Last Gender, Vol. 1

Last Gender #1

by Rei Taki, 多喜れい, Rose Padgett (Translator)

Welcome to “BAR California”, a place where people with different genders, propensities, and sexual orientations gather to find a certain “something”. A transgender bisexual who has been hurt by the voices of others, a pansexual looking for true love, and a person who identities as both male and female. There are as many sexualities as there are people.

Source: Kodansha USA

Genres: Manga, LGBT, Queer, Comics, Romance, Seinen, Fiction

172 pages, Paperback

Published October 25, 2022

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was...fine. I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it.

The main thing that made this a meh reading experience is that it felt like it was trying to teach me about different trans and nonbinary experiences. We had a good assortment of characters, with hints of depth, but they all fell flat because they spent so much time explaining exactly HOW they are "other." I would have rather it be more organic and simply be about their experiences living outside of the status quo.

I'll probably give volume 2 a try, but I'm not dying to continue it. I'm also not as inclined to continue because there is no specific thing pulling me in for more. I have general curiosity, but I don't have a desperate need to know about any particular character more.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first explicitly queer manga I've read that wasn't a BL or erotic novel, and while it definitely has erotic scenes, that isn't the point of the book. The story follows multiple patrons of Bar California, a private, secluded club that welcomes anyone of any gender or sexuality. The patrons are varied in their experiences and preferences, and the story explores their lives as they meet and intertwine at the bar. I liked it quite a bit, and can't wait for more. (also kudos to my library for buying it in paperback!)

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if "The Love Boat" were populated only with LGBTQIA+ people?

The enigmatic Yo runs a bar/sex club where everyone is welcome and allowed to express their gender and sexuality however they wish. The over-the-top melodrama and wants-to-be shocking nudity are occasionally interrupted by educational exchanges about gender identity as we are introduced through a series of interconnected short stories to people from all over the spectrum. A lot of the drama comes from acts of or fear of homophobia -- internal and external -- and transphobia. Despite that, people are coming out all over the pages and having dramatic breakthroughs.

It's equally amusing, dubious, and moving in its overheated way.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapter 1. Welcome to BAR California -- Chapter 2. An Orchid Blooming in the Fog -- Chapter 3. Family of Mannequins -- Chapter 4. True Love -- Chapter 5. Aromantic Fairy Tale -- Prototype Story: A Self for All Seasons

[Anilea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last gender
By Rei Taki

I was curious about this manga since it was announced months ago.

A bar were genders identities and sexualities are welcomed and allowed to express themselves and their desires freely.
Sounds too good to be true.

I wasn’t disappointed.

It’s a sensitive, evocative read about the reality of the LGBTQ community under conformity and phobia.

The characters are more than just their labels and deal with real internalized conflicts as external situation beyond their control due to lack of respect and understanding from society and their close one.

Thankfully, it isn’t a tragic read; matter of fact, quite a refreshing and empowering one.

In a single volume, we got to meet so many aspects of the queer community without feeling alienated by their experience or traumatized by it for dramatic sake * a matter that I abhor deeply*.

If you want a manga that deals with queer identity and romance in a respectful and a positive manner that doesn’t fetishized it for normies eyes, pick Last Gender.

[Marty · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea is cute, but the execution is so surface level as to be trite. It reads like someone just learned a whole bunch of identity words and wanted to include them all in their porn. The effect is almost fetishistic, although I doubt that was the intention. I really liked the setting and the most interesting character was Yo. I would’ve probably given this a more positive review if those elements were explored more, but they were just background to a lot of insufferably direct coming outs.

[Noortje · Rating 2 out of 5]

lightsaber dick strikes again
also. didn't realize this was gonna get explicit I was kinda shocked :') I didn't really like this first volume, it felt very surface lvl. I wish they'd focussed on only one or 2 characters. also the first story had an assault scene?? which I really didn't appreciate. I do own the second volume so I'll read that but we'll see what happens after

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Alice Marks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last Gender is a series of short, episodic chapters exploring the lives of the patrons of Bar California, a sex club opening it’s doors to gender and sexual minorities. Each person is struggling with their own personal difficulties: Manami is dealing with a cheating husband and a loveless marriage, Ran is sick of being treated as a curiosity for being a transgender woman, Mao has distanced himself from his homophobic parents after coming out as pansexual. Meanwhile, Marie’s wife does not know they are bigender and Amiru is learning to embrace her identity as aromantic.

This series is definitely on the grittier side of of the queer manga spectrum; it’s themes do get quite heavy in places and it is not for everyone. However it does offer one of the most realistic looks at LGBTQ issues in Japan you are going to come across, and it handles its subject matter incredibly sensitively. To put it simply, if you are looking for something lighthearted, this manga is certainly not for you. But if you want a more realistic (ie. non-sugarcoated) look at the issues facing queer and trans people in modern Japan, this is certainly worth a read. The art style is also quite nice and the different stories told within this volume are woven together quite nicely. Please note however that this work is mature in content and won’t be suitable for younger readers.

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the back of this, it sounded like complete an utter nonsense, like what was it about? We already have this woke nonsense everywhere, do we really need a manga about this? The LGBT community is everywhere already.

The answer is yes because this is an extremely well written dive into peoples lives, it deals with a lot of romance. That's not shoved down your face if it's not a conventional couple, there is a lot of cheating in this that is resolved by sex, I'll be honest that's probably the only thing I didn't like about the manga it just happened a bit too often, twice for the record. With the interchanging characters and narrative though it just felt weird to do the same story twice, the way that they intercharge is done extremely as they'll pop up in a previous story and then the following one will be focused on them.

My favorite story was about a man who likes to dress up as a woman, he just goes to the bar doesn't cheat just enjoys being himself. He does a self reflect of why he's unhappy and decides to face his wife about it, it's such a beautiful story.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the synopsis of this manga, I knew straight away I needed to pick this up. It is so queer and so interesting. The cover is stunning, the art is stunning and the story is stunning.

I loved how we moved from each character on to the next and how we got small glimpses into their lives and the scene at the Bar California. The gender identities were nicely varied and it was paced really well. I will keep on going with this manga and will hopefully keep on enjoying it as much as I enjoyed this one.

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who apart of the LGBTQIA+ community specifically on the Asexual/Ace spectrum I really truly enjoyed this manga. I know to some it might seem like just another book about people cheating going into bars and sleeping with each other and at some points (spoiler warning) it obviously is especially with the first chapter but I truly have fallen in love with this story. It makes me feel safe and that’s what Bar California is! Definitely getting the next volume!

[Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each story involved a character who discovered something new about their personality and livelihoods. From discovering their new orientation, discovering their marriage is falling apart, or being honest about who they are despite the difficulties. It honestly is gorgeous and I am incredibly pleased I took the time to read it.... And yes, I did knock off a star for cheating. :/

[Kara Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Def not the soft queer stuff we're used to. There was a really nice mix of gender identities and sexualities. Looking forward to volume 2.

[Ambs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute exploration of gender and sexuality x

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel this series is going to be such an amazing resource for people questioning their gender or sexuality and may be afraid to come out to friends and family.

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ostresss, quin gran descobriment, m'ha semblat interessantíssim!!!! Podríem dir que és un relat coral en què les històries dels protagonistes conflueixen en el bar California, un club d'altern acollidor amb tothom i que no es regeix per l'heteronormativitat. Sorprenent trobar-hi testimonis invisibilitzats del col·lectiu LGTBIQ+: una noia trans i bi, un noi pansexual (tot i que no era una gran fan del terme, és cert que en aquest relat cobra tot el sentit del món), un oficinista bi-gender (que representa que és un tipus de gènere no-binari en què se sent 70% home i 30% dona) i una noia aromàntica amb un desig sexual bastant elevat. A tot això, la recepcionista de l'establiment és un misteri i de ben segur que amaga un passat turbulent. Amb ganes de llegir els següents dos volums!!! :)

[Freddie🏳️‍⚧️🐀 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knocked this out in one go cuz I was so engrossed. Really good! Little flawed of course, but since it’s dealing with such a sensitive topic and also featuring sexual content I guess that’s expected to have some hiccups.
The queer rep is really good because it covers topics not usually covered in popular media. Especially the bi-gender character and the aromantic character. There’s also a bi transgender woman, an pansexual guy, I think there’s a sapphic girl in here too.
I hope they cover more identities with the rest of the series.
There is alot of sexual content in this also so this is probably not for everyone. It does advertise that on the synopsis.
But I really enjoyed this volume. It does fall victim to being a bit to similar to other queer manga I’ve read, mostly in terms of themes but I think that’s unavoidable. The concepts and stories defiantly are something I haven’t seen yet though.
I really like how the comic flows, focusing one character then taking a side character from that chapter and telling their story in the next. I really liked the story involving with Ran and Mao’s romance most I think. But Marie’s story was great, I really liked the ending, made me feel things😭.
One gripe is that the characters constantly their identities, like ALOT. I mean it is a core part of the manga, peoples queer identity but Ran we know you’re bi and trans you don’t have to keep saying it. It kinda took me out of the story lol.
Also Marie’s story while I enjoyed was kinda inconsistent they said they weren’t there for hookups but they flirt with someone and at one point have a hookup. I think?? Idk it kinda felt out of place and also the age gap was kinda icky I mean they’re both of age but still little ick, and it felt unneeded. I guess they’re trying to show the character being layered and not black and white, hence why Marie was written that way? Idk.
Also Manami’s character seemed kinda short I wanted to see what happened to her, but I guess her story was more of a pilot to the manga instead of making her a cast character.
Arts amazing btw. Beautiful!
Highly recommend the comic to anyone who’s fine with the subject matter!

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most of the characters are really aggressive, there seems to be a lack of consent between several people, and everyone acts as if deceiving others is a default. Honestly, I don't think it's the best portrayal of lgbtq+ people, even if the story is trying to be informative and open. There's also not much character building, as the author jumps around between people, providing only surface level information about their lives.

[aspeccharactersoftheday]

Amiru from Last Gender: When We Are Nameless is aromantic!
Shiho from Last Gender: When We Are Nameless is lithromantic!

https://aspeccharactersoftheday.tumbl...

[Larakaa]

I can't rate this, I feel too conflicted

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This manga was so incredibly diverse and I loved it for that!
We get to see a bisexual trans woman, a pansexual man, a bigender person, an aromantic woman, bicurious? woman all in one volume. I really loved how each gender identity and sexual orientation was explained and defined. These are all identities and orientations that are not commonly represented in the media and get a lot of hatred simply because people don’t understand what they mean.

For that I think this volume is amazing. It doesn’t shy away from the homophobia and transphobia these characters experience, while also giving these people a place where they can feel safe to freely express themselves.

The ONLY reasons why I’m giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is because there were at least two scenes in which the consent lines were questionable. It all worked out in the end, but it definitely made my eyes widen.

There was also so much nudity in this! But for me that’s just a personal preference; I can handle a few explicit scenes, but this was personally too much for my style. I felt like I constantly needed to make sure no was around me when I was reading it lol Nothing against the author with this though! Truly just my own personal preference.

[Lexyloowoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so intrigued by the story. Obviously, there’s room to grow but I’ve never read a manga that with so in depth about different kinds of genders outside of the stereotype normal ones. I really admire the way the stories told in the article beautiful. And I’m looking forward to reading the next two volumes, especially since it is so short. It’s something relatable to. I’m sure the majority indefinitely pushes you to question your comfort zone and how deep do you understand yourself and the people around you.

[Galatea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a manga anthology of contradictions.

The dialogue swings between crying out beautifully for its characters to stumbling on its words, bordering on exposition dumps at times. Transitions between scenes and characters talking can sometimes be neck-breakingly abrupt, with a character introducing themselves with their sexual orientation and gender identity unannounced happening multiple times. Not to mention, the choice of using SEVEN (7!!) SEPARATE FONTS for dialogue alone is by far the biggest detraction I've encountered upon this read-through.

Despite all its flaws though, there is a genuine, pained earnestness to these characters and the stories they tell. The nuance, sensitivity, and hell, the /relatability/ portrayed here was strong enough to make me cry for these people, who just a moment ago were causing unintentional hilarity. Whether due to bad translation or due to the original writing itself being similarly jarring, I can't tell for now, but I would love to get a Japanese copy of this and read for myself.

Its use of visual metaphor is seamless, and that accompanied with the masterful paneling and layout work makes an extremely worthwhile set of stories to read, if one can get behind its flaw.

A final note. I've already mentioned the myriad fonts used in the book. What I have to mention as well is that some are so thin that they are nearly illegible due to the printing process itself. The afterword in particular (p.140) was so hard to read that I could only read it through a photo I took on my phone, incredibly zoomed in with contrast turned up. I can tell there's a lot of love that went into the creation of this book, both in writing the original Jp volume and the localized English one. I just hope Volume 2 becomes even better.

[Books and Debauchery]

"The truer I am to myself, the less I can trust how anyone feels about me”

This is a really interesting story premise. The story centers on a unique sex club that welcomes all, and is a favorite for the queer community.

The story isn't a linear narrative, but rather a collection of episodic chapters that follow various people as we meet them in the club, usually as they interact with previous characters we've I ready met and learned about. The characters cover a wide array of identities - bi, pan, trans, bi-gender, and aromantic.

This format really enhances the idea that these people meet and have a profound impact on one another, even if they don't know each others backstories, because having a safe and nonjudgmental space allows them the freedom they need to explore themselves. However it does not shy away with showing how even people within the community can say things that are hurtful because of ignorance.

This story reads like an intro to the queer community in a way (giving definitions, showing common misconceptions and pushing back against those misconceptions, etc). It also briefly touches on generational differences in how people coming out later in life vs young have different considerations.

Overall I really liked it! Wasn't what I was expecting when I picked it up but it's refreshing to see a story that's inclusive to all parts of the queer community without passing judgement or trying to police labeling

[ThreeYrsLost · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga was great; in a time where queer rep is either sugar coated and chaste for a cishet audience, or demonizing queerness and portraying it as offensive, it’s refreshing to see this collection of different queer lives from a queer perspective, showing all the spectrums from the slutty to the more reserved, to the anger and the joy, the rejection and acception, as well as tackling real fears like fetishization and feeling stuck in the closet.

This book is more on the nose, talking about things that happen in real life, and being blunt about it. I can’t wait for the second installment; raw queer media like this is something I believe everyone needs to see.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This manga consists of a series of vignettes featuring a variety of characters across the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Each story highlights a different protagonist, with secondary characters in one chapter becoming the focus in the next. While the anthology format allows for a didactic emphasis on highlighting multiple diverse perspectives in quick succession, this leads to more of a series of impressions as opposed to detailed character studies. Nevertheless, care is taken to imbue each tale with a balance of poignancy and hopefulness while also achieving the goal of including informational content.

[Rowan]

this was a random pickup at the comic store, and i'm so glad i did. i love interconnected short stories revolving around a common theme/setting, and this was not a disappointment. the setting here is Bar California, an anything goes place where people of all genders and sexualities can be themselves, and the stories are as you'd might expect, queer. often bittersweet, but thankfully most end with at least a hopeful note to them.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I like what this manga wants to do, but I was so annoyed with being explained genders and missing out on the story. I'm also annoyed when female bodies are presented as TOTAL BABES in a story trying to be sincere about its themes, while also not showing male bodies experiencing any pleasure. I imagine a part of that has to do with editorial input, but I wish it kept the heart of the side story and took its time with the storytelling, or to lean harder into being erotica.

[Tib · Rating 4 out of 5]

cw: homophobia, transphobia, discussion of gender dysphoria, sexual content, slut shaming, infidelity, sexual assault

This was an intense read and not a light and fluffy queer read. It's an anthology of interconnecting stories from various perspectives of the patrons of Bar California and with most anthologies, I found some stories better than others, but overall it was definitely worth the read.

[Paulette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this!! It's always nice reading about LGBTQIAP+ people in different countries, specifically Japan, where it's still super conservative, but you can definitely see changing winds, even with all the setbacks (I believe same-sex marriage was banned once again, unfortunately). I can't wait for the next volume!