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Erminia is probably a trans man. The manga is stylistically and narratively reminiscent of 70s shoujo melodrama (think Hagio Moto and Claudine), but it's actually from the mid 80s. It feels Shakespearean imo.
Chapters 6 & 7 have a trans woman. It's about her deciding to transition and being worried about her girlfriend not being able to love her as a woman. The ending made me just
This follows the lives of four sisters, one of whom is trans, as they struggle together through life's hardships. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it definitely falls into the trap of how being trans in Japan is pathologized and medicalized to what I think is an unhealthy degree. That's true with pretty much every manga on this list tho. On an unrelated note, God bless Hachimitsu Scans. I've been following them for about ten years, and they never fail to do a amazing job.
The mc in volume 11 chapter 1 is a very young trans girl.
This manga has two nonbinary (Xジェンダー) characters. One is agender, and the other is bigender. The English title is a bit annoying, but it's not a literal translation. Literally it is "My Girlfriend is a Boy" (otokonoko is spelt normally with 子 and not 娘 this time around).
The mc of the first story (chap 1-4) is a trans woman. The language used is a bit annoying (transexual/transvestite), and the love interest is frustrating imo. His reaction to the mc coming out was basically along the lines of "noooo. Don't transition! You're so sexy aha 😈," which nearly made me traverse the great outdoors in search of a suitable rock to bash my head into.
Another one I haven't read yet, but a little birdy told me there are several trans characters, including trans women, trans men, and genderfluid folks.
Isabella is a trans woman. The fashion in this manga is also very cute
Mutsuki is probably a trans man, but I personally don't like how his character was treated in later chapters. As someone who read TG from the very first chapter, I was excited for the trans rep, but Mutsuki's gender was painfully interpreted and shown as a symptom of trauma rather than a genuine identity. Disappointing, Ishida. Disappointing.
Trans girls and enbys
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Is is about intersex people, which could qualify as trans.
also homunculus is a great book overall but it felt like the two main characters were secretly in a shounen ai and then it went into body dysmorphia and closeting to meet expectations and then they seem transition and is accepted. its was honestly such a cool surprise to find canonical trans rep that was handled well in a surreal horror-ish manga.
danganronpa has a trans character that wasn’t handled as well as i wanted it to be, but better than initially expected. there’s tons of djs but im pretty sure there’s an official adaptation.