Honnou Switch is a manga that rewrites romance in the best of ways - especially one that consists of childhood friends, that find themselves turning into lovers. It is written by KUJIRA, and although it does not have an official english translation (according to my knowledge), it is being scanlated by Cotton Candy Scans. In Japan, however, it is being published by KODANSHA. It also has an official French publication. This manga is also incomplete, only having around thirteen chapters that have been released. Honnou Switch is the essence of a newly formed relationship, experiencing the sweetest of times and the honesty of wanting to be together, and build a future together.
The storyline of “Honnou Switch” follows two childhood friends : Hijiri, and Koyori - the former has recently been dumped by her boyfriend, only to realize that he has been cheating the entire time. He claimed that he had a child from his other woman, and as a result, he needs to focus on the family that he has created with her. Her ex boyfriend is the definition of a shitty man, completely hindering her outlook of a healthy and loving relationship. This results in her complaining to her childhood best friend, Hijiri, drunk and upset. She even admits that in every relationship that she has been in, the sex would eventually stop because her partner was no longer sexually attracted to her, and mainly saw her as a “friend”. Koyori later wakes up to Hijiri, naked and coming to a certain realization - she and Hijiri have slept together, after a drunken spur in the moment. Koyori doesn’t want to lose her friendship with Hijiri, as she values it greatly. She doesn’t want to lose him, at all. So she apologizes to Hijiri and asks him to forget their night together. But for Hijiri, a relationship with Koyori is all that he wants. He’s in love with her, after all. However, after encountering her shitty ex, Hijri decides that he wants to introduce Koyori to what a relationship should actually be, one that is filled with love and respect. They agree to begin a relationship, and as it begins to convert from one that is of longtime friendship to intimate lovers, Koyori and Hijiri learn and experience more than they could ever imagined before.
ART STYLE : 10
I do not have any complaints about the art style - in fact, I enjoyed it immensely. The art is beautiful, and it adds so much to the story. I especially enjoyed how soft it was, very shojo-esque. The art is so gentle, as if it was a soothing kiss. The intimacy was portrayed in such a lovely manner, one that could be felt through the panels. In addition to this, I felt that the illustrations prior to the beginning of the chapters are unforgettable. One that stood out to me in particular was that of chapter 1 - in which Koyori and Hijri are embracing each other, both nearly undressed. I enjoyed the detail and the intimacy of it, it even made me feel better about my body.
I especially enjoyed the character design of both Hijiri and Koyori, it’s one of my favourite things from the manga. It wasn’t cliche in the sense that it was an overused character design that we have seen in most Josei and Shoujo mangas ; this being, the male lead is quite tall and towers over the female lead, has dark hair and light eyes. Or the female lead being petite yet, somehow, meeting all the appropriate beauty standards. Their character design is unique ; they suit each other, if that makes sense. It adds to the fact that they’ve been childhood friends, that they compliment each other and seem to have “grown” into each other. Koyori and Hijiri are nearly the same height, with unique dress styles and features. I liked the manner in which the mangaka chose to style her beloved characters as well. Even if there are some anatomical mistakes in the mangaka’s art work, they are so far in between that I feel as though they should not be taken into consideration.
CHARACTERS : 8
There are two main characters in “Honnou Switch”, Hijiri and Koyori. Hijiri and Koyori have been childhood friends from such a young age, as a result of being next door neighbours. Naturally, they have somehow been together in all life stages, ranging from middle school to their career paths. They even share the same hobbies, such as drinking and video games. Koyori and Hijiri are both emotionally mature, which heightens the reading experience, as there isn’t any unnecessary drama that is tiring and foolish. The miscommunication between them is also done well, seeing that after their first miscommunication ordeal, they both decide to remain truthful at all times, regardless of how minor the situation seems. I enjoyed how respectful the both of them were to each other! Constantly ensuring that the other knew that they were in love, respected, and valued. The trust that they exhibit in each other is refreshing, soothing to the soul. I love that regardless of what others may think, they are aware of their true feelings and the thoughts behind their actions. For example, when Koyori looks away and is unable to meet Hijiri’s eyes, he is aware of the fact that it has nothing to do with insecurities or a lack of love. Rather, it is because of the amount of love and fond embarrassment that Koyori has - being aware of him as a man, and as a lover. Hijri did not take this personally, rather, he decided to tease her and enjoy the attention.
Although the main characters are well developed and possess a lot of depth to them, the side characters do not hold the same honour. Personally, I prefer manga that focus on multiple characters rather than one or two characters, so as a result, I would hope that the side characters receive more attention. I would also like to see the relationships that both Hijiri and Koyori possess outside of their relationship. I want to know more about their relationships with their friends, their parents, their coworkers. What is there to know about their lives outside of their relationship and their career?
PLOT : 8
The plot revolves around the transition between being childhood friends to lovers, and exploring the idea of being a lover to someone that you already know so well - only to find out that there’s so much that you didn’t know about them, and that there’s so much more to them as individuals. It is the introduction of expressions, actions and experiences that were off limits beforehand. This is such a realistically portrayed manga, in the sense that it does not over exaggerate or cause unnecessary issues for the main characters. The relationship between Hijiri and Koyori holds so much magic, it feels like a first love done all over again. It portrays the experience of having had lovers before, but feeling like everything has been done anew in this new relationship. Reading Honnou Switch feels as though it’s your first time in a relationship, nervous, excited and on the verge of comfortable.
An issue with the plot, that I found was the following : [SPOILERS AHEAD]
I disliked the relationship drama that came with Hijiri’s middle school girlfriend, as it felt unnecessary. Although it strengthened their relationship, I couldn’t help but ask myself... Are middle school relationships that important? It might be a cultural difference that I do not understand, but I feel that if the mangaka wanted to add more drama, she should have introduced an ex that held more meaning and intensity to Hijiri (or Koyori!). I believe that it would have added more drama, and progressed the relationship between Hijiri and Koyori even more. However, I do understand that it could matter because this was the first girlfriend of Hijiri, and that the relationship itself caused a separation between Koyori and Hijiri for the first time.
ENJOYMENT : 9
Honnou Switch is a manga that I enjoyed immensely - one that I am sure that I will continue to enjoy immensely. The depiction of the relationship is the manga’s strongpoint, along with the lovely art.
I especially enjoyed the following :
/ The sexual intimacy between the characters was done in a manner where it was enjoyable and light hearted, rather than being exhausting and terrifying. In sexual instances, the communication and the consent heightened, compared to other sexual mangas, where there is a lack of consent. In these other mangas, the male lead rapes the female lead and then manipulates her, claiming that she enjoyed it. Honnou Switch doesn’t work like that - the leads are open about their sexual attraction to each other, and ensure that they both feel good while having sex. In addition to this, they make sure that both of them are satisfied after doing it.
/ The teasing relationship that Hijiri and Kiyori had, as seen in their flashback scenes, does not dissipate after introducing romance and sex to their relationship. They still remain familiar with each other, even when new factors are introduced to their relationship.
/ The interactions that they had with Koyori’s menstrual cycle in chapter 5 was refreshing, seeing that a grand part of the general population feels uncomfortable with discussing and reacting to menstrual cycles. A lot of people do not understand it, or are misinformed about it. Koyori treats her menstrual cycle as something to not mention, keep a secret - in response to this, Hijiri reassures her that he wants her to be honest with him and tell him things outright, properly. I enjoyed this so much, how healthy the relationship between them is.
/ I adore how clear it is, the fact that Hijri genuinely loves everything about Koyori. The way he looks at her softens my heart, since it’s so sweet. You can tell that he thinks of her all the time, and that he wants to be with her at any given moment. At the beginning of the manga, Hijiri says that he’s going to prove to her what love should actually be. He succeeds, greatly.
/ A common trope within fiction is where one of the love interests needs to prove that they love their partner, which I find, unfair to the love interest. A love interest shouldn’t need to “prove” their love, because their actions and words should prove it enough. Scheming will not prove love. Hijiri, he doesn’t need Koyori to prove her love. She’s so in love with him, and he knows that. He knows what her actions mean, he knows why she does the things she does. [SPOILER : When his ex-girlfriend from middle school attempts to convince Hijiri to use her as a means of making Koyori jealous, or to prove that Koyori truly loves him, Hijiri outright refuses. He says that isn't respectful to Koyori, and that he doesn’t need her to do that. He won’t be taking part of a scheme that hurts all parties involved, which I respect.]
Where other manga fails, Honnou Switch succeeds. This manga makes use of the right cliches, while completely abandoning the cliches that would hinder the potential of the manga. I’m looking forward to seeing how the relationship between Hijiri and Koyori progresses, and how the mangaka will evolve their relationship even further.
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