Mizuho Ambivalence

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Sigh.

If not for two major flaws...maybe two and a half, this would have been a really solid down the middle from com.

For the most part, I really liked the premise and how the classic "I'm looking for someone from my childhood to date" setup is switched up a bit when the boy Alice is looking for is actually a girl (he's cross-dressing). There are some good small bits of comedy as well as a not too terrible love triangle mixed in.

What really irked me was the fact that the entire series teased that Mizuho would have to choose to be a guy (so that he ... can date Alice) or stay a girl (so that he can be friends with Alice) which really felt like two steps back when this series does show that Mizuho identifies as a girl and the choice is really based on societal norms. Which, is why I didn't like the ending and thought it betrayed the characters.

To make matters worse Mizuho has some pretty crappy friends when you find out that they're doing underhanded stuff to make Mizuho stay their dress-up doll and fantasize about him getting together with other boys at the school. They never had Mizuho's wants in their thoughts.

It was a fun read, but yeah...that ending could really break ya.

The story follows Tashiro Mizuho, a self-proclaimed girl (explained later) in middle school. She has been enjoying her new life as a girl because of the many struggles she had as a boy. Her life was going well until Fujinomiya Alice transfers into her class. Comes to find out they had a chance encounter in the past, leading to Alice falling for her "prince."

Story: 3

While I did enjoy a lot of the story, I could not get my mind off of the constant conflict: should Mizuho return to being a boy. This may or may not effect some people's enjoyment, but I know it ... did impede mine often. The conflicts between social norms as well as keeping the status quo was intriguing and frustrating.

SPOILERS
The most frustrating part is the reveal that he is mainly acting like a girl because of hypnosis. Even worse is the "character growth" of Mizuho returning to school as a boy to date Alice. A happy end made from a terrible message, if you ask me.

Art: 8

The art is fitting for the time, and that makes it more memorable. It has a decent level of detail, and it simplifies things when it makes sense. Honestly, aren't isn't too important to me, so I'm easy to please in this regard.

Character: 6

There are both strong and weak characters in the beginning, and I find the balance to be nice. The variety of characters, ranging from stupid senpai who has an unrequited love to Alice who is trying to find her love, helps begin the story well and keep the plot moving forward. Some characters grow, Alice being the strongest of characters developing. Her struggle to decide her feelings and the conclusion she comes to is satisfying in every way. Sadly, most of the other characters have little to no development, even less of which is good.

Enjoyment: 6

I find it easy to turn my mind off when it comes to things that bother me. Once I did that, it was a nice coming-of-age story. It is flawed in many ways, but passionate love is something I will always love to see bloom.

Overall: 4

This may seem unbalanced, but the story is priority for me. The Japanese mindset on characters like Mizuho really killed it for me, but if that isn't something that bothers you, I would say give it a read. The 27 chapters go fast, and the filler is minimal.