Half and Half

At First, I was like no way.... Gender Bender Manga? Not my cup of tea. But I had nothing else to do so I gave it a try anyways, besides the art caught my attention. It was then at the first chapter that I said, " Hey, not bad at all. " Then it was like, " HELL NO! THAT HAPPENED?!. " And then it was, " NO!NO!NO! You do not get to break her heart!" Then, " Aww... "Finally, " W-WHATTTT???? " Until then I realized, hey this manga's quite good. No, scrap that! This manga's actually great! :D It's not too long, and fits just right for romance seeking fans out there. Though I'm not a big fan though... Give this manga a shot! Really! ^_^ It's quite lighthearted and not the typical type of shoujo manga there normally is! ACTUALLY, IT'S GREAT!:D

Half and half is a manga, I stumbled upon while something good to read. At first, it doesn't look much interesting, but It would be wrong, if I decide it by just glancing. Half and half is Nanami Mao, which centers the topic of homosexuality, in a typical shoujo way. Hina is a young girl in her 20’s. She lives in the countryside and has had a really bad luck with boys. While she was with her boyfriend, she remembers her childhood memories or to be precise her first crush, Itsuki. Hina is a girl who is not so “girly”, so when she was taunted byothers in the past, Itsuki was always there for her rescue. He promises to marry her, even if she is ugly. A decade has passed, yet, Hina still has feelings for him. She goes to meet Istuki’s grandmother who is the neighbor and talks about Itsuki. Suddenly, a hot sexy lady interferes their talk- who is this hot woman? Itsuki? After leaving the country side, Itsuki lives in the town and realizes his trans-sexuality that is- he is Gay. He believes he is a woman from inside and doesn’t shy off in showing it off. Due to his trans-gender problem, he is thrown out of the house, city and so he comes back to the countryside. Will Hina accept Itsuki’s change? Will her feelings change? Will Itsuki revert back? The story answers all these answers. In mangas dealing with such topics, character development is something which needs to be good and acceptable. At first the characters are lovable, but somewhere I feel Hina to be way to kiddish. She is 20 and is still not in track with her “feeling of love”. Itsuki’s decision in the end is still confusing, but then again, it’s a manga, so maybe comparing it to real life is a bit harsh. Further you are introduced to characters who look promising, but sadly are not utilized or simply not given justice Coming to the art, the manga is well drawn. It resembles the art of manga’s like high school debut or cat street. Itsuki as a woman is really hot, and his transformation look is acceptable in art. He does not transform into a 3rd person with makeup. The set, scenes and country-side look is really nicely done. The fashion is not so ultra modern, so it justifies the fact of being in the country side. At first, this manga started off really nice. Its different but not original. If you are a shoujo fanatic, you’ll get to see similarities of the plot with mangas like lovely complex and Usotsuki lily. But then again transgender, as a comical romance, now that something new. In fact it hooked me up for an hour straight, but as you go in deep, there are flaws in the story… to pinpoint them, the ending is something which doesn’t convince you. But yet again, it depends on how you take. Conclusion- Half and Half is a typical shoujo manga outcome plot. It’s not original, but surely can be given a shot by shoujo fans. It’s a good time kill, but if you expect it to be serious about trans-gender topics, you may be a bit disappointed. If you’re in to light manga’s and not serious plots, then you should read this manga. Status- Completed publishing and scanlating Review by- Amberlight Also for the club- Reviews for the unreviewed

This is one of those stories about trans people that focuses a lot on the experience of being AROUND a trans person more than on the experience of trans people. And that's valid. But it also means there's a lot of transphobia on purpose, so parts of it are uncomfortable to read. Nonetheless, there is a whole chapter in the middle that centers a trans character in a big way and that was probably my favorite part. The story's heart is in the right place, even if it can get a little awkward. But, boy, can it get a little awkward. You see, the central conflictof the romance element is that Hina and Itsuki "can't be together" because Itsuki is a trans woman who loves men. Again, valid. But the way that Hina brings transphobia into things when she gets very upset over this rubs me the wrong way, even if it was an intentional foible. And then you might think that the process of the story will get Hina to come to terms with being OK dating a trans woman, but it doesn't really. She acknowledges that she would want to date Itsuki fairly early on and then when they do start to get together, Itsuki immediately becomes less feminine. I honestly think that the romance as written works. I was invested and I read the whole thing in a day, which is not exactly typical for me. However, I suspect the resolution of the romance would have worked better *if neither of them were queer*, and that's the problem. Also didn't help that, at least in the scanlation I read, the trans characters were constantly misgendered. Obviously can't tell if that was intentional, but the translators should have corrected it or at the very least left a note explaining it.