My Androgynous Boyfriend, Vol. 3

ジェンダーレス男子に愛されています。 [Genderless Danshi ni Aisareteimasu.] #3

by Tamekou

His makeup is flawless! The daily ins-and-outs of an office lady and her beautiful boyfriend.

Wako and her androgynous boyfriend don’t exactly have the most traditional of relationships. She spends her days working hard in the world of publishing, while he spends his time obsessing over fashion and makeup—all with the goal of making himself beautiful just for her. This romantic slice-of-life story is about love, relationships, and breaking with tradition!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Josei, Graphic Novels, LGBT, Comics, Slice Of Life

168 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2020

About the author

Tamekou (ためこう) is a Japanese manga artist.

Reviews

[Bine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hat Spaß gemacht, auch wenn die Episoden diesmal wirklich sehr zusammengewürfelt waren. Trotzdem liebe ich es einfach, die Beziehung der beiden und wie sie sich gegenseitig unterstützen zu beobachten. Trotzdem: Man könnte doch mal wieder ein paar lose Fäden wieder aufgreifen. Ich bleibe auf jeden Fall dran.

[Katarzyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the new characters

[Dayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the things I love about this series is the artwork (it truly never fails). Another thing is how open and progressive it is with its portrayal of its characters, and any new characters that might pop up. I also super love how gaga the two MCs are with each other. Their love is absolutely adorable!

Unfortunately, while this had its entertaining moments (especially the chapter on them working from home because of the pandemic--although it isn't mentioned, the working from home bit alludes to that), I didn't find myself loving this one. After months (pretty much a year) of waiting for this volume because it kept getting delayed, I hoped that this story continued its cute progression. But this volume felt...messy? It was all over the place and I didn't feel very invested.

Hopefully the next volume will go better for me!

Happy reading!

[Miss Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

u kno how heterosexuality is a scam but then u read androgynous boyfriend and ur like where's MY cute boyfriend??? 😭😭😭

also i think it was very funny and correct of tamekou to devote a chapter to being like actually you don't need plot if you have cute characters. they're right! what has plot done for me lately huh? i just wanna see meguru and wako be cute together!!!

5 stars

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly can't get over at how cute and sweet this manga series is. While it's being cute and sweet, it's also wonderfully subversive in the best of ways. Wako as driven careerista is quite pretty even though she doesn't know it or frankly care. Meguro is lover, caregiver, cheerleader and makeup obsessed.

[Tabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

STOP THIS WAS TOO CUTE

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeps getting cuter and cuter as it progresses!! Also, the jokes were on point in this volume - Wako's merchandise buying and hoarding tendencies were too relatable o(≧▽≦)o

[Shenwei · Rating 5 out of 5]

we finally have some gnc women!!!
also in the manga creator dude's defense, I would totally read a series about androgynous boys becoming friends

[Sapphire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This manga is very beautiful and has a diverse cast of characters! I love how it really shows off the gender diversity in acting and expressionism in Japan!! I think it also gets kind of meta in this one when Wako has her meeting with the mangaka Kondo Kaoru, but I would appreciate seeing some more of Wako and Meguru's relationship!! Hopefully in further books it will build up to the point where their relationship goes public and Wako is okay with it so that she can finally express her love to her boyfriend in public like regular couples can!! I'd also love to see Wako taking care of/doing things for Meguru!! We see Meguru taking on that role so often that it'd be nice to see the roles reversed!!

[scarlettraces · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuter than I remembered

[❑ ｍａｄｙ · Rating 3 out of 5]

este tomo se ha sentido como relleno y nada más

[Bentgaidin · Rating 5 out of 5]

'My Androgynous Boyfriend' continues to be cute adult relationships (now that we've been introduced to some of their friends and coworkers) and it's a perfect low-stress read for the holidays. I love them and how they bring out the best in each other.

[Ivan]

Wow manga this certainly gave me the "Old man looks at the cloud" feeling.

Not yells, mind you, but *looks*, really, because on one end of the spectrum the manga looks and reads extremely shallow, with known brand promotion and recognition and mainly focusing on the shopping and appearance, on the other end of it, it also shows the shallowness and conformity (of the lives of the influencers) to the marketing execs, to its readers.
Scenario material wise it's certainly different - the (in focus) first characters there are all "genderless" boys, though the one with the corset is kinda goes into "totally gender non-conforming" territory, and I'm not sure whether it's actually trans territory, drag or even tucute, and I can see people of various types hating it for many reasons and loving it for another. Can't give it a grade, for that reason, but it is definitely worth a read to understand what's happening in the modern society.

I know - I definitely will read the other volumes.

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kira (Meguru's model friend from volume 1) invites Meguru and Sasame to his house and gets kind of jealous when Meguru spends a lot of time talking to Sasame. After that, Meguru has to learn to sing and gets paired with a voice coach who wants to be an otokoyaku (actresses who play male roles). One of Wako's mangakas gets hooked on Unicorn Boys (the name of Meguru and Sasame's duo) and wants to draw them, which of course pleases Wako. There are also some couple-y chapters featuring Meguru and Wako - the two of them decluttering their home, working from home together, buying a fridge together, as well as a flashback to Meguru and Wako's earliest days as a couple.

This may be the best volume so far, if only because of the quality of the couple moments involving Meguru and Wako. I particularly enjoyed the cuteness of them trying to work from home together, and the end of the fridge-buying scene. There were no scenes in which Wako tried to nudge Meguru into things he wasn't entirely comfortable with in order to advance his career, so that was a breath of fresh air.

This part with Wako's mangaka felt very nearly like the author was breaking the fourth wall and explaining, via that character, why this series has no real plot or angst. As Wako said, "Would it be okay if there isn't a story? Isn't it enough for the manga to have beautiful boys doing things? You don't need reasons. Everyone will be looking at their faces." (137-138) Okay, Tamekou, I mean Wako.

The series has spent a lot of time on androgynous/beautiful guys so far (which, considering the title, isn't surprising), but I appreciated the introduction of a few androgynous/handsome female characters. Wako even spends a chapter obsessed with otokoyaku, which, rather than making Meguru jealous, just prompts him to try out some new makeup styles. I still think that if he ever decided to stop being a model, he might have a chance as a professional makeup artist.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[Sarina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne

Hat mir wieder sehr gefallen, aber ich weiß nicht so genau worauf die Story hinauslaufen wird. Das stört mich ein wenig

[Kenma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series. I am curious to see how many more volumes are going to be in this series. Really want to see more of the main couple... We are starting to get too much of the side characters. Kind of a waste... That is just my personal opinion though... Wouldn't mind more on Kira though... Love me some Kira

[Thalia Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think I'll continue with this series. It's cute for sure. The art style is adorable. However, nobody has any personality.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

So refreshing to have non-homophobic manga that is playful with gender. Wholesome enough for me, slice of life.

[Nachtwandlerin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ach, was hat mir der dritte Band von "My Genderless Boyfriend" gutgetan! Einfach etwas leichte Kost für zwischendurch, Romance, Slice of Life... Es muss ja nicht immer die tiefgründigste Lektüre überhaupt sein, nicht wahr? Der dritte Teil dieser Mangareihe ist schon eine Weile veröffentlicht und ich hatte ihn die ganze Zeit im Blick. Neulich habe ich gelesen, dass einige Leser*innen die Prämisse bzw. den Titel etwas queerbaity finden. Ich finde leider auch, dass der englische Titel "My androgynous boyfriend" das Thema der Reihe etwas besser trifft als "genderless". Aber ich denke, man muss sich einfach von dem Gedanken verabschieden, dass es hier um queere non-binary Charaktere geht, und es nur als Slice of Life bzw. Romance Manga betrachten. So, wie es als Genre nun mal angegeben ist.

Weiterhin bin ich ein großer Fan von Meguru und Wako als Pärchen. Wir bekommen zusätzlich zu ihrem Alltag noch ein paar Rückblicke zu ihren Anfangszeiten ihrer Beziehung in der High School serviert und diese Kapitel habe ich sehr genossen. Immer noch könnte ich sagen, ihre Beziehung ist zu schön um wahr zu sein. Aber es ist eben ein Romance Manga und dieses Mal habe ich versucht, einfach das süße Pärchenleben der beiden zu genießen und mir nicht andauernd Konflikte zu wünschen.

Was ich an diesem Band herausragend finde: Die Darstellung japanischer Fankultur! Es geht in vielen Kapiteln um Social Media, wie Idols mit ihren Fans interagieren, was alles Taktik und Marketing ist und wie speziell die japanischen Fanclubs aufgebaut sind. Da ich im letzten Jahr selbst in ein japanisches Fandom reingerutscht bin, war das sehr interessant und fast ein bisschen nostalgisch zu lesen. Außerdem ist der Manga sehr... Ich nenne es mal "tagesaktuell". Die Pandemie wird aufgegriffen, insbesondere Wako muss sich den Herausforderungen des Home Office stellen und das hat mich mehr als nur ein Mal zum Schmunzeln gebracht. ("Meine Idols gehen dauernd auf Insta live! Ich kann kaum alles so schnell checken!" - Oh Gott ja, sehr relatable, been there, done that.) Popkulturelle Referenzen sind in Mangas immer besonders lustig, da man die echten Marken gekonnt umgeht. Sowas wie Netflax (Netflix) oder KonMaki (KonMari), sehr unterhaltsam.

So. Bis jetzt hatten wir androgyne, feminine Männer. Was mein Herz erfreut hat: Im dritten Band gibt es auch einige androgyne, maskuline Frauen. Das finde ich sehr cool! Auch, wenn es nicht direkt queere Charaktere in der Reihe gibt, spielt der Manga dennoch sehr mit den Geschlechterklischees und das liebe ich. Frauen in Anzügen in einer Revue; durchtrainiert; groß; mit kurzen Haaren - das liest man besonders in generischen Romance Mangas immer noch nicht so häufig. Das sollte es in Zukunft natürlich, viel, viel häufiger geben, um mal mit den eingestaubten Gender- und Geschlechterklischees aufzuräumen. Immerhin widersetzt sich "My Genderless Boyfriend" hier mal dem Kanon.

Abgesehen von Meguru (ja, eventuell habe ich einen kleinen fiktiven Crush auf ihn, in jung sieht er einfach aus wie Hauro aus "Das wandelnde Schloss") und Wako finde ich Kira sehr interessant. Leider ist er dann ein bisschen untergegangen, hoffentlich gibt es in zukünftigen Bänden mehr von ihm zu lesen. Und Misaki hat es mir angetan, sie ist sehr cool und charakterstark. An Sasame muss ich mich immer noch etwas gewöhnen... Er ist einer der Charaktere, der dieses Schwarz-Weiß-Denken in "typisch männlich" und "typisch weiblich" sehr verinnerlicht hat, was mir manchmal ein bisschen auf die Nerven gegangen ist. (Ein bisschen creepy finde ich außerdem den mittelalten Mangaka, der erst Boys Love gezeichnet hat und jetzt eine Geschichte inspiriert von den "Unicorn Boys" machen will... Ich weiß auch nicht, aber das finde ich etwas seltsam.) Aber abgesehen von diesen Kleinigkeiten war ich rundum zufrieden und gebe "My Genderless Boyfriend 3" 4,5 von 5 Sternen!

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "unicorn boys" may not exactly be destined for global success, but it won't be for lack of trying on the part of Wako's remarkable emotional support and the low-key obsessiveness of the guys' entertainment manager, Noboru Kanzaki. Meguru and Sasame, as friendly rivals whose fates are inextricably tied to one another's success, soon find the comforts and anxieties that accompany their chosen profession can twist and bend in unexpected (and unexpectedly beneficial) ways.

MY ANDROGYNOUS BOYFRIEND #3 adds a few new characters to the manga's universe and teases a bit of character growth likely ignored until the current moment. The manga has always floated somewhere in-between a casual comedy and a bit of mindless shoujo fun. Seriousness, and the proclivities of highly mobile young adults, previously being rudimentary and infrequent. And yet, the current volume adds a bit of flavor to the mix.

At a nearby café, two women gather for a chat as longtime friends. Misaki is a tall, ethereal beauty (with atrocious hand-eye coordination); Sakurako is tall, but also muscular, fit, and dazzlingly feminine. These two women's grasp of what it means to work hard, find meaning, and find love flexes and overlaps just enough for readers to chuckle gently before realizing Misaki and Sakurako's lives will themselves overlap with Wako and Meguru's. The same goes for the statuesque model, Kira, whose personal interrogation of his social solitude bursts its stay. The author's knack for offering readers different angles of the same problem (e.g., aloneness, unattainable dream job) may become one of the manga's most stellar attributes.

Elsewhere, readers catch further glimpses of how Wako and Meguru grew so intimate. Their openness with their interests notwithstanding, the characters' emotional vulnerability and tendency to rely on one another, no matter how awkward it makes them feel, serves as the foundation of their relationship. Wako has almost always been aware of her lover's dichotomous gender presentation, but that doesn't stop her from loving him all the same. Similarly, Meguru has almost known of Wako's affection and how it ebbs and bleeds into everything she does, but he, too, loves her just the same. Toward the end of the volume, the pair go shopping for new appliances for their apartment. The closing implication is more than of getting comfortable in their new abode. Rather, the book's close queries the lengths these two will go toward ensuring their future lives, even as a family, will be as meaningful and comfortable as possible.

MY ANDROGYNOUS BOYFRIEND #3 has finally struck the dutiful balance between: (a) enjoying the humor and fannish drama that comes with all-female theatrical troupes and shoujo comics with (b) the real-world demands of acceding to awkward affectations and the fear of missing out on a romance that feels too good to be true.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars
Ich liege ein wenig im Klinsch mit dieser Reihe. In einer Hinsicht mag ich sie, finde den Zeichenstil auch ganz schön und das Thema ist auch mal echt was neues und offenes. Andererseits finde ich Wako einfach zu kindisch in Bezug auf Meguro, als wäre sie oft weniger seine Freundin als ein Fan, und diese ganze Sache mit den Unicorn-Boys ist einfach cringe - i’m sorry. Die Offenheit, mit der über Menschen gesprochen wird, die genderneutral aussehen oder mehr wie das andere gender, ist wirklich cool und divers. Sasame jedoch finde ich etwas schwierig, da er im Gegensatz zu Meguro oder Kira nicht hinter dem ganzen steht und aus ihm jemand gemacht wird, der er nicht ist, nur weil er dem Bro nahekommen will. Damit habe ich meine Probleme. Und ich finde halt, dass auch wenn man sieht, das Wako Meguro wirklich liebt und die beiden in den Pärchenmomenten auch wirklich wie ein Pärchen wirken, es oft doch so wirkt, als würde Wako Meguro als reiner Fan anhimmeln und Meguro andererseits Wako auch ein wenig bemuttern. Was nicht schlimm ist, ist aber einfach nicht meine Präferenz, i guess. Habe die letzten beiden Bände auch Zuhause, denke daher, dass ich die Reihe beende, weiß aber nicht, ob sie in meiner Sammlung bleiben wird.

[Vee · Rating 5 out of 5]

How embarrassing that it took so long to read this, but to be fair, I kind of just set this aside while I was waiting for volume 4. And then volume 5 came out. Eventually, I had to give in and finally finish it, but I did have to restart it because I had no idea what was going on anymore. I will get on volume 4 and 5 ASAP 🫡.

Wako and Meguru are very cute together, and I’m so glad that they’re both obsessed with each other. I’m also very glad to see a little bit of them when they were younger! Them stating that they’re 25 makes me feel old…. Maybe I should have read this 2 years ago like I had originally planned so in my mind I wouldn’t be older than them.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel at this point I’m committed to finishing the story and everyone is pretty to look at but I do feel like the story is missing opportunities to be deeper. Especially Wako’s character. It’s great to be the biggest cheerleader for your partner but you’ve been together for over 7 years and you still act more like the president of the fan club then acknowledging your partner loves you as much as you love them. I appreciate that we get small glimpses of a deeper relationship but by vol 3 I feel like there could be more.

[Lou Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last book in the series I've ever been able to get my hands on. Ive been looking for the English versions for two years. If anyone knows where I can find them please let me know. This series has helped me with my own journey with fashion but although the series is about a rather femme guy, as someone with did I found the book series to be a brilliant slice of life which gave me comfort and strength during my dark times ❤ I hope other people will find this series and also take comfort in it 😘

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Malauradament, un bluf matusser i de vegades caricaturesc que s'ha quedat a mitges de mostrar una alternativa als rols de gènere hegemònics... La premissa s'acaba convertint en una excusa per veure el noi amb diversos modelets i s'exagera en excés les diferències entre els protagonistes. Il·lustracions precioses això sí, per això arrodoneixo a 3 estrelles :/

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the burgeoning comedy of errors love triangle, and Wako getting to play with gender expression too was utterly delightful, but the way this series is about Sasame really feels incongruent. The core theme is to express yourself in whatever way you enjoy, but the narrative keeps manipulating Sasame into expressions he doesn't actually like. It feels weird and incongruent and hypocritical.

[mint🍵 · Rating 4 out of 5]

what is more romantic than appliance shopping together?? i love thé flashbacks to their high school days, very cute:) also the way the mangaka portrays make up on their faces, it seems so natural. i was sad when the bro shrine got taken down tho:(

[Genres and Journals *Tia* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meguru and Wako have so much love for each other. I just love seeing them have fun trying to make each other happy. They are just adorable. I’m not sold on all the side characters in this volume but Meguru and Wako still have my heart.

[Tohka Yatogami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life is a Journey for any couple. Sometimes you just got to face whatever comes next together. I really admire the art work in this manga. Wako and Meguru are just so adorable as your everyday couple.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realize my favorite moments are less the glamorous bits and more the quieter slice-of-life reflections on everyday life. The chapters on decluttering attempts and appliance shopping had a nice balance of warmth and light humor.