Reviews
(4/5)A really well done seinen about a young elementary school boy who wakes up one day to find he's transformed into a girl, and his struggles and adjustments in trying to adapt to all the changes that come with it (including his guilt over the fact that he used to treat girls terribly). Unlike other TSF/gender swap stuff I've read, it's not a comedy, and actually treats the subject seriously.
Akira has to learn to live as a girl, while also not letting go of her original gender/identity. The story does conveniently remove some of the potential barriers to this, for example: Akira transfers schools to avoid dealing with all the students who knew her before, after they mistreat her.
The story linearly follows Akira from elementary to middle school (and I believe eventually high school). So you really get the whole experience. In some ways, later on, the former gender thing is left in the background (except as a source of occasional guilt/trauma, and earlier on a barrier to embracing various gender roles). In many ways it could be the story of any girl growing up.
It's a very slow and steady story, and there are definitely parts that will tug at your heartstrings.
If you want a more detailed review, this one is good and not spoiler-y: https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=372017
Not for me. I understand that others may relate to the characters more based on their own identities, but I found the premise silly and the characters' willingness to go along with the presence even sillier. We barely meet Akira before their sex-change disease, and even after that I have no sense of their personality aside from "maybe this disease wasn't a bad thing after all...".
The art really is really rough and I almost dropped the entire volume at the third panel. It improves a lot through the first volume, but not to the point where it ever looked "good".
If you're the type of person who could really relate to the trans fantasy of waking up in another body, then read away. Otherwise, not worth the time.