After School Mate

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

I'm astounded that such a modern story has such a small community and lacks some traction. But that doesn't make it any less beautiful or great; rather, it's brilliance waiting to be discovered by someone like me, who suffers from many of the same ailments as Rika-kun. I came across this recommendation by chance on TikTok and added it to my reading list after only reading one panel.
If you are new to this story, I will do my best to give it a glowing review as a fellow transgender person similar to the main character!

Rika is a transgender FTM (female to male) who longs for ... a sense of belonging. He lives with dysphoria and the sickness of being misgendered and having to present as a cis girl on a daily basis. He lives with a mother who is aware of his transgender status but pretends to ignore it out of desperation to keep her son as his biological gender. He makes an unlikely friend with a fellow troubled (cis-gendered) boy as a result of his constant arguing with his mother. This is a story about maturing, discovering one's identity, and, most importantly, finding love and acceptance.

I will recommend this story to anyone. It is so lovely and so heart wrenchingly good. Tugs on my heart strings in just the right ways. "After School Mate" がんばって~!

After School Mate is how to write a short series. It tells an absolutely beautifull story about finding your identity and self worth.

I'll start with the best part of this series being the characters. The main character Rika is extremely likable and you really feel for him for the whole story. HE feels like an actual person and his struggles with his family are perfectly executed. The second MC Satsuki's struggles with his family are a little bit of an afterthought, but in the end they are handeled wel, though I wish they were more prevelant. All the other characters are likable (or not, ... but that's how they were intended) and they fill their purpose well. They are clearly just side characters, but they do have an actual caharcter and they are not two dimensional.

Similairly, the story is beautifully written and it fits the short series style, though the ending is a little bit ubrupt and it could have used one or two more chapters to tie the last few ends.

The art on the other hand is just good. it isn't bad by a long shot, but it does stand out with how phenomenal the rest of the series is. The character designs are good and the backgrounds are generally quite detailed, but again it just lacks a little bit.

In Short, After School Mate is a must read which is absolutely amazing and a must read for everyone. The series has no real lows and very high highs. The two main characters are splendidly written and the story is very moving. I can't recommend this series enough and I wish it had an official english release. Luckily there is an English fan translation that you can find on Mangadex and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as i did.