Rec'd via Paperbackswap.com.

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Nanako is the belle of her high school - just as long as she stays quiet. Once she shows her true self, guys' dreams are shattered because she is a tomboy! Meanwhile, Akira has the looks and brains - but his personality is so dull that nobody notices him. But one day Nanako's grandfather comes up with a crazy, life-altering invention, and Nanako and Akira are forced to keep a very big secret. When they switch bodies with each other, will they ever want to go back?

Read last Tuesday.

This is a strange story.

Akira's bland, inoffensive demeanor reminds me of many a young hero in shojo manga, but the fact that his passive nature isn't appreciated by his family seems new. The fact that he has a crush on a pretty girl who is his exact opposite in personality isn't surprising - no, that seems quite natural. Nanako's masculine personality is more extreme them most of her shojo counterparts, but it is still fairly standard to the genre.


What I found interesting is their behavior after the bodies have been switched. Akira's bland personality, so repugnant in a man, is positively adorable in a girl; the assertiveness and occasional crassness so that made Nanako repellent to boys, despite her beauty, is a positive boon when she's a guy. What does this say about our perception of male and female? More intriguing to me is that the two characters begin to adapt to the new bodies, proving that our personality isn't merely a construct of our mind but also a manifestation of our physical container. Nanako cheerfully agrees to date the girl who was her best friend, embracing a physical relationship. In her mind, is it a lesbian affair or the more common man and woman? Clearly, Nanako has embraced her role in Akira's body and wants to explore her sexuality, even if she couldn't quite define it.

Akira is more than curious about his new girl's body, but he shies away from an actual relationship with a guy because he clings to the memory of being a man. It'll be interesting to see if he'll actually back down from his "I'm a guy trapped in a girl's body!" stance, as Nanako has done...especially since virtually everyone agrees that he is better suited to being a girl.

adding to the Manga Book Box!

Selected fm the manga box.

Really enjoyed this one, a funny and upbeat comedy about two high schoolers who have their bodies switched. Momoi, the tomboy, is like fish in water in Akira's body, and even Akira's family is glad that their son is finally growing into a man. Meanwhile, Akira, originally considered too shy and cowardly as a boy, becomes such a sweet, charming crybaby that even Akira's buddy falls for her. Quite a bit of jokes about the sexual situation but this being a shoujo manga so it's much tamer than it could have been, lol.

Kind of upset that I only have vol 1 here and my library doesn't have this series at all. : ( This is one series I'd love to read through to the end.

This will now be sent on in the manga relay.

Picking this out of the manga relay

I wish I hadn't waited so long to read this. I thought it was delightfully funny at times. Although by the end I was a little tired of Nanako being the macho male, and Akira not accepting his life as a female. But I bet this would be better if I had volume 2 to read right away.

This is a manga I wouldn't have picked off the shelf at a bookstore but I enjoyed being introduced to it.

I am releasing this into the manga & graphic novel bookbox.

Find this in the bookbox again. Picking this up as I think of a BC friend that may enjoy this.

Oohh this sounds fun! Thanks very much, azuki! I do love manga even if I don't read it very often. :D

I read this a little while back and enjoyed it a lot. Even though at first I wasn't sure I liked how gender roles were being reinforced. Actually, Nanako seemed to me more like a bully than a tomboy. It was interesting that she liked to be a boy, but Akira wanted to go back to his own body.
Once I got into the story I couldn't put it down and had to find out how it continued (so I went on to read the rest of the volumes online - bad! I know. :p Didn't find the ending very satisfying though).

Going as RABCK to Lamilla. Hope you enjoy it.

Received today as a lovely addition to a RABCK. Thank you!

reserved for manga sweeps for now

You've found a travelling book. Hurray!
The book's journey continues by its finder's cooperation and creativity. By making a journal entry on this book, you can add to the book's story as it travels from reader to reader around the world.
Enjoy your reading!

Привет!
Спасибо, что нашли время зайти на сайт и сделать запись в журнале! Напишите, когда и где вы нашли книгу.
Перед тем, как попасть к Вам, она побывала в других уголках света. История ее путешествий записана на сайте, и теперь к ней добавился еще один пункт. Я очень рада, что она нашла нового читателя в Вашем лице.

The book arrived today.
It must have had some problems and adventures through Europe's bad weather. It's winter, after all. Maybe one of the heaviest we have seen in the last few years. But the book is safe and sound.

Thank you, Lamilla. Also for the beautiful card.