I WANNA BE YOUR GIRL

Best friends navigate life, love, and gender.

Japanese teenagers Hime and Akira have been close for years. Until now, male-assigned Akira has “only openly been a girl” with Hime, but as they start high school, Akira has decided to live as her true self. As depicted in the artwork, Akira still has some traditionally masculine-presenting physical traits, and her classmates are quick to mock someone they perceive as a boy in a girls’ school uniform. Hime has her hands full defending Akira (maybe, she realizes, more than she needs to) while struggling with her own identity. What does being in love with Akira mean for her? Is Hime’s decision to wear a boys’ uniform just a statement of solidarity, or something more? What is the right way to change people’s minds? Takase explores gender identity, presentation, and acceptance in this gentle manga that feels comfortably grounded despite being fueled by big ideas and big feelings. The shōjo manga–style art is cute and expressive. The translation feels slightly unpolished, however, relying heavily on footnotes rather than conveying the original more loosely. At times, understanding the original Japanese vocabulary is critical, but elsewhere Procter uses the original Japanese, defined in a footnote (e.g., “a derogatory slang term for an effeminate male”) when simply using an equivalent English term would have led to a smoother reading experience. But overall this series opener is an earnest and enjoyable beginning to Hime and Akira’s story.

Sweet and engaging.