From left to right: Bell, Unko, Hime, 18+, Mitsunaga, Hiro, Kaguya, and No. 1. At least half of them are cross-dressing. note
Himegoto is an otokonoko manga by Norio Tsukudani. It follows the story of Hime Arikawa, an average high school boy who is constantly on the run from debt collectors. His life would be turned upside down when his school's student council save him by paying off his debt. The only thing they require in return is that he join the student council, and spend the rest of his high school days dressed as a girl.
The original manga ran from 2011 to 2015; it was serialized in two magazines, first in Waai! and later in Comic Rex after the former ceased publication. A spinoff, Himegoto+, starred Hime's brother Kaguya and ran for seven chapters in Waai! Mahalo. An anime adaptation, produced by Asahi Production, aired in July 2014.
As of June 2015 the series is completed and collected in 6 volumes.
Not to be confused with Ryou Minenami's manga Himegoto - Juukyuusai no Seifuku nor with the Yaoi manga Himegoto Asobi.
Himegoto provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: In the manga, Hime says his father never hit him.
- Academic Athlete: Unko is revealed to be one.
- A-Cup Angst: Bell.
- A Day in the Limelight: Kaguya, No. 1, Mitsunaga, and Hiro, following the cancellation of Himegoto+, have the occasional chapter/episode in the main series in which they're the focus.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Episode 12-13 is basically Ch 6 of the 4koma played for more drama, and for good reason.
- All of the Other Reindeer:
- Kaguya was bullied in elementary school because of his cross-dressing.
- Hime was forced to cross-dress by his classmates in elementary (manga only) and middle school (both manga and anime) because he's so feminine.
- All There in the Manual: Additional information, like some of the characters' real names, are only mentioned in some extra material.
- Ambiguous Gender Identity: Occasionally implied with Kaguya, though usually Played for Laughs.
- And the Adventure Continues: The ending makes it clear that even though the student council girls graduated, Hime's troubles with them, and his cross-dressing days, aren't over.
- Art Evolution: The art style became less squat and chibi-like in later chapters.
- Artistic License – Biology:
- Hime, Kaguya, Mitsunaga, and Hiro don't seem to go through puberty. This may be justified in the Arikawas' case, as they can't afford food with proper nutrients.
- In the anime, the bulges of the male characters sometimes seem to have their own will and twitch randomly. This is probably done for comedic effect and to get the audience's attention.
- Ascended Extra: Mitsunaga and Kaguya are pretty much main characters in the anime.
- Attractive Bent-Gender:
- Many characters agree that Hime makes for a very cute girl.
- Pretty much all of the crossdressing characters are this, according to the school.
- Mao, a character introduced in omakes for Josou Shounen is met with approval when he makes his cross-dressing debut.
- Author Avatar: In some of the extra material of the manga, Norio Tsukudani appears as a piece of seaweed.
- Beach Episode: There's one in the manga.
- Berserk Button: Bell goes wild at any mention of her chest.
- Big Brother Attraction: Kaguya towards Hime.
- Bizarro Universe: The premise of Himegoto chapter 12, where the student council members are all boys now. As it turns out, it was All Just a Dream.
- Bland-Name Product: Tweet-kun is a clear stand-in for Twitter.
- Book Ends: The series begins and ends with the student council girls saving Hime from trouble.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Happens on occasion in the anime, but especially during Episode 5 when Hime says that if he loses any more clothing the episode won't be able to air. In the manga version of the same scene, the characters comment on the panel sizes being just appropriate so nothing explicit gets shown.
- Butt-Monkey: Hime is this from the very start of the series. He's typically on the receiving end of jokes, all of his suffering is Played for Laughs, and the other student council members enjoy making him do embarrassing things.
- Canon Foreigner: Mao, a character that first appeared in the Josou Shounen extra chapters and again as a brief cameo in chapter 6 of the Ferbi edition.
- Casanova Wannabe: Hime's friend, Tadokoro, will hit on most girls he crosses. He never gets far.
- Censor Box: Both the anime and the manga have a "WAaI!" circle to cover the genitals of Hime and Kaguya.
- Christmas Episode: The manga has one, and it's surprisingly sadder than most chapters.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: 18+ sometimes has this attitude when Hime gets too close to others, especially Tadokoro.
- Childhood Friends:
- Mitsunaga and Hiro met when they were eight, and have been together since then. It becomes a Childhood Friend Romance by the end.
- Kaguya and No. 1 also met and befriended each other when they were children. This is implied to become a Childhood Friend Romance as well.
- Costume-Test Montage: There is a part in the manga where Hime tries on various styles and outfits.
- Creator Cameo:
- Norio Tsukudani voices an extra, the broadcasting club president, in episode 9 of the anime.
- A drawn version of Norio Tsukudani appears on some extra pages of the manga.
- Cute Little Fangs:
- Unko has a protruding tooth that's often visible, indicative of her more juvenile personality.
- Kaguya has a similar but smaller and less visible tooth for the same reason.
- Cut Short: The fate of Himegoto+, as Waai! Mahalo suspended publication. At least the characters moved to Himegoto.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Both of the Arikawa brothers were bullied in school. In addition, their parents never really cared about them, and the whole family had to suddenly move at least once under mysterious circumstances.
- Documentary Episode: Chapter 5 of the Comic Rex version follows Hime on a typical day of his life as someone narrates his actions, from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to bed.
- Dragged into Drag: The girls in the student council delight in dressing Hime in girls' clothes, and encouraging him when he shows signs of enjoying it.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Hime, to the point that just putting on a skirt will get him comments that he looks like a boyish girl.
- Embarrassing Nickname: Not the case with Unko (literally "Shit") — her real name is Sadako, but since she shares the name with the character from The Ring and she loathes ghost stories, she would much rather hear Unko than that. The manga even gives her an alter ego — a character named Mr. Poop.
- Empty Eyes: In chapter 7 of the Rex serialization, Hime gets this as he becomes more addicted to Tweet-kun.
- Even the Guys Want Him: Hime and Kaguya, to the point that guys will confess to liking the two no matter what.
- Everyone Has Standards: 18+ greatly enjoys embarrassing Hime, but she'll be damned before she lets any actual harm come to him, as seen in chapter 6 of the Comic Rex edition.
- Fake Boobs:
- Hiro wears a padded bra.
- In Himegoto Comic Anthology, Hime tries this as well, but stops once Bell heavily disapproves it.
- Fictional Document: Magical Boy Hime Kiss, a manga by Bell whose main character is a boy who transforms into a cross-dresser to fight evil. As expected, Hime is the model for the main character. Another character, named 80, is of course based on 18+.
- First-Name Basis: 18+ attempts to get Hime to address her by her real name while they're going out. However, it falls through, as it's apparently unfortunate enough that Hime can't bring himself to say it.
- Foil:
- The Student Council has one in the Public Morals Committee as the former consists of 3 girls and 1 boy while the latter consists of 3 boys and 1 girl.
- Generally, No. 1 is the only girl who cross-dresses, and Tadokoro is the only boy who doesn't.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Kaguya is almost never shown participating in household chores or earning money; it's always Hime who cooks and cleans or has jobs.
- Gender-Blender Name: Hime, meaning "princess", and Kaguya, which originates from a female character in an old tale (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter), are the names of the Arikawa brothers.
- The Ghost: We never see or hear from Hime or Kaguya's parents, unfortunately making them Karma Houdinis in a way.
- Girlish Pigtails:
- Mitsunaga sports this style, as fitting for a tsundere.
- Kaguya and Mao have this, highlighting their perceived naivete.
- Going Commando: When going to school, Kaguya forgets to put on some underwear in one of the early chapters of Himegoto+.
- Graduate from the Story: The last chapter is about all of the seniors graduating, and Hime coming to terms with the consequences of such.
- Heroic BSoD:
- Mitsunaga suffers one in chapter 3 of Himegoto+, when Kaguya asks him if he's gay.
- Hime suffers one in episode 12 when the council didn't rescue him from the delinquents, but gets over it when they rescue him for real in episode 13.
- Hidden Buxom: No. 1 is actually the bustiest member of the cast. Who knew?
- Hidden Depths: Unko, the childish one of the student council girls, is later revealed to be the top of her class and a very good athlete.
- Hypocritical Humor: Himegoto+, chapter 2, where the Public Morals Committee is tasked with doing clothing checks on the other students. Kaguya points out that everyone probably doesn't want to be told by a group of cross-dressers about uniform violations.
- Identity Amnesia: Chapter 5 of the Ferbi run sees 18+ hit in the head by a baseball, and her personality switches from brash and crude to gentle and demure.
- If It's You, It's Okay: Chapter 12 of the Comic Rex edition reveals that girl-chaser Tadokoro has a romantic attraction towards Hime.
- In-Series Nickname:
- Hime is called "Ohime-chan" by 18+.
- Mitsunaga is called "Mittan" by some, first by 18+, and later spreads to others. He doesn't like it very much.
- Insistent Terminology: Kaguya isn't a boy or a girl, he's a trap!
- Karaoke Box: The student council visits one in Himegoto chapter 13.
- The Lad-ette: 18+, despite her looks. She often acts like a guy and uses very masculine speech patterns. Hime calls her a old man inside a girl's body.
- Lethal Chef: Kaguya as shown in Himegoto+, chapter 6. He wrecks a kitchen while trying to prepare food, and what he does make is terrible.
- Limited Wardrobe: Hiro is rarely seen wearing anything other than his maid uniform.
- Love Confession: Chapter 2 of the Rex serialization revolves around Hime getting one.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy:
- No. 1, a girl dressed as a boy, and Kaguya, a boy dressed as a girl.
- 18+ and Hime on their "date". However, only Hime's girliness gets commented on in-universe.
- Maybe Ever After: Kaguya and No. 1 don't officially go out by the end, but it's heavily implied that they'll be a couple.
- Meido: Hiro's job, as Mitsunaga's servant.
- Mood Whiplash:
- The series' tendency to treat everything lightly makes episode 12 of the anime jarring, when Hime understandably becomes upset when he learns that the student council girls idly sat by as he was harassed, and quits the student council as a result.
- In the Christmas chapter of the manga, the otherwise cheerful Kaguya is sad and depressed, because his and Hime's parents are in Paris instead of with their children.
- Mythology Gag: The television shown in the closing of the anime is presumably the same the Arikawas pick up from a dumpster in the manga.
- Narcissist: Kaguya. He cross-dresses because he looks cute that way, and has an army of servants following him.
- Nice Girl: No. 1. She's unflinchingly loyal to Kaguya, and is polite to everyone else.
- No Fourth Wall: Himegoto, chapter 15, released right after the announcement of the anime and the end of Himegoto+, revolves around the characters celebrating the announcement and discussing the fates of the Public Morals Committee members.
- No Romantic Resolution: Not the side characters, as their relationship is very much set, but whether Hime ends up with 18+, Tadokoro, or someone else is not resolved.
- Noodle Incident: The start of the manga has Hime running from some yakuza while wearing a maid uniform. When the student council members mention as much, he refuses to elaborate on it.
- Official Couple: Mitsunaga and Hiro are very much this by the end. Hime, however, doesn't end up with anyone.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: 18+, Bell, and No. 1 are only ever referred to as such.
- Parental Abandonment: Hime and Kaguya's parents are always going off on trips around the world, leaving their children behind. What makes it worse is that the parents have taken out immense loans in Hime's name, leaving him to be constantly chased by debt collectors.
- Parental Neglect: It's occasionally implied they weren't much better when they were around, either.
- Punny Name: No. 1's real name is Ichigo Ichigou. Ichigou means "number one" in Japanese.
- Repetitive Name: No. 1 is really Ichigo Ichigou.
- Running Gag:
- Kaguya and No. 1 entering the committee room, only to see Mitsunaga and Hiro in an intimate act.
- The Arikawas never have any side dishes in the manga.
- Sadist Show: Much of the humor involves Hime being bullied, humiliated, and sexually harassed.
- Satellite Character: Hiro to Mitsunaga.
- Oddly enough Unko and Bell are this to 18+ most of the time.
- School Festival: The premise of Chapter 17 of the Comic Rex version, complete with a School Play.
- School Uniforms are the New Black: No. 1 and Mitsunaga are almost always dressed in their uniforms when in public. The exception is when they're on the beach.
- Second Year Protagonist: Hime and Tadokoro, which gives them the full range of seniors and juniors to interact with.
- Shared Family Quirks: The Arikawas and their cross-dressing. Kaguya outright enjoys it and Hime puts effort into it when he has to.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: No. 1 looks quite average, but in the rare instances that she dresses like a girl, she has everyone complementing her looks.
- Ship Tease: A whole lot of it in the later chapters, especially around Hime and 18+, Hime and Tadokoro, Kaguya and No. 1, and Mitsunaga and Hiro.
- Shipper on Deck:
- Kaguya supports Mitsunaga x Hiro, as much as Mitsunaga denies anything going on between them.
- Hiro, in addition to supporting himself x Mitsunaga, also supports Kaguya x No. 1, according to chapter 10 of the Comic Rex version.
- Show Within a Show: Bell's manga Magical Boy Hime Kiss is later adapted to an anime in-universe.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Hime usually hates cross-dressing and doesn't unless he absolutely has to. In contrast, Kaguya revels in it and is always dressed as a girl.
- Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Mitsunaga is set up as one in the anime. As the leader of the Public Morals Committee, his straight-laced, rules-abiding style is in contrast to the student council girls' tendency to fool around, and he often shows up to thwart whatever scheme they have going on.
- The Stoic: Hiro rarely deviates from his flat expression, even when ridiculous things are happening around him.
- Super-Speed: Unko can move incredibly fast.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: No. 1 is a girl dressed as a boy. She does so as a show of support for Kaguya's cross-dressing.
- Throw the Dog a Bone:
- In Chapter 4 of the Comic Rex run, 18+ tries to catch Hime in what she believes to be the act of surfing explicit sites on a school computer. However, it turns out that he's actually looking at a women's clothing site and staring at the clothes longingly since he can't afford them. 18+ buys the clothes for Hime, on the condition that he look good while wearing them.
- In the last chapter, the student council girls void the contract established in the first chapter, so Hime isn't forced to cross-dress anymore. It causes him some distress at first, but he comes to terms with it by the end.
- Title Drop: Appears once in each episode of the anime — at least in the unofficial English translation.
- Token Minority: Mitsunaga is the only character heavily implied to actually be gay.
- Tsundere:
- Mitsunaga. While he outwardly shows exasperation with dealing with the rest of the cast, he admits in private that he enjoys having them around.
- 18+, towards Hime. She flips between messing with him and acting for his sake.
- Kaguya towards No. 1, when they first met. He starts off cold and distant to her, but opens up as she persists in hanging out with him.
- The Unfavorite: Hime gets all of his and Kaguya's parents' debt.
- Unsettling Gender-Reveal: Happens in the first chapter of both Himegoto and Himegoto+— the former when the student council members learn that the cute maid they saved is a boy, and the latter when Kaguya mentions that No. 1 is a girl.
- Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: All three members of the student council definitely count.
- Visual Pun: Norio Tsukudani appears on some of the bonus pages of the manga as a sheet of seaweed (nori in Japanese).
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Hime, of course. The Public Morals Committee takes this to the extreme, as everyone in it is cross-dressing. Even No. 1.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Chapter 16 of the Comic Rex version has 18+ going out with Hime. While it might be uncharacteristic of her, she seems to be sincere about it, to the point of kissing Hime... and then it's revealed that she was doing it as part of a penalty game. She does mention she wasn't completely disingenuous about it, though not directly to Hime.
- Yonkoma: The manga started out in this format. Later chapters used a more traditional (if short) layout, though.
- You Are Number 6: No. 1 got her nickname from Kaguya once the two became friends.
