Oh! My Brother Volume 1

Shy Masago is always in the shadow of her popular brother Shiro, until Shiro dies in a traffic accident and his spirit takes up residence in Masago's body. As Masago struggles to understand this change, Shiro is determined to make the school festival a success while keeping any guys, including his best friend Yasaka, from making moves on his sister.

Oh! My Brother could have been a gender-bending comedy about a girl who sometimes acts like a boy. Instead, it's mostly about a brother who's extremely protective of his sister -- almost inappropriately so. It's part comedy, part drama, and just a little bit strange.

Shy Masago lives in the shadow of her outgoing older brother Shiro, but the pair are so close, she finds herself admiring him more than envying his popularity. To Shiro's credit, he's supportive of his sister, and promises to always be there for her. But fate has other things in mind, as Shiro dies when he saves Masago from an oncoming truck.

Shiro's death is a blow to his classmates who are in the middle of preparations for the school festival -- but it's most devastating to Masago, as she wishes aloud that she died instead of Shiro. Almost in answer to her wish, Shiro comes back from the dead, or at least his spirit does, and takes up residence in Masago's body. Now Masago switches between being her usual shy self and channeling Shiro's words and actions, much to confusion of everyone around her.

Oh! My Brother offers an odd hybrid of comedy and drama, with almost equal helpings of laughs and sentimentality. Although it could easily do so, Oh! My Brother stops short of milking its premise for screwball gender-bending comedy like Your and My Secret or Ranma ½. For example, there are absolutely no scenes where Shiro marvels at having "boobs."

Saito also opts to not emphasize any ghostly / supernatural themes, even though Shiro's spirit essentially possesses his sister. That means you're not going to see any shinigami (grim reapers) or demons here either.

Instead, what we get is a story about two very different, but very close siblings who get even closer because they have to share the same body. If that sounds a bit creepy -- well, it kinda is. Shiro has such a full-blown sister complex, he can't help but interfere and take over Masago's consciousness when his best friend / classmate Yasaka and his sister spend any time together. Shiro's protectiveness borders on the kind of jealousy that a boyfriend, not a brother should feel -- which is kind of... inappropriate.

There's also a subplot about Shiro's childhood friend / enemy Saruhiko Kuga, a bad boy from a nearby school whose long-simmering rivalry / love-hate relationship with Shiro causes numerous problems. In this volume, it seems like Kuga is intrigued by Masago / Shiro, although mostly when Shiro's personality takes over, so that means Kuga was/is attracted to Shiro? Yup, that's yet another awkward situation in a manga that's chock full of 'em.

On the plus side, the artwork is charming, if sometimes a bit cluttered. Saito draws expressive, endearing characters who show a wide range of emotions. There are also some genuinely sweet moments as Shiro and Masago reflect on the meaning of life and second chances.

Overall, Oh! My Brother is a pleasant, albeit unremarkable shojo manga. It might make you laugh, it might touch your heart or it might make you squirm. Well, it did that for me. Go figure.