I Cross-Dressed for the IRL Meetup, Vol. 3

女装してオフ会に参加してみた。 [Josou Shite Off-kai ni Sanka Shite mita.] #3

by Kurano

Cross-dresser Satoshi Morinaga, using the online handle Cocoa, lives for his monthly IRL sweets meetup group, whose members have now become some of his closest friends. What started off as a way to meet fellow sweets enthusiasts, Satoshi now realizes he's fallen hard for meetup member and fellow cross-dresser Opera, whose real name is Kosuke Chiyoda. After confronting his feelings head on, Satoshi finally admits to himself that he has feelings for Kosuke-not just when he's cross-dressing as Opera, but also when he's presenting as his usual self. But there's no way Satoshi can tell Kosuke how he really feels…or can he? A poignant declaration of love before his very eyes convinces Satoshi that he too cannot hide his feelings forever. So when the summer festival comes along, he decides it's the perfect opportunity to make his move-and cross-dressing as Cocoa is just what he needs to give himself that final boost of confidence! But will Cocoa actually be able to do it…?! FINAL VOLUME!

Genres: Manga, Romance, LGBT, Cross Dressing

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 16, 2021

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

In our final volume, we get plenty of relationship movement, some conclusions, and a ton of filler.

The other two English volumes being stuffed with two separate tankobon of a five volume Japanese series left this as the odd one out and it’s wrapped up early with a bunch of underwhelming side content and too many pages of full-page colour spreads. Fine, but not when the content is already so thin.

What really stings is how underwhelming the last chapters truly are. The first complication comes when it’s revealed that Lemon and Taro aren’t actually dating, which feels like a real weird choice this late in the game.

Consequently, a lot of time goes to sorting out what had originally seemed like a refreshingly healthy relationship between the two. They get it back, but they could have just kept it to start with.

Similarly, the closure you might be expecting for Opera and Cocoa doesn’t really happen, instead opting for a more realistic, yet narratively disappointing, conclusion. The problem is that after building up to this it doesn’t really make for a satisfying outcome.

That’s pretty much it. There is a lot of acceptance, really great to see, plus an ending that at least reflects the importance of friendship and how mutual respect lets people thrive.

It’s fun, I would never regret reading this, but oh did I ever want so, so much more from the conclusion here. It touches on the greatness it had from the start, but can’t reach its past heights.

4 stars - still a pretty easy recommend, but temper those expectations and you’ll have a better time. It’s a good conclusion, but it doesn’t have the chops at the denouement to make it an all-timer, regrettably.

[Noortje · Rating 4 out of 5]

the ending felt a bit rushed (i was literally like huhhh the end??) but I still really liked this final volume. it was very cute and I love how positive and fluffy this series was!! definitely glad I picked it up :)

[Zian B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

As cute as everything was, I feel like Cocoa/Satoshi’s inner turmoil surrounding his mother was wrapped up a bit too quickly. Not sure if it was always meant to be that way or if things were rushed, but, initially the issue just felt a lot bigger than it ended up being. Also, I wish we had gotten to see more of Aki/Haruaki but that’s understandable since he was introduced midway through such a short series. Lastly, I liked seeing Kantentaro/Rina and Lemon/Yuki’s romance, along with Opera’s dynamic with everyone else (not just Cocoa), and wish those things were shown off a bit more.
Overall, this was a really wholesome and interesting short manga series to read.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cocoa, Opera, Lemon, Kantentaro, and Aki are back for another set of meet-ups. There is relationshiop dramas that need to be addressed, fame for Lemon to be navigated, and a really weird dream sequence involving Lemon acting like a fairy godmother. And then there was a chapter on what happens when your secret is discovered? What do you do? Well, you will need to read this volume and find out what the characters did. In all, a nice finish to a fun and enjoyable series!

[Sarah Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd say the ending feels a little abrupt but I think it's more that the characters are charming enough and still have ways to go on their journeys that I wanted to see more of them. I can't fault this manga's pacing or characterization, I only have myself and my greed to blame for reaching the end and going "That's it?!"

This manga ends in a good spot, and while it's not a "neat bow on everything, all the characters self actualized" it is an ending I appreciate.

[Ida Østby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as I felt the story was getting its bearings, it ended. That is really disappointing, as throughout the series it's an entertaining read that isn't afraid to touch on difficult topics.

Unfortunately, only halfways into the final manga could I be certain who was who, and a lot of subplots are left dead in the water.

Enjoyable read, I'm really happy it exists and only sad there isn't more of it or its kind.

[Reuben Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute ending to the series. I thought the direction Opera and Cocoa’s relationship went in was refreshingly realistic, and I liked that the focus was mostly on the growth of the characters as individuals in their own confidence and identity, along with their friendships and sense of belonging, rather than needing loads of *stuff* to happen.

[Jennifer]

Glad this was a short series. It was cute overall.

[Emma (littledollreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun, kind of sad it's the last volume because I feel like these characters still have a lot of potential and could have been fleshed out a bit more. Our time together was too brief, but I'm glad we had it all the same.

[鯊 · Rating 3 out of 5]

所以日本喜歡男扮女裝的人是有那麼多嗎？台灣呢？介紹給我拜託？