Manga, read on May 8, 2026

Author: Ikeda Riyoko

Rating: ★½

Thoughts: I love what I've read of Ikeda's other work, but this did nothing for me. It feels more like a draft than a completed story, as if Ikeda didn't really have anything she wanted to say aside from "what if I had a story with a transexual protagonist." We see the titular character grow up and go through a bunch of relationships without any build up. It's just the same pattern of characters fall in love → go through bitter break up due to homophobia, repeated over and over. Due to the short length, we don't learn anything about these love interests other than that they're girls who are attracted to Claudine but struggle to accept their attraction. The characters not named Claudine are given very little thought. There's a framing device introduced at the start with a psychologist trying to analyze the protag, but that goes nowhere too.

I understand that it's a one-shot, but I've read one-shots where less talented mangaka do more with less. I like Ikeda's brand of melodrama, but this just felt gimmicky, and not in a fun way.

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