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女装してオフ会に参加してみた。 [Josou Shite Off-kai ni Sanka Shite mita.] #3-4
I Cross-Dressed for the IRL Meetup, Vol. 2
"Cocoa" has found belonging in an all-girl who meet up for sweets. There's just one problem: Cocoa's actually a cross-dressing guy! What begins as a tense manga about online life turns into a lighthearted comedy about love, friendship, gender nonconformity, and what it means to be your true self.
Includes volumes 3 and 4 of the Japanese edition, over 250 pages of manga!
Cross-dresser Satoshi Morinaga, using the online handle Cocoa, lives for his once a month IRL sweets meetup where he’s become fast friends with fellow sweets lovers Opera, Lemon, and Kantentaro. With the weather warming up, the group decides to shake things up a bit, and instead of their usual sweets meetup, they go shopping for swimsuits (after deciding which swimsuit to exactly buy...) and hit the beach for some fun in the sun. When a group of guys hit on Lemon and Taro, refusing to take no for an answer, an ultra hottie swoops in to rescue them. But this hottie may spell the end of their little group after Satoshi spots him out on the town with Opera, sparking something unexpected inside of him...
Includes volumes 3 and 4 of the Japanese edition, over 250 pages of manga!
Cross-dresser Satoshi Morinaga, using the online handle Cocoa, lives for his once a month IRL sweets meetup where he’s become fast friends with fellow sweets lovers Opera, Lemon, and Kantentaro. With the weather warming up, the group decides to shake things up a bit, and instead of their usual sweets meetup, they go shopping for swimsuits (after deciding which swimsuit to exactly buy...) and hit the beach for some fun in the sun. When a group of guys hit on Lemon and Taro, refusing to take no for an answer, an ultra hottie swoops in to rescue them. But this hottie may spell the end of their little group after Satoshi spots him out on the town with Opera, sparking something unexpected inside of him...
256 pages, Paperback
First published November 26, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 30, 2024
4.5 stars, rounded up for sheer enjoyment.
There’s something entirely too cute and wholesome about this story, and it might be the fact that these three guys and one woman find such a beautiful friend and support group in one another. It is not an earth-shattering read, but has such a feel-good sensibility that makes it very warm.
And, honestly, it walks a very fine line with the cross-dressing, allowing these characters to all present flawlessly as 2D manga females of very attractive design. Enough so that even with some minor apprehension we get, yes, bikinis right off the bat.
But it works for me for a couple reasons. One, they are not so impossibly transformed that you can’t make out hints of their masculinity. That was my problem with the ultra-moe Love Me For Who I Am, which was a decent series that came off as impossible.
Maybe that’s praise by degrees, having seen it done less artfully elsewhere, but for me this has it both ways without an issue. Your own feelings on how this presents cross dressing and gender may well vary, so grain of salt there.
Also, they give lip service to all their struggles and a little bit of how-to (very little) that makes it at least acknowledge what it’s getting away with. This also gives way to lots of discussion about gender identity and how society perceives them that makes this far more interesting than other series.
Which sounds heavier than it is, since most of this volume concerns Cocoa’s burgeoning crush on Opera, which bumps up against the latter’s struggle with having a crush on another guy. The frustration of the others, who basically have a ‘just date already’ mentality is a welcome surrogate for the audience.
And, boy, do I want those two to get together. They’re just so good together in any presentation of themselves and their chemistry is really solid. There’s also a fun digression with Opera’s past behaviour that comes back to bite him at the end.
That would seem to indicate that Lemon and Kantentaro offer nothing, but that’s very wrong. The story dives into Kantentaro’s life as a trans woman and it was a really interesting change from what I was expecting. She and Lemon have a very different relationship than Cocoa and Opera and it makes for a really nice contrast.
If you’re not as heavily invested in this as I’ve become, probably give it 4 stars. It’s not perfect, but the sheer vibes of this are so satisfying and the company so enjoyable that it was an absolute pleasure the whole way through. And if that’s not worth my highest rating, well, what is?
There’s something entirely too cute and wholesome about this story, and it might be the fact that these three guys and one woman find such a beautiful friend and support group in one another. It is not an earth-shattering read, but has such a feel-good sensibility that makes it very warm.
And, honestly, it walks a very fine line with the cross-dressing, allowing these characters to all present flawlessly as 2D manga females of very attractive design. Enough so that even with some minor apprehension we get, yes, bikinis right off the bat.
But it works for me for a couple reasons. One, they are not so impossibly transformed that you can’t make out hints of their masculinity. That was my problem with the ultra-moe Love Me For Who I Am, which was a decent series that came off as impossible.
Maybe that’s praise by degrees, having seen it done less artfully elsewhere, but for me this has it both ways without an issue. Your own feelings on how this presents cross dressing and gender may well vary, so grain of salt there.
Also, they give lip service to all their struggles and a little bit of how-to (very little) that makes it at least acknowledge what it’s getting away with. This also gives way to lots of discussion about gender identity and how society perceives them that makes this far more interesting than other series.
Which sounds heavier than it is, since most of this volume concerns Cocoa’s burgeoning crush on Opera, which bumps up against the latter’s struggle with having a crush on another guy. The frustration of the others, who basically have a ‘just date already’ mentality is a welcome surrogate for the audience.
And, boy, do I want those two to get together. They’re just so good together in any presentation of themselves and their chemistry is really solid. There’s also a fun digression with Opera’s past behaviour that comes back to bite him at the end.
That would seem to indicate that Lemon and Kantentaro offer nothing, but that’s very wrong. The story dives into Kantentaro’s life as a trans woman and it was a really interesting change from what I was expecting. She and Lemon have a very different relationship than Cocoa and Opera and it makes for a really nice contrast.
If you’re not as heavily invested in this as I’ve become, probably give it 4 stars. It’s not perfect, but the sheer vibes of this are so satisfying and the company so enjoyable that it was an absolute pleasure the whole way through. And if that’s not worth my highest rating, well, what is?
June 15, 2025
After finishing the first volume I knew I wanted to continue the series and bought the next two volumes. I started volume 2 right away and got through it pretty fast. I've been very stressed lately and this book was exactly the type of read I wanted.
It was easy to get into this book as I read it right after the first volume and this time I had none of the few issues I struggled with in volume 1 as I already know who was who and I found there were less confusing switches this time. I really liked reading this book. It's easy to read, the art looks nice and I like the story and characters.
I really liked reading more about Cocoa and her friends and their sweet meetups. This series reads like cozy slice of life story, but I like how there are interesting topics as well with how it really delves deeply in the topic of cross-dressing, what it means to cross-dress for the various characters as well as about self expression, being queer and being yourself.
In this volume there is a new character who joins the group. Aki wants to cross-dress, but he is tall and muscular so he thinks he can't, so he only does cross-teching. I never heard of that term before, but he basically changes his appearance with software. It was interesting seeing how a new member in the group changed things up and seeing his point of view and how he had different struggles than the other characters.
I also liked seeing the romance between Opera and Cocoa progress. Both in their cross-dressed forms as well as outside of it. Cocoa has to come to terms with the fact they're crushing on Opera and that Opera is a boy like him. There are some really sweet scenes with them and I look forward to seeing where their romance goes.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this second volume, I read it right after volume 1 and easily got into this one. I enjoyed reading more about Cocoa and her friends and the sweet meetups. I like the cozy slice of life vibe of this series as well as the interesting topics it addresses like the reasons for cross-dressing, queerness and self expression. I liked how there was a new character joining the group in this one and how he has his own challenges when it comes to cross-dressing. The romance also deepens a bit and I like seeing how they like each other cross-dressed and outside of it, I look forward to seeing how that progresses. All in all I had a great time reading this one and it was just the read I needed during a stressful time.
It was easy to get into this book as I read it right after the first volume and this time I had none of the few issues I struggled with in volume 1 as I already know who was who and I found there were less confusing switches this time. I really liked reading this book. It's easy to read, the art looks nice and I like the story and characters.
I really liked reading more about Cocoa and her friends and their sweet meetups. This series reads like cozy slice of life story, but I like how there are interesting topics as well with how it really delves deeply in the topic of cross-dressing, what it means to cross-dress for the various characters as well as about self expression, being queer and being yourself.
In this volume there is a new character who joins the group. Aki wants to cross-dress, but he is tall and muscular so he thinks he can't, so he only does cross-teching. I never heard of that term before, but he basically changes his appearance with software. It was interesting seeing how a new member in the group changed things up and seeing his point of view and how he had different struggles than the other characters.
I also liked seeing the romance between Opera and Cocoa progress. Both in their cross-dressed forms as well as outside of it. Cocoa has to come to terms with the fact they're crushing on Opera and that Opera is a boy like him. There are some really sweet scenes with them and I look forward to seeing where their romance goes.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this second volume, I read it right after volume 1 and easily got into this one. I enjoyed reading more about Cocoa and her friends and the sweet meetups. I like the cozy slice of life vibe of this series as well as the interesting topics it addresses like the reasons for cross-dressing, queerness and self expression. I liked how there was a new character joining the group in this one and how he has his own challenges when it comes to cross-dressing. The romance also deepens a bit and I like seeing how they like each other cross-dressed and outside of it, I look forward to seeing how that progresses. All in all I had a great time reading this one and it was just the read I needed during a stressful time.
November 9, 2025
I’m still enjoying this one, even if I do still mix up the characters a bit and have to keep flipping back to remind myself who is who.
However…without giving any spoilers, let me just say that Lemon’s reaction to something that happens towards the end of this volume is puzzling, and I hope gets explained in the next one.
My library doesn’t have volume 3 yet, but I hope they do get it soon. This is probably not a must-buy series for me, but volume 3 is apparently the conclusion and I do want to read it.
However…without giving any spoilers, let me just say that Lemon’s reaction to something that happens towards the end of this volume is puzzling, and I hope gets explained in the next one.
My library doesn’t have volume 3 yet, but I hope they do get it soon. This is probably not a must-buy series for me, but volume 3 is apparently the conclusion and I do want to read it.
August 7, 2025
Engaging and fun story, is generally a little hard to keep track of but always sucks me in for at least a whole book whenever I pick one up.
January 2, 2025
In a carry-over from the first volume, the group decided to visit the beach, but of course there were issues that cropped up. Lemon and Kantentaro got rescued by a hot guy from a sticky situation. He crops up later in the story as well. Cocoa and Opera are working on sorting out their relationship, both cross-dressed and when in normal clothing, which is turning into an interesting scene, especially when their real lives are starting to get entwined. The same goes for Opera and Lemon who are in a pickle at the end of the volume. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next volume!
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February 23, 2025Relationships are getting a bit tangled, and we’ve added more characters. Cocoa is finally recognizing his feelings for Opera, and is more confused about the concept of them both being guys than he is about them being girls…
I am puzzled why they said that renting a car would avoid the issue of changing rooms, yet used the men’s changing room at the pool anyway…I also don’t really understand why the guy at the end was babbling about cross dressers being liars, but when apologized to, he said it’s ok, liars are liars and wasn’t upset. What?
I am puzzled why they said that renting a car would avoid the issue of changing rooms, yet used the men’s changing room at the pool anyway…I also don’t really understand why the guy at the end was babbling about cross dressers being liars, but when apologized to, he said it’s ok, liars are liars and wasn’t upset. What?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2025
More of a 3.5 star rating;
I really like the way that all of the characters were expanded on compared to the first volume. I especially like the addition of a new person to the little meetup group; I think it’s adorable and very sweet at how welcoming everyone was despite the initial confusion. A lot happened within these chapters so, I’m very curious to see how things wrap up in the next and final volume.
I really like the way that all of the characters were expanded on compared to the first volume. I especially like the addition of a new person to the little meetup group; I think it’s adorable and very sweet at how welcoming everyone was despite the initial confusion. A lot happened within these chapters so, I’m very curious to see how things wrap up in the next and final volume.
March 2, 2025
The journey of self acceptance is a long a bumpy road these characters will learn to travel together. This is not a plot heavy book but I appreciate how this felt like a warm blanket for my heart. I particularly enjoyed Aki’s arc (when they held the hand of their child self I nearly died).
April 21, 2025
I continue to enjoy how this looks at the struggles and joys of playing outside the box of your expected gender presentation, from the difficulty with changing rooms and misogyny to dysphoria and the desire to pass.
January 10, 2025
This is such a fun series so far. I'm really liking all the dynamics between the characters with how much ( or little ) they know about each other. It is very real, ya know. You make new online friends who become IRL friends and you slowly learn more and more about each other. And of course the universe being what it is, 6 degrees of separation eventually kicks in and small interpersonal chaos ensues. This is really is a character-driven story and I am just adoring all the characters getting to just be themselves and finding themselves out in the best way possible.
March 29, 2025
Cute and wholesome slice of lifey stuff with some light plot and enough character development to make it interesting, I enjoyed this more than the first volume.
September 5, 2026
This volume was a lot of fun. The whole Christmas misunderstanding was my favorite part.
January 15, 2025
The first half was really fun, especially Aki, what a sweetheart. However, even though I loved Cocoa/Opera in the first volume, I didn't love their plotline in this volume. Maybe I just don't understand cross-dressing culture that much, but it was kinda confusing why Cocoa had sooo much gay panic; I had thought we had already kinda established the friend group was very alphabet-soup-flavored.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews