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ミモザの告白 #1
The Mimosa Confessions (Light Novel) Vol. 1
A World-Changing RevelationGrowing up in a dreary suburb, Sakuma has little to brighten his humdrum days aside from his best friend. The bright, talented, and attractive Ushio seems to have everything Sakuma lacks, and his good looks, academics, and athletic prowess make him popular with the girls at school. Past trauma--and an understandable inferiority complex--slowly drive the two apart, and by the time they enter high school, they hardly even speak anymore. Thus, Sakuma finds himself alone. Against all odds, he eventually gains a friend in Natsuki, the sweetest girl in class. The two hit it off gushing about their favorite novels, and he falls head over heels for her. But that very same night, he stumbles upon an unexpected sight while walking through a familiar his old friend Ushio, dressed in a full-blown schoolgirl's uniform and sobbing uncontrollably.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 21, 2021
20 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 1, 2025
3.5 stars
Wow um ok I don’t know what to say
Wow um ok I don’t know what to say
April 26, 2024
A breath of fresh air
A unique powerful teen drama with an LGBT twist from Japan. This felt really fresh and unique due to the LGBT angle and how it confronted the themes and story elements. 5/5 stars.
A unique powerful teen drama with an LGBT twist from Japan. This felt really fresh and unique due to the LGBT angle and how it confronted the themes and story elements. 5/5 stars.
January 3, 2025
A delicately sensitive story about a transgender teenager's life in a small town, seen from the perspective of the childhood friend she's in love with. Since they're all teenagers, there's a lot of struggle and relationship issues caused by the seemingly sudden transition. For a story that deals with such a heavy subject, the writing makes it so light and easy to digest while also highlighting most of the important points.
Usually I'm rather picky about translation quality, but this one is so nicely done. The casual tone and word choices match the setting really well, and the change they made on Ushio's post-transition way of speaking (pronouns in the original, pitch in this version) is pretty clever.
Usually I'm rather picky about translation quality, but this one is so nicely done. The casual tone and word choices match the setting really well, and the change they made on Ushio's post-transition way of speaking (pronouns in the original, pitch in this version) is pretty clever.
February 6, 2025
such an amazing representation of a trans girl in highschool but the constant centrist view on certain issues was driving me crazy
February 27, 2025
One of the most beautiful stories I've read in a long while. The story is beautifully written, with a clear and resonant prose that transcends translation. The content of the story is also a fantastic representation of the universal qualities of uncertainty and self-discovery in the trans experience. And the way things look and feel from outside; the reconciliation of past and present that all people who know those who have transitioned have gone through. Hachimoku Mei cements herself as one of my favorite contemporary Japanese Authors.
p.s. this book is also a fantastic romance, cheers.
p.s. this book is also a fantastic romance, cheers.
January 17, 2025
In the midst of consuming heavily-dark media I figured I deserved a nice change of pace, especially with the abundance of boredom that comes with the first week back at university. An old friend of mine suggested I give this a shot; she praises this book in Michelin Star level regard, as does supposedly her friend circle.
The story follows a high-school transgender girl named Ushio and her sudden transition partway into the school year - well, I initially thought that would be the case. The story is actually told through her estranged best friend Kamiki, a social recluse hellbent on studying, escaping his backwater town, and not much else. The transgender experience told second-hand seems like a sure-shot cater to me given how my cisgender self keeps getting tangled in their endeavors (shout-out underscores, Jane Remover, Frost Children). That is, if the book stayed consistent with this framing. The first half of the book displays Ushio's near immediate ostricization from her peers upon transition, not just from the obvious stubborn dorks but from her former track mates as well who feel justifiably outraged at her sudden resignation. However, this widespread tension merges to really only a singular force - the brash and bratty Noshizono, who comprise nearly all of Ushio's struggles in the first half. Her relationship with Ushio is not at all related to the tension established in Ushio's "coming out" scene, which makes the decision to pose her as the first half's central villain a bit miscalculated. Though she undeniably crosses the line even for normal transphobia standards, the other students who were complacent in the harassment of Ushio easily turn a new leaf turning her into at least a "socially acceptable" status. It's a far cry from her old beaming popularity, but given the tension established before, the diffusing seems a little too optimistic.
What's quite disappointing, the second half nearly abandons Ushio's transness. Her relationship with the cocky womanizer (and possible chaser) Sera becomes her defining trait in this portion. It's not that her transition doesn't come up between the characters (it explicitly does in the study exchange between Kamiki and Noshizono), it's that her overreaching struggles set up in the first half seem to be soundly resolved. Her status among her peers rises once again thanks to Sera. Despite her unfortunately gruff voice, she expresses no obvious signs of gender dysphoria, instead going about her social transition relatively smoothly. At this point it becomes apparent the story is primarily about the recluse Kamiki. Hachimoku upgrades his importance in the story from merely being a bystander ally to a desperate savior. He sees Sera as an immediate threat to Ushio and tries to protect her by placing first in the upcoming final exams in a fairly standard high-school romance plot. But due to this plot, Ushio acts less like a character in the story and more like a trophy to be won. We as the reader do not see much of the same meaningful character interaction between her and others as shown in the first chapter which is a shame because her character was already quite barren compared to the other major characters. I guess her character up to this point has been shy, gentle, kind? It's a bit too easy of a character for me honestly.
It's only the first installment of a series of currently four, so some gripes can be excused a little. From this book, I was expecting the transgender angle to be more prominent, yet it unfortunately falls a tad flat in that regard. I can tell the author does care about those struggles in wanting to write a story about Ushio, but unfortunately it becomes about Kamiki in the end.
The story follows a high-school transgender girl named Ushio and her sudden transition partway into the school year - well, I initially thought that would be the case. The story is actually told through her estranged best friend Kamiki, a social recluse hellbent on studying, escaping his backwater town, and not much else. The transgender experience told second-hand seems like a sure-shot cater to me given how my cisgender self keeps getting tangled in their endeavors (shout-out underscores, Jane Remover, Frost Children). That is, if the book stayed consistent with this framing. The first half of the book displays Ushio's near immediate ostricization from her peers upon transition, not just from the obvious stubborn dorks but from her former track mates as well who feel justifiably outraged at her sudden resignation. However, this widespread tension merges to really only a singular force - the brash and bratty Noshizono, who comprise nearly all of Ushio's struggles in the first half. Her relationship with Ushio is not at all related to the tension established in Ushio's "coming out" scene, which makes the decision to pose her as the first half's central villain a bit miscalculated. Though she undeniably crosses the line even for normal transphobia standards, the other students who were complacent in the harassment of Ushio easily turn a new leaf turning her into at least a "socially acceptable" status. It's a far cry from her old beaming popularity, but given the tension established before, the diffusing seems a little too optimistic.
What's quite disappointing, the second half nearly abandons Ushio's transness. Her relationship with the cocky womanizer (and possible chaser) Sera becomes her defining trait in this portion. It's not that her transition doesn't come up between the characters (it explicitly does in the study exchange between Kamiki and Noshizono), it's that her overreaching struggles set up in the first half seem to be soundly resolved. Her status among her peers rises once again thanks to Sera. Despite her unfortunately gruff voice, she expresses no obvious signs of gender dysphoria, instead going about her social transition relatively smoothly. At this point it becomes apparent the story is primarily about the recluse Kamiki. Hachimoku upgrades his importance in the story from merely being a bystander ally to a desperate savior. He sees Sera as an immediate threat to Ushio and tries to protect her by placing first in the upcoming final exams in a fairly standard high-school romance plot. But due to this plot, Ushio acts less like a character in the story and more like a trophy to be won. We as the reader do not see much of the same meaningful character interaction between her and others as shown in the first chapter which is a shame because her character was already quite barren compared to the other major characters. I guess her character up to this point has been shy, gentle, kind? It's a bit too easy of a character for me honestly.
It's only the first installment of a series of currently four, so some gripes can be excused a little. From this book, I was expecting the transgender angle to be more prominent, yet it unfortunately falls a tad flat in that regard. I can tell the author does care about those struggles in wanting to write a story about Ushio, but unfortunately it becomes about Kamiki in the end.
March 7, 2025
Me fascinó. Definitivamente Hachimoku tiene un don para crear personajes y narrativas entrañables que logran dejarte con ganas de más. Principalmente, porque no tiene identidad de libro pretencioso, sino de una novela con historia y pensamiento propio. ¿A qué me refiero con esto? Me refiero a que estos personajes se sienten vivos precisamente porque se pueden contradecir entre ellos, no están alineados como soldados de un ejército para que la historia llegue a una moraleja en concreto, sino para que el mismo lector pueda llegar a sus mismas conclusiones. Y todo esto, abarcando temas complejos y reales de la actualidad, como lo son la identidad de género y toda la polémica que hay detrás. Por ejemplo, con Nishizono diciéndole al protagonista que Ushio no debió de transicionar, pues antes de hacerlo, Ushio era el chico más atractivo de su escuela, atlético y hábil, y por su transición lo había perdido todo. Puntos que, aunque suenen duros, reflejan verdad. Son aspectos que deben plantearse muy seriamente, y que espero se expliquen más en los siguientes volúmenes.
Otra cosa que me sorprendió: el personaje de Sera. Al principio, pensé que iba a arruinar toda la trama, pues lo incluyeron sin el más mínimo *foreshadowing*. Y, aunque parece un elemento para hacer avanzar la trama, expandió dos aspectos importantes de la obra: los sentimientos de Ushio a Kamiki y el mal presagio de Kamiki y Hoshihara sobre Sera.
Primero, los sentimientos de Ushio a Kamiki fueron algo central en el primer capítulo del libro. Ushio se confesó, pero Kamiki evitaba dar una respuesta, dando señales mixtas, por lo cual Ushio decidió irse con Sera aunque ella supiera que él no la tomaba en serio como una chica. Todo esto, con el fin de intentar olvidarlo. Esto puede darnos gran detalle de cómo funciona la psicología del personaje. Para empezar, su gran necesidad de aprobación y enamoramiento causó un razonamiento alterado por la gran carga emocional que experimentaba, no solamente la confusión de su identidad de género y de estar enamorada de su mejor amigo, sino de incluso ser rechazada en la escuela por ir vestida con ropa de mujer. Intentó buscar un refugio emocional en quien sentía que la aceptaba, como Sera, incluso si sabía que no era estable al cien por cien, muchas veces el sentido de supervivencia siempre gana, e intenta mantenerte cerca de un grupo aunque no sea sano para su propio bienestar emocional.
Por otro lado, el mal presagio de Kamiki y Hoshihara hacia Sera. En un inicio, Kamiki rechaza completamente a Sera por las cosas que ha escuchado de él, como llamar a los pueblerinos "idiotas incultos" o ser un mujeriego, por lo cual se preocupa que Ushio ande cerca de él, más aún como pareja. Incluso el mismo Kamiki ve cuando varias veces Sera sale con otras chicas. Él se justifica diciendo que a todas les dedica el mismo tiempo, luego el dice que no cree en la monogamia.
Aquí es cuando te preguntas, ¿cual es la perspectiva del autor ante la trama o lo que sucede? Acá viene lo que me encanta de las novelas de Hachimoku. No interviene, deja que los personajes desplieguen su personalidad tal como son. No defiende ni ataca ninguno de los puntos de vista, pues cada uno tiene sus argumentos. (Aunque si me lo preguntas a mí, yo no creo en eso del poliamor...)
Sobre todo, me parece una obra que sabe cómo hacer sentir un mundo vivo, y realmente un Slice of Life bastante profundo que hace pensar bastante sobre la nueva realidad en la que vivimos y toda la revolución que hay en cuanto a las relaciones amorosas y temas de la adolescencia
Otra cosa que me sorprendió: el personaje de Sera. Al principio, pensé que iba a arruinar toda la trama, pues lo incluyeron sin el más mínimo *foreshadowing*. Y, aunque parece un elemento para hacer avanzar la trama, expandió dos aspectos importantes de la obra: los sentimientos de Ushio a Kamiki y el mal presagio de Kamiki y Hoshihara sobre Sera.
Primero, los sentimientos de Ushio a Kamiki fueron algo central en el primer capítulo del libro. Ushio se confesó, pero Kamiki evitaba dar una respuesta, dando señales mixtas, por lo cual Ushio decidió irse con Sera aunque ella supiera que él no la tomaba en serio como una chica. Todo esto, con el fin de intentar olvidarlo. Esto puede darnos gran detalle de cómo funciona la psicología del personaje. Para empezar, su gran necesidad de aprobación y enamoramiento causó un razonamiento alterado por la gran carga emocional que experimentaba, no solamente la confusión de su identidad de género y de estar enamorada de su mejor amigo, sino de incluso ser rechazada en la escuela por ir vestida con ropa de mujer. Intentó buscar un refugio emocional en quien sentía que la aceptaba, como Sera, incluso si sabía que no era estable al cien por cien, muchas veces el sentido de supervivencia siempre gana, e intenta mantenerte cerca de un grupo aunque no sea sano para su propio bienestar emocional.
Por otro lado, el mal presagio de Kamiki y Hoshihara hacia Sera. En un inicio, Kamiki rechaza completamente a Sera por las cosas que ha escuchado de él, como llamar a los pueblerinos "idiotas incultos" o ser un mujeriego, por lo cual se preocupa que Ushio ande cerca de él, más aún como pareja. Incluso el mismo Kamiki ve cuando varias veces Sera sale con otras chicas. Él se justifica diciendo que a todas les dedica el mismo tiempo, luego el dice que no cree en la monogamia.
Aquí es cuando te preguntas, ¿cual es la perspectiva del autor ante la trama o lo que sucede? Acá viene lo que me encanta de las novelas de Hachimoku. No interviene, deja que los personajes desplieguen su personalidad tal como son. No defiende ni ataca ninguno de los puntos de vista, pues cada uno tiene sus argumentos. (Aunque si me lo preguntas a mí, yo no creo en eso del poliamor...)
Sobre todo, me parece una obra que sabe cómo hacer sentir un mundo vivo, y realmente un Slice of Life bastante profundo que hace pensar bastante sobre la nueva realidad en la que vivimos y toda la revolución que hay en cuanto a las relaciones amorosas y temas de la adolescencia
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2025
This is a reflection after reading the series*
A great story about trans identity, but be warned - some characters fall flat, especially Sera. The author attempts to develop Sera, but he is a bit 2-D and not as complex as I would hope. The author also avoids taking risks with Ushio, which is probably the most annoying part. I love Ushio and Sakuma together, and they definitely earned their relationship together, but I wish it was a tad bit more realistic and aligned to the research that Hachimoku claimed they have done. Ushio never gets a perspective through the whole series, and unfortunately, Sakuma is always aligned with the lawfully good side of things - but I don't think the idea of a trans person is that easily accepted, especially in a small town. Sakuma himself gains some development, but Hachimoku aligns with the fact that life is better with friends. Maybe maturing is learning to befriend the people you hate? Things are not so simple, and yet it appears to be sometimes so simple in this light novel series.
A great story about trans identity, but be warned - some characters fall flat, especially Sera. The author attempts to develop Sera, but he is a bit 2-D and not as complex as I would hope. The author also avoids taking risks with Ushio, which is probably the most annoying part. I love Ushio and Sakuma together, and they definitely earned their relationship together, but I wish it was a tad bit more realistic and aligned to the research that Hachimoku claimed they have done. Ushio never gets a perspective through the whole series, and unfortunately, Sakuma is always aligned with the lawfully good side of things - but I don't think the idea of a trans person is that easily accepted, especially in a small town. Sakuma himself gains some development, but Hachimoku aligns with the fact that life is better with friends. Maybe maturing is learning to befriend the people you hate? Things are not so simple, and yet it appears to be sometimes so simple in this light novel series.
July 2, 2025
Interesting start, I am sort of inclined to continue reading but also.. I massively dislike how forgiving we are towards some characters by going "oh, the longer I think about it, the more her arguments make sense". No. No, she needs a beating. :) Her little suspension from class has not been enough. I also don't appreciate how the "many girlfriends" get swept under a rug of MC being too close-minded. Nothing wrong with polyarmory, if all involved parties are okay with it. But none of these girls know of each other, so yes, we are back to plain old cheating again. Try me.
The main love triangle could be interesting, but frankly, only if it turns out girlypop figures out that her attraction still holds after Ushio came out. At least Sakuma knows where he stands, for now. I think the last scene is going to make him second-guess himself though, so now I have to continue just to see how the author will handle it. If they get a good handle on polyarmory maybe the main trio will end up together but I'm not holding out hope.
The main love triangle could be interesting, but frankly, only if it turns out girlypop figures out that her attraction still holds after Ushio came out. At least Sakuma knows where he stands, for now. I think the last scene is going to make him second-guess himself though, so now I have to continue just to see how the author will handle it. If they get a good handle on polyarmory maybe the main trio will end up together but I'm not holding out hope.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2024
A refreshing but serious look at the youth of a boy who tries his best but has to remember the world isnt as easy as he thinks, even with his best intentions.
Sometimes I got annoyed at the MC, but then again, he's a high schooler trying to deal with a sudden change in his friend, so I became either annoyed or cheering for him in his earnest nature lol.
Sometimes I got annoyed at the MC, but then again, he's a high schooler trying to deal with a sudden change in his friend, so I became either annoyed or cheering for him in his earnest nature lol.
September 15, 2024
A really thoughtful, sensitive novel about a teenage boy coming to grips with his childhood best friend coming out as a girl.
The Mimosa Confessions paints a bittersweet picture of the social reaction to a transgender student living in a small, rural town. It doesn’t shy away from tackling transphobia as a subject matter, but also manages to shy away from making its depictions of such gratuitous or making Ushio’s transition journey feel like trauma-porn.
As someone who isn’t a huge light-novel fan I didn’t go in to this book with the highest of expectations, but it massively surpassed them all. A very decent little high-school drama, I’m looking forward to future instalments of the series.
The Mimosa Confessions paints a bittersweet picture of the social reaction to a transgender student living in a small, rural town. It doesn’t shy away from tackling transphobia as a subject matter, but also manages to shy away from making its depictions of such gratuitous or making Ushio’s transition journey feel like trauma-porn.
As someone who isn’t a huge light-novel fan I didn’t go in to this book with the highest of expectations, but it massively surpassed them all. A very decent little high-school drama, I’m looking forward to future instalments of the series.
September 27, 2025
Ok so, mixed feelings on this. I felt like the mc lacked substance and all the supporting characters were so much more interesting. I think a multi pov narrative would have been much better. I think the topics of gender and transition are handled well enough in this book, though since it’s from a (I’m assuming for now) cis male MCs perspective, it does lack depth. There’s also a bit of discussion on non monogamy in this book which I feel is handled less well. However this is the first in a series so it’s possible they could go more in depth later. I’m still unsure if I’ll read the rest, but this was solid.
September 24, 2025
This book certainly did more than just get me out of my huge reading slump. I was absolutely hooked the whole time I was reading. The MC is relatable being a bit of a loser and all, and everything surrounding the transness of Ushio is written respectfully. Just a heads up, though — there’s bullying, too.
I’m seriously looking forward to reading the next books in this series, and other books by this author. ♡
I’m seriously looking forward to reading the next books in this series, and other books by this author. ♡
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November 30, 2025I was going on a hike with a friend of mine at the time, the hike was taking a lot longer than I thought it would initially but my friend kept insisting that the view at the top was worth it.
eventually it had been like 3 hours since we started and the hike was advertised as taking two hours, I kept complaining to my friend about when we would make it to the top.
she got sick of my incessant complaining and handed me this book.
after reading it
I already knew
we were at the peak
eventually it had been like 3 hours since we started and the hike was advertised as taking two hours, I kept complaining to my friend about when we would make it to the top.
she got sick of my incessant complaining and handed me this book.
after reading it
I already knew
we were at the peak
August 23, 2024
this was a different vibe than any other book that i’ve read but oh my god was it good. it was a beautiful, heart breaking, emotion-filled story that dove into what it means to find yourself and all the consequences of that. i will definitely read the next two books when they come out.
read time: 5 hours 35 minutes
read time: 5 hours 35 minutes
January 28, 2025
3,5 stars.
A lot of good stuff and I appreciate Kamiki, the pov character, isn't perfect but does honestly want to support Ushio.
I don't get why the story had to happen in such a short period though, it was hard to suspend my disbelief when I was reminded how all this roller coaster ride took only a few days.
A lot of good stuff and I appreciate Kamiki, the pov character, isn't perfect but does honestly want to support Ushio.
I don't get why the story had to happen in such a short period though, it was hard to suspend my disbelief when I was reminded how all this roller coaster ride took only a few days.
March 19, 2025
Absolutely amazing representation of lgbt and trans problems. Reading this as a trans woman was honestly really hard at points because of the blatant phobia from some characters, however the situations are handled really well and honestly I just love this book so much I went out to buy the next two translated books.
August 29, 2024
pretty good rep given the competition
Not pleased the one person actively interested in the trans character is a poly person named Sera who is painted as a dirtbag. But it’s nice to see trans people in LNs that aren’t treated like shit by the author.
Not pleased the one person actively interested in the trans character is a poly person named Sera who is painted as a dirtbag. But it’s nice to see trans people in LNs that aren’t treated like shit by the author.
January 23, 2025
Un tanto decepcionante, tiene un tono raro porque intenta tratar temas difíciles con personajes demasiado planos e intentando ser una romcom básica. Me recuerda al inicio de Okari Alice con los mismos problemas pero menos atrevido y auténtico. Quizá se pone wena luego pero no creo.
April 15, 2025
Muy entretenida. Quizá es 3 estrellas y media. Lo que me molestó un poco fue lo racional que intenta ser el narrador, a veces es un poco molesto, y algunos puntos de la historia parecen forzados para seguir la trama. Igual me divertí, fue una lectura ligera y amena.
October 3, 2025
This book was incredibly introspective, to the point that it forced me to ask and answer many of the questions Sakuma did. My answers, I’ll keep mostly to myself, though I’ll share this: I think that as long as I have desire, it’s ok that I let go of my guilt.
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November 4, 2024ushio my beloved
December 2, 2024
ชายแท้อ่านได้ครับ
But Woke style ชายแท้ มันเป็นการดำเนินเรื่องที่จะชวนคนอ่านให้ตั้งคำถามกับเหตุการณ์ในเรื่องพร้อมกับตัวเอกที่ไม่ได้ Woke ไปพร้อมกัน
But Woke style ชายแท้ มันเป็นการดำเนินเรื่องที่จะชวนคนอ่านให้ตั้งคำถามกับเหตุการณ์ในเรื่องพร้อมกับตัวเอกที่ไม่ได้ Woke ไปพร้อมกัน
December 24, 2024
i found it refreshing in a way. a very endearing narrative and i found myself rooting for the three through everything. i can't wait to read the rest in the series.
December 25, 2024
I’ve been a huge fan of Mei Hachimoku, and this book is really good and diverse! I think the plot is really interesting and although there’s no labels, you can guess what it’s about.
January 22, 2025
very good
June 9, 2025
Tender yet complicated. I find it easy to relate to the characters and their feelings.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews