Introduction
Normally, I don’t watch youth or coming-of-age romance dramas, especially those with “Cinderella” in the title, because Cinderella stories are oh-so clichéd. However, when I peeked into the first episode out of curiosity, I came to the same reaction as shown by the Female Lead upon seeing the Male Lead for the first time, as seen below. I was practically in awe. He is absolutely stunning! The cross-dressing Male Lead is the big draw.
After watching it, although the young characters are in college, they have part-time jobs. There was not much of a school setting (teachers, students, homework, exams), but mainly their workplaces.
Why “being ugly is a choice”? Find out what it is about in the Review section below!
Drama Info
Drama title: Cinderella Closet (Native title: シンデレラ クロゼット )
Alternative titles: Shinderera Kurozetto
Genres: Romance, Comedy, Youth, Drama
Aired: 24 Jun, 2025 - 16 Sept, 2025
Episodes: 12 | Duration: 20 min.
Directors: Fukawa Ryosuke ( 府川亮介 ), Torii Kana ( 鳥居加奈 ), and Okana Hironobu ( 岡野宏信 )
Screenwriters: Kato Ayaki ( 加藤綾子 ) and Orito Satsuki ( 折戸咲月 )
Adapted from the manga series "Cinderella Closet" (シンデレラクロゼット) by Yanai Wakana (柳井わかな)
Where to read: Mangadex (English translation)
Where to watch: Netflix
OST: 悪魔 Akuma ( = Devil Akuma) by Frederic フレデリック（A-Sketch)
Trailer
Synopsis
Haruka leaves the countryside to study in Tokyo but feels out of place among her stylish classmates, until she meets a beautiful, mysterious fashionista (Source: Netflix).
Characters
Main Characters
Osaki Ichika ( 尾碕真花 ) as Fukunaga Haruka
Dreaming of a stylish college life, Haruka moved to Tokyo, but she couldn’t fit in at all with the glamorous university atmosphere and felt down every day. One day, she was invited to dinner by Kurotaki, her senior she likes, but she only owned jeans and a worn-out hoodie, and had zero knowledge of makeup. When she was in despair, she was helped by the mysterious and incredibly beautiful Hikaru.
Matsumoto Leo ( 松本怜生 ) as Kamiyama Hikaru
A mysterious, incredibly beautiful woman who helped Haruka. She’s actually a cross-dressing man who attends a beauty school. He cross-dresses because he loves fashion. He pursues his own unique beauty, and his charming personality naturally draws people to him.
Hachimura Rintaro ( 八村倫太郎 ) as Kurotaki Keisuke
Keisuke and Haruka work at the same part-time job, and he’s also her senior at university. He’s as bright as the sun and is someone Haruka admires. Because of his pure personality, he treats everyone kindly without discrimination. He’s straightforward and honest about his feelings.
Supporting Characters
Kiritani Shu (Karuma) – Hikaru’s friend
Suzuki Mio (Mito Yuna) – social media influencer
Nakamura Asuka (Yamazaki Kei) – Haruka and Keisuke’s coworker
Kamiyama Ken (Aijima Ichino) – Hikaru’s father
Kamiyama Yukiko (Tokoshima Yoshiko) – Hikaru’s mother
My Rating
My rating for this drama was based on MyDramaList’s scoring system, which is from 0.0 to 10.0. For any drama/movie/show I completed, I gave a minimum rating of 6.0 to appreciate the hard work of the production team, and to adjust to MyDramaList’s overall score base. From 6.0, this drama has additional scores of:
- 1.0 for the story (themes, dialogues, messages)
- 1.0 for the Male Lead and Female Lead characterization
- 1.0 for the Male Lead makeup and some costumes
Thus, my final rating was 9.0.
I detailed my explanation as to why I gave such additional scores in the Review Section below.
Review
A Sweet, Positive, and Stress-Free Romance
Cinderella Closet is a sweet, positive, and largely stress-free romance. The romance is simple, and the episodes are short. This is a character-driven drama. The two main characters, Hikaru and Haruka, both have an innocent feel, which was a perfect fit for each other. A cute guy who is cute with or without makeup (and cross-dressing), and an innocent girl who is adorable even without makeup. A slightly reserved Hikaru and a straightforward Haruka. They help each other grow. I love their romance because it feels natural. They started as strangers, became friends, then best friends, before finally becoming lovers.
Most of the plot was filled with one having a crush on the other, without knowing vice versa. This misinterpreted information causes misunderstandings, which, in my opinion, are needed for the plot. There is no idiot plot, where the conflict only exists because the characters refuse to have a simple, logical conversation.
If you don’t like misunderstandings, or are curious about what the misunderstandings are, below is the spoiler
The misunderstanding is not that Hikaru is a man, she already found out about it in the first episode. Hikaru had a crush on Haruka, but misunderstood that she only liked him as a female friend. Haruka had a crush on Hikaru, but she misunderstood that he was gay.
I usually don’t rewatch dramas because of the feeling of a lack of surprise from knowing the plot, and some dramas are too heavy to experience again. However, in my opinion, Cinderella Closet has a high rewatch value. It’s enjoyable to watch multiple times because it offers comfort and emotional satisfaction. Were I given a chance to rewatch any drama, I would pick this one.
Inspirational Messages
“Being ugly is a choice”
Now, you’re probably curious about my article title. It was taken from the first episode of the drama. It was what Hiraku said to Haruka, and the complete statement is:
After 20, being ugly is a choice… Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not talking about your appearance. A self-deprecating smile isn’t cute.
I didn’t put the complete sentence, with “after 20” in the article title, because I wondered about the age 20. I mean, in many countries, age 18 is the age someone is considered an adult. After high school, it’s time for a transition involving leaving home, completing education, and finding employment. There is independence, including making one’s own decisions on self-care, that leads to being attractive and good-looking.
In Japan, while the age of adulthood was historically set at 20 and remains significant for certain activities like drinking and smoking, in April 2022, Japan lowered the legal age of adulthood to 18. This line is in the manga, which was released between 2019 and 2022 in Japan.
Other inspirational messages
Being shōjo manga as the source, manga marketed to adolescent girls and young adult women, Cinderella Closet inspires confidence, celebrates inner beauty, and reminds recipients of their inherent worth. I will not give you other examples from the drama, you just have to find them out by watching it!
While Cinderella Closet is a youth drama, the inspirational messages are often also intended for adults, because the drama explores universal themes that resonate with people of all ages. The coming-of-age journey is the central narrative; however, the lessons learned are broadly applicable. Adult viewers connect with this cute drama through nostalgia, emotional resonance, and the simple, clear storytelling.
The Cross-dressing Hikaru
Everyone who watched this drama knew that the big draw in Cinderella Closet was Hikaru, although being a shōjo manga, the focus of the drama is Haruka.
Hikaru, a self-proclaimed man, liked cross-dressing because he liked pretty things, so he just wore whatever he liked. It was not a forced cross-dressing; it was just that he knew himself and portrayed a femininity that suited him. Although some female clothing made Hikaru look older (for example, the blouse with bow tie that looked so mature), the makeup department did a fabulous job with Hikaru’s cross-dressing makeup, which looked so natural but classy. The leading actor, Matsumoto Reo, also learned how to act feminine naturally and sensitively, without being superficial or over-the-top.
My favorite Hikaru’s outfit: denim jacket, denim skirt, and boots.
At the end, the contrast between Matsumoto Reo’s beauty in cross-dressing and his boyish appearance is amazing!
Haruka is Hikaru’s Ray of Sunshine
If Hikaru was Haruka’s fairy godmother, with her positive and encouraging words, Haruka was Hikaru’s ray of sunshine that shone into Hikaru’s life since the get-go. Being from the country, Haruka was naive but had a tough character. She lived true to her heart. Her bright light, with her smile and radiating warmth, was a positive magnet to everyone, mostly Hikaru. Haruka exuded kindness that came across with sincerity.
I understand how Haruka felt inferior because the people she interacted with were so sensational in her eyes. However, it was amazing how she could turn her inferiority into effort.
Offering cabbage to the fairy godmother
I read that some people don’t like Haruka’s over-the-top character. I didn’t read the manga, but I read that manga characters are often over the top because the format is inherently suited to exaggeration for narrative effect, making them more memorable through exaggerated attitudes and reactions. In Cinderella Closet, without spoiling, in my opinion, Haruka’s character is perfectly suited to Hikaru.
Actress Osaki Ichika stated that she naturally had a deep voice and learned to speak at a higher pitch as Haruka.
No Toxic Characters
At this time, cross-dressing, otokonoko (男の娘) in Japanese, is not a common everyday sight for the public in Japan. Cross-dressing for fun or performance is more accepted, but navigating daily life as a cross-dresser can still be met with varying levels of public acknowledgment. While attitudes are evolving and some areas are more accepting, particularly in Tokyo (where the drama setting was), there can be varying levels of tolerance, with some individuals or communities being less open than others. In Cinderella Closet, the topic of cross-dressing can be sensitive for some older Japanese people due to traditional social norms.
The supporting characters in this drama are what I call “supportive supporting characters”. Surprisingly, there were no toxic characters in the love department, either. Whereas in other romantic dramas, there were obsessive characters as a source of romantic conflict, who can be annoying.
I also liked it that there were no side couples, unlike in other dramas, even short-length series, in which there is at least one side couple. Although side couples are created to make the overall narrative richer and more engaging, many times, side couples are just fillers and make the drama draggy. In Cinderella Closet, it’s easy to make Keisuke and Mio a side couple. I was glad they stayed friends at the end, although I don’t mind if they make a spin-off of these two.
My Critics
After They Got Together
From Episode 10, after they started dating following the confession, Hikaru no longer cross-dressed, only one time to show Haruka’s mother. Hikaru was so beautiful that I missed his cross-dressing. Although he was still good-looking with male makeup and simple hoop earrings. And of course, we got to know the reason he cross-dressed by the end of Episode 9.
I knew this was supposed to be light-hearted, even the manga source. However, I didn’t mind seeing some culture shock during their dating period, for example, he goes on a date with Haruka, cross-dressing, hugging and holding hands with her in public. What are people’s reactions? Or, they meet her friends from the country who think that she has become a lesbian.
The Cinderella Thing
Lastly, in my review, I still hate the “Cinderella” thing. I knew it was also the manga title, and he was her ‘fairy godmother’ in the beginning, who transformed her into a pretty ‘Cinderella’ to date her ‘prince’ crush Keisuke. His proposal was also the ‘Cinderella’ style.
“I wanted to be the prince, not the fairy godmother, Haruka.”
Bonus
In Episode 10, there was a cameo appearance of the group members of Frederic, the Japanese rock band. Their song “Akuma” became the OST of this drama. They were invited to visit the film site of the drama, and they learnt a lot from the experience, watching the staff and actors work. They were also invited to be extras in the drama, so they participated a bit. In the scene, while on the escalator, Hikaru and Haruka realized that the group was behind them was Frederic, so Haruka asked to shake hands with them. So cute!
The OST theme is having someone be your reason to change, even to the extreme extent of becoming a “devil/akuma”.
Conclusion
I might watch it again in the future if I want to get some sparkle and be soothed. Cinderella Closet is a simple drama with a sense of comfort, stress relief, and nostalgia. My brain won’t have to work as hard to process familiar content, making it a soothing activity after a long day or when feeling mentally exhausted.
To end this article, I wonder… isn’t it amazing to have a boyfriend who can be with you like a female friend?
A female friend
A boyfriend
