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At a glance, the Gyunyumugigohan manga Boyish Girlfriend might seem like a cute slice-of-life series about a high school couple who are still adjusting to the move from being lifelong friends to a real relationship. It definitely is that! But it’s also an exploration of feelings and does a great job of depicting how the leads Akira and Daichi care about and support each other no matter what activities they do or styles they try out. The result is something incredibly wholesome and sweet to read.
Editor’s Note: There will be some minor spoilers for the first volume of the Boyish Girlfriend manga below.
The whole of Boyish Girlfriend is told from Daichi’s perspective, though there are times when we get to see Akira or her best friend and their mutual friend Reina’s side. The duo grew up together and were always best friends, and in middle school Daichi suggested the two of them start going out. However, as a result of that foundation, personal development as they grow up, and general shyness on both of their parts, things are moving at a slower sort of pace. The result is sweet moments that reveal the two genuinely like and love each other, and they do so regardless of fashion choices and preferred hobbies.
The first chapter illustrates the concept perfectly. After Daichi quickly introduces himself and his girlfriend Akira, establishing she has a sharp side and boyish style he finds cute, it gets into the cultural festival being held at her high school. The two attend different ones, and her class is doing a cosplay cafe. She freaks out a bit at the suggestion he show up. While Gyunyumugigohan is very clear Daichi loves Akira the way she is, the mangaka also establishes how the lead would also think she’d look good in cuter styles too.
Naturally, it turns out it is a maid cafe and Akira is wearing the cat girl maid costume featured on the cover of the first volume of the Boyish Girlfriend manga. This leads to adorable reactions from both individuals, a funny moment, and an immediate realization of how this story will go.
While that instance lead to Akira being embarrassed, and it does happen a few other times, we also see her pushing through her own shyness to show different sides of herself to Daichi. For example, another instance happens after the two of them are training. They’ve been training in martial arts at the same dojo for years, and he complimented her about how she looked in the cafe costume to reassure her. We then get to see how strong she really is when she bests them in a training match despite being a foot shorter than him. Once they’re leaving to hang out after, we see she purposely dressed in a skirt and more feminine type shirt to again show a different side of herself, and of course he’s happy with both.
But one of my favorite parts, aside from the 13th chapter that involves some spoilers, involves another insight into what Akira is thinking and feeling. In the 10th one, there’s a case of mistaken identity. She ends up feeling a little insecure since her and her friend Reina see Daichi apparently oogling an older woman in a form-fitting dress and calling her cute. She then goes outside of her comfort zone again to get his eyes on her. I won’t talk about what happened, but it’s another sweet moment that again ties back in to Daichi thinking Akira is best of all, and it really brings things back to the idea of accepting a partner no matter what style they prefer and what they like.
Boyish Girlfriend is such a sweet manga because of how much we can see the two lead characters love and appreciate each other no matter what. I mean, Gyunyumugigohan basically starts almost every Daichi chapter with him saying how cute his girlfriend is. It’s so encouraging and wholesome to see a supportive pair who want to do their best for each other and care about each other for who they are and what makes them comfortable.
Volume 1 of Boyish Girlfriend is available now, and Square Enix will release volume 2 of the manga on December 22, 2026.
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