Danica Davidson
November 29, 2023 
Ogami-san Can’t Keep It In opens with a hilarious scene, continues with bawdy humor, and also shows some heart. Ogami is a high school girl who can’t think about anything but sex, and she doesn’t want other people to know. She’s sure they’ll judge her, since they have in the past. She’s a loner who hides in the bathroom so people can’t see the dirty books she’s reading.
There’s a quiet loner boy at school called Yaginuma, who fascinates Ogami. He loans her his handkerchief, and when she returns it by putting it back into his hand, she blurts out the most embarrassing thing she can think of. Well, technically, it is what she’s thinking, but how could she say those thoughts out loud?
Well, it turns out that Yaginuma has a special power: anyone who touches him blurts out their true thoughts.
Ogami tries to be careful about him, but laconic Yaginuma insists he’s used to people blurting their embarrassing thoughts out around him. He tells Ogami she’s not weird, but she is adamant that she is, and relates some painful middle school memories of being bullied. Can the two oddballs become friends . . . or more?
A few other characters also start joining Ogami and Yaginuma’s circle, and they also seem to be people who aren’t what they first appear to be. Even though there are seemingly supernatural things going on with Yaginuma, it still feels like a relatable series on the awkwardness of puberty.
Some people seeing the cover and title might think this manga contains more than it actually does. Ogami-San Can’t Keep It In is silly and raunchy, but it still gets a 16+ rating because it mostly just alludes to stuff and jokes around. You’ll hear the same stuff and worse at a real high school. And with so many more books out there about males going through puberty, it’s fun to also have a bawdy book about a female going through puberty.
Story & Art: Yu Yoshidamaru
Publisher: Kodansha
Translator: Max Greenway
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
