Thigh High: Reiwa Hanamaru Academy Vol. 1

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Nov 20 From the U.S. to Japan, You Can Control the Life-Size Moving Gundam from the Comfort of Your Own Home The manga follows a class in the Reiwa Hanamaru Academy, a typical setting for a story about cute girls doing cute things. The exception is that all the girls doing cute things this time are men. Mr. Fanservice: Yumekawa and Kitahara, both have an extremely well-developed physique and the story is not shy about showing them. The characters really do make up a big part of the manga. Each one is interesting and well-designed. They are all memorable and enjoyable to read about! I would say my favorites are Kiritani, Mahiro, and Yumekawa.

So again, I’m not sure what to think. On one hand, I’d love to view this as an attempt to subvert gender norms and show that anyone can wear or act however they want regardless of AGAB, but I suspect that wasn’t the intent here. And yet it also doesn’t come off as pure “haha don’t these men look and act ridiculous when they dress and act like women” either. Despite by punch lines, it seems to take itself fairly seriously. Thigh High is just okay, but I imagine certain readers who are attracted by its major selling point might enjoy it more. Just expect the substance to be pretty thin. This is such a bizarre manga. It’s intended as a comedy, ofc, an attempt to turn some of the typical tropes of the high school manga setting on its head. I think. Thigh High isn't terrible, but it also isn't anything too exciting. Its greatest sin is not being as funny as it desperately wants to be, but since comedy is the most subjective of all genres, this is likely a case of “your mileage may vary.” I really like the art and how, despite these being hunks with often a fair bit of muscles, the outfits and the actions work very well.

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Schoolgirl Series: Parodied; the manga takes place in a school and follows many typical tropes of the genre, but the catch is that the "schoolgirls" are actually crossdressing men. The boys at Reiwa Hanamaru Academy care about the same things that any others do… grades, sports, clubs, fitness, being popular, looking good for selfies… getting into shape to… fill out a bikini… You see, whether it be an alternate universe where boys (and men, the teachers are not exempt) dress as women, or an all boys high school with a very specific dress code, the young blossoms in the proverbial garden of Reiwa Hanamaru Academy wear skirts and blouses. If the boys are wearing skirts and going to an all-girls school… (and the butler of one of the guys wears a maid outfit) I wonder what the girls are doing? Haha, I am kind of hoping that we get to see them and see the boys fawn over them in the way girls do. The cast is one of the best parts of the manga. Each character is unique, memorable, and brings something different to the story. They’re designed in a way that makes them feel distinct and interesting, with varied body types, facial features, and hairstyles. The characters are all very loveable and the dynamics between them are well-defined and consistent.

Reiwa is a secret paradise where precious young blossoms can bloom or some such (which is the tagline) Basically for no known reason all the boys here wear panties, bras and skirts and act out the worst stereotypes of teenaged girls (i.e. being fashioned obsessed and honestly that's all this is about). The blurb makes it sound like it's more than that "The hunks at Hanamaru Academy are putting the boot (and booty!) to gender norm uniforms" (I do see that it IS changed here on goodreads vs what's on the book) So I was expecting some social commentary....yeah not so much. With “Thigh High: Reiwa Hanamaru Academy,” what you see is what you get. The manga delivers on its premise of “high school boys who dress and act like high school girls.” It’s short, silly, and entertaining, but never pushes itself further than that. One-Gender School: Reiwa Hanamaru Academy appears to be an all-boys school, with the twist being that everyone still wears skirts as part of the uniform.What the hell did I just read? I'll be honest, one of those stars is for the fine art (seriously that's a huge selling point for this one). It's a humor manga that I suspect is a weekly thing because all the 'chapters' were short and shallow (far too shallow for me). This isn't my thing really but okay let's review it.