The Gender of Mona Lisa

[Chiakoi]

so, the summary tells the idea of the story, but what's the premise of the story itself?

 

[TinyPrawnie]

I think the main problem with this manga is that too many people are going into it with preconceived notions of what exactly gender is and how it should be represented in this story.

I recommend going into it with an open mind, and remember that a Japanese person's perspective on gender will be different to a Westerner's.

It's an interesting read all things considered.

 

[Zainou]

I don't really care if the manga is from Japan or not, the series is not just enbyphobic but generally queerphobic and that doesn't change depending on where it's from. The idea of sex and gender presented here, along with the concept of sexuality are primitive and theoretically incorrect to a point that I know isn't "intrinsic to Japanese culture" as you seem to imply by saying that their perspective will be different.

Perspectives on gender of course shift depending on culture but many other manga, Hourou Musuko, Bokura no Hentai, Kanojo ni Naritai Kimi to Boku etc. do not feature such horrific conceptualizations of sex, gender, and sexuality, as such there is no excuse for the utter nonsense present in this series.

 

[CrateKitten]

@Zainou, Your complaining that in a country that doesnt give rights to homosexual couples, that they dont understand sex, gender or sexuality? I mean... maybe you should avoid the gender bender and cross dressing tags entirely if its made in Japan as that is a very much country that doesnt agree with you and so works like this are applauded. On the other end as a Bi woman I see no issue in this manga and I feel you are self projecting your own insecurities on the work. If you dont like it dont read, its only harming you. I am 100% my full rights as a Bi woman in a country where I have all the same rights as a straight person arent going to die off from this.

 

[Ieden]

Well if you don't like it just don't read it?

 

[Ieden]

and Japan is not as 'liberal' as your country so to talk about the issue abt gender is a bit taboo to them. just stop reading if you don't like it. no one ask you to continue to read it

 

[Titan224]

I feel like I get where a lot of people are coming from with this manga being 'old fashioned' in terms of how it views the main character but here is the thing... I don't know if it's meant to focus on Hanase. I mean think about it, right now it's the childhood friends who are getting the real character development, they're the ones questioning themselves, what it means to love someone based on sex and gender, what it means to be with a person and have feelings for them. Ritsu is the one who asks what it means to love someone, and how they would feel if that person was the same sex or opposite sex. Meanwhile Shiori is a bit more confident that their feelings wouldn't change, but he still pushes for a female Hinase. He is the more aggressive version of Ritsu, same coin different side so to speak. I'm not saying these characters are perfect, I am far from an expert in these things, but at least to me it feels more like a story about two people learning and growing their understanding of their own emotion more than a story of someone who is trying to figure out their own identity. As others have stated Japan's views on these topics is much different to our own, and it's hard to compare the two, but with this view point I feel like it makes a lot more sense and actually has some smart things to say, though whether you agree with those or not is a different story.

Besides the real question is how the fuck does this person use the bathroom like seriously I feel like it's implied they're very Ken/Barbie Doll like so just how does that work waste products are still a thing you know? I'm scared to think about it too hard I do not want to go down this rabbit hole but I can't unthink it

 

[hellknightofdeath]

No idea what the people are talking about re: the gender stuff in this being old-fashioned. It's like, introductory stuff. Like how you learn addition before you learn multiplication. It's a 'what if' more so than anything else, and probably works very well to give people a basic idea of how gender isn't quite so cut-and-dry as it may initially appear. I do believe it's more about the character's emotions about coming to terms with these basic concepts, so I don't think it's really 'problematic' at all, just a bit simplistic, and this is coming from someone who's had gender identity struggles before, so hopefully people can stop arguing about this and just enjoy (or not enjoy, if they prefer) the story.

 

[JustNatsuki]

Don't bother reading some "gender expert" essays below

Don’t bother reading any comments/opinions on this site, the only one that matters to you is your own

 

[bakanardo]

poosay

 

[Mashed_Bandicoot]

Is it just me, or does anyone else think of Hinase as the gender that they want them to become in their head outside of the text?

 

[kathywoodlock]

I thought this was entirely fictional but it's real https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/boys-who-only-develop-penis-when-they-hit-age-12/

 

[TinyPrawnie]

That looks to be a bit different but I wouldn't be surprised if the author was inspired by that condition.

 

[throughstars]

I just wished the english translation keeps up. Although thank you guys for the translation.

 

[Nylodale]

@kathywoodlock That's fascinating. To think they'd "default" (for a lack of a better word) to being female all the way until they hit puberty.

They all seem to naturally transition from female to male once dihydro-testosterone is released into the body, though. I wonder if there are exceptions?

 

[lolidolphin]

All I can say is weirdchamp

 

[JustNatsuki]

Ah shit, here we go again.

 

[MURD3R]

Is his name Kira Yosikage

 

[AliceReader]

Hands down Ritsu is the best character also shiori x Ritsu please!!! Please! T-T I ship them so much!

 

[Jonielle]

Thank you Berry much for the update! 😁