So this spawned from a discussion in the tracha matrix chat. We're trying to come up with a list of any anime/manga that has trans representation, whether that's good, bad, or meh. Here are the rules of what to include:

  1. Format (anime, manga, or both)
  2. Genre
  3. Title and brief description of the plot, major trans characters, and how well they are represented as trans.
  4. A simple rating of good, bad, or meh. This is so people can find good ones or avoid ones that are bad/problematic representations.

Hopefully these requirements make sense, but let me know if I should make any adjustments here.

  • SpookyGenderCommunist [they/them, she/her]
    ·
    9 days ago

    1. Both

    2. Slice of Life/Drama

    3. Wandering Son - it's a manga/anime about a group of queer middle school kids as they navigate growing up. The plot principally revolves around friends Nitori Suichi, a trans girl, and Takatsuki Yoshino, a trans boy. Though there are other trans characters that come in and out of the story.

    They're mostly represented quite well. Especially in the anime. The manga has some notable stumbles however, that should be known about going in.

    Mild spoiler >!Yuki, an older trans woman who acts as a mentor to the kids, and her husband, get uncomfortably touchy-feely with the kids when they're first introduced in the manga. This gets course corrected pretty quickly in the manga thankfully, and isn't present at all in the anime adaptation!<

    Major spoiler >!In the Manga, Takatsuki is shown at the very end to no longer consider themselves trans. The text implies Takatsuki isn't actually cis, but is instead in the midst of an evolution in how they conceive of their gender, which us left open to interpretation. However, it's handled poorly and doesn't really land very well, and is known to be alienating to some trans masc readers. Again, this isn't an issue in the anime!<

    1. The anime is good! The Manga is a meh, for the aforementioned stumbles.

    But Wandering Son is the piece of media that ultimately convinced me that I need to transition. So I've got a huge soft spot for it

    • pooh [she/her, any]
      ·
      8 days ago

      Thanks for this review! I started watching this (the first couple of episodes) and liked it, but didn't continue. I'd like to go back soon and finish it.