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[Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for an ARC of this manga in exchange for an unbiased review.]

Makoto likes to be his true self at school, which for him means cross-dressing. Despite the target this puts on him, he has a very good friend and a very insistent potential love interest who both want to be his friend (or more).

This is my third encounter with this series; I’ve read part of the webtoon, watched a chunk of the anime, now here we are with a collected manga format. I’m not sure that third time will be the charm, but it’s a good story no matter its format (I just gave the attention span of a goldfish).

The three leads interact in such a way that this feels more than the sum of its parts. Makoto has mostly hardened his skin against the jabs and teasing from his schoolmates, though that doesn’t stop him from realizing Aoi will be subject to the same if she dates him.

Aoi, meanwhile, is wonderfully over-enthusiastic and without guile. She just accepts Makoto so completely that when she finds out he’s actually a guy she considers it a bonus if they were to date. She’s completely unflappable and unphased.

And then there’s Ryuji, whose clear homophobia is getting in the way of his equally clear Makoto-philia. He’s clearly feeling a lot more for Makoto than he’s saying and most of the grief he gives Aoi over her crush feels a lot like projecting.

One thing this manga delivers on with aplomb is genuine moments that just kill. The scene where Makoto reveals himself to Aoi for the first time, Aoi jumping from the tree, and Makoto saying goodnight to himself as he changes before going home. They’re all so well done.

It’s a great take on this subject matter. Makoto is not left alone, certainly, but he’s not so explicitly bullied that it needs a warning on it either. You can see his coping mechanisms all over the place, both at school and at home.

Still, having a friend group of one is a bit of a small number and the way Aoi expands Makoto’s world as she quietly wins over Ryuji is really something special. There’s a quiet message about the power of friendship, love, and being a good ally amidst everything.

Oh, it still has its sad moments. Everything involving Makoto’s mother is just heartbreaking, as he desperately contorts himself to be the boy that she wants him to be while he secretly embraces his true self at school. It’s a forced duality that will almost certainly come into conflict eventually.

The art is mostly okay, tending to really go for it when it counts the most. It’s a smart way to emphasize the important things while also not breaking your artist. You’d never call this the most striking manga, but it has it where it counts.

Strong stories about gender identity and acceptance are always welcome and this one is really well done. It could stand to be a bit more well drawn in the overall, but the content and characters make up for it.

4 stars - a really strong start to a very good look at people trying to find both themselves and one another. Highly recommended.