Before and After
Keitarou Itsuki is a high-school student unhappy about the menacing appearance of his eyes. Keitarou tries to confess to the girl he likes, Aoi Tokujira, but she rejects him flat out. Thinking that his eyes were the reason why she rejected him, he confides in his older sister about it at her salon, who helps by giving him a complete makeover...as a pretty girl! Forced to head home like this, he runs into Aoi in town, but she doesn't recognize him and thinks he's a somewhat manly girl. Before he can leave, Aoi asks him to help her overcome a problem she's had for many years: an intense fear of men.Ookami Shounen wa Kyou mo Uso wo Kasaneru ("The Boy who Cried Wolf Tells a Lie Today Too") is a manga by namo (who illustrated the manga adaptation of Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts), which was serialized in Famitsu Comic Clear from 2014 to 2017. It's kinda a Otokonoko, but also a Slice of Life Romantic Comedy. Keitarou's crossdressing self will be referred to as Itsuki as in the manga.
Tropes included are:
- Accidental Kiss: Aoi and Itsuki share one in Chapter 15, Aoi eventually throws up as she thinks of Itsuki as a boy.
- Affectionate Nickname: Botan calls Aoi A-chan.
- Ambiguous Gender Identity: Late in the story, it's revealed that Keitarou's older sibling was not female at birth. Whether they're a cross-dresser, transgender, or identify otherwise is not mentioned.
- Ambiguously Bi: Itsuki's heart did beat for Miyama, if even just for a short while.
- And the Adventure Continues: While the last chapter brings some closure to the main trio's relationship, the story tells us that their tale doesn't end there, merely that this story will.
- Book Dumb: Botan is a subversion. Keitarou, despite liking to read, doesn't do very well at school. Mostly due to insecurities.
- Bookworm: All 3 main characters. Aoi takes the cake by reading to get away from others, so she read dictionaries in kindergarten.
- Bromantic Foil: Keitarou's friend Terayama has shades of this, but he doesn't appear nearly enough to fully justify calling him one.
- Brutal Honesty:
- Her crippling fear of men makes Aoi say “Your very being is out of the question" to all men who ask her out to make them stay away.
- It's one of the defining traits of Botan. She's honest to a fault, which sometimes hurts people.
- Captain Ersatz: Botan is a fangirl of Hard Future, whom is one of Venom or Spawn.
- Childhood Friends: Botan and Aoi.
- Cool Big Sis: Keitarou's big sister she taught him her makeup skills.
- Cue the Rain: This happens at the end of Chapter 18 right as Keitarou reveals to Botan and Aoi that he's been crossdressing as Itsuki.
- Cute Bookworm: All 3 main characters, which is why Keitarou fell in love with Aoi.
- Cute Little Fangs: Botan has them, and wears them proudly!
- Does Not Like Men: Aoi was bullied by boys when she was in kindergarten, so her parents transferred to a One-Gender School. This didn't help matters as she gradually got more and more frightened of them so they transferred her to a normal middle school in hopes of her getting used to guys again.
- Dogged Nice Guy: Keitarou is type 1 for Aoi.
- Eyeless Face: How Aoi sees boys.
- Expy: Aoi is seemingly one of Shiori Shiomiya, but way more blunt and way more afraid of boys in peticular.
- Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Inverted with Keitarou. Being Itsuki is the only way he can be truly himself.
- Face of a Thug: Keitarou has really scary eyes and has a hard time getting people to befriend him.
- Feminine Women Can Cook: Great cooking skills is one of Botan's feminine traits.
- Genki Girl: Botan is cheerful all around.
- Girlish Pigtails: Botan wears her hair like this.
- The Glasses Gotta Go: Inverted with Miyama whom starts wearing glasses to make Itsuki notice him.
- Green-Eyed Epiphany: Maybe not a full epiphany, but Aoi realizes her feelings for Itsuki are surprisingly strong after seeing Miyama confess to "her."
- Happy Place: Libraries are this for Aoi.
- Hellish Pupils: Keitarou has these, which emphasises his scary looks.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Aoi encourages Keitarou to go after Botan since she realizes Keitarou is only happy as himself with her.
- Imaginary Love Triangle: Botan has a crush on Keitarou, but thinks he's dating Itsuki after finding his shirt in her purse.
- Innocent Innuendo: Botan tells everyone she "climbed the stairs to adulthood." Her mom's the only one who realizes she means her First Kiss.
- Kind Hearted Cat Lover: Botan loves cats.
- Kissing Discretion Shot: After Keitarou confesses to Botan at the festival, she kisses him on the lips just off panel.
- Last-Name Basis: Keitarou calls Aoi by her family name, Tokujira. He also chose using his family name Itsuki as his crossdressing name, something he'd regret later.
- Liar Revealed: Ibuki, Keitarou's sister, essentially warns him that this scenario would eventually come when he asks for her help continuing to crossdress in order to spend more time with Aoi. And it does happen, though sooner and in a different way than most would expect from this genre in manga. Keitarou, unable to handle his feelings of guilt, decides to fess up about his double identity when Botan confesses to him (as Itsuki) about her recently realized romantic feelings for him (as himself), removing his wig and exposing himself to both Botan and Aoi, who happened to be walking toward them right as he does so.
- Lovable Jock: Botan, loves sports and is a sweetie.
- Love Confession: When Keitarou does this with Botan, he can barely get the word out, and only says it once.
- Love Epiphany: Keitarou realizes he's fallen for Botan after Aoi asks him if he honestly still loves her.
- Love at First Punch: A weird case. Miyama, whom Aoi defends herself against with her Schoolbag Of Hurt, proceeds to hit her only to hit Keitarou (as Itsuki). Miyami reappears soon after and quickly confesses to Itsuki.
- Love Triangle: Botan's in love with Keitarou who's in love with Aoi who's in love(?) with Itsuki. Later on, Botan and Keitarou start dating while Aoi's in love with Keitarou too.
- Magic Plastic Surgery: Or more like Magic Makeup. It still works way more effectively than it reasonably should.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Botan and Keitarou respectively.
- Mistaken for Gay: Aoi starts thinking this about herself as she starts developing feelings for Itsuki.
- Modesty Towel: Botan wears one in chapter 10, making Itsuki beg her to put some clothes on.
- No Name Given: Sereval of the characters that are not main characters are not given names.
- The Nosebleed: Keitarou when thinking about what he likes about Aoi. His big sister gets them when hearing naive love stories.
- Otaku: Botan is one of American Superhero comics. Keitarou likes them too which is why they bond so well.
- Passionate Sports Girl: Botan, although she loves books as well.
- "Reading Is Cool" Aesop: All three main characters are avid readers.
- School Idol: Aoi is really popular with the boys.
- Single Guy Seeks Most Popular Girl: Although, that's not the reason Keitarou fell in love with Aoi, it's because she's a Cute Bookworm.
- Shipper on Deck: Aoi honestly thinks that Keitaro and Botan would be better as an item, and tells him straight to his face. Now her only problem is if he really loves Aoi after all, so she asks him to tell her honestly.
- Shout-Out: To quite a few famous books. Especially The Neverending Story, which is an important book to Aoi. It's often symbolic.
- Shrinking Violet: Aoi, and she really wants to grow out of it.
- Smarter Than You Look: Itsuki is surprised to learn that Lovable Jock Botan is a Bookworm as well, including to that she imports comics from USA so she's at least pretty good in English.
- Something Else Also Rises: Botan leaning over Itsuki in just a Modesty Towel makes his “submarine” rise.
- Sorry, I'm Gay: Aoi claims to be Itsuki's girlfriend to get Miyama off her back. Miyama's devastated, his friend is not.
- Stalker with a Crush: Botan's first impression of Keitarou. It's justified as he wrote down things about Aoi, but that was to talk about said subjects with her as Itsuki later.
- Staring Contest: How Aoi plans to get rid of her androphobia; she wants to stare into Itsuki's eyes.
- Sweet on Polly Oliver: A gender-inverted example. Aoi feels a twinge of jealousy when she and Itsuki meet up with Miyama again, who announces his intention of continuing to pursue the latter. She's later confused over why she felt as such, despite believing that she "doesn't swing that way."
- Sweet Tooth: Botan loves sweets.
- Tampering with Food and Drink: Had his Cool Big Sis not drugged Keitarou's coffee with sleeping pills, the plot would never have started.
- Tender Tears: Keitarou cries easily.
- Those Two Guys: Keitarou's two guy friends, Terayama and Osamu.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Botan and Aoi respectively. They both also think of Itsuki as a Tomboy.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Botan is both feminine and really boyish.
- Unrequited Love Switcheroo: By the time Aoi is ready and willing to date Keitarou, he's already fallen for Botan.
- Unwanted Harem:
- Botan falls for Keitarou, Aoi for Itsuki. Keitarou is in love with Aoi.
- Most of the boys at school are in love with Aoi.
- Was It All a Lie?: Aoi wonders if Keitarou was just pretending to be Itsuki for creepy and perverted reasons. She decides he wasn't after seeing his review for The Neverending Story.
- "Which Restroom?" Dilemma: Happens in chapter 4.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Keitarou as Itsuki. Miyama eventually gets into it too.
- You Remind Me of X: Botan thinks for a second that Keitarou reminds her of Future, but as Keitarou isn't as manly as him she shrugs it off.
