Your and My Secret: Volume 1

This is the gender-bender genre at its best. Gentle Uehara, the main character, has an unrequited love for Momoi, a beautiful but rude (and in my opinion hateful) girl. When they accidentally switch bodies, everyone immediately notices the change in their behavior and comments on how much more manly Uehara has suddenly become and how much more gentle and ladylike Momoi has become. Uehara continues loving Momoi, but Momoi has no interest in him before or after the switch. While Uehara just wants to reverse the change, Momoi almost immediately decides she likes things better this way. The twist I like the best about this manga is Uehara and Momoi's best friends. Momoi is attracted to Shina and asks her out soon after the change. Similarly, Uehara's best friend, Senbongi, starts pursuing him. For a gender-bender, it's a pretty insightful story. The switch happens pretty early on, so this volume covers a lot of ground. It's almost immediately apparent that Uehara makes a better girl than Momoi, and vice-versa, but it's unclear whether they'll remain that way for good, or if Momoi will ever return Uehara's feelings. One thing I disliked about this volume is Momoi. I think we're supposed to hate her and her over-the-top bad personality can be funny at times, but often, her selfishness, shallowness and general meanness are too much to take. Her grandfather's (the one responsible for the body switch) frivolity is also a little annoying. The good parts more than compensate for these minor irritations though. Uehara's best friend is an especially good character; initially completely uninterested in Momoi, he almost immediately falls for Uehara after the switch. Uehara is taken aback by this aggressive side of his best friend that he's never seen. For the reader too, it's a surprise, because in the beginning, Senbongi seems like a nice but unremarkable side character. It's great seeing a totally different side of Senbongi's personality emerge, after the switch. Anyone who enjoys gender-benders or comedies will like this story. The art is great, as well. At the pace ADV has been going though, I only hope that the next volume gets released in my lifetime.

EDIT TWO: Tokyopop has relicensed this series, but thier translation is a little lacking compared to this one. But it's an opportunity to finish it up. EDIT:For some unfathomable reason, the published decided to discontinue this TWO VOLUME series. You might want to take that into consideration before buying, but the first book really is hysterically funny. Nope, the body-swap, gender-switch idea isn't original at all... it's been played out over and over again, with varying degrees of success. But never have i read a book so funny! Me and two of my other friends were fighting in the store who got to buy the only volume we found .(I won, obviously.) Most of the manga's creative humor comes from Momoi, the frighteningly masculine cutie whose agression scared away the guys even when she was in her own petite and girly body. Her attitude is unbelievably insensitive- and the reader gets plenty of sadistic glee/horror watching her abuse poor Urehara, who's so desperately in love with her he can't help but let her push him around like a wheelbarrow. There are many indiginities he must endure at the hands of Momoi- at his own, really, because of the body-switch- when she misuses his body in all sorts of enjoyably shocking ways. It's refreshing to find a heroine who's... well, a real jerk. Girl characters no longer have to be waifish, tender-hearted, and innocent- there was never a female role as selfish and dirty as Momoi, and just for the fun of it. No dramatic evil plot, no sensual darkness-just a girl who's as cocky as they come, and has the drive and violence to prove it. Watching her is amazingly fun. She's "cool", albeit "inappropriate." The story is really told more from urehara's viewpoint, though, he's usually weepy and unhappy that he's adjusting to life as a girl as well as Momoi is to manhood. He has a real hard time of it trying to preserve what little masculinity he had to begin with, while making it in the world using his "womanly skills." In truth, the degradation of his dignity is the whole point. You feel sorry for him, but you're happily entertained, so... SOme things I'd like to note is the book's amazing presentation. The dialogue translated extremely well-it made for laughs every time. And I don't laugh very easily, so it'd probably have most people cracking up. If people are familiar with FX- soundeffects- most manga either leave the japanese writing as is and translate it in the back, don't translate it at all, or erase the japanese writing to replace it with english. I really am not entirely enthused about any of these options. With no translation, you're left in the dark. With the effects in the back, you don't get to experinece them in story. The effects are part of the artwork, and carefully planned by the artist to compliment the panels, so getting rid of them means tampering with the image-frankly, usually this looks cheesy. Your and my secret has found the best solution yet- simply include both in-story. The artwork

In line with bodyswap movies like Freaky Friday, Dudley Moore's Like Father Like Son, Judge Reinhold's Vice-Versa, and Ellen Barkin's Switch, Ai Morinaga's manga Your And My Secret, is a comedy of reversed roles where actually, the changed personalities like their new bodies even more. The two victims are Akira Uehara, a boy who's a bit of a wimp, not a macho bone in his body, but who likes Nanako Momoi. Nanako is pretty but rude, ill-tempered, and egocentric. Uehara describes her in this lovely way: "When she sits, she's like a delicate peony. When she stands, she's a tulip." That is, until she opens her mouth. A scientific experiment by Nanako's grandfather, an inventor, swaps their bodies. That means they have to swap families as well, which causes some interesting situations. However, the rough Nanako warns Akira not to look at her body or else "you're [meaning his boy's body] showing up to school naked except for a pair of socks." Much of the changes are noticed by their respective peers and families. For Nanako, now in a boy's body, she's able to be more macho and aggressive. Indeed, Akira's little sister Miu used to walk all over him, but now, with Nanako in Akira's body. He (or should that be she?) becomes more popular with the guys because he has been more on the ball, acting like a typical guy, but also the girls, particularly a cute blonde named Shiina. And the parents, especially the father, is relieved that their son is finally turning out to be a man. Akira, now in Nanako's body, surprises everyone with her (or should that be his) diffidence. Nanako's grandfather is actually happy to have a granddaughter more girlish and not the macho churl. However, things really get whacked out when his best friend Senbongi, notices Nanako's girlishness and becomes attracted to her. I mean, imagine being held by or seduced by one's own best friend, especially when one is a guy, albeit a dainty wimp, in a girl's body. However, the more sensitive Akira begins to miss his family. Being familiar with the aforementioned body-swap comedies, Your And My Secret takes this further in its wackiness but also with the gender differences and perceptions. Even though rated 13+, there are some situations and references to body parts that might take it to a 16+ rating. This was released in June 2004. Come on, when's the next one in the series coming?

Boy finds excuse to go to Girl's place, finds Girl in the hands of a Mad Scientist, Girl turns on Boy - they end up in each OTHERS' BODY. Your basic manga. Nanako Momoi may have been cute on the outside, but she is anything but cute on the inside. And once inside Akira Uehara's body it turns out she prefers being a boy! And what's worse is she seems to be better at being a boy than she was at being a girl. Akira Uehara is also having mixed feelings. On one hand he is now trapped in her body. On the other hand he is trapped in the body of a petite and adorable girl he had a crush on. And it seems he is ALSO better at being a girl than HE was being a boy. Things get WEIRD after that, but you'll have to buy the book to figure it out.

This is such a great & funny manga! It's a comedy of errors with gender bending personality aspects within play. Imagine a beautiful girl who talks like a sailor, and acts like a tough guy that even other guys are afraid of her! Then imagine a tall, good looking guy who swoons like a girl, gentle & soft spoken. What happends when science comes in between and made them swap personalities?? Momoi transforms over night from a girl with a tough guy personality to a feminine, gentle creature. While Uehara transforms from the wimpy, loser guy to a masculine, chick magnet! You will laugh outloud reading this book as you witness how Momoi & Uehara struggle adapting to their new bodies! Momoi threatens Uehara not to try anything while he is "hosting" her body; While Momoi herself satisfies all her curiosities with Uehara's male body parts. Poor Uehara who is secretly in love with Momoi could barely contain himself being trap inside his beloved's body!! Also imagine how their friends & families react towards their new personalities! Trouble begins when Uehara's best friend ( a boy!) falls in love with the "new" Momoi not knowing that it was Uehara all along inside Momoi's body! While the "new" Uehara a.k.a Momoi is dating her own bestfriend ( a girl) & is totally enjoying herself. Will Uehara & Momoi ever go back to their respectable bodies? when everyone around them seems to like their new self & it seems that their current personality switch situation benefit their lives as well? I can't wait for the second volume to come out! It will be interesting to see the character development & ohh...the fun antics that Momoi will create! Momoi is deffinitely quite the character whether she is a boy/ girl!!