@unk0damnation
The mage and the catgirl? We'll have to see if they play a big role in the story. Then fanservice will ensue in one form or another. You need to learn how fanservice strategy is employed, and thinking that my comment about open-skin implies this:
They're present throughout the labyrinth arc. They're not throw-away characters that we'll never see again. So... try again.
Means you're still green at this.
It was sarcasm. Jesus.
Pffft, you believe in the drawing so much?
Nuh-uh. We don't get to play the "have your cake and eat it" bit. You don't get to pull that card when you make the argument that how much skin characters are showing in their art means how feminine they are viewed or... whatever you were trying to argue. If the art matters to you in one regard, you don't get to disregard it when it doesn't suit you.
About his abilities, they do bring them up, but chalk it up as magics - horrible writing I know, but they do notice it. I don't see how the horrible writing on this part means "They must have skipped on people's reaction about how his body changed!". His appearance (in relation to his gender) was never been touched in the story so far, that just means nothing worthwhile happened to it.
You do realize that only the two girls from the guild had any lengthy interaction with him before he changes his avatar (and, yes, he DOES change it - even if you think he's always been a man, he does change clothes with the VMB system, and it makes specific reference to his avatar when he does this - because after all, he still has the same body as the game and not his real life body).
Again, I already mentioned he was clearly treated as a man by thugs who saw him for the first time
...And as myself and others tried to point out to you,
this was after he changed his avatar. Notice that he goes to the inn, goes and changes his avatar and his gun into a FN 57 and and he goes out and that's when the thugs confront him and he shoots the one in the leg with the 57.
AFTER HE CHANGED HIS AVATAR WITH VMB. ...So for you to bring up the confrontation with the thugs that happens after this... I... What even.
Him changing his avatar (and specifically mentioning that was what he was doing):
The incident you constantly cite, 5 fucking pages later in the same chapter:
So either you're getting the events mixed up or... I don't even know. But for you to keep referencing this is pretty damn silly. Anything after he changed his avatar at that point is useless to cite because it's after that that we no longer see his androgynous features. Meaning if he was a female avatar, he changed it. And I don't see ANYONE saying he's a woman after that. No fucking shit the thugs didn't think he was a woman when that's after he changed his avatar and the art no longer showed the androgynous features. I was hoping cause and effect and linear time wouldn't have to be explained.
They never see him 'act like a man',
...That's kinda torpedoing your own argument, but keep in mind that his androgynous appearance only lasts about 3 chapters and the ONLY incident you've used thus far to back up your claims is... one where after he changed his avatar.
it just fits the narrative except the ambiguous art in the beginning.
But the way I see it you are already set on your mind that MC's avatar HAS to be a girl, and just employ mental gymnastics [SELF-AWARENESS!] so the story fits around it. Then I can't help you.
...Are you just going to conveniently go on ignoring that no one is saying that he's always been a female and is still one now? Are you going to just pretend like we weren't just saying he looked androgynous up to and only before he changed his avatar? And that the story makes he clear he DID change his avatar somehow? If you want to straw man me that badly... Go ahead. But I'm not going to argue over something with you that I never fucking said.
My guess is that either the mangaka or the author couldn't decide on a character sex (his avatar, not his real life gender) and left it androgynous for only the first few chapters before it got decided upon. And only the FIRST THREE CHAPTERS have him with this appearance. Of which only TWO supporting characters that are still featured spent any decent amount of time with him. (And, yes, before you attempt to get pedantic, I know that the guild rescue party has some people that MET him (VERY FUCKING BRIEFLY) and are still present in the story. They don't qualify for that. Only the two guild women spent time with him before he changed his avatar.) And as for mental gymnastics, I'm not the one where attempting to find any way out of having to address something like you are and handwaving away any evidence by just saying it's inconsistent art... and using instances of where after he changes his avatar to try and prove your argument.