Mizutama Honey Boy: The Unconventional Romantic Comedy of an Okama Guy and a Samurai Girl

When people think of shōjo manga, the classic image often involves a heroine working up the courage to confess to the boy she likes. But the genre is far more diverse than that, and Mizutama Honey Boy is a perfect example of a story that breaks the mold with its unconventional characters and unpredictable twists.

Written by Ike Junko, Mizutama Honey Boy ran in LaLa from 2014 to 2019. The series follows the daily life of Sengoku Mei, a sword-wielding girl with a samurai spirit, and Fuji Shirō, an effeminate boy who pursues her with relentless affection. Let’s take a peek into this wonderfully offbeat world.

Pitting Strong Characters Against Each Other: A Mutual Crush Born from Chaos

The first thing that stands out is just how bold the characters are. The very idea of an okama boy as the heroine is enough to pique anyone’s curiosity.

Fuji-kun, a member of the home economics club, is a high school boy who excels at cooking and sewing—what you might call “high feminine energy.” Raised much like his older sister, he speaks and moves with an effeminate flair. He loves frilly dresses and ribbons, and he shows off his cross-dressing skills multiple times in the story. In the promotional video and drama CD, he was voiced by Sakurai Takahiro, whose performance highlighted the charming gap between cuteness and coolness.

The object of Fuji-kun’s affection is Sengoku-san, the captain of the girls’ kendo team. Her stoic pursuit of strength and her old-fashioned way of speaking have earned her the nickname “samurai.” She has visible abs and can crush apples with her bare hands. Carrying Fuji-kun in a princess carry is no trouble for her at all.

Though Sengoku-san is unbeatable in kendo, she has been saved by Fuji-kun on several occasions. Determined to be the protector rather than the protected, she throws herself into even more intense training. Fuji-kun, meanwhile, struggles to get her to acknowledge her own feelings, but his unwavering support for her is something readers will find themselves cheering for.

And if you think those two are eccentric, wait until you meet the rest of the cast.

Take Nanao Manabu, the former captain of the boys’ kendo team. He spent a year living in the mountains for training and returned to town carrying a bear he had defeated. Though he supposedly likes Sengoku-san, he inexplicably claims to be Fuji-kun’s lover—a character whose actions are impossible to predict.

Saigō Nadeshiko, who appears from volume 6 onward, is another essential figure. She has a physique so imposing that she’s often mistaken for a bear, yet she shares Fuji-kun’s hobbies and has a surprisingly delicate side. Her first appearance leaves just as strong an impression as Nanao’s.

Because everyone is marching to the beat of their own drum, school life becomes a series of bizarre incidents that make you want to shout, “That would never happen!” You might worry there’s no room for romance in all this chaos, but that’s where Ike-sensei’s skill shines. Watch Fuji-kun and Sengoku-san’s mutual crush develop slowly but steadily.

No Need to Fit in a Box: Love and Life on Your Own Terms

With an okama boy and a samurai girl at the center, the story naturally explores what it means to live outside traditional gender roles. It’s precisely because of this that the characters’ journeys toward self-acceptance feel so meaningful.

In chapter 13, for instance, Nanao loses his memory due to a certain incident. He criticizes the gap between Fuji-kun and Sengoku-san’s genders and their behavior. Fuji-kun brushes it off, saying, “If people nitpick your way of living, you’ll suffocate.” When asked why he likes Sengoku-san, he replies, “Because she never bends her own way of life.” The message is clear: you don’t have to fit into a mold, and there are people who will love you just as you are.

Later, there are more moments where the characters wrestle with stereotypes and their own identities, but once Nanao’s memory returns, he and everyone else accept Fuji-kun and Sengoku-san for who they are. Because these characters are so unapologetically themselves, they understand that everyone has something they can’t compromise on. The warmth and respect they show one another, even while disagreeing, fills the series with a gentle kindness.

Sengoku-san wants to gain the strength to protect those she cares about, while Fuji-kun wants to support the person he loves. What kind of love can these two find without abandoning their true selves? The answer awaits you in the pages of Mizutama Honey Boy.