''Don't Stop My Beautification'' is a ''

josei , also known as and its abbreviation , is an editorial category of Japanese comics that emerged in the 1980s. In a strict sense, ''josei'' refers to manga marketed to an audience of adult women, contrasting ''shōjo'' manga, which is marke ...

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written and illustrated by Mana Aizen, serialized since April 30, 2021, through

Ohzora Publishing , also known as Ohzora Shuppan is a ''josei'' manga publisher in Japan, founded in 1990. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, it publishes Japanese manga, manga magazines and comic anthologies. The company is headed by . Kitawaki also ran affiliated ...

's digital platform Comic Wacha. A live-action television series adaptation by PROTX and was released in February 2023, with in the lead role. The series follows Haruomi Saito, a young man who moves into a

boarding house A boarding house is a house (frequently a family home) in which lodging, lodgers renting, rent one or more rooms on a nightly basis and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months, or years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and ...

in Tokyo where he, in exchange for low rent, has to work at the

cross-dressing Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express onesel ...

café and bar Spica Doll along with the other residents, which has a positive effect on him. The manga was well received by readers.

Premise

The university student Haruomi Saito has a medical condition causing him to blush when talking to women, which hinders him socially and has been a source of trauma for a decade. When moving into a

in Tokyo with unusually low rent, he meets Kokono. At first he thinks Kokono is a woman, but he turns out to be a man working at the

café and bar Spica Doll, which operates from the boarding house. Haruomi had been unaware of Spica Doll, and learns that he as a resident at the boarding house is obligated to work there. Dressing like a woman ends up having a positive effect on Haruomi, becoming a source of personal growth and self-affirmation.

Characters

* is a university student moving into the boarding house, where he has to work at the cross-dressing café and bar Spica Doll under the name . He is played by in the television drama. * , real name , is a Spica Doll staff member who teaches Haruomi about cross-dressing. He is played by Shogo Sakamoto in the television drama. * is a make-up artist working at Spica Doll. He is played by in the television drama. * is an

influencer A social media influencer, or simply influencer (also known as an online influencer), is a person who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates. This is done by using direct audience intera ...

working at Spica Doll, who teaches Haruomi how to act. He is played by Toman in the television drama. * is the owner of Spica Doll and the manager of the lodging house. He is played by in the television drama. * is a classmate of Haruomi's, whom he falls in love with. She is played by

Riho Sayashi is a Japanese actress, singer and dancer. She is a former member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume and the duo Peaberry. In 2019, she became a touring member of Babymetal, including in their performance at Glastonbury Festival 2019. Ca ...

in the television drama.

Production and release

''Don't Stop My Beautification'' is written and drawn by Mana Aizen, and was initially published by

through their digital platform Comic Wacha from April 30, 2021, to May 6, 2022; serialization resumed on January 20, 2023. Ohzora Publishing is also releasing the series in collected volumes, with a first digital release on February 10, 2023, followed by a print release on April 10.

Volumes

Television drama

A live-action television series adapting the manga was produced by PROTX and , and premiered on the streaming service

Paravi is a Japanese over-the-top streaming service. It is majority-owned by U-Next Holdings and minority-owned by TBS Holdings and Hakuhodo DY Media Partners. It was launched in 2007 as GyaO Next and is a large streaming platforms in Japan, with 4.3 ...

on February 1, 2023, with two new episodes released every week; it was additionally broadcast on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network. The series stars Raiku as Haruomi, as his first leading role in a TV series; during his audition, which involved a scene at Spica Doll and experimenting with how to use his voice, he was not initially aware that the production was looking for a lead actor, and felt a lot of pressure due to the impact his part would have on the whole. He and Tomomi Maruyama, playing Momoe, both described feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiety over playing "beautiful" cross-dresser characters, having never worn women's clothes before; Raiku particularly described having difficulties with walking in high heels. In the end, he enjoyed the experience, and found that the role made him more conscious of elegance in acting. Shogo Sakamoto, playing Kokono, also found his role a challenge, and both he and Toman, playing Unipyo, said that they had to put effort into learning how to convincingly portray a cute cross-dresser; Keisuke Kida, playing Juka, had assumed that the Spica Doll staff would have been played by women. The opening theme, "Circle", was written by Kei Sugawara and performed by

Kana Hanazawa is a Japanese actress and singer. A prolific voice performer in anime, she has amassed several film and television credits since her debut in 2003. She won the Seiyu Awards, Seiyu Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2015, and won the Newtype A ...

, who thought the fast-paced melody would suit the sudden turns in Haruomi's life. It was released as a single on April 5, 2023, and as a music video featuring pixel art animation. The ending theme, , was written and performed by Uragirionigiri AKA Hanako, who intended for it to lyrically and melodically encourage Haruomi in his personal growth.

Episodes

Reception

' and ''Dwango.jp News'' describe the manga as popular with readers and on

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

Notes

References

External links

* {{in lang, ja 2021 webcomic debuts 2023 Japanese television series debuts 2023 Japanese television series endings Anime and manga set in Tokyo Cross-dressing in anime and manga Cross-dressing in television Japanese webcomics Josei manga Ohzora Publishing manga Television shows based on Japanese webcomics