Aokawa. Manga Cover Art, How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer, Square Enix.
How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer – Information
Author of Story: Nana Aokawa
Chapter Count: 70+
Status: Ongoing
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below, only the literary work itself.
- None to report so far
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.
How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer – Plot Summary
This fun manga begins with some university students joining a goukon (blind date mixer), consisting of a friend group of three guys and a friend group of three girls. The guy’s group is excited to meet the girls… but when they arrive, the girls are all crossdressing as handsome men!
It turns out that they all work at a crossing-dressing bar, and came to the mixer right after work. Despite their handsome appearances, the girls seem very used to their outfits and even flirt as if they were experienced, handsome men. This starts some unique but really fun friendships, all of which start to develop into slow-blooming romances!
This short-story style manga features three different romances in one. It’s pretty fun to read, and has some silly styles of comedy throughout. The romance can be really cute, too! So, let’s jump in with the full review…
Why You Should Read This Manga
Plot:
How I Attended An All Guy’s Mixer is a really easy story to enjoy. It doesn’t focus on a complicated plot or anything super serious, so you can go into it expecting a simple and comedic read. There’s not really any drama (no love triangles or anything of that sort) to get in the way of the story, so it’s truly just cute slow-burn romance and silly humor.
This manga allows us to see all of the unique characters together pretty often, but also dedicates time to the characters in romantic pairs a little at a time as well. It’s a fun and lighthearted way to portray a few different relationship dynamics with crossplay-focused humor in almost every chapter.
The story is told in short chapters that are all sort of connected, but don’t necessarily follow one main overarching plot or conflict. It’s almost like a slice of life that give us a peek into their developing relationships a little at a time. As long as you’re okay with something more slow-paced and simple, this manga could be a good choice!
Characters:
By far the best part of this series is the characters. They are all very unique and hilarious to witness, especially when paired with their potential romantic partners. It seems like the author just thought up a lot of really entertaining characters and paired them with the least expected romantic match.
Because there are six different characters and this manga is sort of unserious in terms of plot, I don’t have a really in-depth opinion about any of them. Therefore, I’ll briefly describe each character and the romantic pairings found in this series instead…
The Boys
- Tokiwa: This manga doesn’t necessarily focus on one character more than others, but Tokiwa sort of feels slightly more like a main character to me than the others. He’s probably the most normal of the group, but happens to be incredibly dense about romance and the feelings of the girl that likes him.
- Hagi: Hagi is a very reactive character with big feelings. He has a very desperate and anxious personality, and is the most rambunctious of the boy group. I think he’s a little annoying, but can sometimes have a cute side, too.
- Asagi: Asagi is very much the golden retriever of the group. He’s a clueless sunshine boy who simply goes with the flow, unaware of what he is actually partaking in much of the time.
The Girls
- Suo: This character is the most forward and fearless of the group. She’s a flirtatious “prince” who loves pulling moves on her crush, using the experience she’s gained from the crossdressing bar.
- Kohaku: This character is a total cutie who doesn’t know they’re a cutie. Even though they seem more tame and shy than the other characters, they have a hilarious persona at the bar they work at.
- Fuji: I was very surprised by this character’s personality. She is more of the “cool” type (or maybe just deadpan most of the time), and she’s also a BL doujinshi mangaka who writes very spicy content. She’s very chill and unbothered—this character is really funny to me, and doesn’t feel annoyingly gimmicky like the way some characters of this type are often portrayed.
If you’d like to know my thoughts on each romantic pairing of the group, tap/click the hidden text below (I hid these for those who want the pairings to be a total surprise when they read it):
Tokiwa x Suo: This pairing is surprisingly cute—I’d best describe it as “experienced flirt x entirely oblivious,” haha. Tokiwa may be oblivious but he’s a good guy, so his dense personality isn’t too bad. I think he starts to realize his own feelings after a while too, which makes things more interesting! Overall I think their pairing is pretty funny and a lot more cute than I thought they’d be at first!
Hagi x Kohaku: I’d describe this pairing as “unaware cutie x nervous wreck.” To be honest I was less interested in this pairing originally, as I was worried that Hagi was a bit addicted to Kohaku—and he made me cringe a bit too often. But even though Kohaku is much more tame than Hagi, I think they will make a pretty cute couple (their romance arc so far has been cute).
Asagi x Fuji: Lastly, we have Asagi and Fuji. Their pairing is hilarious to me and probably my favorite of the series. To continue the trend of descriptions I’ve been using, they feel something like “mature x innocent.” I’d never expect to read a romance between a BL mangaka and a more airheaded character. Their dynamic is surprisingly natural and one that I am looking forward to the most in this series!
Art:
The art of How I Attended An All Guy’s Mixer is clean but also very simplistic, which is totally fine for a lighthearted comedy like this. Although the art is not anything super fancy, it is still well done and effective for the story. The environments and clothing look great, and I also like the variety in character designs.
Aokawa. Anime Promotional Art, How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer, Square Enix.
Any Cons?
I will say that this series may not be enjoyed by everyone. Those who don’t enjoy mangas that just showcase daily experiences of the characters in a more laidback manner with no main conflict or plot may find themselves bored with a series like this. I think it makes for a lighthearted and easygoing read, but I understand others may be looking for something more exciting.
Next, the romance. The romance(s) in this story are all pretty low maintenance. There’s not really any stakes at hand for any of the characters, and you sort of know things will end up well. There’s not really any conflict, and so the romance is pretty tame and just, well, cute. This can be a plus for many, but also a con for others, so here’s your warning!
Another aspect of the romance is that they are all pretty slow-burn. Nothing happens too quickly, mostly because these characters are all pretty much strangers at the start. So while they do become friends quickly and flirting is often involved, there aren’t many official relationships created just yet (so far we have 1/3 of the pairings solidified).
Lastly, the characters. I found all of the characters charming and cute in their own way. However, they each sort of have their own personality gimmick. Exaggerated character tropes can be really fun, but not everyone likes them. If that isn’t really your thing or you want more realistic character representation, maybe check out my other recommendations. 🙂
I will mention that in particular one character is much more unlikable than the others. I’ll hide this con for those who don’t want to be spoiled on his character development:
During one arc of the series, Hagi seems very unnerved by his attraction to one of the girls, as he mostly sees her in boy-form and is therefore unsure of his sexuality. While some readers seemed to have taken offense to this (and I did find Hagi a bit annoying during this arc) he does in the end realize that all that matters is that he likes the other person for who they are, and not what they look like or present as gender-wise.
Some seem to suggest that Hagi or the manga feel a bit homophobic because of how he acts, but I don’t really agree—especially when considering the developments we see between Hagi and his crush later on while she is crossdressing. In my opinion, he just seems a bit confused—not hateful.
Final Thoughts
How I Attended An All Guy’s Mixer is a great choice for anyone wanting something easygoing, lighthearted, and really silly. It’s the perfect series for enjoying a variety of low-maintenance, slow-burn romances and a good amount of comedy, too. If you like manga series that aren’t too serious or fast-paced, definitely try this one out!
Disclaimer: Many 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: Aokawa, Nana. How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer, Square Enix, 2021.
