#To Strip the Flesh

[demilypyro]

Not elaborating

[snalsupremacy]

12 MANGA BY LGBT+ CREATORS

Happy pride month!! My time has come. Years of seeking lgbt manga lead me some great finds, and here's all the ones written by openly LGBT mangaka!

1- Our Dreams At Dusk by Yuhki Kamitani, an asexual x-gender creator!

A classic in the lgbt manga niche. Literally google "lgbt manga" and you'll find this one in the top results. It's popular for a reason! Starting Tasuku, a gay teen, the manga deals with members of the queer community from all walks of life living in a small town, and how being queer impact their lives. Yuhki Kamitani's poetic and abstract story telling abilities enhances a simple story line into one of the best emotional roller-coasters you'll ever ride on. TW: Attempt suicide, mentions of said attempt, groping of a minor, lots of homophobia

2- I Think Our Son is Gay by Okura, a gay creator!

An ADORABLE story about a progressive mom trying to learn more about how to support her closeted gay son without making it obvious that she knows. Super sweet and adorable, and the author's notes were so touching! queer joy all around

TW: Discussions and verbal displays of homophobia

3- Boys Run The Riot by Keito Gaku, a transmasc creator!

Another classic in this niche. The story follows a trans boy named Ryo who bonds with the trouble student Jin over men's fashion, and together they decide to start a fashion brand. It's refreshing to see the struggles of a trans boy portrayed so genuine and authentically.

TW: Gender dysphoria, outing

4- My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Kabi Nagata, a lesbian creator!

Kabi Nagata is an biographical essayist that publishes all her work in manga form. In one of her most popular works, My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, Kabi tells the series of the events that led her to sleeping with a lesbian sex worker. Bold and authentic, Kabi has no fear to portray the ugly and fucked up parts of mental illness, in turn crafting an intimate and touching story.

TW: Self-harm, eating disorder, lots of discussions of mental illness, sexuality, and gender.

5- The Bride was a Boy by Chii, a transfem creator!

The biographical tale of the author, Chii, from realizing she's trans to meeting her husband, all told through 4-koma stories! The adorable chibi art-style and light-heartedness of this manga is sure to warm anyone's hearts! It's great to see the story of a trans woman told in such an optimistic and happy way. Details like the pop-ups of information about LGBT and Trans issues to the game-board illustrating her transition journey really show how proud Chii is of her identity, as she should!

TW: None that I remember

6- My Brother's Husband by Gengoroh Tagame, a gay creator!

The #1 non-sexual Bara, made by the #1 bara author. Tagame may be more known for his NSFW works, but his first SFW serialization shows the experience he's gained through the decades working on manga, even winning multiple awards (-) . After single father Yaichi's estranged brother passed away, Yaichi gets visited by his Canadian husband, Mike. A beautiful and sweet story of dealing with loss and overcoming homophobia, ft the cutest little child character and a very healthy divorced couple!

TW: Nudity (Technically non-sexual, but Tagame is a bear and it shows), Grief and loss of a loved one

7- To Strip The Flesh by Oto Toda, a transmasc creator!

An anthology book of various stories by Toda. The first of which, To Strip the Flesh (Where the manga gets its namesake) is inspired by the author's experience with dysphoria and coming out as a trans men. Toda was the assistant of Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Men) during the serialization of Fire Punch.

TWs: Gender Dysphoria, gore, mutilation (no blood shown), house invasion, nudity, hunting and skinning of animals, gunshot wound, mysoginy

8-Gay Fuuzoku no Mochigi-san - Sexuality Is Life - by Mochigi, a gay creator!

Originally published on Twitter, Mochigi tells of his experience running away from home and coming to work in the bustling Shinjuku Ni-Chome, Tokyo's gay neighborhood. Through his sex work and work in gay bars, Mochigi tells an authentic story of the ups and downs of the gay culture in Tokyo.

TWs: Though not visually graphic, it goes into a lot of details about gay sex work

9- Vassalord by Nanae Chrono, a transmasc creator!

Y'all aren't ready for the synopsis... ok so this cyborg vampire who works for the Vatican is frenemies with this fuckboy vampire. They fight then make up then kiss and break-up (YOU!). Together they go on missions set by the church. Extremely emo and edgy vampires, actually really great action, and all the charm of early 2000's BL, now with extra blood! Nanae Chromo came out on twitter as trans only recently, and many news sources including Anime List still lists him as Female unfortunately.

TW: Bloody fights, enough homoeroticism to make your teeth rot

10- X-Gender by Asuka Miyazaki, a X-gender creator!

Miyazaki (AFAB) realizes at age 33 that they not only are X-gender, but like woman as well! The relatable and awkward biographical story of the author's experiences and new discoveries about their identity and the community. The manga also takes the time to explain all the terms used in the LGBT community, making it very accessible to those out of the loop! Also, the art-style is very cute.

TW: Lots of talks about sex and gender, possibly other things as I have not read it yet

11- Why I Adopted my Husband by Yuta Yagi, a gay creator!

The cute auto biography of Yuta and Kyota, a gay couple who have been dating for almost 20 years. The manga talks about not only their relationship, but also what it's like to live as a gay couple in Japan, and the draws and benefits of adoption as a way to seek the same legal rights of straight couples.

TWs: None

• Final Word •

I made this list to celebrate all the brave people who are open about their identities, but I also wanna point out that there are incredible LGBT manga out there written by anonymous or even straight creators!

Happy pride month to everyone but specially all the people living in places where it's not safe to be openly LGBT, everyday that you breathe is an act of rebellion, and we should be proud of that!

Here's a quickie of some other LGBT manga that didn't make the list for some reason or another- hmu if u want more details on them or just wanna talk about lgbt manga in general!

[chuuyastinysock]

To Strip The Flesh is such a visceral, impactful short story collection that makes me eager to watch this mangaka & what new stories they produce. The first story about a trans guy and his ailing father is a particular favourite of mine as it doesn't shy away from showing the realities of Japanese trans person trying to be accepted by their family and within themselves but is also tinged with the sort of hopeful message I know will be meaningful to many going through similar struggles.

The author's words in the interview with Motigi, a gay writer, at the end of the book made me think deeply about childhood trauma, particularly for queer people, and how good intentions can cause the most pain.

Oto Toda' art is raw and mesmerizing, and there's a particular scene in the first story that really hit me with "this person gets it" and while I won't spoil it any more than that I will say it was inspired by the author's own experiences (as mentioned in the interview at the end but posting that would spoil it!).

Please, if you can, go pick up To Strip The Flesh by Oto Toda-you won't regret it!

[yanoharuhito]

chiaki ogawa is my favorite trans man in animanga

[saffronapplemanga]

Recent Read Manga Recommendation Round Up (plus anime!) - Part 3

Manga/anime I’ve been enjoying recently! Links to part 1 and part 2.

Twitter link to this post here.

~Links to my other manga posts~ My personal favs/ones I super enjoyed will have a ✨ on them :)

PLEASE LOOK UP ANY TRIGGER WARNINGS!

CRIME, ACTION, DRAMA

✨GANGSTA. by Kohske

(8 volumes + chapters released past vol.8, hiatus)

Available in English

Please check out my dedicated post I linked for this series. I worked super hard on it!

If you take one recommendation from this list, let it be GANGSTA. I’m begging… This series is going in my all-time favs. I have a whole “Why You Should Check GANGSTA. Out” section in my dedicated post, so definitely take a look at that! But in short: Do you enjoy great character writing? A diverse, adult cast featuring different races and disability rep (deaf MC)? A gritty setting? A FOUND FAMILY OF DORKS?

I'm obsessed and I'm making it my mission to take as many of you down with me as possible...

TIME TRAVEL, SUPERNATURAL

Link Click directed by Li Haoling

(24 Episodes - Season 2 Coming Soon)

Link Click is a donghua from Studio LAN and streamed on Bilibili — the Chinese streaming service that I do some subs for, if you're unfamiliar with them — as well as Funimation. I enjoyed the art, animation, and atmosphere. The premise is that two guys working at a print shop time travel through photos to help their clients. And who doesn't love a trio of kids with a big-hearted jokester, the quiet, mature one, and a feisty girl who reins them in? I think this is my first donghua and I enjoyed it!

Plus, the opening and ending themes are pretty slick ->

Season 1 Opening Theme - Adding it to the playlist.

MECH, POLITICAL, SCHOOL

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury by Yatate Hajime

(12 Episodes + Prologue - Season 2 currently airing)

Let me tell you about me and Gundam.

I used to work at a translation company in Tokyo where I translated some Gundam figure commercials/interviews (which are currently privated on Youtube, unfortunately) amongst other things. I'm telling you guys, every time I walked into the office and saw an email from Bandai/TAMASHII NATIONS with a new Gundam translation request in my inbox, I would cry a lot little inside. I had never watched anything Gundam and didn't know what the heck was going on in the stuff I had to translate. There was this one interview with a figure designer where I was like, "Oh, you have to be a Gundam fan to understand what the heck he's talking about..." I remember me, another translator, and our editor staring at our screens exasperated. We managed, though. Big shoutout to the Gundam Wiki — not that I understood anything from it LOL.

If you told me back then that I would enjoy a Gundam thing, I would've laughed — but here I am, enjoying a Gundam thing. I'm not into mechs, even though I think robots/robot-adjacent stuff + space are cool. Still, I could never get into mechs for some reason. So if you're like me, try The Witch from Mercury. Our MCs are these two girls who end up engaged to each other in a rather hilarious way imo, with a colorful cast of supporting characters. The political themes I hear Gundam is known for really hooked me, and I LOVE how the kids handle a situation they end up in. I won't say more so as not to spoil it, but I think this is a great entry point for Gundam newbies!

Season 1 Opening Theme - Am I turning into a Gundam fan? Wild. Who would've thought the day would come? What if I start getting into Gunpla? A slippery slope, really.

SLICE OF LIFE, SCHOOL

✨Skip and Loafer by Takamatsu Misaki

(10 volumes, ongoing) + Season 1 Anime

Available in English

I remember seeing volume one of this series at the bookstore I frequented in Ikebukuro Station when it had just come out. Sooooo many times, I almost picked it up over the years. But I always passed because I was swamped with work, school, and current reads.

Now, I have a little more time on my hands, and the new anime adaptation has so much love put into it! A great coming-of-age story following young Mitsumi as she moves to the big city for school. This series is so wholesome, it's cavity-inducing.

This opening is the most delightful thing~

SLICE OF LIFE

Hotel Metsäpeuraan e Youkoso by Fukuta Seira

(5 volumes, ongoing)

JP only

In the mountains of Finland is a hotel run by two men. One day they see a young man outside in a snowstorm, and bring him inside. The men can tell that teenager Jun seems to have a heavy past and offer him a job and place to stay at the hotel.

Super cute, wholesome, and has great found family vibes!

SLICE OF LIFE, FOOD

Samenai Machi no Kisaten by Hasha

(2 volumes, complete)

JP only

A chill read with a touch of melancholy. At the end of each chapter is a recipe! The art is very cute and pleasing.

DYSTOPIAN, SCI-FI

✨Fool Night by Yasuda Kasumi

(8 volumes, ongoing)

JP only

In the future, the sky is blacked out, not allowing any sun through. To survive, technology has been developed to turn people into plants. The real horror is late stage capitalism though. I'm in love with the art and atmosphere of this series. I can't wait to read more!

ROMANCE

Gakusou by Tsurimaki Nodoka

(oneshot)

JP only

This is a super short one-chapter oneshot. Cute little read with lovely art! By the same author as 聖血の海獣/Seiketsu no Kemono, a 3-volume manga I've been meaning to read.

LGBTQ, DRAMA, COMEDY

To Strip The Flesh by Tooda Oto

(oneshot/anthology)

Available in English

An anthology that has some funny stories, and some that made me feel too seen...

DYSTOPIAN, SCI-FI, CRIME, ACTION, POLITICAL

✨PSYCHO-PASS by Urobuchi Gen

Check anilist for all content because the seasons, movies, manga, light novels, and watch order are a little all over the place.

The Psycho-Pass: Inspector Shinya Kogami manga is available in English from publisher Dark Horse.

Set in the future, Japan has implemented a surveillance state that measures people's psyche and flags anyone with the potential to do crime, even if they have not done anything or will never have done anything.

I watched season one back when it first came out in 2012. Since then, I would see ads for new content at the train stations in Japan and thought I’d catch up. There’s a new movie, PSYCHO-PASS PROVIDENCE, releasing May 12, 2023.

I've been having a lot of dumb, edgy fun with this series and its on-the-nose political themes. It's kinda camp-y? I do wish it spent more time on character moments, though.

I love me a trio (which seems to be a theme in this round-up lol) and this series has a good trio! Akane is such a great character, and Shinya and MY BOY GINOZA NOBUCHIKA!!! have been thoroughly entertaining me.

I love him. I wanna bully him and stuff him into a locker...

[transmascotd]

transmasc character of the day: chiaki ogawa from to strip the flesh

[fujoreads]

To Strip the Flesh // Review

To Strip the Flesh is a short tales collection in manga format, containing 5 stories in total—the main one going by the book’s title.

I remember someone mentioning this in a book-related podcast I listen to, but I don’t remember which one. I found it at a bookshop when I went on a little date last year, and I just had to buy it! It took me a while to finally read it, but I’m glad I did.

CW: Gender Dysphoria, Explicit Nudity; Organs; Hunting; Animal death; Sexism; Transphobia; Body Horror

This manga was something else. I may not have the exact same experience as our protagonist Chiaki, but I related so hard I cried—thrice, in fact. I got such a headache from crying I had to end the day that evening. Powerful stuff.

I knew I would probably enjoy it because of the art and the topic of trans issues. I myself am a transmasc bastard, so it’s always nice to see manga talking about these things.

When I finally finished it, I had to pause for a minute or two. For the first half, I read many scenes where I felt dysphoric together with Chiaki, but the way the story ended made me actually try to be stronger and fight for my right to happiness, even if I have to face transphobic doctors on the way.

Chiaki Ogawa has never doubted that he is a boy, although the rest of the world has not been as kind. Bound by his mother’s dying wish, Chiaki tries to be a good daughter to his ailing father. When the burden becomes too great, Chiaki sets out to remake himself in his own image and discovers more than just personal freedom with his transition—he finds understanding from the people who matter most. (The StoryGraph)

Although the main story is this one about Chiaki, there are many others who are also just as enjoyable, albeit shorter.

This tale is condensed in about 100 pages, but packs an emotional punch enough to leave you in tears. It made me realize that I have my own found family and I don’t need to keep living a lie.

The flow of the story may have been somewhat rushed due to its overall length, but it still felt neatly presented. I do wish I could have seen more of Chiaki and the rest of the cast, especially his late mother.

This manga’s artstyle is interesting. It feels very anime, but it does feel different in some aspects, like how soft the eyes are. I really enjoyed it.

As someone with a big chest, I personally related to Chiaki’s struggles and the way it was visually presented was just wonderful.

Chiaki is the son of a hunter (who also butches his own kills). He lives as a closeted trans man and desires not to betray his parents’ wishes for him—to be a bride—hurt as it may. He struggles with trying to impose his masculinity to his father, who refuses to see him as anything else but his daughter, saying how “women don’t hunt”, and never letting him get hurt, seeing him as a frail girl. However, we also see his weaknesses: how he never lets his father know his true feelings, even when his father clearly shows he cares for what he thinks is best to Chiaki. It’s understandable, but also what strains their relationship at some point, even if from Chiaki’s perspective.

It’s so sweet to see Chiaki’s growth after a big moment where he has to make an important decision, both for him and his father, and how that improved their overall relationship.

His father was an interesting character to follow as well, even if we see less of him, and usually accompanied by Chiaki. I wish we could have had more moments with him.

I enjoyed Takato as a friend of Chiaki’s, but while he is sweet and supportive, he’s also a bit annoying. Maybe having him grow more throughout the story instead of a last-minute development would have made him more justice.

This was a lovely read, and not just for the main story. Personally, the Hot Watermelon short story was my second favorite, followed by David in Love.

I got even more excited seeing how Oto Toda, the author, worked as an assistant for Tatsuki Fujimoto on Fire Punch—one of my favorite works ever, as despair-inducing as it was.

If you care about stories centered around trans issues, you’ll certainly like it. It’s also a tale of father-son love, and how old wounds can be treated, even if it seems all too late.

This is a very short story, followed by other even shorter stories, so if you desire a more detailed and lengthy tale, you might not enjoy this. It’s a powerful narrative, but it’s rushed at times and unless you personally relate to Chiaki’s struggles, you might feel less emotionally affected.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Thank you for reading it all to the end! Hey, kind stranger! Would you be so kind and consider giving me a little tip? It can be as low as 3 bucks and it’d make a huuuuuge difference!! If you tip 10€ (or higher), you can dictate my next read and be credited (if you’d like) on that review! Have a nice day!!

[ryoki-ph]

i love to strip the flesh cause finally somebody actually knows the pain of being a trans man and having really huge tits

[dropintomanga]

To Strip the Flesh - A Powerful Story About Identity

"I don't want to die having given up. I don't want to drown in a puddle. I don't want to die looking like this. I want to die as a man."

I got a chance to finally read Oto Toda's acclaimed short story "To Strip the Flesh" on Transgender Visibility Day and it's a wonderful story not about gender identity, but trying to find your path with the help of compassionate understanding.

The story is about Chiaki Ogawa, an transgender individual born female who identifies themselves as male. Chiaki is currently a Youtuber whose main focus is butchering wild animals that his father hunts and does livestreams of the butchering for a living. Chiaki lives with their father and is happy with his job. However, his dad has colon cancer and wants Chiaki to get married as a normal female would as Chiaki's dead mother wanted it to be their final wish. Chiaki has always felt conflicted about his gender identity after learning about GID (gender identity disorder) during 6th grade. This tension becomes even heavier when a young Chiaki, trying to prove themselves in the wild, almost gets killed by his father in a forest when he was hunting a wild boar. The incident causes Chiaki to stop wanting to be a boy for the sake of his father as the latter blamed himself for his actions.

While I do think family is important and society has ruined the family dynamic, parents are often insecure and sometimes project their insecurities onto their children. We see Chiaki's father stick to gender norms about what a man does and a woman does. When Chiaki wanted to learn how to hunt, his father was adamant that only men hunt and never saw his child as what he wants to be. A parent, especially a single parent, wants to protect their child and not allow them to partake in activities that can cause them harm.

It also does not help that almost all parents do not understand anything to LGBTQ+ issues. And at the same time, a LGBTQ+ child has to be mindful that they may need the support/love of parents despite any discerning attitudes. Chiaki knew too well after his ordeal, but still walked away from his dad to find happiness once he had heard enough about marriage as a bride. And even if the parents do support them, the outside world isn't always kind.

Chiaki thankfully has one friend in the outside world, Takato. Takato helps film Chiaki's livestreams and tries to offer any kind of emotional support to Chiaki. He even takes the time to research GID when Chiaki decides to go to Thailand for gender surgery. Takato is worried about post-surgery side effects like despair and suicidal ideation. After Chiaki comes back from Thailand to begin his full transition to being a man, he recalls an experience back in middle school where Takato was there to help him. Chiaki was distraught over having a period and Takato gave him his pants to wear to avoid embarrassment in public.

The final part of the story is when Chiaki comes back to face his father, post-surgery. Chiaki was worried about see him cry again, but his father said he's not crying because Chiaki got what he wanted - surgery to become the man he always wanted to be. Chiaki's father wondered why he was obsessed with Chiaki being married as the path to happiness. He even goes on to say that children shouldn't focus on satisfying their parents. Chiaki is then granted a hunting rifle by his dad and the story ends with a confident Chiaki, who's become a full-time hunter like his father, in the wild and streamed on YouTube saying that he's in the market for a girlfriend before embarking on his next hunt.

When asked about the theme of To Strip the Flesh, Toda said in their own words "Don't succumb to your parents!" Try to find your own path. While your parents have good intentions at times, their words can often be a curse in disguise. I think about the role of family in the grand scheme of things. Often, family is about being there for your own family members and relatives. However, I sometimes wonder if we're forgetting that while direct family is important, it's also important to have a "family" of friends of sorts. That's what leads to stronger communities.

I feel that parents forget this because they are forced to make "schedules" and do "life hacks" that don't involve making time in getting to know their children. Active listening isn't on the agenda since it's not what modern life demands. It's also very difficult to do.

I also think a lot of mental health problems do come from parents who want their children to be outlets for their problems and/or be totally like them to prevent uncertainty. Adverse childhood experiences can involve family a great deal.

I'm glad that Chiaki has some great support in his father and Takato. Those two made a good amount of effort to try and understand where Chiaki was coming from. You don't have to be perfect, but at least try to be there for someone if they're a priority in your life.

It's okay to strip the flesh of our minds because addressing our own insecurities allows us to come to terms with who we are and what we want to be. I had to do this many times over the years. The flesh figuratively and literally does protect, but sometimes we need to rip it open to see what our hearts are desperately telling us. Deep down, we're all unique human beings that might be considered weird at times and that's okay. We're all trying our best to live our lives and we should be accepted for that. And as Toda's story highlights, I hope that we can realize this together.

[penebui]

[dinersaturn]

To strip the flesh is amazing. I remember having the exact thought of just taking the knife to my chest and cutting them off myself when I was pre-op.

[blueraimo]

[justfinishedreading]

To Strip the Flesh by Oto Toda

What attracted me to this manga was that it’s about a trans man, Chiaki, before and after his transition, it’s about his difficulty connecting with his father after the death of his mother, about trying to connect through a shared interest in hunting but being excluded because of gender. While there is tension between Chiaki and his father it is clear that there is also love and I appreciate that this story shows that even when there is love, understanding each other can be difficult and relationships are complex. Other themes are explored such as health and the importance of friendship.

I would have happily read a full volume of Chiaki’s story, or other stories about transitioning but unfortunately this volume is a collection of unrelated tales, some are a little bizarre or random, it feels like after To Strip the Flesh got attention the publisher tried to find whatever else Oto Toda had drawn to fill up the volume. Of these stories two make some sense to be included in this volume: one about a very strange thing that happens to a boy, which helps him understand the physical pain and overflowing emotion experienced by his mother when she gave birth to him… it involves a watermelon. The second story has something related to how we perceive body image and… I suppose the nature of love and devotion, I guess. A few of the stories are just one or two page comics, they’re fine but after the strength of the main story, To Strip the Flesh, most of everything else feels random. 

Review by Book Hamster

[johnny--hoestar]

Went to window shop at Barnes & Noble today but ended up buying 2 manga: 1 called To Strip the Flesh by Oto Toda that is 6 short stories, with the longest one being about a trans man struggling with being himself or making his father proud (but it has a happy ending!) And another called X Gender, which is the autobiographical story of the nonbinary author, Asuka Miyazaki, who realizes at 33 that they are into women, and it chronicles their journey to find love with a woman and I'm just. Really glad that I can go to a book store and find manga that I can relate to, and that is tells trans stories. The fact that I can go into a book store as a nonbinary person and buy manga about a nonbinary person, written by a nonbinary person.... it's an incredible feeling, honestly.

[bookdepositori]

Finally finished To Strip the Flesh, a short-story collection by Oto Toda. This collection is named after the one-shot that made a name for Toda internationally. I had initially read that story months ago and decided to pick up this collection based on how much I appreciated that story.

To Strip the Flesh itself is a story I got a lot out of back when it was a hot topic. In the back of this book, there’s an interview where Toda talks about writing that story and finding it difficult to write something that accurately depicted the wide range of experiences queer people go through, so they opted to instead write with specificity as their main focus. I absolutely think this choice was for the best because my favorite part of the story is how thoroughly fleshed-out (pun unintended) its central character is. The experiences of trans men go unexplored in most media, especially in an industry like the manga industry, so the verisimilitude of this story is a testament to how diligent Toda’s research was.

I was very excited to read more of Toda’s work because To Strip the Flesh left me with so much good will, though unfortunately I didn’t get much out of this collection. The other stories in here ranged from thematically uninspired to weird and kind of hard to make sense of. Most of the characters in these stories felt defined by cliche, so even with some of the more creative imagery in these stories, it was hard for me to become engaged with them. There were a couple stories with odd visual storytelling too that made them a bit confusing.

Overall, my biggest issue with most of these stories is that they lack specificity, something with To Strip the Flesh has in spades. It appears most of the stories were ordered reverse-chronologically, so I’m left with the impression that Toda has grown a lot as a storyteller since creating most of these short stories. Because of that, I’m still excited to see what Toda makes in the future, but as for this book, I was left a little disappointed.

[choivoi74]

Một vài manga liên quan đến "bản dạng giới"...

Không biết sao hay được xưng hô là ông - tôi hoặc bro. Tò mò điều gì khiến các bạn nghĩ người viết là nam hoặc là nữ nhỉ. Thật ra được gọi là ông, bà, fen, bro, sis, he, she, they đều ok thoải mái hết, sẽ không bao giờ chỉnh lại "à tôi là nam" hoặc "à tôi là nữ" đâu.

Tự dưng nghĩ đến chuyện như vậy, rồi nhớ ra vài manga liên quan đến "bản dạng giới" từng đọc. Hiểu nôm na là manga đề cập đến việc một cá nhân sinh ra với cơ thể là nam hay là nữ và họ thực sự muốn là nam hay là nữ, hay là gì khác ấy. (Lưu ý rằng bản dạng giới khác với xu hướng tính dục và nội dung dưới đây mang tính spoil)

🥩 TO STRIP THE FLESH

Truyện kể về một Youtuber được yêu thích vì vẻ ngoài nữ tính. Chiaki muốn phẫu thuật trở thành nam đã lâu nhưng vì người cha mà chưa dám thực hiện điều đó. Thích nhất trong truyện này chắc là cảnh nhân vật chính mơ loại bỏ được vòng 1 và tử cung - một cảnh trần trụi nhưng thế mới diễn tả đúng ước muốn thầm lặng mà cháy bỏng ấy. Truyện được sáng tác bởi Oto Toda - người từng hợp tác với Tatsuki Fujimoto vẽ oneshot Just Listen To The Song.

🔥 FIRE PUNCH

Nếu các manga khác cần vài chục trang hoặc cả arc để nói về nỗi khổ không được sống đúng giới tính thì Fire Punch chỉ cần 1 trang. Với cá nhân thì chi tiết Togata come out là đoạn đem lại cảm giác mãnh liệt nhất truyện. Cảm nhận được sự đau đớn về tinh thần, tuyệt vọng, bất lực cực độ tràn ra ngoài trang giấy luôn ấy.

🌀 GINTAMA - Yagyuu Arc và Dekobokko Arc

Gintama nổi tiếng với những màn tấu hài xuyên thể loại và manga này phản ánh chuyện giới tính cũng rất đỉnh, dù đây không phải cốt truyện chính xuyên suốt. Nổi bật nhất là những arc về Yagyuu Kyuubei - sinh ra là nữ, được nuôi dạy như trưởng nam, luôn khổ sở băn khoăn mình thuộc giới nào. Và Gintama đã cho nhân vật này và cả độc giả một câu trả lời: nam cũng được, nữ cũng được, miễn là sống theo cách mình thích, mạnh mẽ theo cách mình muốn. Bộ này cũng nhiều chi tiết nhỏ rải rác khắp 77 tập, thể hiện góc nhìn nam giới, nữ giới khác nhau như nào, một cách tếu táo, gần gũi và chân thực.

🌅 SHIMANAMI TASOGARE

Manga này đi sâu vào chủ đề LGBTQ+ với các nhân vật đa dạng từ gay, les, asexual, trans... Riêng về bản dạng giới thì thể hiện nhiều qua nhân vật Misora thích ăn mặc, trang điểm như nữ giới và đang trong quá trình xác định thêm về chính mình. Ngoài ra còn có Utsumi đã chuyển giới từ nữ thành nam. Điều yêu thích ở manga này là nó thể hiện được tâm lý phức tạp khi xác định tính hướng của bản thân và khi come out. Shimanami Tasogare cho thấy để thấu hiểu mình và thấu hiểu người trong cộng đồng LGBTQ+ mà không làm tổn thương ai không hề dễ dàng, cần sự tinh tế nhất định.

💀 HOMUNCULUS

Cốt truyện chính của Homunculus xoay quanh một người đàn ông khoan sọ và nhìn người khác thành những hình thù kỳ quặc. Nhưng mà lại ấn tượng nhất với câu chuyện của Manabu Ito, một sinh viên y khoa với ẩn ức về giới tính từ nhỏ. Manabu thích mặc váy, tô son, tạo dáng điệu đà và hay ngắm con cá 7 màu như thể ước mình được lộng lẫy như nó. Người cha đã cố phủ nhận những điều đó. Dù vậy vẫn không thể thay đổi bản chất của Manabu. Hình ảnh nhân vật này ngồi trong bóng tối vặt cánh hoa rồi chọn nam, nữ khá buồn. Cả hình ảnh chiếc bể cá vỡ tan và con cá giãy chết từ thời ấu thơ của Manabu nữa, quả là ấn tượng. Không biết cá trong những chiếc bình nhỏ có phải một hình tượng tiêu biểu về giới tính trong các tác phẩm Nhật không, chứ trong Shimanami Tasogare cũng dùng hình tượng này.

💎 HOUSEKI NO KUNI

Manga này khác với những tác phẩm trên ở chỗ nó xây dựng một thế giới mà giới tính... chẳng có nghĩa lý gì cả. Bảo thạch không có giới tính, mặc dù theo góc nhìn của độc giả thì họ có ngoại hình thiên về nữ giới và xưng hô theo cách của nam giới. Việc loại bỏ khái niệm giới tính giúp Houseki No Kuni tập trung hơn vào lột tả bản chất của con người, đặt ra câu hỏi con người cấu thành từ điều gì, phải chăng ngoài hồn, cốt, nhục thì còn là ý thức khát khao, vỡ lẽ, hạnh phúc, khổ đau, hay còn gì khác... Giới tính nằm ở đâu trong cấu tạo đó hay chẳng quan trọng nữa nhỉ...

Còn nhiều nhân vật khác trong manga, anime là trans hoặc non-binary, hoặc thích cross-dressing, hoặc là không xác định giới tính, hoặc là linh hoạt. Tuy nhiên do chưa đọc/xem chi tiết, hoặc chưa có nhiều cảm nhận vào lúc này nên sẽ không đi sâu. Ví dụ như:

- Alluka, Pitou trong Hunter x Hunter.

- Hange Zoë trong Shingeki No Kyojin.

- Ayukawa Ryuji trong Blue Period.

- Yamato và Kikunojo trong One Piece.

- Ranma trong Ranma 1/2 - dội nước lạnh cơ thể sẽ biến thành nữ, nhưng bản chất vẫn luôn là nam.

- 3 yakuza trong Back Street Girls bị sếp bắt sang Thái chuyển giới để đi làm idol, bộ này hài là chính.

- Ryougi Shiki nữ và SHIKI nam trong cùng một cơ thể. Trường hợp này thực ra là đa nhân cách, hãy xem Kara No Kyoukai để hiểu rõ hơn.