〜 realistic/good lgbt rep 〜

“Single father Yaichi and his daughter Kana are visited by Canadian Mike Flanagan, the husband of Yaichi's late, estranged twin brother.”

➳ grief/comfort.
➳ slice of life.



Thoughts:
Story shows the strict Japanese culture/gender norms in the form of Yaichi’s perspective compared to Western’s. I love how Yaichi eventual development as he starts to accept and understand Mike and his brother. Heartwarming, good art. Short and quick read.

“Chii and her husband are like any other married couple, except for one thing: Chii was assigned male at birth.”

➳ trans.
➳ slice of life, romance.
➳ informative panels about trans rep.



Thoughts:
I love the relationship between the leads, they’re so cute and wholesome! The art style is generally chibi which adds to the story’s charm. Kudos for the educational panels that touches on the problems trans have to face. Love the cute note the husband did at the end~

“After moving to Onomichi Hiroshima, high school student Kaname is thrown into despair at the possibility that he may have been outed for being gay.”

➳ trans, asexual, wlw, mlm.
➳ slice of life.



Thoughts:
Tackled on a lot of heavy topics, from homophobia, dysphoria, and etc. Despite that, we see the characters come to terms of their identities and start expressing themselves freely. This story was absolutely stunning from the art, the storytelling, and the complex characters

“Based on a famous essay by a Japanese gay activist, this manga tells the story of his life leading from his childhood up to his marriage to his husband.”

➳ mlm.
➳ slice of life, romance.



Thoughts:
Because of this being based on a true story, it makes me feel more connected to our protag and somewhat brings me hope that someday we’d get to freely express and accept ourselves in a our harsh society. And also the fact that we see our mc’s overcome his struggles.

“Claudine is a man convinced since he was young that he was born in a female body.”

➳ trans.
➳ historical, tragedy,



Thoughts:
Considering this manga was published in 1978, it’s quite outdated about trans issues. This deadass made me feel so bad for Claudine. He just wanted love, man. I was rooting for Rosemarie who saw him who he truly was, but Claudine was too far in love with another woman which I can’t blame him for.

“High school student Ryuu, while struggling with dysphoria and acceptance, meets Jin, a man who loves clothes, and his life starts to change.”

➳ school life, slice of life, coming of age.
➳ trans.



Thoughts:
I love Ryou and Jin’s friendship. It was quite rocky at first but Jin was willing to listen, support, and understand Ryou while eventually Ryou came to accept himself and grow as he starts to be a good/supportive friend for Jin.

➳ comedy, slice of life.
➳ wlw.
➳ wholesome/episodic/loose plot.



Thoughts:
This was simple and heartwarming. I remember reading this waaaay back and I’m pretty sure this was based on a real couple. Wholesome and cute, short and quick to read for those who want something light-hearted.

“The personal story of an aspiring mangaka, dropout who's led a lonesome, unfulfilling life.”

➳ psychological, mature.
➳ wlw.



Thoughts:
It’s pretty realistic from the emotions she felt, to the mental struggles she had to face especially during adulthood, and the fact that the problems she went through weren’t super dramatized if you get what I mean. The way she described her internal thoughts made you as a reader sympathize with her. Art simple, short story.

“Maho and Fujiko, who live in the same apartment building. Maho, a male-to-female transsexual, saves Fujiko, a girl from a rich family who's left home”

➳ slice of life.
➳ trans, wlw.



Thoughts:
I hate how short this is. I love the dynamic between the leads, the friendship they displayed grows stronger despite having a few disagreements here and there. Characters felt complex and deep. Thought provoking, wholesome, lovely art.

“Comic essays on the gay industry and LGBT issues by Mochigi, who first worked in the industry as a gay prostitute in Tokyo, and has since worked in gay bars and gay videos”

➳ slice of life.
➳ mlm.



Thoughts:
This story is actually an autobiography of the author himself. The way he portrayed his experiences in the sex industry really gives you an insight of his and other sex workers’ struggles on working at this type of field. Thought provoking dialogs, cutesy-simple art