What all this means is that Princess Princess is a manga for teenage girls to fantasize about attractive boys without having to worry about competition from other girls, or having to deal with something icky like actual sex. An elite all-boys school develops an unusual custom to counteract the low morale caused by the lack of female students - recruit the prettiest incoming freshmen to cosplay in women's dresses during various school events. This tradition is carried-out by the ubiquitous and Machiavellian school council. Rather than organize the usual co-ed events with other schools, this is what they come up with?
If this were the real world these cross-dressers, called princesses, would be constantly harassed and beaten-up. Instead they are adored by the presumably heterosexual male students who perfectly comprehend that they're staring at other males. In order to maintain the illusion, a look but no touch policy is strictly enforced - The princesses live in separate dorms, use separate facilities, and are closely protected from any unwanted contact. Basically they're treated like pop idols. But while the protagonists are being mobbed by fans, no hint of indiscretion takes place at all. The reader expecting a darker psychological undercurrent or looking for an exploration of transgender issues will come away disappointed. It is just silly dress-up fun. After some initial hesitation, main character Toru Kouno, along with Yujiro Shihoudani, eagerly volunteers to be a princess once he learns of the generous perks that come with the position. Together they mercilessly tease Mikoto Yutaka, the only student who feels he was forced into the role, as well as the only one with an actual girlfriend.
This review is based on volume one of the series, but a significant drawback was the lack of foreword movement in the story. Most of the book was spent on exposition: Describing the school, the characters and the premise. There are an unfortunate amount of talking heads and large speech balloons, and not enough variety in the art to make-up for the monotonous arrangement. Mikiyo Tsuda places her figures in the mid-ground, and mostly avoids drawing backgrounds, making it difficult to place them in any context. The plot moves so slowly that it's more than halfway through the volume before any cross-dressing actually takes place, and there isn't nearly enough of it. Good dialogue could have benefited the story. But unfortunately the rather long-winded descriptions undercut most of the attempts at humor.
These are the awkward early chapters of what may, or may not turn out to be, a good comedy series. With the exposition now out of the way, the story better get moving.
