X-gender vol 1 by asuka miyazaki

This autobiographical manga presents Asuka's journey of self-discovery with their gender. In Japan, X-Gender is a term for nonbinary, but even these umbrella terms are not helpful enough to help Asuka navigate the LGBTQ+ community or to find a girlfriend. Asuka also provides some introspection and analysis as to why having a period is so emotionally disturbing to them as it reminds them of their female anatomy. Throughout the manga, Asuka tries to go on dates, participate in speed-dating events specifically for LGTBQ+ folks, and navigate friendships and attractions.

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This is a really personal, heartfelt depiction of the author’s struggles and journey to find happiness. There are a lot of really informative pages with explanations of all kinds of different terms used in the LGBTQ+ community in Japan, many of which are also used in America. In analyzing their menstruation, Asuka provides some extremely accurate information on what is happening medically and emotionally. Many readers with female organs will mostly likely connect with this portion, and male readers will probably have some of their misconceptions cleared. However, part of Asuka's journey includes sexual tendencies and some pretty extensive discussion of pornography and sexual attraction. To omit these portions would be to omit a portion of the author's life and journey, so I don’t necessarily think they shouldn’t be there, but the inclusion of this information most likely elevates this to a book for adult libraries.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Adult

Publisher: Seven Seas
Publication Date: June 14th, 2022
ISBN: 9781638583998 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: Adult, Manga, Autobiography, LGBTQ+, Romance, ​Seven Seas