Liking “cute” and “girly” things doesn’t make you less of a boy. You can enjoy whatever you want as whatever gender you want. It’s all made up social roles that society tries to box us into anyway. Painoko is great because it wants to drive this message home to people by showing Makoto coming to terms with who they are. Initially we see Makoto struggling with their “girly” tendencies while society views them as a boy, before eventually realising you don’t have to box yourself into either gender. As someone who likes things that society traditionally associates with girls, I really related to Makoto in this one. While I don’t have the crossdressing desire, I do empathise with wanting to just enjoy things and be myself in a way that society unfortunately looks down on me for. Fortunately at my age, it’s not as big a deal as it would be for a younger person. I’ve become very comfortable with myself, but I think this show has some nice lessons and offers encouragement for younger people who may still be struggling with accepting who they are. Again, the author clearly understands this and doesn’t use it as a simple plot device, this is very much a part of Makoto’s character and something they grapple with throughout the show. Even when they start to accept themselves, there’s the conflict with Makoto’s mother..
Normally in these situations, the mother is the more accepting one, but Painoko has a unique set up in which the dad is actually more understanding of Makoto’s gender dysphoria and crossdressing than their mom! Instead of accepting her child and encouraging them to be themselves, she belittles and is emotionally abusive to them. Honestly it was hard to watch, but it is sadly something that many people irl go through so I think it’s important to see it depicted. Also, like most people irl realise, that abuse comes from someone who themselves has a lot of deep rooted trauma. Hurt people hurt people as the expression goes.
Now, while Makoto crossdressing and struggling with their identity is a big part of the show, there’s also the Ryuji situation that I loved. Ryuji throughout the show struggles with his sexuality. He’s been in love with Makoto since they were kids and loves Makoto not because they dress like a girl, but just for the person they are. Makoto deals with this guilt wherein they feel like they’ve tricked Ryuji into liking them because they dress like a girl and Ryuji feels bad for falling in love with someone that society perceives as a guy. It’s a complicated and delicate situation that we see both struggle with over the series. Honestly it was hard to hear Ryuji put himself down constantly and lament over his sexuality throughout the series. It is again a sad, but often far too real experience that many people go through. The author does a good job of getting across just how dangerous falling into that mentality can be and how important it is to realise there’s nothing wrong with you and you can’t help who you’re attracted to. My only issue with this particular situation is I feel the Ryuji and Makoto relationship dynamic was handled poorly in the last couple episodes. There’s a big turning point that occurs and kind of gets brushed under the carpet because of third cast member’s drama.
Another big plus for this story is how everyone communicates and doesn’t drag things out. I really can’t emphasise enough how much I appreciate this. There’s no drawn out drama and when there are misunderstandings, the characters have mature sit down conversations within an episode max. Like it was genuinely such a breath of fresh air to hear people apologise, say what’s on their mind, confess and accept responsibility for their actions! Just as a brief example, there was a situation with Ryuji and Makoto due to those insecurities we talked about earlier, and instead of it being some long process, Ryuji instantly apologises and explains why he acted the way he did and why he felt a certain way. My jaw was damn near on the floor. The author really gets people and it shines through in the writing!
The love triangle in the story I think is probably one of the weaker aspects. For me, the big appeal here is the gender and sexual identity stuff. I felt like Makoto and Ryuji were the only real ship and that Aoi was frankly there as comic relief. Yes, she got a serious arc in the final third, but honestly I just didn’t care about her that much and I definitely didn’t see her as an actual potential partner for Makoto. She always felt to me like a really good friend or even little sister like figure. Going to sound a little mean to say too, but I was kind of happy when she was out of the picture and dealing with her own family drama so the other two could get closer..
Production wise it’s a solid seasonal. Nothing crazy, but the art style is cute and character designs really good. The animation is passable, nothing crazy, but not bad at all. The seiyuu performances bring this story to life though. There’s so many big emotional moments in this one that they convey their feelings thru the screen for, especially Aoi’s arc with her mom and Makoto and Ryuji’s arc in the final few eps. Hats off to them!
So, my verdict is that Painoko is a must watch. I had it in my top 10 new anime of summer video and that really has stayed the same. It’s been solidly in my top 4-5 shows of the season throughout and one of the best times of the week for me. I absolutely loved Makoto and related so much to the desire to enjoy “girly” things in peace. It’s no fair that the girls get all the fun! While I didn’t initially have an interest in crossdressing or even BL stories prior to this, I had my eyes opened and worldview expanded and now am really interested in reading and learning more. I feel that I have grown more interested in LGBTQ issues as a whole thanks to this series and that’s a testament to the job the author did with it. Bravo.
Painoko gets 9 out of 10.
