University buddies Tokiwa, Hagi, and Asagi are a little nervous. They’re about to go to their first grown-up mixer, at the invitation of a cute girl, Suo-san, no less. Only, when they rock up to the restaurant, there’s a bunch of handsome dudes sitting at the table?! When one of them calls out, though, it’s clear that these dudes are actually ladies. Seems that Suo and her friends work at a drag king bar, were running late after work, and decided not to take the time to change first before their date. Things go from awkward to downright petrifying for the guys when Suo jumps straight in with kissing games, provocatively posed photos, and the like. What is her agenda? And why is she reveling in making Tokiwa in particular uncomfortable? And, um, why does he find it kinda ok? Hagi too has a bit of a crisis when he realizes that his heart is beating faster after an indirect kiss from Kohaku, who looks like a pretty surfer dude, while Asagi, the innocent angel, remains clueless throughout, and is stalked by Fuji who’s on the hunt for “writing material”. The next day, Tokiwa and Suo—again in drag, for Reasons—are the only ones who make it to class (there was an after-party, and then an after-after party, you see), where she turns the gears on him even more tightly while all the girls in class squee over her princely looks. Tokiwa is dying: What’s with her aggressive teasing? And why is she a better-looking guy than any real guy could ever be?!
This episode is basically one gag repeated ad nauseam: “Watch the boys squirm as the girls make better ikemen (handsome men) than them! Tee hee!” The same visual gags play over and over again too, so that the animation quickly starts to feel a bit one note. But is it at least funny? Well, the premise has the potential to be, and the guys are pretty likable, making their confusion chuckle-worthy initially, but Suo’s seeming determination to make everyone around her uncomfortable while feigning obliviousness kind of ruins it for me. I don’t like the kind of humor that relies on someone being made a fool, and she’s definitely already started gaslighting Tokiwa. What about the other characters though? It’s hard to tell: so much time was dedicated to reiterating the central gag that we didn’t really get to know anyone beyond their single-word trope definition; you know, there’s the fujoshi (BL fan) (Fuji), the bashful one (Kohaku), the puppy one (Asagi), the plain one (Hagi), the tongue-tied ML (Tokiwa), and the sadistic FL (Suo). Stir in the “girls do everything better, even being men (especially Suo)” gag, and that’s your show! Could this be interesting? If the storytelling ever goes beyond the novelty of girls in drag, then sure, maybe it could. Why is Suo so aggressive? Does she use drag like armor, to boost her confidence around her crush? I have a feeling this is just a gimmicky use of drag for laughs, though, rather than something that will offer anything insightful on the subculture or gender more broadly. And since I don’t find it funny either, well, that’s it for me!
How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer is streaming on HiDIVE.
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