I was a little disappointed by how surface level this felt. I thought it might be a little more like “my androgynous boyfriend” but it was kinda weird. It’s very focused on appearances and I didn’t connect to the characters. I hope the next volume give more backstory or character development.

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk Vol. 1
by Mika Yamamori
Review

My first thoughts upon finishing this were all— inelegant:
“Omg, I’m obsessed! I love it, I love it, it’s too good!”

— so this review will just be an expounding on these incomprehensible but joyful sentiments.

This is the story of two princes.

(If you’re a first time shojo reader: a prince is any handsome, gentlemanly male in the story; they’re often seen in handsome contemplation and with roses in the background; they’re good at everything they do and they often hold the rest of the world at arms length. To be a prince is to be slightly mysterious )

“A tall, lanky physique and a masculine face inherited from her parents.
Yoi Takiguchi.
First Year High School Student.
Gender: Female. “

This is the story of two princes. One of them, is Yoi Takiguchi, a girl.

It opens up with a classical shojo manga scene — girls running to catch the train before it leaves and a young man, holding the door open for them, all super gentlemanly like with shalalala flowers in the background.

Whose heart wouldn’t skip a beat?!?!

Yoi-Chan is so considerate, gentle and kind! Just last sports day she carried a competitor who had fallen, Princess-style over the finish line!

So princely!

Except that title comes with a downside— Yoi-Chan secretly wants what most high school girls want— to feel like a Princess, to flirt with boys, to fall in love. But how can she ever experience that when she’s so shy and looks like that.

“You’re incredibly beautiful……for a guy.”

After an awkward first meeting with the school’s other prince, Ichimura-sempai. They keep bumping into each other by chance, on stairways, at the convenience store, and at every point he makes his interest clear, even professing to be enraptured by her face!

“It’s like I wanna watch you forever.”

I can’t blame her for feeling all out of sorts with this being the first time she’s been approached (by a boy!) like this! But seeing as she’s a prince too, by the end she’s able to knock him off kilter for once!

A delightful, trope filled romp, showcasing the best of the genre! Not to mention the spectacular art and smooth paneling! This was such a joy to read, with many moments spent giggling and blushing! I’m excited to see where things go from here!

Would I read this again?

I had to! I love it so much!

What was your favourite scene?

I’ve bookmarked so many pages!!! But my favorite (non-spoilery) scene was when Yoi-chan stepped in (with her karate moves!) to save Kohaku from an assailant! She’s so suave!

Would I read the next volume in the series?

I wish it was in my hands right this second!

Would I recommend this?

This is all I’m going to talk about on Twitter for days, I’m going to force everyone to read it and watch them fall in love with these two!


Many thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for sending this arc to me for review!

I need this manga in print!

The art in this manga it is absolutely beautiful!! All of the characters are unique both visually and personality wise, and I absolutely love the beautiful androgyny of the main female character.

Watching the main character meet someone who treats her like a girl/woman and not a “prince“ was so sweet and heart wrenching I could not stop reading.

The more you learn about the characters throughout the story the more you love them and the more you’re really rooting for them to open up their hearts not only to each other but to these things that they never thought they could have.

Just an all-around wonderful Manga!

IIn The Clear Moonlit Dusk volume 1 is one of the strongest beginning volumes of a manga I’ve ever read. The story is quite engaging and I already love Yoi and Ichimura, as well as their dynamic. Since both characters have a “princely” reputation at their school, they already have a mutual understanding of what it’s like when peers judge them based upon apperance and socioeconomic status. I also love how Ichimiura is very honest about his attraction, perhaps even clumsily so, to Yoi (he tells her she is beautiful before even realizing she is female, in fact), but never acts pushy and is mindful about consent.

The ending of this volume was such a cliffhanger and I’m so excited to read volume two! The art style is wonderful and I’m anticipating some great discussion on themes touched in this first volume, including unconscious bias and breaking gender roles.

Thanks so much to Kodansha and Netgalley for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. The newly English translated In The Clear Moonlit Dusk volume 1 is now available as an ebook!

"Asking someone directly, 'Aren't you a guy?' Is pretty rude, isn't it?" - this can be argued nowadays, but the stupid joke aside xD

At school, Yoi's nickname is "Prince." Because her facial features are more masculine, her voice is not very feminine either ... And she definitely looks like a "prince of shoujo manga". Yes or no, there is a whole fan club ...
One day, by chance (as is the law in manga titles), Yoi encounters the other school prince. He is an ordinary boy who is not particularly interested in participating in the fantasies of various "fan clubs". And on their first encounter, he thought Yoi was cute ... before he worried he'd offended some random dude. He was then enlightened by classmates about the story of the school prince. And their common history is only just beginning.

The title is very reminiscent of Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Kaichou wa Maid-sama!, even Sukitte Ii na yo. and many more, but those more familiar can get an idea. Modern shoujo with no ligaments and too bloated types. Fun, quite witty and cute type titles.

(The geek in me has already ordered the VA for the anime version, if they ever make one - Paku Romi and Sugita Tomokazu. Mmmm, classic!)

The original opinion is in Bulgarian, I apologize for the translation errors. I am adding a link.

Thank you so much to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.

I'm a little torn on this one. The character design is simply gorgeous, and I fell in love with the art. I could stare at some of these pages all day; they are just that beautiful. I 100% give the art a 5/5.

On the other hand the way one of the main characters, Takiguchi, behaves is in a way that feels a bit uncomfortable and problematic. He doesn't really respect the other main character's boundaries. Yes, this is used to further the plot and their relationship, but I feel like this could have been done in a way that feels less "I'm going to invade your personal space whether you like it or not".

The story itself also feels very familiar, and has all the tropes you would normally expect in a high school romance. So far this manga isn't doing anything new. However, it really reminds me of Fruits Basket, and Ouran High School Host Club, which I adore, so I'm hoping that the series finds its own footing. Unfortunately, for now I would give the story a 2/5.

My overall score for this manga averages to 3.5/5. It has potential, and I do look forward to the next installment.

This is a sweet high school romance between a girl who has an androgynous look and is nicknamed "the prince" by her classmates, and an upperclassman who is also his class "prince". A really unusual pairing, but I loved it! I'm sure that in future volumes we'll learn more about our main characters' histories and backgrounds, and I am here for it! I groaned out loud when I hit the last page... I want more! Thanks to Kodansha and Netgalley for a digital copy to read and review.

I have to admit this book was pretty cute. So Yoi is a prince with classic pretty boy looks only she's a girl. Ichimura is the only person who can see past that princely exterior and see a person he would love to get to know. I really wasn't sure what I was getting myself into when becoming across this book, I didn't even read what it's about. I thought it was another lgbt book for a moment but that quickly cleared up once reading it. I loved seeing their interactions. I mean Ichimura clearly liked Yoi and kept popping up where he could to see her and you can tell by the way he sometimes awkwardly talks it clearly has a thing for Yoi if only she can give him a chance. Yoi its a bit self conscious she's always known she was somewhat masculine and just given into the role it was interesting seeing her reactions towards Ichimura. Overall if you want a cutesy book to read then check this book out. I really enjoyed it.

Yoi is what my non-binary dreams are made of, A level of androgyny I will never be able to attain.

Is this book Gay? No.
But does it get Gender Affirmation right? YES!!!!!

This is so incredibly cute, and I'm 10/10 going to continue reading this because I must see them get their happy ending.

This mangaka's style was *chef's kiss*. Alas, the story reads like a very generic high-school shoujo. うるわしの宵の月, translated as In the Clear Moonlit Dusk follows Yoi Takiguchi, a high school girl whose princely appearance has earned her the nickname of 'Prince'. Often mistaken as a boy, Yoi is not used to being seen as a 'girl'. This premise did ring a bell as I remember reading a manga years ago in which the heroine had a masculine appearance and the hero a feminine one. There it kind of worked as the two leads (as far as i can remember) were comfortable quite comfortable with the way the looked. Here, sadly, Yoi isn't keen on being seen as a 'prince' as seems to be indifferent to her female classmates' attention (they routinely confess their feelings to her or simply stare at her in awe). Then she meets Ichimura, who is also nicknamed 'Prince' (i guess they couldn't come up with something more creative?), and he seems to see her as a girl. Shocking. The guy calls her cute and Yoi becomes all flustered in a "who me?" way.
I found the both leads quite bland. I wish Yoi hadn't been so easily taken by Ichimura. That the other girls become jealous of Yoi does not bode well as it promises a classic girl-on-girl hate side-plot that we could well do without. The main male lead is boring and so far his personality revolves around his beautiful appearance and his 'ability' to see Yoi as a girl.
The art is lovely, the story & characters mediocre. Maybe those who haven't read many shoujo manga will be able to enjoy this more.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have read nearly all of Yamamori Mika’s works, starting from her debut anthology series Sugars to her recently concluded Tsubaki Cho Lonely Planet, and I have to say that although her art is definitely improving and becoming unique, her storylines are getting worse. This one tiptoes around being inappropriate from the very first chapter and I don’t think I will continue reading it, even if the characters are quite attractive.

Lovely story of a high school girl yoi-chan who has gained a "princely" reputation. Ichimura-san sees past her school title and starts seeing her for the girl that she is. Cute, budding high school romance that leaves you wanting the next volume.

This was such a refreshingly adorable manga! We follow Yoi Takiguchi who is known as the Prince around school even though she’s a girl. She dresses and exudes more of a masculine vibe hence the name. But things start to shift when the new Prince at school takes a liking to her.

Their relationship from the beginning was so heartwarming. The way that he doesn’t want her to change herself, he accepts her as her but at the same time, he’s treating her like a princess, something she didn’t think anyone would do.

I just loved their development and all of the communication between them. Plus, I’m a sucker for a story where the guy is the ultimate simp for the girl. I can’t wait to see them together in volume two!!

4.5/5⭐️

Wonderful! Love the art. The plot and characters are pretty stereotypically shoujo-esque, but it's a nice break from the intense novel I was reading. Love Yamamori Mika as well. :)

At first, I thought that this book was going to be BL because that is what I was looking forward to but this was a cute romance that was between a girl and a boy. The main character is a girl who has a handsome face and is constantly mistaken as a "beautiful, handsome guy". However, people realize that she is actually a girl and she goes to a high school with a skirt. There are two princes in the school, one who is the main character, and the other prince is actually a handsome boy who is filthy rich. It follows both of them as they both befriend each other and the guy starts to get interested in her after she saves him. It's a cute contemporary romance set in present-day in high school and I think it was a great start to a series. I would really love it if I receive the next installment in the series! Pick this up if you are a fan of Shoujo, but with a little gender-bender twist to it.

I really enjoyed volume one (thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics) and can’t wait for the next volume to see what is ahead for Yoi and Ichimura.I feel throughout this volume it moves along nicely setting everything up- not too fast but not too slow either. When Yoi’s dad shows up, you can tell they look very similar. If you like shoujo manga with gender bender theme, I would definitely recommend this one.

Quick summary:
Yoi is considered a prince, she is also seen as a hero and cool; however, no one has looked at her for who she is. One day when she takes a detour, Ichimura knocks her down by accident then calls her beautiful then asks if she is a boy. Later on though, when he is talking to his friends Ichimura learns her name and that she is a girl. He becomes interested in Yoi, even though she believes he is joking with her since no one has ever shown interest in her before.

As they talk/hang out more, Yoi is seeing Ichimura in a different light but she is still not used to talking to guys (besides her dad and one of the regulars at the curry shop). One of Ichimura’s friends questions his intentions with Yoi- since from his perspective they sound impure.

First of all, I would like to thank Netgalley and Kodansha for providing me an e-ARC of the book.

Disclaimers: All my reviews are my thoughts of the book and according to my personal preferences. Even though I had received a review arc, it does not affect my review and honest thoughts for the book.

Personal Ratings: 4/5🌟

Total No of Chapters : Chapter 1 - Chapter 4
Bonus Chapter : -

Plot: 4/5
Wholesome : 4/5
Romance: 4.5/5
Easy to read: 5/5
Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: A somewhat gender bender manga that is cheesy and light but also cute

Short Summary

Yoi Takaguchi is tall, smart, pretty and has an awesome figure, except that, she has more girl-fans and was called a prince and described as like the hero of a shojo manga. When an incident led her to Ichimura, a senpai above her year and he thought him as a beautiful "guy". One thing led to another and soon, ichimura's curiosity for Yoi and his behaviour somehow melted Yoi too. Its a story of a girl who finally felt beautiful and a guy who wants someone to see him for who he is.

My Thoughts

This was a cute shojo manga with very lovable characters. I love the pacing of them and I like how Yoi doesn't get swept along with the Ichimura. Both of the characters felt comfortable with each other and Yoi , being called as a prince and like a guy her whole life and suddenly being treated like a girl its refreshing for her. Ichimura's curiosity turned out for them to getting to know each other and them slowly developing feelings for one another.

This manga is cute and cheesy but it doesn't miss the points of accepting yourself as a whole. Highly recommended for those who wants a quick and cute read. Also recommended for the fujoshis out there who is curing themselves :') Ichimura has that bad boy vibes without actually being messed up and Yoi is very elegant which I love.

Very sweet and not difficult to follow. Not much happens but I I like the tsundere story line. The nervousness of Yoi is very believable. Overall very lovely and I’d read the next in the series.

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk follows Yoi Takiguchi, a first-year high school student who's found herself in an interesting budding romance. With her masculine features, low voice, tall height, and cool personality, she's quickly assigned the 'prince' archetype and has a gaggle of squealing fans... but while she's very popular with the other girls in school, she has little to no experience with boys. Enter the school's second prince: Ichimura, a rich boy who's more delinquent than prince, but is the first boy to ever find Yoi beautiful!

I'm already a sucker for shoujo, but this volume had my heart from start to finish. The plot contains a lot of your typical points: the protagonist falling sick, a sudden downpour, the hero running into the heroine for the first meeting, but all of these had new lights shone on them by Yoi and Ichimura's interesting dynamic! I found myself rooting hard for this couple and I loved Yoi's shyness and Ichimura's sincerity despite his debonair attitude. I'm really looking forward to the continuation!

❧ 5 ★

I love this whole concept to the story! We have a shy, tall, thin heroine, who happens to be very considerate of the people around her. She earns the nickname of Prince for her androgynous figure and for her heroic acts.
When a senpai runs into her, he flat out asks if she is a guy. From there, he can't stop thinking about her, and she can't stop thinking about him. They develop a friendship and sense of trust, and then the end of the volume happens!!
Gah! I am so ready to keep going!! Highly recommend!