Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister!
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nekotofu. The series has been serialized online since 2017; it is also currently serialized in Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Rex magazine since April 2019. It is licensed in English by Kodansha USA. An anime television series adaptation by Studio Bind aired from January to March 2023, receiving positive reception from critics and gaining high ratings, although it received a mixed reception from English language critics.

Plot
The series follows Mahiro Oyama, an otaku and NEET who lives alone with his scientist younger sister Mihari. One day he wakes up to find himself transformed into a young girl, a result of one of Mihari's experiments. Mahiro must now learn to become comfortable in his new body whilst living life as a middle school girl.

Characters

The protagonist of the series, Mahiro was previously an otaku man living with his younger sister Mihari until he was turned into a girl as a result of one of her experiments. Mahiro ends up transferring to a middle school.

Mahiro's younger sister and a scientist. She turned Mahiro into a girl as a result of one of her experiments. Because of her high intelligence, she skipped several grades and is now in a university.

Mihari's classmate during middle school and a gyaru. She is Momiji's older sister. She is good at cooking and using cosmetics. She also works part-time at a fast food restaurant.

Kaede's younger sister and Mahiro's classmate. She has a tomboyish personality and greatly admires Mahiro. She has been friends with Asahi for several years.

Mahiro's classmate. She has an energetic personality but tends to not perform well in tests. She also calls Mahiro by many nicknames.

Mahiro's classmate. She is interested in yuri and tries to hide it poorly. She enjoys imagining her friends in romantic situations. Miyo is notably bustier than her classmates and embarrassed about it.

Mahiro's classmate who joins during their second year of middle school. She is a bright, yet shy girl who is the ward of Mihari's faculty advisor Chitose Azuma, who is having her monitor Mahiro without Mihari's knowledge. After revealing to Mahiro that she knows the truth about her, she is quickly accepted into Mahiro's group of friends. She is very knowledgeable due to the many hours she spent in the university library, and speaks in a very polite tone with everyone she encounters.

Mihari's faculty advisor and senpai at the university Mihari attends, as well as Nayuta's guardian. She made key contributions that allowed for the creation of the drug that turned Mahiro into a girl. Although Mihari believes that she did this out of the goodness of her heart, she is actually using Mihari to fulfill an unknown agenda and enrolled Nayuta into the same class as Mahiro to spy on her without Mihari's knowledge.

Media

Manga
Written and illustrated by Nekotofu, Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister! began serialization online via Pixiv and other platforms in 2017. It also started in Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Rex magazine on April 27, 2019. As of January 2023, seven tankōbon volumes have been released by Ichijinsha. In North America, Kodansha USA is publishing the series digitally in English.

Volume list

Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on April 22, 2022. It is produced by Studio Bind and chief directed by Shingo Fujii, with Michiko Yokote as head writer, character designs handled by Ryo Imamura, and music composed by Daisuke Achiba and Alisa Okehazama. The series aired from January 5 to March 23, 2023, on AT-X and other networks. The opening theme song is  by Enako feat. P Maru-sama, while the ending theme song is  by Marika Kōno, Kaori Ishihara, Hisako Kanemoto, and Minami Tsuda. Crunchyroll has licensed the series outside of Asia. Medialink has licensed the series in Asia-Pacific.

Episode list

Production
Prior to creating the series, Onimais author, Nekotofu, was a fan of the "gender bender" genre of anime and manga that included such works as Ranma ½, Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl, and . As such, Nekotofu had harbored a longtime interest in creating his own such series, and was inspired to do so after seeing Your Name. He was also motivated by the positive response to a doujinshi he had created which also featured similar gender-bending elements. Nekotofu began self-publishing Onimai on Pixiv in January 2017, and later on Niconico Seiga, where it became significantly more popular. In April 2019, the manga began serialization in Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Rex magazine. Nekotofu continues to self-publish the series online and produce doujinshi with permission from Ichijinsha.

Reception

Accolades 
Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister! ranked fifth in Da Vinci's Next Manga Award 2018 in the web manga category in August 2018, and ranked ninth in Web Manga Overall Election 2019 in October 2019. The manga also ranked third in AnimeJapan's Manga We Want to See Animated Ranking in 2020, and ranked seventh in 2021.

Critical reception 
The series received positive reviews and was ranked by viewers in Japan as the top-rated TV anime of the Winter 2023 season on both Niconico and anime ranking website Anikore.jp.

In English-language coverage of the series, critical responses to the Onimai anime were mixed. Reviewers generally criticized the premise and lolicon themes, while praising the animation and music, which was near-universally deemed to be of exceptional quality. Reviewers in the "Winter 2023 Anime Preview Guide" of Anime News Network criticized the depiction of Mahiro's body in the first episode, which Caitlin Moore called a "pedophilic gaze." However, Moore and Chiaki Hirai of Anime Feminist said that the manga was not sexualized to the same degree, and believed the anime's production team was responsible for introducing this perspective to the material. Rebecca Silverman was softer in her criticisms, describing the fan service as "relatively toned down" but stated that the narrative premise was "mean". Richard Eisenbeis said the premise was "horrific," and also called the plot point of Mahiro's sex change provoking a newfound interest in yaoi "rooted in gender essentialism."

Writing about the first episode for Anime Feminist, Cy Catwell called Onimai "fucking disgusting," citing many of the same criticisms as the Anime News Network writers. Catwell was particularly critical of the plot point involving Mihari's nonconsensual experimentation on Mahiro. Catwell expressed that though they had not read the manga and could not speak to its differences, they were "fiercely put off" of reading it. Chiaki Hirai, criticizing the first three episodes, agreed with Catwell's criticisms. In spite of this, Hirai described the story's perceived themes of friendship and gender dysphoria as "relatable and even wholesome," comparing it to Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, and said that those who were not dissuaded by the "problematic" aspects could appreciate the series.

In reviewing the anime for Anime News Networks weekly reviews, Kim Morrissy was more positive, saying "Onimai is the best anime of the season." Morrissy strongly praised the narrative, humor, art, and animation production, particularly the work of series director Shingo Fujii, who previously worked on Precure. They also characterized the story as broadly relatable for its perceived theme of growing to accept significant personal changes. While Morrissy acknowledged the fanservice and story elements criticized by other reviewers, in particular Mihari's forcible feminizing of Mahiro and some "nonsensical" jokes, they ultimately said that those who were accepting of those elements would find a "genuinely rewarding show."

One Japanese-language reviewer, writing for 4gamer.net, echoed positive sentiments regarding its music and artstyle. The author recommended it to "people who like to watch anime in the middle of the night with an empty head."

Analysis
The series has been noted for its transgender themes by reviewers, which have received a mixed response. Cy Catwell opined in their review for Anime Feminist that the series was not a positive transgender story, and found that it made them uncomfortable as a trans masculine agender individual. By contrast, Kim Morrissy, in his review for Anime News Network, praised the series as appealing to transgender viewers for the "element of wish fulfillment" in depicting a simple and immediate gender transition. Regarding these themes, Morrissy also praised the role of Momiji, who – being a tomboy – they said "represents the multifarious dimensions of gender identity that can exist even within cisgender people" and also generally praised the series for "subverting gender expectations." Caitlin Moore, despite her overall negative impressions, felt similarly, saying the series would resonate with trans viewers despite the "sheen of lasciviousness."

In an analysis of the series, Japanese writer Honeshabri determined that Mahiro would likely not be able to legally change their gender marker under current Japanese law. Honeshabri concluded that the Japanese law on gender recognition is flawed and hoped the Supreme Court would amend it.

Popularity
In February 2023, fans of Onimai sent numerous gifts to the staff of Studio Bind, the production studio of the anime, which series director Shingo Fujii posted photos of in a tweet voicing thanks for the support.

Notes

References

External links

 

2023 anime television series debuts
Anime series based on manga
AT-X (TV network) original programming
Censored television series
Comedy anime and manga
Crunchyroll anime
Ichijinsha manga
Japanese webcomics
Medialink
Seinen manga
Slice of life anime and manga
Transgender in anime and manga
Webcomics in print