Review of Senpai is an Otokonoko

*Spoiler-free section.* I took Senpai wa Otokonoko off of the metaphorical shelf because I had a free slot in my seasonal anime, and the title sounded interesting. It was pretty far down on the seasonal popularity list, so I expected to find an alright show I could at least enjoy my time with. What I wasn’t expecting was a show that carefully, respectfully, and tactfully portrayed topics such as, LGBTQ people, gender non-conformity, and various forms of child abuse. Senpai wa Otokonoko isn’t a new favorite of mine, but I really respect and like the way that it handled its characters, story, and themes. Along withvery good animation, music, and VA work, this anime has become one of my favorites this season. 9/10

*Spoilers beyond this point.*

Senpai wa Otokonoko has three main stories. Makoto, Saki, and Ryuugi, and all of their arcs are a coming-of-age story about being yourself. The anime starts as a simple Party A falls For Party B, but then Party C discovers their feelings for Party A. Is this generalized plot entirely unique to this show? No, because many anime follow this format for their stories, so, this show does lean on the LGBTQ and gender non-conformity point a bit to make the story unique. However, the story quickly becomes more complicated. Party A can’t express themselves because of an abusive parent. Party B is abandoned and neglected. I believe that a secondary theme of this anime is breaking the cycle of hurt. Makoto and Saki are very kind, friendly, and caring people. All of these are qualities their homes lack. I also like how Makoto is a deep character and is not a typical objectified anime femboy archetype.

One of the reasons that Makoto is more than just that archetype is because he comes from a pretty difficult living situation. You see, his mother is, no exaggeration, obsessed with him being gender-conforming. So obsessed in fact that Makoto keeps all of his cute/girly outfits and objects in a locker in a storage shed on school grounds. Well, that just seems like a controlling parent right? Well, that’s not all because Makoto brings Saki over to his house. She meets his mom, and she acts like a normal person. However, a few days later she finds a pink handkerchief in Makoto’s room. Instead of assuming that the handkerchief is his friend’s who was over a couple of days ago, she assumes it’s his. She then sits at the dining table, for an unknown period of time, with all of the lights off except for one, literally STARING at this pink handkerchief like a lunatic. Later, Makoto tries to tell her that he wants to control when he gets his hair cut instead of her telling him to. She then begins to breathe heavily and has to be left in a separate room to “recover.” Poor baby. What is interesting is that his dad isn’t in absentia. He drives Makoto around while they talk about his gender identity. His dad basically asks if he wants to transition into a girl, or just likes dressing as one. Later, we see that his answer is neither. He wants to be himself. His dad seems at least passively supportive, and that’s better than what his mother offers. He also gives Makoto his grandfather's address and tells him to go and make a visit. His grandfather enjoys more feminine things, so obviously he is supportive and understanding of Makoto.

Saki also comes from a difficult living situation. Being neglected by her father and abandoned by her mother for 10 years isn’t just something brought up once or twice to explain why her parents aren’t around when her friends come over, or why she lives alone with her grandmother. She is genuinely affected by her parents being bad people, and it’s shown through her actions. She craves love and attention from others. When she was younger, she tried to be friends with everyone, but that freaked some of the other kids out, and then they distanced themselves from her. In high school, she is friends with quite a few people, but now is looking for someone to be her “special someone” to make her feel happy. She is trying to fill the hole left by her abusive parents. On a side note, I do not trust her mother trying to come back into Saki’s life.

On the note of her parents, Saki’s dad loves his whale-studying job more than her, therefore, she learns a lot about whales just to try and make him pay attention to her, she texts him all the time even though he never answers her, and the only reason he comes back into town is when his mother is in the hospital after becoming light-headed and falling. After that visit, he leaves right for the whales again. He didn’t even realize that she was wearing a large band-aid on her knee. Her mother is no better. She walked out on Saki when she was little. Leaving her with an absent father and an aging grandmother. To me, there is no wonder that Saki is the way she is, and why she feels the way she feels.

Ryuuji doesn’t come from an immediately hostile environment like the other two mains, as a matter of fact, his little sister seems to know, and support, that he has a crush on Makoto. Now, this does not mean that his story is any less interesting. He starts the story by being friends with Makoto, and, with Saki’s help, he realizes his feelings for him. His feelings are shown in a, mostly, realistic and sympathetic way, and anyone who has developed feelings for a good friend would agree with me.

Everyone’s VA work is good, but the standout is Saki’s. She brings a type of excited, goofy, funny energy, but she can also be serious and nervous when she needs to be. The animation is great too. I’m not a huge fan of the art style drastically switching to simple and chibi-like art style for the funny parts. It pulls me out of the story a bit and makes me think that the creator wanted there to be a clear switch between the serious parts and the funny parts. As if they can’t coexist.

I have other small problems with the anime too. First of all, Makoto gave up on dressing like a girl, throwing away all of his cute stuff, and then getting over giving up on all of that stuff is done fairly quickly. I wanted to see more of his mental struggle. Secondly, Ryuuji doesn’t seem to struggle too much with his newfound sexual understanding. In the beginning, he was like “No, I don’t like Makoto” to, “No, I don’t like Makoto, but what if?” to, “Yes, I do like Makoto.” It was too straightforward for my liking. Thirdly, I would have liked to see more of Makoto’s current school situation. We see a few students acting weird around him in the first episode, but after that, everyone treats him no differently than anyone else. Also, most of the school problems we see are flashbacks to his first year. Also, I think that the first few episodes don’t set the tone for the rest of the show. I think that they come off as more like “A mostly unserious comedy about how this guy dresses like a girl.” Finally, I don’t like how the abusive moms are going through a type of redemption arc. Listen, it’s not like bad people can’t be redeemed, but these two are really bad people and I just don’t buy it.

Is Senpai wa Otokonoko the best show ever? Did it make it into my top 10? 20? No, no, and no. But, what this show IS is a well-done look into what life can be like if you identify as an LGBTQ person, a gender non-conforming person, and/or a person that has suffered one of, if not various forms of, child abuse. This show is tragic, comedic, thoughtful, and great all around. The characters and story get a 9.5, and the enjoyment, sound, and animation all get a 9. I can’t believe that a show I originally pegged down as a mid-7 was able to become a low 9. Quite the surprise, and what is even more of a surprise is that this show is my second favorite this season. 9/10.

Final words? The mains should get into a throuple.