legislation), despite the ongoing views for and against LGBT rights that continue to this very day. And despite the awful and discriminative bigotry that is the Western view on LGBTQ+, Japan hasn’t had an issue with said term for decades now, which is seen throughout its culture, most especially in the AniManga industry where Yaoi and Yuri a.k.a Boys and Girls’ Love works are rampant, thereby creating an even deeper subculture of the infatuation of people who are sticklers to same-sex relationships and marriages to this day.

From the many Yaoi and Yuri works that are out and about in the AniManga industry, one such series stands out. And the surprising bit? It’s not even categorized as either genre. This is mangaka Pom’s Senpai wa Otokonoko a.k.a Senpai is an Otokonoko (or This is Him), a deconstruction of the LGBT genre, and simultaneously a coming-of-age story of accepting who you are regardless of gender norms, and its creation is quite the unique story of fascination. All of this was enough to win the hearts of its readers, thus increasing its popularity, as well as being well received by critics for its writing and characters, taking 3rd place in the web manga category of Kadokawa and Niconico’s Next Manga Award (of which its winner was mangaka Naoya Matsumoto’s Kaiju No. 8), as well as being Line Manga’s 3rd most read Webtoon series, all in 2021 alone.

Senpai wa Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Senpai tells the story of 2nd year student Makoto Hanaoka, a young man…who’s not really what he seems to be. His physique may be the fact that he’s a born-bred boy, but everything else is as otherwise. He’s best described as a tomgirl: someone who fancies the feminine side of things that girls often dress themselves with, to the point that he even wears his school’s standard female sailor uniform, despite from being shunned by everyone around him, to getting used to seeing him as such: a crossdressing boy. And that captures the attention of 1st year student Saki Aoi, who falls in love with him at first sight, thinking that he’s a girl, until the eventual reveal that he’s not, leaving her rejected. But she’s fine with whatever orientation he is anyway since she’s bisexual, being able to love both his heterosexual traits all the same in the hopes that she will become his first love, even though Makoto doesn’t reciprocate as much, even sometimes to the point of being judged by hanging out with a cross-dresser. And then there’s Ryuji Taiga, Makoto’s childhood friend who has been through the way with him since kindergarten, but his sexual orientation forces him to constantly question if he’s alright going all-in with the childhood friend-to-lovers trope, being that he’s secretly gay and in love with Makoto since their childhood days. This is quite the unusual love triangle as Makoto, Aoi, and Ryuji dig deep into their hearts into trying to understand and support each other as people who are unorthodox to their typical sexual orientations, and the drama in this anime does reveal a similar likeness of real-world discussions on what it means to be homosexual.

What started off as a manga draft for a lesbian romance, as both writer and illustrator, Pom had difficulties drawing male characters, and had to receive advice from an acquaintance on drawing a series where a boy dresses up as a girl, even if that meant that she was at times unhappy with her presentation of Makoto as a bona-fide boy. This is especially in Japanese high school culture where male students crossdress as female students and wearing the school’s female sailor uniforms does occur, though the school in her series is fictionalized and not based off of real-life high schools, down to the specifics. Pom also conceptualized the series in a way that instead of making a gag-based comedy (of which the manga, and now the anime, does have elements of it), she chose to tackle the theme of not obfuscating one’s sexuality when it comes to human relationships – the diversity of love and romance regardless of gender; being forward about liking feminine things as someone of the opposite sex and taking care of oneself. To note, however, this is NEVER the subject of litigation against people who try to defy gender norms, balancing the dark elements with lighter ones, and this is one of the key reasons why the mangaka herself kept the cast to as few characters as possible, stating her dissent when character-driven stories outpace the bigger picture of the actual story itself.

Regarding the love triangle that is Makoto, Aoi, and Ryuji, this is where the aesthetic of the series truly (and I mean TRULY) shines the brightest. Pom intentionally designed Makoto and Aoi to contrast against each other, with the former being constantly apprehensive and distressed, while the latter is assertive and poised, and Ryuji is the weighted balance within the two’s love life that got away but stood for the long run. You can tell that this unique trio of friends have a bond that’s like a balloon that no matter how much it inflates or deflates, it holds them altogether, but when it bursts, it bursts in a colossal way that it’s near to impossible to repair their close-knitted relationship. This is one of the reasons why Pom opted for visual storytelling rather than text-based storytelling as much as possible. The contrasts of Makoto liking the feminine side because of its aesthetic whilst being portrayed as a male in the inside; Aoi just being the typical high school student with a personality being that of a proactive and immature childish brat who always stays true to her values; and Ryuji just trying his best to counterbalance the insanity that is his childhood friend and the rejected heroine who loves them both the same (and even calling Ryuji her “Master”). This is a trio of characters planned to the precise detail, and Pom ultimately decides to “go where the others go” since there’s essentially no story to begin with, with her conceived characters being the ones to dictate the progress of the story itself, it’s all based on her experiences on the belief that they could not portray things believably unless she had experienced it herself, thus with each character having a part of the life and vision of the mangaka herself. And I mean, what can I say? This is a VERY well-thought-out plot, and characters designed for the intention to tell a story that’s larger than life itself, and I respect Pom for what she’s done here with this work that earned her the credibility and fame that is absolutely well deserved in the first place.

Running a tight ship like Senpai wa Otokonoko is a fine but ludicrous job, and having a subpar studio like Project No. 9 who’s doing 2 shows this season (this and the horrid animation presentation that is Naze Boku no Sekai wo Daremo Oboeteinai no ka? a.k.a Why Does Nobody Remember Me in This World?), both aspects will eventually crash and burn…but unexpectedly not for the former. With the backing of a big conglomerate like Aniplex, in-house director Shinsuke Yanagi and his staff team are undoubtedly blessed with a big budget to work with, being able to present the manga in anime form to a crisp, beautiful, and gorgeous display of both the gag comedy (which is taken off from the manga) and its world itself, which is just chef’s kiss. If anything, this anime is one of the best produced shows this Summer season, and I’m not exaggerating when Sakuga this fluid (even in a minimalistic way) is a treat for the eyes.

The OST also is really good and provides the deep and rich atmospheres, that’s all thanks to veteran music composer Yukari Hashimoto, having done prior high-profile series the likes of 3-gatsu no Lion a.k.a March Comes in Like a Lion and more recently with Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu. a.k.a Komi Can't Communicate, and this Winter's Yubisaki to Renren a.k.a A Sign of Affection. But if there's just one complaint, the OP and ED songs from Kujira are hit and miss, even if the ED (feat. Nishina) displays lighthearted feelings. It's decent, but forgettable.

Senpai wa Otokonoko a.k.a Senpai is an Otokonoko is a show that you CANNOT just enter into blindly because of its subject theme, thinking that you'll understand the motivations of the characters, and even far down to their personalities and such. This is NOT a show for the easily offended, and it takes a whole deal of maturity to put yourself in the shoes of a fellow LGBT who's been harassed, assaulted, or even judged to the point of hate, having to deal with feelings that are so far out of the typical straight human, and that's not an easy feeling for the Makotos, Aois and Ryujis in our fragile human society to overcome the constant plaguing issues of discrimination.

However, with that said, the anime, in my opinion, is one of the best shows of the Summer 2024 season, and all it takes is the heart of sympathy and understanding to see from their POV, then you can be guaranteed that Senpai wa Otokonoko is more than just a great show. It's a story about what we can do as the collective human society to help these people get along in this defecting, cancel culture of an egregious, sensitive society, to embrace and love them one and the same, regardless of who and what they are. It's a story about love and acceptance, and I'm glad to see that light and be better at treating people all the more.