Sunu Sumu Muriku no Koibito

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As an actual drama relating to trangender or other queer issues, this manga is atrocious and not in any way representative for trans people.
However, as a comedic manga written by an oblivious author who thinks he is the most progressive "ally" in the world it is second to none and if you aren't put off by the mild transphobia, certainly worth the read.

The writer seems to have written the trans character (Nono) based on vaguely remebered details from the wikipedia article about trans people, our POV character is not the trans character but instead a (probable) author self-insert (Nao) who "saves" Nono on mutiple occasions, ... Nono makes no decisions about her transistion herself but is instead compelled to action by Nao and the manga does not at any point really think Nono is a girl.
Basically nothing in this manga is accurate to the actual experiences of trans people.

It deals with other subject matter about equally well, giving no insight into the subject that couldn't be gleaned by looking up the definitions of the words themselves. It plays at grand ideas and theories but none of them actually make any sense. It also incorrectly states that getting aids will kill you, which hasn't been the case since before this manga or the book it was based on came out.

If you want to gain an understanding of trans people or are made uncomfortable by transphobia, do not read this manga, however, if you want to read something unintentionally humorous by it's sheer misunderstandings and absurdity absolutely do read this manga.

This story is written by Shinji Nojima, the scriptwriter for Wonder Egg Priority, which is why I started reading this manga. The main supporting character is a Transgender girl (Nono) and a lot of the story focuses on her struggles to accept that with the protagonist.

HEADS-UP: There's talk about suicide, self-harm, depression, deadly illnesses, & more in this manga. If you are sensitive towards these issues, proceed with caution.

First the positives.

1. Given the backwards state of LBGT rights in Japan, this manga does a fan-f*cking-tastic job of displaying a Trans women's difficulty in figuring out who she really is. The manga has a lot ... of heart and the story tugs at your heart strings, on more than one occasion. It's no Oscar-winner, but the exploration of this issues is (mostly) sound and incredibly engaging.

2. The characters are also excellent, with each one feeling like a real person and not a cardboard cutout. The female characters are handled well, without any tasteless fanservice that could undercut the message of the story.

3. The story is written very well, without ever feeling like its short length holds it back. There aren't any pacing issues or ridiculous plot conveniences. The use of metaphors does get hard to follow at times, but overall pretty good.

That being said, there are quite a few things this manga gets wrong as well.

1.The show talks about femininity vs masculinity, gender identity, and sexual identity all as having a woman's/man's "heart". This creates a lot of unfortunate connections such as the implication that the characters first think Nono is Trans simply because she "acts" feminine. Whether this is intended is hard to say (especially with views on LGBT people in Japan), but it makes an otherwise amazing depiction of LGBT issues feel a bit misguided.

2. Additionally, Homosexuality is conflated with p*doph*lia at certain points. Without any spoilers, the way the manga is written, it is difficult to tell if the main group of characters denounce a certain relationship because it isn't good for a character or because it's a homosexual relationship. But the real issue with the relationship is p*doph*lia *, and given that Gay people were routinely denigrated as P*doph*les in 20th Century Western Culture, ... well I don't know what exactly to think about it.

3. The stated goal of the 3 male childhood friends is to protect their trans childhood friend. This starts when they think she's too feminine (even calling her "their idol"), and then they go even further overboard when they find out she "still has a woman's heart", breaking up with their girlfriends, and devoting themselves to activities that allow them to look after her. This is justified as the manga progresses given the help Nono needs to understand what her identity is, but it still left a weird impression.

Overall, this manga is pretty damn good (especially for one dealing with LGBT issues in Japan), but there are a few weird points. Worth checking out, will definitely pull at your heart strings.

Before I start, I want to set an example: the people who watched The Big Bang Theory may remember that episode in which Raj dates a deaf girl, portrayed by Katie Leclerc, who ended up being a gold-digger. There is a particular dialogue that says:
Leonard: You think she´s taking advantage of him?
Penny: Oh, of course not. She wouldn’t do something like that. She´s deaf.
Leonard: Deaf women can´t be gold diggers?
Penny: Handicapped people are nice, Leonard. Everyone knows that.
The particular dialogue aforementioned represents a recurring stereotype that the weakling, or the minority, of the bunch, holds the purest and nicest feelings. That idea is completely smashed ... in this manga.

Sunu Sumu Muriku no Koibito narrates the story of four childhood best friends throughout their teenage lives but centers more on the relationship between Naoki and Nono. Naoki is your typical teenager who enjoys hanging out with different girls, while Nono is a sickly boy who has “The heart of a girl” in him, or in other words, he is transgender.

After a lot of struggle, Nono is finally able to accept who she is and is encouraged to live as a girl by her family and friends. The story took a dark twist after a while, but I will abstain to mention it in order to avoid spoilers.

I usually enjoy LGBTQ+ stories due to how real and sweet they tend to be. But, whit that being said, I have to express that the character of Nono was such a horrible person that is amazing how so many people can find this story compelling. She is selfish, manipulative, judgmental, and a liar who tried to ruin several of Naoki´s relationships.

What triggers me the most is how everyone is always defending her behavior and actions even when she is the person at fault. To name an example, she staged a suicide when her mom, who is extremely supportive and caring of her necessities, did not agree with her having a gender reassignment surgery due to how risky could have been. I am well aware that trans people need a lot of courage to be true to themselves and to go out to the world to be who they are, but when Nono nonchalantly said it was a fake suicide, almost with a smile, I lost empathy for her.

I want to end this review by apologizing to everyone who may feel offended by it; that was not my intention at all. It´s just I don´t know if the author purposely wrote such an unlikeable story to show the other side of the coin, or if he was just ignorant about delicate topics such as sexuality , suicide and gender dysphoria.