queerdinosuar's manga / #Gender Bender(10)

Hmm I enjoyed this one and it’s pretty silly. It’s an interesting exploration of gender but doesn’t manage to get all the way to understanding the true fluidity and constructedness of gender. Like there is one notable example when they are interviewing people and talk to some people who are meant to be overly attached creepy drag queens. It’s just weird for a story that is about love beyond gender can’t get past the stereotypes of predatory drag queens. Overall though I enjoyed the story and Shion is a funny character to have randomly becoming a woman happen to, he’s such an airhead. I liked that Rui loved him before he became a woman but I also still dont like that he kinda forced Shion their first time. So pros and cons for this one but was fun. Glad I came back to finish it.

Main story was fun, but the pacing between the seasons was weird. the events felt strange in the order and various flashbacks made it confusing. I liked learning of Cheolho’s back story and how misunderstood he was from his messed up family when he was clearly neurodivergent. Glad he has someone who gets him. But I would have liked to see Jintae have some growth too, like realizing he was wrong for hurting Cheolho and resenting him for their relationship. Overall, it felt a bit underdeveloped in terms of the vision and fleshing out of the story and hitting the right emotional beats at the right time. It should be acknowledged that the title “boy meets girl” and the way Jintae’s condition are handled is incredibly insensitive and problematic. There are plenty of men who were born with vaginas either because they are trans or intersex. This story and the whole “cuntboy” genre fetishize their bodies and experiences in a really creepy way that did make me unsettled for most of the story. And for the record, they are clearly both still boys, the title is just for shock value.

Read the first like 20 chapters and do want to see the end