Half & Half
- Thread starter MangaDex
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Since Itsuki is transgender, I'm wondering if we should add the Shoujo Ai tag to this~
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Itsuki is still a dude lol. Just because you say you're a chick doesn't mean you magically lose your dick.
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Genitalia is not the only thing about your body that can cause gender dysphoria. For some it may be beard growth, for others muscles, lack of breasts etc.
Sex is what's between your legs, gender is what's in your head, gender expression is what clothes you wear etc...
Sex is what's between your legs, gender is what's in your head, gender expression is what clothes you wear etc...
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To people who've read all of this: Is someone other than Itsuki "crossdressing" here? If not, I'd like to remove the tag.
As for whether it's to be tagged "shoujo-ai" or not... ugh...
So—I'm on the "well, duh, so long as one protagonist who identifies as a girl, likes another who they recognize is a girl, it's shoujo-ai (or yuri)" side of things—but when we do that it seems to start a tag battle with (mostly) straight guys who throw hissy-fits about things not being what they're expecting...
At some point there's going to have to be an official policy on whether expressed gender-identity is what counts for tags, but I don't want to start that discussion with the admins if it hasn't been already because they haven't struck me as terribly sensitive about gender issues (though that's just an impression).
@930310:
I think you're overstating things a bit to make your point, to say that sex has nothing to do with gender (using your definitions of both, that is—those words are historically synonyms regardless of any current developing usage, so it's a bit complicated...) is patently absurd.
By crude analogy, that'd be like saying sex (the other kind) and love have nothing to do with each other—sure, they can exist independently, but nonetheless our overall concept of one of them would be quite different, if not for the other.
As for whether it's to be tagged "shoujo-ai" or not... ugh...
So—I'm on the "well, duh, so long as one protagonist who identifies as a girl, likes another who they recognize is a girl, it's shoujo-ai (or yuri)" side of things—but when we do that it seems to start a tag battle with (mostly) straight guys who throw hissy-fits about things not being what they're expecting...
At some point there's going to have to be an official policy on whether expressed gender-identity is what counts for tags, but I don't want to start that discussion with the admins if it hasn't been already because they haven't struck me as terribly sensitive about gender issues (though that's just an impression).
@930310:
I think you're overstating things a bit to make your point, to say that sex has nothing to do with gender (using your definitions of both, that is—those words are historically synonyms regardless of any current developing usage, so it's a bit complicated...) is patently absurd.
By crude analogy, that'd be like saying sex (the other kind) and love have nothing to do with each other—sure, they can exist independently, but nonetheless our overall concept of one of them would be quite different, if not for the other.
There's no crossdressing ... Except there is a scene in a drag queen club so some of them could identify male. As a trans woman, the pronouns are rough, but it's likely a linguistic artifact.
I'm not sure I'd call it shojo-ai. The presence of male interests and both characters being androphilic with each other as exceptions is something I haven't seen in shojo-ai or Yuri before.
Good story, but not the best representation of trans people through a current day American lense.
I'm not sure I'd call it shojo-ai. The presence of male interests and both characters being androphilic with each other as exceptions is something I haven't seen in shojo-ai or Yuri before.
Good story, but not the best representation of trans people through a current day American lense.
Definitely some mixed feelings about this. It’s not even just the translations (although I think I would have felt better about the whole thing if the correct gender neutral nature of the original Japanese was reflected).
All in all, 6.5-7/10. I would love to see more of this kind of concept with today’s standards of discussing LGBTQ+ matters in manga
Narrative-wise, there were obvious awkward beats, and Itsuki’s realization of romantic feelings towards Hina were rushed in the last chapters. I think above all, my biggest critique is that at the end before Hina and Itsuki kissed, the latter almost seemed to revert to a more gender neutral presentation. It doesn’t make a lot of sense character-wise that Itsuki wore very feminine clothes in all previous volumes, then suddenly states her distaste for skirts. Don’t get me wrong - traditionally feminine clothing doesn’t make the woman at all, and it’s wonderful if at the end, Itsuki realizes she doesn’t need to be girly to be a woman. It’s just the fact that we don’t get buildup to this philosophy shift, so the timing makes it seem like ultimately, she had to shift her appearance towards gender neutral/masculine in order to live happily ever after with Hina. Does this make sense?
That all being said, it did do some good things, too. I liked Itsuki’s family arc and the idea of acceptance, especially from a manga from the mid-2000s. He was kind of flat, but Yuuri and Hina had some good moments. My favorite parts include Maru’s courage while in Hokkaido and the brief date at the river.
That all being said, it did do some good things, too. I liked Itsuki’s family arc and the idea of acceptance, especially from a manga from the mid-2000s. He was kind of flat, but Yuuri and Hina had some good moments. My favorite parts include Maru’s courage while in Hokkaido and the brief date at the river.
All in all, 6.5-7/10. I would love to see more of this kind of concept with today’s standards of discussing LGBTQ+ matters in manga
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