The fan-favourite comedy manga Boyish Girlfriend makes its English language print debut. Daichi and Akira have been best friends since childhood, and now they’re dating while attending different high schools. As far as Daichi is aware, Akira is a total tomboy who loves martial arts and masculine clothes—so imagine his surprise when he drops by her school for a festival, only to find her wearing cat ears and a maid costume! What other charms is his boyish girlfriend hiding?
Square Enix have been building up a strong line of romantic comedy manga since they started their English language imprint. With hits like My Dress-Up Darling, Otaku x Gal and Smoking Behind The Supermarket With You, they’ve proven to be a force to be reckoned with in that genre. This latest series by Gyunyumugigohan continues to prove that. Originally serialised on the creator’s X account, the series quickly became a viral hit that was eventually picked up by Square Enix for print release.
Similar to recent hit Tomo-chan Is a Girl!, Boyish Girlfriend delves into the genre of tomboy romance where the female protagonist has more of a feminine side than the male protagonist realises. This one circumvents the usual slow burn romance though, with Daichi and Akira already being couple which brings a different dynamic compared to the will they/won’t they approach which is usually the driving force of this genre. As a result, Gyunyumugigohan manages to create a fun romance that doesn’t cover as much common ground as fans might expect.
Gyunyumugigohan is also strong in the art department. They have a clean style that suits the tone of the series perfectly and doesn’t lean too hard into heavily stylised action and expressions. They are particularly good at selling the tomboy aspects of the series, with Akira being a rich character when it comes to subtle body language and expressions whilst not ticking all the typical boxes you’d expect when it comes to a tomboy character.
It’s easy to see why this light-hearted comedy has been a hit with readers online. An easy read whilst playing slightly with the established formula, this series will be one that romantic comedy manga fans will naturally gravitate towards.
Boyish Girlfriend 01 is out now from Square Enix Manga (9798899100246, p/b, £11.99)
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