While the concept of a gender-bender manga isn’t uncommon, Nakajo had a way of making this story extremely original and entertaining. The screen tones and backgrounds, necessary in any shoujo manga, are very cute and suit the narration style of the main character. The characters are drawn in typical shoujo style: large eyes, slim figures, and cute features but the art is always intricately detailed and shaded, especially in the use of flowers among the backgrounds. Female and male readers alike should enjoy the lines provided by Nakajo, with the perfect amount of serious and sarcastic moments to blend in with the generally comedic aura of the story. Unlike a large variety of shoujo manga, the author is able to add certain elements to the saga to keep it from being too saccharine. The storyline is griping, with lots of interesting plot twists, able to provide a comedic and very noteworthy point-of-view on the life of a high school student in love. How long will she be able to keep this secret? Furthermore, she has to go extreme lengths in order to hide her gender from the entire school, and especially from the school doctor. As a twist of fate, Ashiya ends up being paired in the same room as (to be paired as roommates with) Sano however, Sano turns out to be different from what she expected. There’s only one problem with this situation in order to attend Osaka, Ashiya has to pretend to be a boy. Ashiya wants to go to Japan so she can meet her idol, a high-jumper named Izumi Sano. Japanese-American high school student, Mizuki Ashiya, convinces her parents to let her transfer to the prestigious Japanese academy, Osaka High. How far would you go to meet the guy of your dreams? Recommended for fans of the themes: Romance, Comedy, High-School life, Gender-Bender

Hana-Kimi by Hisaya Nakajo