3.5-4 stars

I thought this was a really cute story overall. It did get a bit confusing between all the characters and I wish there was a little more of the minor characters in the story. I was also pretty confused on the movement between panels and pages. At times, I felt like the pages were out of order since what was happening in the story was kind of confusing.

I would say that the storyline was nice, but could do with some more backstory on all four characters from the meetup. It really could do with more explanation within the story (not in the character pages in the beginning of each volume) of who each character is and their situation.

This was just a fun comedy manga, it questions at least partly if also in a light way the stereotypes of genders and that was interesting. I will likely keep reading this if I am looking for some lighthearted comedy (it gives a bit less fluffy slice of life than other comedies that involve romance and is more based on friendship and just weird "by-chance meeting" comedy).

3.5/5

This book was so much fun. It was silly and cute and just overall a really good slice of life story. I personally think gender and gender expression were handled quite well in this story. I wouldn't say the translator's note at the end was very necessary. Everything said or thought by the characters was in good faith. Nobody ever questioned Kantentarou and her being a trans woman. They were all perfectly fine with it. I also liked that they kind of slid in that Lemon doesn't really care about his gender and how he is perceived and that he was openly bisexual. Opera and Cocoa are super cute and fun friends and definitely my favorite pair. They were so funny sometimes with the situations they found themselves in. Overall a really fun read. I can't wait to read the whole series.

This story relies too heavily on the cross dressing trope. There wasn't any substance to the story and sadly it was boring.

Review to be posted in October on my blog/other places.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

A fun meeting over sweets with four girls ends up with a lot more surprises than anyone had expected. This was a lot of fun to read (and made me laugh more than once) and I love seeing them all still meet up even when the secrets were all out. I am kinda happy that there is no romance (at least not yet) between Cocoa and Opera, I don't know, I just don't see the click. I am hoping for romance between Lemon and Kan because I just love those two together and I do see a click between them.

I loved that we didn't just get to see Cocoa and Opera as their cross-dressed personas, but also see them outside of that. Find out more about their personalities, and how they got into cross-dressing + how they got so good at it. Plus, see them explore more things about cross-dressing, getting even better at make-up (I wish I was that good, haha, and with me many other characters in the manga), wigs, and more.

I love that we get to see things from various POVs. The main focus is of course Cocoa and Opera, but we also see Lemon/Kan, which made me smile.

Plus, I hope to see more of that girl that coincidentally was there each time something happened. Which just made me laugh so much, how does that happen. XD

I also enjoyed the art a lot! It was so much fun.

All in all, this one made me laugh SO much, it was chaotic but not in a bad way, and I definitely want to read the next volumes in the series~

I had my reservations going on this one, but the summary made me trust and, man, I wasn´t dissapointed!

This is a cozy and wholesome story about 4 women who meet online and decide to hang out together at coffee shops (because they all like sweets) as a group of friends. But, early in the comic, we find out one of the girls is trans, and the three others are boys cross-dressing.

It was great seeing how this different people embraced their sexuality and had different reasons for cross-dressing (the most common and brief of it was simply that they liked dressing like that). I personally loved that, once it was discovered this plot, it was treated naturally and not questioned or ridiculed (no, this is not common for manga, that´s part of the reason why I like this development so much). The characters kept cross-dressing for the entire story and, chapter by chapter, we found out a bit more about them.

I hope more volumes get translated and published, because this one was a jewel. I recommend.

I initially picked up this book hoping for Princess Jellyfish vibes, but this is not that – and in a great way! The story kicks off with Opera and Cocoa meeting two other friends for a pastry-filled lunch date. Early on, one of the friends is immediately recognized as a cross-dresser by another member of the group, and from there, the story unfolds into the origin stories of each character. While potentially triggering subjects are touched on, they’re handled with care and subtlety. Each character in this friend group is so interesting and unique. I highly recommend it!

Almost as sweet as the treats they eat,This book was utterly delightful and a joy to read. I couldn't put it down. I love all the expressions of gender and seeing people explore what that means to them. I love that the characters were able to have misunderstandings and talk through them in a way that deepened their bonds. The world would be a better place if this was how we spoke to each other. I look forward to the next installment. You'll definitely find me on the couch with a cute pastry in hand and this book to keep me company.

A cute story but lacking the character development I was hoping for.

I am not a crossdresser or Trans person so I can't comment on how this series does it justice or doesn't, but I felt it did do it well enough and didn't seem offensive. I also enjoyed it touched on liking someone for who they are, instead of a "gender" which is a nice way to look at how we do fall for people. Overall the characters were lacking, and while it was funny both main leads were both boys but one was falling for the other, I didn't get attached overall to anyone by the end of volume 1.

But for being different, and lighthearted and fun, it's a easy fun read. A 3 out of 5.

I initially had pretty low expectations, but I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this manga! I like the authors note at the end and how they dealt with pronouns in the English translation.

I loved how this manga obviously focuses on how these characters are dressing as women, but never in a way that is making fun of them for doing so. There are jokes related to them keeping the toilet seat up or missing a part while shaving, but never about the characters cross dressing itself. All of their friends are supportive of them and I love that.

I really liked the art style and the character designs as well. I loved all the little details too, such as Cocoa and Lemon’s earrings.

3.5 and looking forward to more! I really appreciated the translation note at the end that discussed how they chose to make certain translation choices based around respect/consideration of gender and sexuality and what the story was trying to convey when we have very different concepts of gender expression and pronoun usage in our cultures. I’m enjoying all the individual characters, I am a little confused in terms of if there’s romance happening or not, as it seemed to lean yes but then seemed to take a sharp turn into a no unexpectedly for me. I did have trouble following the overarching thread that connected some of the stories together/felt certain scenes were abrupt. But this is such a fun story of coincidences, experimenting with gender, and friendship.

This was a very wholesome story! I loved the level of acceptance in their friend group and how the two main characters look out for each other. This is just volume one and I'm already excited to read more about the Characters!

It’s beyond me how I found a story that made me go “wow,” under the guise of a guy dressing as a girl eating cake.

♡ Trope: gender identity, cross-dressing
♡ My rating: 8.5/10

Ready? Story time!

What would you do to eat some sweets?

Follow the story of Satoshi. The persona he’s known for isn’t exactly associated with eating sweets, thus, “Cocoa” is born. With the help of social media magic, he can blend in with a group of girls who meet up once a month to eat sweets!

There’s more than meets the eye here and I love when stories catch me off-guard like this. This story explores how to be comfortable in your skin; it handles gender identity and how to find yourself. I enjoyed the emphasis put on “it’s who you are on the inside that’s important and you should be the you that you feel the happiest with.”

This is an introspective take on gender. This is a very private, personal topic, and I was delighted to see it be treated with care and respect. Even if some characters make comments that come from a place of non-malicious ignorance, they’re willing to correct themselves. I take my hat off to the editors at Kodansha for adding a note regarding the pronoun choices in the localization.

This story feels wholesome and lighthearted with its comedic elements. The emphasis isn’t romance, but friendship (for now, at least.) I didn’t mind how some chapters are long and others are short. It’s not perfect, but! It’s a fun story that made me wish for an outing to eat cake with some friends, myself!

This manga will likely resonate with readers who want stories on the more real side of things. Plus, this is a tankobon, so it’s a hefty one with two volumes in one! I recommend giving this a read, it’s a beautiful work.

See you in the next one!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I’m always pretty iffy with cross-dressing manga because I’ve not had good experiences in the past. However, I Cross-Dressed for the IRL Meetup was a really pleasant surprise! Like the editor’s note at the end of the manga explains, some of the comments of the characters are ignorant, homophobic, and transphobic, but they are challenged and don’t come from a place of malice and/or willful ignorance. The characters are open and willing to change, even cis-side characters, and it’s refreshing to read. There’s even a great scene where Taro-san (a trans woman) corrects Cocao-san when she states that it was funny they all turned out to be guys by saying “Well, not ALL of us.” - affirming that Taro-san has been and always will be a woman. And we love her for it.

The art is clean and straightforward and the humour is a hit. The only thing, part of my personal taste, was that I didn’t enjoy the shorter chapters, they felt pasted together and I prefer a more even flow of story rather than a jumping from different scene/short story to different scene/short story. But that’s my own preference.

I Cross-Dressed for the IRL Meetup has its rough edges, but I think it’s a great step in the direction that I want to see crossdressing manga to grow in.

*I received an eARC from Kodansha Comics & NetGalley. All opinions are my own*

The main appeal of this story is the positive and thoughtful approach to the content. The characters are almost all gender non-conforming, choosing to cross dress in their daily lives, though there is also one transgender character. These characters are not a joke as is sometimes the unfortunate trend in manga, but are the focus and while the plot is pretty weak, it is tge focus on rhe characters that makes this book appealing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the opportunity to read this volume!

I went into this with very low expectations but I’m pleasantly surprised! It’s a sweet story with a cute sett style about a group of cross-dressers and one trans-woman who meet up to eat sweets together. There’s lot of mix-ups on whose gender is what but it’s handled in a great day. At no point did I feel like this was fetishising or being queerphobic or transphobic. I enjoyed it a lot!

Such a cute series!

What would you be willing to do to enjoy some sweets with some pretty girls? Our main character is willing to cross dress!

This was a very cute and fun volume! I enjoyed our two MCs and the other pair in their group meetup. I liked the inclusivity and how the guys didn’t take themselves too seriously. I’m definitely looking forward to volume 2!

This was a bit different than the description gave to understand. It’s not a comedic romance between two boys who dress up as girls to go to an all-girl meeting. It’s a rather complicated study of gender identity and how to be yourself.

Satoshi Morinaga is an actor who has self-confidence issues. He dresses up as a woman on a whim to attend an IRL meeting with likeminded people who like to eat cakes. It’s an all-girl group—or so he thinks. One by one, it turns out three of the four members are guys and one is a transgender woman.

Satoshi, going as Cocoa in the group, strikes a friendship with Opera, a college student whose real name is Kosuke Chiyoda. He’s dressed as a girl since school where his friends made him attend a beauty pageant, and does it for fun. Cocoa admires Opera, especially her make-up skills, but the two meet occasionally as their real selves too, though never at the same time. In fairly short chapters, the two learn to know one another, and their own selves as well. No romance in the first volume.

This was an interesting story. I don’t personally have experience with gender issues depicted here, so I don’t know how accurate this is, or if it’s done in a respectful way. Everyone’s very accepting though, and those crossing the line are put to their place.

Art was fairly good, but the characters looked too much alike in many panels so that I had no idea who was who a lot of time. Other than that, it was an enjoyable read.

This was a very light-hearted, quick read. A group a women who meet up monthly turn out to be 3 cross-dressing men and a trans women. I thought it was going to be a bit cringy, as most manga with cross-dressing are, but this was actually pretty well. There was a time or 2 that the trans woman was misgendered, but not in a malicious way so I was mostly able to overlook it. The main issue I have is with the relationship between the 2 "couples". I put that in quote marks because in both, one of the cross-dressing men has a secret crush on someone else in the group but then when everyone's genders are reveled those crushes aren't resolved in anyway. I now this volume combines vols. 1 and 2 of the original series and there are 2 more after it, not sure if those will also be combined or not, but I really need to know if Cocoa and Opera are gonna be a thing or not because they feel very couple-y and I'm here for it.

A cross-dressing manga that focuses on expression while being respectful. Honestly speaking the cover of this manga caught my eye first and then, when I read the summary I thought I’d give it a chance.

The first volume sets the bar high. This volume uses cross-dressing as a medium to discuss expressions. How one feels, how they’re comfortable and what makes them who they are. I like how this volume uses it as a safe place without any judgements or misunderstandings. It feels natural, accepting and gives a heartwarming vibe throughout.

The plot in this volume surrounds who the members of the monthly girl meetup are. It’s conveyed somewhat comedically with a touch of seriousness to keep the story light-hearted. The volume reveals everyone’s real genders and a bit of background information. While journeying through this we see topics such as insecurity, self confidence, acceptance, bisexuality, transgender and many more. It was intriguing how this volume was able to touch on each topic with grace.

The manga consists of many little stories combined to make a sequential story of events. They are related and build on each other but ultimately each serves its own purpose. There are also little omake inserts with a recurring character.

There are four main characters in this series. Given the focus of this volume is mainly on Opera and Cocoa, I’m interested to see their relationship grow. I like their dynamics and how supportive they are of each other in their cross-dressing without being too personal.

The artwork is absolutely stunning. It’s cute and expressive both using facial expressions and iconography. I love the character designs and enjoy their fashion sense. The pastries were also deliciously depicted, making me crave a slice of cake right after I finished reading it.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and one that discusses many important topics that our society needs to discuss. I liked how this volume approaches it and look forward to reading volume two hoping to see more development! This is definitely a great read and one I recommend to everyone.