Wako and Meguru are a young couple living together in Tokyo; she works for a magazine and he models and works in a clothing store. They love each other a lot but since Meguru is so stylish people look at them and assume that either he’s gay or that Wako’s dating another woman! The two of them try to not let these assumptions bother each other too much as they go through their daily lives.
This was a far more charming manga than I imagined; I was expecting something a little tense and wholly focused on gender issues but instead it’s much more of a fun, slice of life comedy focusing on a young couple in Tokyo with a number of relatable moments. I was also concerned that there might be some inherent jealousy involved (since women are supposed to be jealous of boyfriends who can do better make-up than they can amiright?) but Wako and Meguru seem to have moved beyond that part of their feelings for each other, if it ever was an issue at all!
The two of them are old friends first and foremost and it was their interactions with each other that led them to their current (and satisfying careers). Meguru showing off the fashion he creates and models and Wako working in a fashion magazine highlighting all kinds of young talent just like she did with Meguru back in high school. It was surprising to work out that they were only about 22, since between both how they handle their relationship and how they already seem to be comfortable in their careers I initially thought they were in their mid-20s at least.
My Androgynous Boyfriend is a charming and fluffy story — even when both of them are mistaken for gay it doesn’t come from a place of homophobia, it’s just the people around them (both Meguru’s customers and Wako’s coworkers) are just a bit dense when it comes to the idea of “physical appearance =/= sexuality”. You also get the impression that this is hardly the first time they’ve dealt with these comments and, in perhaps an unrealistic moment, the worst that either of them experience in this first volume is when Meguru is being interviewed by another magazine that truly wants to believe that he is dating one of his male coworkers.
So far My Androgynous Boyfriend really seems to want to maintain a light tone and the bubbly artwork matches that tone well. It can be a little hard to believe that Meguru is considered seriously attractive while Wako is more average, since they both have pretty typical “anime” faces, but creator Tamekou does dress Meguru far more stylishly than Wako (and does make Wako look even “cuter” when Meguru does her make-up).
It’s a very laid-back, slice-of-life story that doesn’t involve magical events or exotic settings but just two people living in Tokyo occasionally being very excited about shopping at “Ikeya”. There are a few pages where Meguru is musing over what dinner to make that night, as he wants to use up what’s in the fridge. But the food will look so beige that he considers defeating the purpose of that idea by buying more food, and I found myself relating to a lot of little moments like that. It’s the kind of story that I want to read after a long day at work, something not too fantastical but also about people who’s lives are a bit more exciting than mine currently is.