Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
geeeerm
TLDR: This show doesn’t break down categories, it refuses to acknowledge their existence. These characters don’t feel like characters or their roles, they feel like real people. Overall: 8
When I went into this, I wasn’t expecting to like this show as much as I did. Much less to write my first review for it, after watching more than 500 shows and having been on this website for a very long time. That being said, I felt like this was worth it, because I really want more people to watch this.
The most impressive aspect of this show to me was how realistic the characters felt as people; probably the most realistic characters I have ever seen in an anime. I feel like the best example of this is in the parents in this show. Anime has a tendency to categorize parents into archetypes of parents…
Read at the sourceRasly2
Are you curious about how unusual people see the world? Then this anime might be worth checking out. Makoto is a guy who feels comfortable wearing women's clothes. Ryu seems to fall for a guy even though he's supposedly not gay. And Saki is a girl who tries to please everyone but ends up lonely, mostly because of her messedup family. Honestly, her arc is pretty weird.
If that sounds interesting to you, it’s worth a watch. Just don’t expect a real story. This is more about the everyday school and home lives of three characters, with a fair amount of drama based on childhood fears and emotional confusion. There’s no real plot, just people trying to figure themselves out.
The characters are actually pretty well written. What happens to Saki is especially dumb, she really needs at least one…
Read at the source5iv3_
I had little to no expectations for this show and didn't really know what to expect when i started it, but I immediately felt this warm and fuzzy feeling from watching this show over time and slowly came to look forward to this show as it was airing. It's cute, and even the love triangle wasn't that messy. It overall felt like a coming of age story about 3 high-school kids learning about themselves and each other.
The characters for this series I feel are great examples and metaphors of the gender norms that exist in society. One actively breaks that norm, One wants to conform to the norms but struggles, and the other is in the middle and sees both sides. They in tandem act as a message for a bigger picture that is being conveyed to the audience. "Be yourself." and i feel it's told quite…
Read at the sourceMidniteAndBeyond
I'm so happy with how this one turned out! It's a beautiful story about three classmates who are all trying to better understand, come to terms and fully embrace their own identities and their own personal feelings towards one another. It's a super cute show with so many fun and wholesome interactions. Don't wanna give away too much, but this show spoke so specifically to me and my own personal journey of self-discovery. It meant so much to me to have my specific placement in the LGBT community to be represented in a series like this. It helped me feel less alone and helped me better understand what I wish for myself in the future. I'd love to give this show a 10 for that alone, but there are a couple things I wish could've seen that didn't end up happening. I might have to rewatch it to g…
Read at the sourceLaid_back_ash
Simple and refreshing. I was pleasantly surprised with this anime. It doesn't pander any message to anyone just presents its story confidently. And the story has a unique premise but it's quite universal the way it is told.
The direction is really good.
Our main characters are constantly put in different situations and their emotional growth is fun to watch.
Their reactions are quite realistic and relatable.
It's a complete story with a satisfying ending.
The animation is decent and the VAs did a really good job.
There are atleast three different arcs each dealing with a different side of the protagonist and the side characters.
The anime works especially because these characters are so well written and well thought out.
Give it a watch atleast the first two episodes and then you can dec…
Read at the sourceAechgal
Senpai wa Otokonoko brought up an important conversation about cross-dressing, gender identity, sexuality, friendship, love, family, and more. I was really happy to see the anime exploring whether Makoto truly wanted to live as a girl or simply liked cute, "girly" things. It would have felt like a missed opportunity if it had stopped at just cross-dressing and cute, pinkish aesthetics without delving into the deeper discussion of gender and sexuality.
Unfortunately, other subjects took up some time (which wasn’t the issue). The problem was that many aspects felt underdeveloped and clearly needed more time to fully unfold, including the anime’s main theme.
So, while I liked it and appreciated the topics it tackled, I was disappointed by the lack of more thorough development.
Read at the sourceAkiFosu
Senpai wa Otokonoko - Final Episode
The story severely under delivered in the end, and not only because of the topics treated. Awful pacing, a fudged narrative, and overall bad decisions on what to develop, to include or exclude, played the key roles in destroying good potential. Absent logic in the writing department strikes again.
The anime often felt like three different seasons mixed into one, and nothing got the time it deserved. The whole "muh parents" arc and the "old friends from school appear, at the second last episode, bringing with them flashbacks, and a focus on people no one cares about" delivered the kill shot.
Let's be fair, no law or rule written anywhere requires that a webtoon artist should know about dramatic technique or poetics. Just the intention to create somethi…
Read at the sourcenoobpro45
Overall, I think this anime is quite good. Initially, I wanted to give it a rating of 9. However, from a personal perspective, the anime takes a slightly unconventional turn. Because of this element, I decided to give it a rating of 7. But overall, the anime is still enjoyable.
The story is quite unique and offers a fresh perspective. While there are some predictable moments, I still enjoyed it because I appreciate this genre and setup. The art style is fitting for the story, complementing the narrative well and enhancing the overall viewing experience. The characters are well-rounded with both strengths and flaws, making them relatable and engaging. They are not portrayed as unusually strong, smart, or stupid, which adds to their realism. Additionally, the characters react to situations…
Read at the sourceGuthem
An anime with crossdress, delicate, and with many tense moments. This is Otokonoko
You find here a great slice-of-life, which really hits youu heart
Human beings created the concept of men's and women's clothing, and that is the differentiation. But what if the person wants to dress the way they want?
This anime should be shown on open TV in every country, after all, clothes are clothes, that doesn't define who the person is. Do you want to meet the person? Introduce yourself, get along with the person
With some twists and turns that leave you apprehensive, the plot gives us an excellent trio, yes, you will like all three equally
Read at the sourcePlusBlue
So from episodes 1-11 i would of put this show at a 7.5 like its fun and i'd defently reccommend it too everyone but i just want too put it out there that if you are wanting too watch a romance this probally isnt the show for you although it deos talk about romance it isnt the main point of this show, i'd say this show focuses more on the conflict between characters emotions.
However what truly boosted this score up too a 9 was the final 12 episode like being totally serious i have never seen an anime conclude that good before it is such a good ending and the whole show is worth watching just for the episode (no spoilers).
In summary what im trying too say is not too be fooled into thinking this show is a romance from episode 1 and please try too stick with it and ignore the jumpey plot…
Read at the sourceChuy_diazz
A very interesting premise but one that didn't have the necessary space to develop.
A simple premise, a boy who likes to dress as a girl and pretty things. This will lead to an identity crisis and family problems, which would be the driving force of the story. Unfortunately, the story explored this theme halfway and in a very superficial way. The first 3 chapters are a bait where they give you a little of what you came to look for, but the rest of the story is divided into 3 subplots. The friend in love with the protagonist who denies the idea that he could like men, the cheerful and energetic girl with family problems and the story of our protagonist begins to develop in a secondary plane. The whole season I saw it more like a Turkish soap opera, since there were many subplots with high…
Read at the sourceThe_Namer
In a season filled with romance anime, this was easily the best. In lesser hands, Makoto's titular cross-dressing could have been treated as a cheap gimmick, but fortunately this gentle romantic drama respects its characters and has a strong story to tell. Makoto dresses as a girl at school, but hides it from his mother, fearing how she will react. He hasn't reconciled how he perceives himself or how he wants to live his life, and this causes tension with those around him. Saki develops an obsessive crush on Makoto, which brings her into conflict with his fiercely protective best friend Ryuiji. The early setup is something that could have been spun out for surface-level romcom antics ad infinitum, but instead serves as a diving board for a deeper exploration of these three characters, thei…
Read at the sourcemitsuwuki
I want to preface this review by saying that Senpai wa Otokonoko is one of my favorite manga of all time. I am writing this review from a fan of the source material's perspective. With this being said, I did enjoy watching this anime; however, it left much to be desired. While not a standalone bad watch by any means, I don't believe it to be a very good adaptation of the source material. TL;DR: really, really great series, but pretty lackluster execution in this adaptation.
My complaints lie within two key points: visuals and pacing. Let's talk about the visuals first. I believe the character designs were adapted well into the animation, and everyone looks very cute, but regarding "animation", there isn't very much of that to begin with. At many points it felt like I was just rereading th…
Read at the sourceVanyatheSuccubus
A great masterpiece for me
This is my first review, please forgive any mistakes.
Sorry if i don't explain me well, english it's not my first lenguage.
The thrut it's, i'm very identified with Makoto and the autoexploring of his autoperception. This anime gave me a powerful message: "If you manage to let go of certain important things, you can at least protect one thing, whatever it may be".
I grow up being a boy, but in my life i usually like girl's things, like clothes, make-up and cute things, but live in a sexist society in third world make the things very hard and i had to let it go that tastes.
But this anime made me realize what doesn't matter, you have to live a happy life being who really are.
Friends, family and other persons opinion doesn't matter when you know who you are…
Read at the sourceCaptainKenshiro
I initially started this anime because part of its premise reminded me of Hourou Musuko, a 2011 coming of age and romance anime about two transgender protagonists. But as it turns out the main character in here later on does not see themselves as either a boy or a girl, so I guess we’re talking about a non-gender conforming non-binary protagonist here instead.
I mean this anime still shares some things with that one, such as the main character dressing with feminine clothes half the time and being initially rejected by most people around, and having a supportive parent while the other does not accept them, but they have nothing in common beyond that and their approach are vastly different.
The romance part of the anime is peculiar, as the protagonist is part of a sort of a love triangle…
Read at the sourceKigimya
I usually don't watch stuff with a love triangle because the childhood friend always lose and i start to hate the protagonist. But this time i couldn't hate makoto not even saki. This anime hits me in a different way that i have never felt. I do really recommend, its too good.
And i need a ryuji in my life. He's too perfect (And his VA too. I love Uchida Yuuma and i have watched almost every anime he has starred this season).
The art style is very cute and their interactions are really funny, I've laughed hard in some episodes. Sometimes they rush some events like when they are playing with fireworks or just going out together, i like to see them talking and enjoying their own company. And that's okay, i haven't read the manga, so i cant be really sure but i think the director did a good…
Read at the sourceChloesMAL
Japanese Anime has come a long way when it comes to it's LGBT storytelling and I find this one frustrating as it really rides the line on any overall point that is being made. 'Otokonoko' basically means cross-dresser or feminine male, but it gets really close to being a transgender narritive, Does he want to Live as a Boy or a Girl ? Is he Gay or Straight ?
Felt a bit padded with another characters side story and repeatedly cuts away to the 'cheap animation' chibi cutscenes constantly.
I just think It could have been a really compelling romanace story, but as we all know if there are two love interests, nobody wins.
Ends pretty cut and dry all tied up in a neat little bow, I don't expect a sequel to this, Overall It's just Cute
Read at the sourceNecrotoxic01
*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 with very 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. M…
Read at the sourceMarinate1016
Being true to yourself is the most important thing in life. No matter what happens, you’re the only person you have to live with everyday for the rest of your life, so you better make sure you love the person in the mirror. Painoko is one of the most respectful and mature depictions of teenagers dealing with gender dysphoria and sexual identity I’ve seen. Unlike other stories in this medium, it’s not something played up for laughs or for entertainment, but an actual part of Makoto and Ryuji’s identities that they struggle with. While it’s not without flaws, on the whole painoko is a very competently written story depicting extremely relevant issues for young adults and a must watch for any LGBTQ fan, or just those who want to learn more about what goes through crossdressers’ heads. Thoroug…
Read at the sourceKANLen09
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 loved one 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…
Read at the source