[DeepL Translation - needs review] Volume 1 Introduction: The main character, Hime, enters high school with her childhood friend Akira. Akira, who is a man in body and a woman in mind, stands out from the rest of the class in his sailor suit. Hime decides to support her precious Akira, and the only thing she does is to "wear the school run"..! (Author: Umi Takase / First published in GANMA!)
(Translator: DeepL)
Cis girl is the perspective character
As the title suggests, the cisgender friend is the perspective character, while the trans girl is the deuteragonist. Having just finished all 4 volumes, I think this worked pretty well for it. The trans character's gender is an important and prominent part of the story, but it's not the entire of it, and while sometimes I did want her inner experience a bit more, overall I liked it. Also credit to the author for including an aromantic character in the supporting cast
Volume 1 (written before I finished the others): Some parts of this felt fairly realistic, other parts shallow, other parts "yeeeah, they're in high school alright" style drama. Some of the dialogue or advice feels way too on the nose, and some of the developments a bit too easy. I also found the other over hyper cis friend (種野) a bit unrealistic and heavy handed. Otoh I really love the overprotective cis girl 幼なじみ as the perspective character, and also enjoyed her aggressive defensiveness - may we all have someone to stick up for us like that! I'm rooting for her as romance goes, and appreciate that she's getting some character development throughout the volume.
Overall I found it a quick and enjoyable enough read. My one critique is I feel like we don't get enough of Akira's inner world, and what the experience is like for her. And at least for what I want out of a story like this, that feels like a missed opportunity.
I'll probably continue on to volume 2