I Wanna Be Your Girl, Volume 1

Author Umi Takase
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Paperback
$12.99 US
On sale Jul 01, 2025 | 240 Pages | 9780593902929

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Being in love with your childhood best friend can be complicated, especially when, right before high school, she transitions to living as a girl. Printed for the first time in English, this manga series tells a thoughtful story about the complications of first loves, friendship, and what it truly means to be an ally.

“Takase explores gender identity, presentation, and acceptance in this gentle manga that feels comfortably grounded. . . . Sweet and engaging.” —Kirkus Reviews


Hime has secretly been in love with her childhood best friend Akira for as long as she can remember. She was the first person who knew that Akira identified as a girl, and she made it her mission to be her Akira’s protector against the world. Hime is thrilled that Akira has finally decided to live as her true self now that they are starting high school.

However, as Akira starts to attract all types of attention, Hime takes it upon herself to aggressively stick up for Akira whenever necessary. Not wanting her to be singled out or bullied, Hime decides that her only option is to put herself in Akira's shoes. Hime dresses like a boy in support of the friend she loves...too bad her plan only backfires on them both.
Umi Takase is a manga author. In 2016, she won an honorable mention at the seventy-eighth Shogakukan Newcomer Comic Awards, where she debuted her stand-alone short story "Ethnic Mirror" in the special issue of Flowers. I Wanna Be Your Girl was her debut series on the GANMA! manga app. She followed that up with Toko-san Can't Be a Good Grown-Up and Stay Away, Stork. View titles by Umi Takase

Discussion Guide for I Wanna Be Your Girl, Volume 1

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

Being in love with your childhood best friend can be complicated, especially when, right before high school, she transitions to living as a girl. Printed for the first time in English, this manga series tells a thoughtful story about the complications of first loves, friendship, and what it truly means to be an ally.

“Takase explores gender identity, presentation, and acceptance in this gentle manga that feels comfortably grounded. . . . Sweet and engaging.” —Kirkus Reviews


Hime has secretly been in love with her childhood best friend Akira for as long as she can remember. She was the first person who knew that Akira identified as a girl, and she made it her mission to be her Akira’s protector against the world. Hime is thrilled that Akira has finally decided to live as her true self now that they are starting high school.

However, as Akira starts to attract all types of attention, Hime takes it upon herself to aggressively stick up for Akira whenever necessary. Not wanting her to be singled out or bullied, Hime decides that her only option is to put herself in Akira's shoes. Hime dresses like a boy in support of the friend she loves...too bad her plan only backfires on them both.

Author

Umi Takase is a manga author. In 2016, she won an honorable mention at the seventy-eighth Shogakukan Newcomer Comic Awards, where she debuted her stand-alone short story "Ethnic Mirror" in the special issue of Flowers. I Wanna Be Your Girl was her debut series on the GANMA! manga app. She followed that up with Toko-san Can't Be a Good Grown-Up and Stay Away, Stork. View titles by Umi Takase

Guides

Discussion Guide for I Wanna Be Your Girl, Volume 1

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

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