Kojinsa Arimasu

A manga about a married man who suddenly changes genders and becomes a woman.

When this series started in Morning magazine I was really unsure about what to expect. Gender swap narratives are pretty common in manga and they’re not really done well because they’re rarely representative of any transgender issues. And honestly, it’s kinda hard to parse if this manga isn’t just that.

The man’s relationship with his wife wasn’t great but once he becomes a woman she shares her more blunt personality with ‘her’. But is this saying a woman can only be open about themselves when their with another girl? After the man becomes a woman, she becomes attracted to her co-worker and even ends up sleeping with them. But just because you change gender, does that mean it changes who you’re attracted to? A possibly maybe? But why does it have to be just from a change of gender? After this affair she transforms her back into a man and he’s no longer attracted to the co-worker. That just comes off as a really close minded take on gender and how it relates to sexuality.

The story becomes even more complex as the another gender swapped character demands to know how the married man switched back. When she finds out she blackmails him into having sex so she might change back into a man. Meanwhile the married man is now terrified to have sex with his wife because if he swaps again he’ll change back and reveal the truth about why he changed back. It’s a hot mess on all accounts.

This narrative is interesting to read but I can’t help but feel the themes of attraction being based on gender to come off as really naive or just obtuse. That being said this series is still on going so maybe thing won’t end up being one step removed from a She’s the Man or Just One of the Guys. Though I’d bet it won’t.

~dakazu