Otomen Volume 1
Something else to switch things up. This time Aya Kanno’s current serial Otomen. Enjoy. :]
Otomen Volume 1
by: Aya Kanno
published by: Viz Media
Story:
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? (from Viz)
Ramblings:
Otomen is like the best idea for a series ever. xD Girly guy and a tomboy? I think so!
Someone really took their time on the contents page! It really looks like it was embroidered (and trust me, I would know, my mother’s a crazy quilt lady xD ). I know it’s a silly little thing for me to notice, but it really shows the effort put in to this volume, and I really appreciate that.
Like St.♥ Dragon Girl 2, the cover feels weird, but not in a bad way. :/ I still don’t know how to describe it…
Oh Asuka, you make me so happy: “Why do I start wanting to read shojo manga…when I fall in love…?” lol. I think love does that to the best of us. xD
Aya Kanno is officially one of my favorite mangaka!! “Be still, my (girlish) heart…!!” is one of the best lines I’ve seen in a while! : D I need to go and get more of her stuff!
“I’m sorry…I…truthfully…for a long time…I’ve always wanted to become a woman!!” xD “After that…I heard a rumor that he went off to work in a faraway city as a transexual…” This series is fantastic, it’s like Ouran with a male lead. xD
Juta Tachibana is one of my favorite characters in pretty much all the manga I’ve ever read; he’s just freaking fantastic! He’s so sneaky, but he really is a true friend to Asuka and Ryo (even if he is using them as the models for his own manga, lol).
Woah, Asuka fought a bull!!!
Woah…I just realized that I was reading the volume through again instead of scanning it to look for things to talk about. xD I’d say that’s a pretty good indicator of how much I like it. :3
kelakagandy's ramblings 
I’ve had Otomen on my to-read list for a while. And judging from your review, I should give it a try ASAP, right?
The idea of a girly-guy with tomboy is so good. You normally see this type of pairing as only a side thing, right? The cover is really eye-catching, too. The guy is blushing, has a flower in his hair and has a background with flowers and frills lol. This should be interesting. ^^
It’s fantastic! I definitely suggest trying it ASAP. :]
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a girly-guy with a tomboy as a main pairing, no… But it works fantastically! And Juta=complete win! xD
I love the manga already.
Heh. I actually don’t find Asuka too girly.
I love the dialouge. Also the references to other shojo mangas such as “love*nom” and “clover and honey”
Juta is totally awesome. Then again he’s a sneaky guy and a shojo manga-ka.
Asuka himself isn’t really that girly, he just has girly tastes. I mean, he can still kick serious ass with his martial arts.
The movie posters for other shojo manga made me happy too! : D
I think Juta is actually my favorite character in the series. xD He is sneaky (though he certainly slips up sometimes) and the fact that he’s a male shojo manga-ka is full of win!
Heh. I like Asuka second best though. (If he was a girl character I might not like him as much though.) Ryo is cool too since she obivously loves her friends.
I want an anime.
I agree, Asuka just wouldn’t be the same if he were a girl… And Ryo makes me happy, just because she’s herself.
This really would make a good anime. : D It’d be a nice, happy, not too terribly ridiculous anime. ( I’m not sure that made sense. xD )
I love love loved this book. It’s sweet, a cute concept, and the art was great. Can’t wait for the next one.
Volume 2 comes out May 5th! : D