アフタースクールメイト = After School Mate 春夏巻

by 海野久遠

家族、友達、自分自身――…体と心の性差を自分ではわかっていても理解を得られないことに苛立ちを持つリカ。ある日、母親とケンカをして家を飛び出す。そこで出会ったのは、【理解されない】ことを共有できる少年・サツキだった…出逢ったふたりは、逃げ続けた問題へと立ち向かっていく――「個」を問いかける青春ドラマ、鮮烈に登場!!

Genres: Manga, Fiction

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 4, 2022

Reviews

[Curious Madra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Urgh I wish this didn't end at 12 chapters like damn man, it was getting so good! I'm glad we see the real challenges of a trans boy (Rika-kun) faces in regards to ensuring his mum that he is still the person she raised and her needing to accept that's what he wants to be in life. I also liked the fact that the author gave the other boy (Insoue-Kun) screen time on his challenges with his single mother who was very abusive towards him.

The author really did well on telling every characters backstories in this, just wish it wasn't so short!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

minus 1 star because the ending was underwhelming but this is such a great and beautiful manga. i love and relate to both main characters as a trans guy with a very similar home life to satsuki, both of their feelings are explored really well even when they're not explored outright. the only flaw in the whole manga to me is the ending, [spoilers after this point] having a timeskip with no dialogue was disappointing to me. i think the author was going for an up to interpretation ending but i still wish it was expanded on further, but the extra after the ending definitely made up for some of what was left to be desired by diving further into satsuki's feelings and showing that he doesn't think of rika as the opposite sex anymore, because while i think he never fully saw rika that way in the first place, it's common for cis people to not see trans men fully as men and satsuki shows a lot of guilt for feeling that way and that conflict was resolved while he still had those feelings, so it was just very nice, and important personally, to see that those feelings did change into seeing rika entirely as a man. i think it was also an important add on because while i read some of satsuki's feelings with the lense of internalised homophobia, and think it was supposed to be read in that manner, it's great to have that be confirmed, even if it's after the fact.

[mace · Rating 5 out of 5]

[read an unofficial translation]

[erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the most beautiful manga ive ever read. if you're looking for a book about what its like to be a young trans person then look no further! umino kuon handles the subject so beautifully that you'll find yourself invested on page 1, and you'll be unable to put the book down! absolutely wonderful story with wonderful characters

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it doesn’t have an official English localization, you can very easily find translations. This is the first volume of a manga about a trans boy who temporarily moves in with his uncle to get away from his emotionally abusive mother, only to befriend a runaway cis boy who is living there as well.

It’s got a really nice coming out scene that I like a lot, too.

[Aisla Houghton-Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wish this could have been longer - I truly loved the story and the way it handled the various dynamics of the situation. Had it been longer I think this could have had a bit more depth and resonance, but ultimately I can respect this as a short form narrative. Trans rep in manga can be questionable, but this was done so well!

[May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly cried the entire time

[Martina Weiß · Rating 5 out of 5]

CW: Transphobia, Misgendering, Slight Suicidal Thoughts

5/5 Stars

[Morthos · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5