Onii-chan Is Done For!
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Using powerpoint for typesetting is not for the uninitiated
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Weird yet enjoyable series.
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@Hexador In reality, yeah, forcing this kind of dramatic change on someone is absolutely horrifying. In no way should this be taken lightly. I think this story does still work, but it requires its very specific circumstances. First of all, Mahiro very clearly trusts and looks up to Mihari to a very high degree even prior to the story's start -- so when Mihari staged an intervention regarding his current dysfunctional lifestyle, his impulse wasn't to fight it. He's also working under the assumption he'll be turned back eventually. Presumably -- it seems to be over a month since the change happened so it is curious why he hasn't asked Mihari for an update as to how long her experiment needs to go.
I think what's important to realize on the topic of whether Mahiro counts as transsexual is how functional he even was in the role he had before. Throughout most of the second chapter where he's exercising with Mihari, he's reflecting on just how inferior and worthless he's felt -- there's an air of resignation and desperation the tone. He's clearly going along with trying out the role of a little sister because he was dysfunctional in the role he was born and raised into. I think it's dangerous to prematurely come down with a trans label one way or the other on people who are in that experimental stage because it can encourage people not to "sandbox" role changes. (i.e. having to commit to a binary identity up until the moment you switch binary roles) The biggest indicator as to how damaged Mahiro's sense of identity even was before the transformation is how much he clings to "home security guard" as a way of not completely losing faith in himself.
Ultimately I'm in 100% agreement with you that what Mihari did to Mahiro, in a vacuum, would be absolutely horrifying. And it's unlikely to go as well as it did in this story. It's only working out because of relationship circumstances that existed prior to the story's start (the trust he had for her) and Mahiro's own prior dysfunctional identity and inability to function in society. To a degree it's OK for a very trusted family member to stage even dramatic interventions. Sadly this latitude is often abused against LGBTQ+ young people (i.e. to send them to conversion therapy camps) so I can understand the alarm bells going off. But ultimately if the above extenuating factors are taken into consideration, I don't find this story as unrealistic as it might seem at first glance.
Mahiro does seem to be taking to the new role increasingly well -- one reason I love reading this manga is because I'm curious how their identity will develop. I'm hoping Mihari ultimately will leave it up to her brother to decide who they are once Mahiro is truly functional again. (i.e. bathing regularly, not afraid of going outside, maybe even able to pursue a job, etc. )
I think what's important to realize on the topic of whether Mahiro counts as transsexual is how functional he even was in the role he had before. Throughout most of the second chapter where he's exercising with Mihari, he's reflecting on just how inferior and worthless he's felt -- there's an air of resignation and desperation the tone. He's clearly going along with trying out the role of a little sister because he was dysfunctional in the role he was born and raised into. I think it's dangerous to prematurely come down with a trans label one way or the other on people who are in that experimental stage because it can encourage people not to "sandbox" role changes. (i.e. having to commit to a binary identity up until the moment you switch binary roles) The biggest indicator as to how damaged Mahiro's sense of identity even was before the transformation is how much he clings to "home security guard" as a way of not completely losing faith in himself.
Ultimately I'm in 100% agreement with you that what Mihari did to Mahiro, in a vacuum, would be absolutely horrifying. And it's unlikely to go as well as it did in this story. It's only working out because of relationship circumstances that existed prior to the story's start (the trust he had for her) and Mahiro's own prior dysfunctional identity and inability to function in society. To a degree it's OK for a very trusted family member to stage even dramatic interventions. Sadly this latitude is often abused against LGBTQ+ young people (i.e. to send them to conversion therapy camps) so I can understand the alarm bells going off. But ultimately if the above extenuating factors are taken into consideration, I don't find this story as unrealistic as it might seem at first glance.
Mahiro does seem to be taking to the new role increasingly well -- one reason I love reading this manga is because I'm curious how their identity will develop. I'm hoping Mihari ultimately will leave it up to her brother to decide who they are once Mahiro is truly functional again. (i.e. bathing regularly, not afraid of going outside, maybe even able to pursue a job, etc. )
What does this even mean? Why is it 'sad' that a light-hearted comedy manga doesn't delve into angst and deep philosophical introspection about the nature of the self and gender identity? It's perfectly alright that you find the premise uninteresting or the manga boring but how is it somehow sad that it doesn't explore something impossible in real life anyway in a way you find appropriate?
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@MidnighTea been thinking about your comment for a while and I can't disagree. I reread what I already had in a more open state of mind and it allowed me to see the things I had overlooked earlier; primarily I reinterpreted Mahiro's wavering thoughts about their own identity. Like you say, I was overly quick to come down with any label for them. One thing that still irks me is the prevailing notion that Mahiro was a failure as a "he" because society had given that identity a role they weren't suited for. As a shy and timid person that identifies as male, it struck a nerve.
@Kushinda it's sad because, at the time, I thought that would have been more interesting to read. As MidnighTea pointed out, close familial interventions are very powerful. They can also be abusive and wrong; what one family member sees as dysfunction and with good intentions tries to correct isn't necessarily a nail that needs a hammer. In this way, I felt the gender bender plot device could have opened up a narrative regarding a fairly sinister form of abuse that isn't often talked about in my country (the U.S.) or elsewhere (I assume). However, I was incorrect in my interpretation of the situation in the manga and the relationship between the characters, their intentions, etc.
@Kushinda it's sad because, at the time, I thought that would have been more interesting to read. As MidnighTea pointed out, close familial interventions are very powerful. They can also be abusive and wrong; what one family member sees as dysfunction and with good intentions tries to correct isn't necessarily a nail that needs a hammer. In this way, I felt the gender bender plot device could have opened up a narrative regarding a fairly sinister form of abuse that isn't often talked about in my country (the U.S.) or elsewhere (I assume). However, I was incorrect in my interpretation of the situation in the manga and the relationship between the characters, their intentions, etc.
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@Hexador Yeah, there is absolutely no doubt that there is a value judgment going on here regarding shy, introverted or withdrawn lifestyles. That is a bit unfortunate and I dislike the overwhelming negative portrayal you often see of young adults who can't seem to break into society. Demonizing them is extremely counterproductive, even if it's done for laughs. (I'm looking at you Watamote/Gabriel Dropout/etc.)
I do feel pretty comfortable in saying Mahiro was exceptionally dysfunctional, though and they did a pretty good job of establishing that. He's at least college age, he doesn't go to school or work, he doesn't bathe, he doesn't wash his own clothes, he doesn't cook his own meals, he's... basically taken care of by his younger sister who is in her early to mid teens who is made to mother him. If I knew someone in that situation in RL I'd seriously go "wtf wtf wtf". Of course, the fact that their parents are this absent from this whole rigmarole is pretty alarming too. So while I think the actual form that Mihari's intervention took was extremely ill-advised, I do think some kind of extreme intervention was still required. It's just lucky that Mahiro is responding well to it. And that he clearly loves and trusts her well enough to be willing to try a new role. But man the stars had to align for this kind of invasive approach to have worked out. Or that Mihari got insanely lucky and her brother was possibly an egg this whole time. (trans culture term)
I really would like to see at least one dramatic chapter where Mahiro finally snaps at Mihari over all this, even if this isn't a drama manga. It'd be nice to see some of this addressed. It could still end in cute hugs and cookies or whatever.
I do feel pretty comfortable in saying Mahiro was exceptionally dysfunctional, though and they did a pretty good job of establishing that. He's at least college age, he doesn't go to school or work, he doesn't bathe, he doesn't wash his own clothes, he doesn't cook his own meals, he's... basically taken care of by his younger sister who is in her early to mid teens who is made to mother him. If I knew someone in that situation in RL I'd seriously go "wtf wtf wtf". Of course, the fact that their parents are this absent from this whole rigmarole is pretty alarming too. So while I think the actual form that Mihari's intervention took was extremely ill-advised, I do think some kind of extreme intervention was still required. It's just lucky that Mahiro is responding well to it. And that he clearly loves and trusts her well enough to be willing to try a new role. But man the stars had to align for this kind of invasive approach to have worked out. Or that Mihari got insanely lucky and her brother was possibly an egg this whole time. (trans culture term)
I really would like to see at least one dramatic chapter where Mahiro finally snaps at Mihari over all this, even if this isn't a drama manga. It'd be nice to see some of this addressed. It could still end in cute hugs and cookies or whatever.
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@MidnighTea I sort of had gotten the impression when he talked about his sister's successes as opposed to himself that that might be sort of the reason he is the way he is....or was I suppose. His sister was smart, popular, athletic, basically, achieved all these things at a very young age. While he doesn't seem stupid by any means, it could be that he was just....average? It could have been him just giving up on even trying. Still, it is almost certainly over-analyzing this and that part was just set up to explain how a high school aged girl is a scientist working for some company(even if it is a sketchy one)
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If onii-chan loses their gender through detox I'm gonna be very sad. Don't have a relapse!
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