Photo by Nicole. Yanai, Volume 5 Cover Art, Cinderella Closet, Seven Seas Entertainment.
Cinderella Closet – Information
Author of Story: Wakana Yanai
Chapter Count: 8 volumes, 32 chapters
Status: Completed
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Minimal harmful dialogue towards crossdressing
- Bad relations with family members
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
Cinderella Closet – Plot Summary
The Cinderella Closet manga series has a beauty-themed plot that follows the main female lead Haruka Fukunaga. After graduating high school, Haruka makes some big plans for her university life…
She wants to change herself and have lots of fun during her college years; and of course wants to get a boyfriend. However, a year into it, she finds her time completely overtaken by school and work. Having no time to make friends or do practically anything else, she becomes a bit unconfident in herself and especially her appearance.
One day at her job, a cute coworker she is crushing on finds out Haruka’s birthday is the following week. He mentions going out for drinks, and so the excited heroine rushes to buy makeup for the first time! However, she has no idea what she’s doing, and ends up asking for help.
Luckily for her, she runs into Hikaru, a beautiful person who clearly has experience with hair and makeup! In her desperation, Haruka ends up begging for makeup advice from the beautiful Hikaru, who helps transform Haruka so that she is able to meet her crush while looking like a completely new version of herself.
Unfortunately, it turns out her coworker/crush completely forgot about his idea of going out for Haruka’s birthday! So instead, Haruka spends the evening drinking with Hikaru. But thanks to Hikaru’s help, Haruka’s first experience with makeup is still a positive one, as she gained a future date with her crush, and a new friend!
However, when Haruka wakes up the next morning after a night of drinks, Hikaru turns out to be someone she wasn’t expecting—a man! From then on, a fun adventure filled with romance and friendships starts for the heroine of Cinderella Closet!
Why I Enjoyed Cinderella Closet
Plot:
To be completely honest, I didn’t think this manga would have the type of plot it does—so I put off reading this one a bit, solely after judging how sweet and cute the cover art was in the bookstore!
I figured it was another super fluffy shoujo manga with no drama; and I just wasn’t in the mood for that at the moment, haha. However, Cinderella Closet had a much better plot than I could’ve imagined, and it has easily become one of my favorite series (don’t be like me…don’t judge books by their cover).
Yanai, Volume 2 Cover Art, Cinderella Closet, Seven Seas Entertainment.
Warning: A small spoiler is mentioned frequently from this point on that is difficult to avoid talking about.
When I actually began reading this series, I got Princess Jellyfish vibes immediately due to the nature of Hikaru’s character. I was so excited to read a story similar to that iconic series, although the Cinderella Closet manga is technically a shoujo, not a josei—and other than the crossingdressing aspect, these two series are pretty different.
I was slightly correct about my first impression, as this series does have a lot of fluff and wholesomeness. However, this manga is anything but boring. This series surprisingly explores very lovely topics of accepting and loving oneself for who you are and who you want to be.
I love when mangas take on important topics like this! Not only does Cinderella Closet have themes that lift up women, but it also normalizes different types of gender expression.
While this series does feature the wholesomeness and fluffiness that you expect from a shoujo romance (even cleverly tying in the overall “Cinderella” theme), the author still writes the characters to be very realistic and relatable. Not only that, but the topics explored in this manga are done very well, with a level of drama and seriousness necessary to get certain points across.
It doesn’t feel like an overly-romanticized story where the heroine magically avoids all conflicts or obstacles. She has to grow as a person and understand herself better to find happiness. The love interests are also not perfect humans, and their flaws are shown throughout this series—which feels much more realistic in terms of romance and helps push character growth for them all.
I enjoyed seeing the characters grow as people, and grow in their relationships, too. The romance is so heartfelt and not superficial at all. You can see the characters grow to understand each other better, and you can even see how that transforms their relationships.
For example, I loved seeing Haruka realize what it was she wanted in a relationship, and even pursue that in her own way.
All of these important aspects of character growth and self acceptance helps push the romance in this manga slowly but surely—which is the best sort of slow burn, in my opinion.
I think that the slow build up of the main romance in this manga is so exciting and just super, super cute. I found myself tearing up watching these characters grow close and build each other up, and maybe teared up a bit towards the end of the series—which ended so, so well (no worries, I won’t spoil).
Maybe I’m just ranting at this point, but I really enjoyed every aspect of this manga! With that being said, let’s take a closer look at the beloved characters themselves…
Characters:
One of the reasons I enjoyed the Cinderella Closet manga series so much was because of how well both of the main characters and even the supporting cast were written. But let’s focus on the main two.
Starting with Hikaru, I loved his character’s first impression. He is so gorgeous and elegant in appearance, but hilariously sort of a sharp-tongued tsundere—he’s the typical shoujo “cool beauty,” perhaps with a slightly mean demeanor, haha. Hikaru’s remarks, attitude, and overall personality definitely keeps some good humor flowing throughout this manga.
I was surprised at how straightforward his character is, but really liked how he did not hold his opinions back at all! Hikaru is a character that does exactly what he wants and whatever makes him happy, even if it is something that others may not agree with.
Even though he’s blunt and has a sharp tongue, he helps Haruka very often and is also very against self-depreciation. I really enjoyed his character and his hidden kindness.
I also love how quickly he and Haruka become friends! This is definitely due to Haruka’s personality—it doesn’t take her very long to recognize Hikaru’s kindness.
Image by Nicole. Yanai, Inner Panels of Cinderella Closet Volume 3, Seven Seas Entertainment.
Although she is a bit insecure, she’s also very honest, sincere, and understanding. Even though Haruka struggles with confidence and is a beginner to beauty, I love her open-book personality and how she really tries her best.
She is just so earnest and cute, and makes a great contrast to Hikaru’s sass and confidence. Despite not having friends in university, she easily befriends Hikaru with her charming honesty—and how she wears her heart on her sleeve!
This primary relationship throughout the series is so incredibly wholesome. While this story does contain a lovely romance, something about the way the author wrote Hikaru and Haruka’s relationship just feels so special. It doesn’t feel superficial and captures both of their personalities really well.
Their dynamic makes their relationship flow smoothly. Even when they only have known each other for a short time, the conversations they have make them feel like long-term friends.
Friendship in this series is just as important as the romance, and I really liked that aspect. Their friendship and how they improved each other’s lives is pretty much the foundation of Cinderella Closet.
Hikaru helps Haruka love herself and learn that everyone starts from somewhere. He’s a very kind person hidden underneath that tsundere personality (I appreciate that we get to see his soft side even more later in the series)! And while Haruka is often supported by Hikaru’s advice, she actually does the same for him.
Haruka creates a safe space of acceptance and understanding for Hikaru. She never questions his decisions and puts a lot of trust in his choices and knowledge! I think her unwavering support and affection for Hikaru helped him grow as a person in the same way he affected her.
I think that is another aspect of this series that sort of sets it apart from other shoujo romances—we get to see both sides of the relationship with both of Haruka’s suitors, and not just learn about her as a person. I love when manga artists put equal focus on male leads!
Art:
The art style of this series is lovely. It feels very clean and polished, even with characters who are a bit silly like Haruka. The manga never feels too empty, as the artist seems to put good detail and attention into environments when necessary, but also is great at putting emphasis on the characters when it matters most.
I think the style is very pretty and perfectly fits the shoujo vibe, while still keeping a maturity level appropriate for the characters’ ages. Of course, in a shoujo with a theme relating to beauty, we get to see many different outfits and hairstyles throughout the series that keep things interesting.
Yanai, Volume 4 Cover Art, Cinderella Closet, Seven Seas Entertainment.
I’m sure it is a lot of work for the mangaka, but I really, really appreciate that level of attention to detail. Seeing the characters look different so often is tons of fun!
Overall the art throughout Cinderella Closet is never ever lacking, and the character design is great. I really loved Haruka’s cute country-bumpkin characteristics and how the artist portrayed her clothes, hair, and emotions.
Hikaru also has great character design, and we get to see him appear both female-presenting and male-presenting often. Hikaru always looks elegant and beautiful no matter what he wears!
Any Cons?
None! I liked everything about Cinderella Closet, no complaints here.
More In-Depth Review (Warning: Spoilers!)
I just wanted to write more here about how much I love the self-love and acceptance themes in the Cinderella Closet manga series. To explain more of what I mean, we can look at each character a bit closer…
Firstly, with the heroine Haruka, it’s pretty obvious that she is unfortunately lacking in self-esteem at the beginning. She feels like she is falling behind other women and that she is unattractive or low on some sort of imaginary hierarchy. However, with Hikaru’s presence, Haruka begins to love herself more.
Hikaru makes it very clear to Haruka that she cannot continue putting herself down; because beauty is not only determined by appearances. He even says that he personally thinks a confident person is the most beautiful. This advice definitely shines through as Haruka grows throughout the manga.
While she does have an interest in makeup, she doesn’t change because of makeup. She puts hard work and passion into what she does, and is constantly reminded of her good points by Hikaru.
This sort of learns into the “Cinderella” aspect of the story, as Haruka often refers to Hikaru as “magic,” framing him to be her fairy godmother. I love that this comes back into play at the very end with Hikaru’s proposal, too.
Anyway, throughout the story it’s satisfying to see Haruka improve her opinion of herself on her own and work hard towards becoming a better version of herself. Her character may seem timid and insecure at the start, but the author did a fantastic job at letting her grow realistically and over an appropriate amount of time.
Additionally, her true personality is never lost even towards the end—Haruka stays true to her honest, earnest self. I loved seeing a character transformation that didn’t necessarily involve appearances!
And because her true personality is maintained from start to end, Haruka ends up lifting up Hikaru without realizing it. Hikaru, who dresses as a woman often, seems to only have met people who find his interests distasteful. In fact, he doesn’t really seem to have many friends at all.
He even left his own parents, who disowned him and felt as though he needed to be “fixed.” Ugh.
Poor Hikaru continuously expects Haruka to be grossed out or embarrassed by his crossdressing hobby, but instead, she is so incredibly accepting of him and normalizes it so well and without hesitation. This is one of my favorite aspects of the Cinderella Closet manga series.
She recognizes Hikaru’s good points: He’s a kind person, he’s incredibly talented, and is a determined individual who uses his talent well.
She never judges or assumes anything about Hikaru. At first, she doesn’t know how to refer to him in terms of pronouns, and also doesn’t really know his sexuality.
But even though she is unsure of the answers to those questions, none of that matters to Haruka in the end, as she values Hikaru as a person and as a friend, regardless of what the answer to those questions may be.
Haruka accepts both the female-presenting version and male-presenting version of Hikaru easily, and that really just makes her character all the more lovable.
Their relationship is just so beautiful, and in the end the two characters have come to not only love each other, but also themselves. Overall, I’ve loved the themes of self-love, acceptance, and understanding; all wrapped up in an exciting and engaging romantic story!
I could be wrong but I think this is one of the first full works that Wakana Yanai has written. If that’s the case, I am excited to see more amazing works from this talented author / artist.
If you have finished Cinderella Closet and you’re looking for another series with themes of acceptance and self expression, check out Maybe Akira-kun, Maybe Akira-Chan, too!
Final Thoughts
The Cinderella Closet manga series has exceeded my expectations. The story is so wholesome, sweet, funny, and incredibly engaging. The characters are all so lovable and realistic. Even the art style is lovely, too!
I think that it is a perfect story in terms of art, execution, and pacing—making it suitable for anyone who enjoys romantic shoujos. I have no complaints for this story, and hope that many people will read it!
Disclaimer: Any images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Yanai, Wakana. Cinderella Closet, Seven Seas Entertainment, 2023. Bessatsu Magaret, 2019.
