She manga

This unserious romcom manga is really cute, and has a fun shoujo role-swapping premise. Even though gender identity doesn’t truly define how a person should look or act, gender roles are still commonly found in shoujo manga. This shoujo, however, uses this aspect of shoujo as the main point of humor, adorably swapping the “expected” personality traits of the heroine and male lead. This makes She’s My Knight a fun read for someone who loves shoujo tropes and doesn’t mind humor centered around them. The chapters are short and easy to binge, too!

Aya discovering Mitsuki’s true identity and breaking down the barriers required to not only become friends with them in and outside of school, but realising her crush still remains even when those feelings concern another woman, is a tale of beauty, doubt, and discovery which right now is still unfolding. I adore the ways in which Mitsuki tries to balance two personas while struggling to settle on the person she wants to be and how that connects with music, sexuality, appearance, and emotion. She leans further and further into composing tunes of her own as the manga goes on, taking on a far more neutral masc presentation than Aya.

Due to the way it was initially published, a lot of The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All is told in short, punchy bursts. There were moments in the manga where I was desperate for it to linger on certain characters and narrative beats for just a bit longer, but this levity also allows us to conjure up our own interpretations.

Sumiko Arai’s The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All is the perfect blend of romance and music. While it does rely on some familiar tropes for its foundation, the romance manga’s snappy pacing and charming characters make for an enjoyable read.

Find out what makes Sumiko Arai’s charming romance manga, The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All, the next big thing from Yen Press.