Jan 13, 2023
This manga seriously deserves more attention. It's pretty rare to find a LGBT+ manga with no romance, but this one manages to tell a compelling story that represents a diversity of experience without relying on a romance plot or other overdone tropes.
The story is entertaining and manages to discuss serious topics in a relatively lighthearted way, without taking anything too lightly. The art is relatively standard in terms of style, but it does a great job of integrating the more sci-fi elements with the realistic setting. I especially appreciated the way the author switches between the kaiju and non-kaiju version of the protagonist.
The
...
story mainly centers around internalized homophobia and transphobia, with a lesser but relatively realistic representation of external homophobia. However, unlike most stories centered around this type of internalized self-hatred, these characters are not perfect tragic victims. They're mean, they're vengeful, and they take joy in discomfiting those who have hurt them. If you're tired of woe-is-me gay characters in every homophobia plot line, this is definitely worth a read.
In terms of LGBT representation, there are multiple LGBT characters, straight characters, homophobic characters, and characters who consider their identities in ways that may or may not fall into these discrete categories. As a trans person, I also appreciated the inclusion of LGBT-friendly doctors and treatment in this manga. The fact that this was written by an actual gay person rather than a straight woman definitely shows.
**SPOILERS START HERE**
To address the other review on this manga, while there is sexual harassment, it is fully recognized as a bad thing done with the intent of making the victim uncomfortable. The main character acts with the intent of causing harm and exercising power over this person who has hurt him. Both the protagonist and other characters explicitly state that it is an awful and unacceptable thing to do in any situation, with the protagonist referring to himself as a monster and "the worst person ever" at the conclusion of the scene. The story as a whole addresses the balance between wanting to take revenge on those who have hurt you, and wanting to be a good person (or at least, not do things that would throw more guilt onto the existing pile of self-hatred). If "good gay representation" requires every gay character to be a good person who only ever does good things, then no, this manga doesn't do that.
**SPOILERS END HERE**
Overall, I would definitely suggest reading this. It's a short, self-contained story that manages to discuss various LGBT experiences in a realistic but entertaining way without relying on a romantic plot -- there aren't too many stories out there like this.
T/W for suicidal ideation, sexual harassment.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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