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It may be because I’m going to Yaoi Con this weekend, but for some reason I was in the mood for a gender-bendering manga, and Otomen perfectly fit the bill.

The cover illustration alone – featuring Asuka, the main character, wearing a flower in his hair – tells you that you are about to meet a different kind of male protagonist. On the outside, Asuka is a nationally-ranked martial arts competitor and is admired by the other male students. His handsome face and stoic appearance have the girl students falling all over him.

But secretly, Asuka Masamune loves to cook, sew, and stitch little stuffed animals. He makes beautiful bento lunches and is addicted to reading a shojo manga entitled “Love Chick” which – oddly enough – features a female protagonist named Asuka who has a hard time being her true self in front of others.

Asuka’s father left the family early on to become a transsexual, and Asuka’s mother is dead-set against Asuka being anything other than the manliest of men. Asuka tries his hardest, but he just loves doing typical girl-type activities. His friend Juta notices this and encourages Asuka in his feminine ways and to be who he truly is.

Once Asuka meets Ryo, however – a girl who only likes manly men – he is now faced with a dilemma. Ryo is a tomboy incapable of cooking or sewing or doing any traditionally feminine things. Can Asuka hide his girly hobbies and still win Ryo’s heart? And why is Juta seemingly pushing him towards Ryo? Could it be that the secret author of “Love Chick” is actually Juta… who is using Asuka as the perfect role model for his female protagonist?

I laughed out loud several times while reading Otomen, which is rare for me. When Asuka doubts his path and tries to return to being manly, he stops reading “Love Chick” and reads a manga called “Shonen Junk” instead. And his expression when a martial arts student tears his uniform is priceless. He so wants to sew up that rip!

As the back cover of Volume I says, “Having girly hobbies doesn’t make you less manly!” The gentle message of Otomen is that you need to be who you truly are to be fully alive – and happy. It’s also just a fun, fun read.

Otomen is published by Viz Media. Volume 4 of Otomen is due out next week.

Jan Suzukawa works in the manga industry as a freelance editor and English adaptation writer. Website: www.jansuzukawa.com. Blog: jansuzukawa.blogspot.com.