Jun and Kaoru - Vol. 1 Ch. 8

[MangaDex]

 

[Faulheit]

sorry for the delay fellas

 

[arkserion]

Thanks for the chapter!!!

Whew, under the covers in the infirmary. They be holding hands next thing you know.

 

[Wholesomebirb]

What were their original genders before the swapping began?

 

[Faulheit]

@Wholesomebirb kaoru is female jun is male

 

[PineconeOfWisdom]

if they don't kiss i stg

 

[RedOnYellow]

Whoa mama.

Thanks for translations.

 

[mendics]

@Wholesomebirb nope he's wrong. It was never specified which gender they started with. Most people assume they both started as either gender, so they're both male and female and since it was never set up by the author, (nor do I think they will) its best treated as theyre pure androgynous.

 

[criver]

@mendics

its best treated as theyre pure androgynous.

And why would that be? It certainly doesn't follow from what you used to motivate it.
Additionally the user you assert is 'wrong' is the scanlator, so I would guess he has some extra info on the series.

 

[Deoxyribo9]

If what the inner monologue pronouns being used are in the raw mean what they mean, its pretty much hints at what their genders are.

 

[Sippers]

Ooooooohhiding away together in the infirmary, what will happen next? Lap pillow? Lol they're so cute together. Thanks for the translation!

 

[mendics]

Gender pronouns used by someone doesn't = actual genders, especially when you're dealing with a gender bender duo that never elaborates the nature of their condition (nor will the author ever do it). The manga is just simple, its much more reasonable to think they don't line to any specific gender because that's what has been shown, there's actually more proof that they've been living their whole life switching between genders since the moment they've been born. Tho tbh unless the author confirms anything nor is shown in the manga on point about this then theres very little point in asking "ifs" on a simple to understand manga.

 

[Umesan]

@Wholesomebirb @Criver

I'd probably like to help finding out Jun and Kaoru's original sexes through their names but no dice here. Jun (純) - (Pure) is a common name for both sexes while Kaoru's characters (かおる) are in simple hiragana to make it ambiguous If the author ever decides to reveal at some point, or if @Faulheit already knows in the raws. If Kaoru was male they'd use ( 薫/郁/芳 ) if female (馨/香)

Also since the cover of the manga shows Jun as a male and Kaoru as a female, let's just assume Jun is male and Kaoru is female with no heed of any complicated gender studies explanations. Also I'm just a very basic beginner of Japanese characters so don't take what I say as fact >-<

 

[criver]

@mendics I smell confirmation bias.

 

[Faulheit]

@criver @Umesan @mendics @Deoxyribo9

I feel like I should clarify a few things

As it was pointed out, because of the names and how they're written, you can't tell by just them.

I don't really read much genderbender, so idk how much it matters but to me the fact that Jun talks like a male (using the male "I " and shit) and Kaoru like a female is a pretty strong indicator. Also if you look at the title pages of the last few chapters, kaoru is always portrayed as female and Jun as male. In ch6 when they're not it is written "male?" below Jun and "female?" below kaoru.

Personally I think the running joke is that kaoru is a better male than Jun, and vice versa, which also kinda leads to the confusion.

However, in chapter one, both do things without realising that could suggest the opposite. Jun doesn't realise he did his nails, and kaoru forgets to sit with her legs closed. Also before this kaoru says, "did you wash it, talking about my uniform" and then later Jun hands her a male uniform. Also at ch2 Jun ends up using the weird perfume thing to attract women; the list goes on.

Bottom line, their personalities and the way they act makes it super ambiguous as to what their original genders are, and without going into some deep interpretation about gender identity and shit, the pronouns and the way they talk are the only leads we have really

 

[elefantine97]

Thanks for the chapter @Faulheit !
Idk why people are overcomplicating this manga, I mean it is supernatural to begin with.
Body transformation doesn't necessarily have to involve gender identities to begin with, so let's just respect the character's choice of pronouns (masculine boku vs feminine atashi, etc.). Japan has what you could call a gender-less identity, which is equivalent to non-binary/agender in the west.

 

[Houdini111]

@arkserion Watch it. We're not degenerates. I hope Jun and Kaoru aren't either.

 

[Umesan]

@Faulheit thank you for clearing it up! also thank you for translating!

 

[mendics]

@criver I smell ignorance and naivety on gender benders.

@elefantine97 that's my point really, IDK why is there a need to slot every individual in one or the other role then call it out gay when it doesn't align to their preferences. This is a gender bender, and its a simple one at that, just have fun with it. I just have a problem with people confirming things based on assumptions, thats just misinforming people especially when this is a super simple manga to begin with. The correct answer here is "This could be that or this but we're not sure". like what @Faulheit added.

IMO I don't think the author will ever clarify it, it'll stay ambigious, I mean thats the point of the manga, thats what makes it fun to read, to see them flip flopping from one to another.

 

[arkserion]

My 2 cents: regardless of what their original genders are, they are an adorable couple either way.

@Houdini111, ufu