Senpai Wa Otokonoko, which loosely translates to, my “upper-classmate is a boy” is a cute “slice of life” anime that features many LGBTQ+ characters. This anime is completely safe for work, and follows the love lives, academic pursuits, and family issues of three students at a high school in Japan.
Each character has their own worries and awkward tendencies, which makes the show interesting to watch and relatable. In addition, it has a really heartwarming element, since it deals not only with the topic of romantic love, but also with the topic of family problems and estranged families coming back together. For this reason, I recommend this anime to anyone who is looking for a moving story.
In this article, I’ll explain a little more about the story’s plot, what I like about it, what I don’t like about it, and parse through the ending a little bit. Please keep in mind that there are spoilers ahead!
Senpai Wa Otokonoko: Synopsis
When Aoi Saki, a female student at a high school in Kamakura, Japan confesses her love to Hanaoka Makoto, a student that Saki assumes is also a girl, she is surprised when Makoto reveals that he is actually a boy wearing girls’ clothing. With this, the question of how exactly Makoto ended up crossdressing at school begins to be explained.
Meanwhile, Saki doesn’t care that Makoto is actually a boy, and continues to be in love with him anyway. Makoto’s childhood friend Taiga Ryuji also has a crush on him, turning the story into a cute and funny love triangle.
However, the show also dives into each character’s family life, showing the strained relationship between Makoto and his mom, who has no idea that Makoto crossdresses while at school, and wants him to only like masculine things.
In addition, Saki is dealing with her father constantly being away on whale research trips, and her mother having left her ten years ago. Now living with her grandmother, Saki struggles with loneliness and searches throughout the show for people she can call her own.
What I Like About the Anime
I like that the anime shows a realistic portrayal of friendship and dating in high school, with each character worrying endlessly about whether another character likes them or not. I also like that the show dives into the topic of family issues, which isn’t usually touched upon in the anime that I’ve watched before.
Additionally, I like that it portrays a variety of different gender and sexual identities. Saki is probably bisexual, since she has feelings for Makoto when she thinks that he’s a girl, and keeps liking him when it’s revealed that he’s a boy. Ryuji is probably gay, since he knows that Makoto is a boy from the start and still has feelings for him.
And, of course, Makoto is dealing with questions of gender identity. Although Makoto comes to the conclusion at the end of the anime that he is a boy but loves feminine things, the question of whether he wants to live his life as a girl or as a boy is brought up multiple times throughout the show.
What I Don’t Like About the Anime
Although there isn’t much I don’t like, I did find the anime a bit tedious at points. It follows the daily lives of the three characters, and there isn’t much else going on besides that. There are no real major events outside of the characters’ emotional and romantic lives, and there are no action or mystery elements, which I personally prefer in an anime.
Senpai Wa Otokonoko is basically as “slice of life” as it gets. So, if you’re really into “slice of life” anime, definitely check it out!
LGBTQ+ Portrayal in Senpai Wa Otokonoko
Like I said before, I really like the variety of LGBTQ+ identities represented in the show. Many queer-themed anime focus solely on one identity such as gay men or lesbians, but this anime includes many different representations of the queer experience.
In addition, I like that it doesn’t have any sexual elements, and is a very kid-friendly portrayal of LGBTQ+ people. There’s nothing wrong with more adult-themed queer anime, but it’s good to show that queer relationships don’t always have to be overtly sexual, and can be family-friendly.
Senpai Wa Otokonoko: Ending Explained
The ending of this anime is very interesting to me. In the last episode, Makoto meets his grandfather (on his mom’s side) for the first time, and discovers that he is also into crossdressing. His grandpa is actually a fashion designer who makes cute dresses that Makoto ends up trying on.
Although Makoto’s mom doesn’t accept him at first, she eventually comes around and starts going shopping for feminine clothes with him, which is really heartwarming to see.
In addition, it’s explained that the reason Makoto never met his grandpa is because his mom was freaked out about him liking feminine things and left. But, hopefully, now that she has opened up her heart to Makoto, she can do the same to her father.
Saki’s mother comes back in the later episodes and wants to start a relationship with her daughter. It’s never explained why she left in the first place, but when she does come back, Saki happily accepts her, which is also heartwarming to see.
In addition, we do also meet Saki’s dad, who definitely loves her but is too obsessed with whales to be there for her all the time. This problem is never resolved at the end of the show, but at least Saki now has one parent to stick around for her.
In the end, Makoto doesn’t end up with either Ryuji or Saki in a romantic sense, but the three of them remain friends and continue on as normal. This is a satisfying conclusion for me, since they are so young that they probably don’t know what they actually want romantically. Of course, they have the rest of their lives to figure it out.
Conclusion
Senpai Wa Otokonoko is a cute and heartfelt “slice of life” anime that deals with romance and dating, family issues, and issues of questioning one’s gender and sexuality. If you’re looking for an anime that has a little bit of everything when it comes to its characters’ personal lives, definitely give this one a try!
