Thigh High: Reiwa Hanamaru Academy Vol. 1

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This is such a bizarre manga. It’s intended as a comedy, ofc, an attempt to turn some of the typical tropes of the high school manga setting on its head. I think. Thigh High: Reiwa Hanamaru Academy, (令和はなまる学園, "Reiwa Hanamura Gakuen") is a gag comedy manga with story and art by Kotobuki. Mr. Fanservice: Yumekawa and Kitahara, both have an extremely well-developed physique and the story is not shy about showing them. Still, I was left with a lot of questions by the end. Do women even exist in the world of Thigh High? If so, do they dress and act like men? If not, where do babies come from? The story isn’t interested in answering any of these questions. Even though it’s just a gag manga, it still would have been interesting for these topics to be explored.

What the hell did I just read? I'll be honest, one of those stars is for the fine art (seriously that's a huge selling point for this one). It's a humor manga that I suspect is a weekly thing because all the 'chapters' were short and shallow (far too shallow for me). This isn't my thing really but okay let's review it. Reiwa is a secret paradise where precious young blossoms can bloom or some such (which is the tagline) Basically for no known reason all the boys here wear panties, bras and skirts and act out the worst stereotypes of teenaged girls (i.e. being fashioned obsessed and honestly that's all this is about). The blurb makes it sound like it's more than that "The hunks at Hanamaru Academy are putting the boot (and booty!) to gender norm uniforms" (I do see that it IS changed here on goodreads vs what's on the book) So I was expecting some social commentary....yeah not so much. Fanservice: If you're into men crossdressing, especially masculine men, this is the manga that will scratch that itch. This is especially true for things like Hot Springs Episode and Beach Episode in which the whole thing is played as straight as it would be in a manga about girls, but with guys dressed as girls.I love the chapters have hashtags! That is so fun and creative and it fits so well with this over the top story! Part of the issue here is that it doesn't feel particularly funny or subversive to have boys wearing girls' uniforms or worrying about their appearances. It's clearly meant to be both based on the loving images of muscular thighs peeking out from under skirts and scenes of boys worrying about their skin and having to wear bras when it's hot out. (Not to mention the whole swimsuit chapter.) It's also kind of weird that we don't see any women in the story at all, including teachers, which makes things feel underdeveloped, although that really could just be me overthinking. Mostly this just feels like dated humor, especially because its only real gag is the cross-dressing.

Nov 20 From the U.S. to Japan, You Can Control the Life-Size Moving Gundam from the Comfort of Your Own Home Thigh High is a delightful slice of life where the boys wear skirts, bras and panties and its completely normal. If you transposed the same story onto girls it would be your standard male-gaze, inappropriate high school manga, but the deadpan delivery on the premise creates a level of absurdity that distances it from the worst of the creepiness. Then the manga’s playfulness and humour give the entire endeavour a tongue-in-cheek innocence; even when the main character walks into a class of boys changing for gym, or as they discuss what it takes to fill out a bikini, it’s just sort of normal. Dude, Where's My Respect?: Kiritani is often brushed aside and ignored by his classmates despite being the Class Representative, and often depends on Harumi, who is much more well-liked than him, to get their attention and give out information. He really wishes to be relied on and trusted by others, and the manga follows attempts at him doing his job with various other men in the school. Thigh High isn't terrible, but it also isn't anything too exciting. Its greatest sin is not being as funny as it desperately wants to be, but since comedy is the most subjective of all genres, this is likely a case of “your mileage may vary.”Sure, all of the restrooms have skirted silhouettes on them. Yes, the boys also quibble about the best styles of undergarments to match ongoing trends. True, even the teachers wear pencil skirts and frilly tops. And absolutely, the characters sport a good deal of nail polish, eye liner, bronzer, revealing swimwear, and jewelry. Honestly, it's pretty awesome. Covers Always Lie: Looking only at the cover, one would be pressed to think that Yumekawa and Kitahara are the protagonists of the manga, but the protagonist is actually the Butt-Monkey Class Representative Kiritani.

With “Thigh High: Reiwa Hanamaru Academy,” what you see is what you get. The manga delivers on its premise of “high school boys who dress and act like high school girls.” It’s short, silly, and entertaining, but never pushes itself further than that. The characters really do make up a big part of the manga. Each one is interesting and well-designed. They are all memorable and enjoyable to read about! I would say my favorites are Kiritani, Mahiro, and Yumekawa.The cast is one of the best parts of the manga. Each character is unique, memorable, and brings something different to the story. They’re designed in a way that makes them feel distinct and interesting, with varied body types, facial features, and hairstyles. The characters are all very loveable and the dynamics between them are well-defined and consistent. The manga ran from 2019 to 2020, finishing with 3 volumes. It is licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment. Putting that conundrum aside, Thigh High is trying to be more of a silly comedy than a pure fanservice title and that's to its detriment; it's not funny enough. I found the first chapter touching enough and it does well to establish Kiritani's good points, but the jokes usually fall flat. For example, there's a chapter dedicated to Kiritani's competition to reach things that are high up after a taller classmate tells him he isn't cute and demands somewhat demeaning behavior before he'll get the objects for him.

Each chapter is something new. We see the boys wear sexy bras (yes, really) and talk about bras, we see how it is for them when it is hot outside and their bras show (one of them is even wearing a push-up bra), we see them discuss bathing suits vs bikinis, sunscreen/make-up is important!, see that Kiritani wants to be called cute, and much more. Each chapter made me giggle and laugh. It is as if you are reading your regular shoujo manga with girls doing girly things along with sparkles and glitters (so much of that at times)… but except for cute girls you get hunky and cute guys. I really love it! Thank you mangaka for thinking up something so glorious. loving cute things to admiring the way each other dress. Of course irl guys can also do the same, but this manga goes further with the gag of how female characters are portrayed in manga and anime. I loved that there were many tropes that female characters experience that are shown in anime and manga portrayed onto the boys. Some of the tropes that were made in this story I liked were skirts being blown in the wind and the boys being worried about it, some of the boys being jealous about each other's chest size, or of course the well known tripping onto another person and accidentally touching their chest. There's a couple more, but everyone should certainly read the manga to see what other tropes were shown. You get all the fan service though including up skirt shots of the guys panties and them in their bras. For example, the manga's main character, Kiritani, is a straight-laced class rep who not-so-secretly yearns to be cute and popular. Not unlike his best friend, Harumi, who is short, peppy and adorable. Kiritani is constantly teased by his classmates for always snapping at them to keep their uniforms clean and tend to their studies. But in a delightful little twist, the other characters don't berate him for it. Instead, they give him inclusive advice (e.g., wear a cute bra) and lend a helping hand. You see, whether it be an alternate universe where boys (and men, the teachers are not exempt) dress as women, or an all boys high school with a very specific dress code, the young blossoms in the proverbial garden of Reiwa Hanamaru Academy wear skirts and blouses.

Class Representative: Kiritani serves as this for his class and fits the character type pretty well. Unfortunately, his strict and no-nonsense demeanor makes him unpopular with his classmates, who often ignore his attempts to keep things in line. The students at Hanamaru Academy are putting the boot (and booty!) to gender norm uniforms. Instead of wearing drab blazers, these beauty-builders are obsessed with the length of their skirts and the size of their chests as they try to navigate high school. This high-energy comedy takes being cute and being cut to a whole new level! Nov 24 Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space Releases an Update Featuring a New Episode 'The Cliffs of Wyrmrest (Wryz Saga I)' on November 24 If the boys are wearing skirts and going to an all-girls school… (and the butler of one of the guys wears a maid outfit) I wonder what the girls are doing? Haha, I am kind of hoping that we get to see them and see the boys fawn over them in the way girls do. One-Gender School: Reiwa Hanamaru Academy appears to be an all-boys school, with the twist being that everyone still wears skirts as part of the uniform.