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I mean, Oshimi already wrote a gender-bender once, Inside Mari, but this is different, and kind of tame compared to that series and his other series. But well, it's only starting, who am I to talk? This is gonna be painful like I haven't seen Oshimi in action for how many of his series now that I read? Second thing is scenes containing lewdness and erotism. I'm not against seeing that kind of stuff. Also, we are talking about a seinen manga, so it shouldn't be a problem at all by default. However, many of them (mostly in the first chapters) felt forced in "Okaeri Alice", resembling more a typical fanservice from mediocre hentai manga than actually meaningful moments from a manga not focused strictly on showing spicy scenes. Sexuality and gender identity are surely sensitive topics requiring respectful approach and seriousness. While their core elements were presented in a rather respectful way, such additions felt pointless to me and out of place, unnecessarily reducing the seriousness of the story. Sure, later on there are no such elements, but was it necessary to include them in the first place? That's the question. If we add to them the length of the whole manga, we might think about whether it was really necessary to include that kind of scenes, instead of, let's say, more interactions between the characters. The concepts shown in this part of the mange are outlined even more by the harsh contrast between these two plot lines.

freedom, courtesy of Kei and how they refuse to conform to the gender binary. Where Yo struggles to All Men Are Perverts: Yo certainly is, as was Kei in junior high; however, Yo is extremely afraid of expressing his sexuality, while Kei was possibly a bit too forward about it. Other minor male characters qualify, like Yo's friends and the upperclassman who harasses Kei at a convenience store. This is another one in a now reasonably long list of Oshimi stories that are recognizably his. There's always a romantic trio that involves more or less disturbing sexual stuff. Most of the male protagonists are the kind of introverted manga MCs that become a stuttering mess whenever anything cute with a pulse looks their way. Those main characters are usually infatuated with a very beautiful girl with long hair, but there's also a short haired girl involved somehow, and that short haired girl is the devil as far as the status quo of the story is concerned. The story is about a group of friends that after years apart, they come together, but something is different: Kei Muroda, who used to be a boy, is now a girl.

be for everyone, this is still a very masterful story—wherever these kids grow, it's going to be a trip. Which Restroom?" Dilemma: Averted by Kei; they go in the boys' bathroom and hike up their skirt at the urinal without any sense of shame. psychology. There are also afterword sections that add even more depth to elements presented in this manga. We only know so much about the characters presented to us thus far, Kei is a trap who apparently has always looked at Yo as his "Other Half". Mitani Yui is the girl Yo has always liked but has been met with it unrequited, and the last is Yohei. A first year who seems rather confused about his sexuality, and who he is as a person. In general terms, sex refers to a person’s physical characteristics at birth, and gender encompasses a person’s identities, expressions, and societal roles.

A lil boundary overstepping here, a lil sexual assault there – Okaeri Alice reads like a textbook on "How to sexually molest and assault for Dummies". What's worse is that he depicts all these things as just innocent explorations among young, troubled teens. In the real world, anyone with social intelligence would probably steer clear of things like randomly tongue kissing your friends. How does this ties to trans right? I get it using the "psychological" theme while trying to philosophically explain what love actually mean. It overall not convincing for the character not having any moral basic or the main character resentment is just a plot device for him being an enabler. How does she feel any intimate feeling toward youhei if she only know him as the third wheel by only knowing him from kei. The introduction of the premise could've been articulated by adding some in depth character development arc per 20 chapter. I do hope this manga turns around because i do see potential on it, regardless this isn't going to be an overall good manga but i just want this manga to have a significant notice to be known as. Okaeri Alice is a manga that treats on how gender roles and expectations affect how we act and persue love and affection of others Dysfunction Junction: Every main character has serious problems; gender and their sex drive are particular issues. In Shuzo Oshimi fashion, the art style is impeccable. The way he is able to capture the facial expressions and emotionsthem. But this project has not yet managed to cultivate quite the same atmosphere, and perhaps by design - since Oshimi's own comments seem to point towards it being more of an exercise of self-examination than a mood piece. Trans Tribulations: Several main characters struggle because their internal feelings about how they should act and look conflicting with society's view of how men and women should behave.

who initially appears as some sort of an antagonist, is rather meant to be a source of conflict, which represents the author's own struggle with gender and sexuality. They act as a catalyst for the concepts that will appear later in the manga. On the other hand, when interpreting, I wouldn't want to rely this heavily on the author's words outside of the story. The may provide important context, but I'd rather have the story speak for itself. I can also see why people may think these chapters negatively portray a gender non-conforming characters, though I personally don't think the intention was to target any specific identity. A person may identify with a gender that is different from their natal sex or with no gender at all. The latter identity is often referred to as nonbinary, but this is an umbrella term that covers many identifications. Nov 20 From the U.S. to Japan, You Can Control the Life-Size Moving Gundam from the Comfort of Your Own Home

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Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: As is typical for Oshimi, Mitani eventually reveals herself to be this. At first she wants a chaste, "just friends" dating life with Yo (to his frustration), but as his relationship with Kei becomes more intimate, Mitani feels threatened and starts to force Yo into having sex with her. This manga blew me away. Not a lot of manga portrays sexuality in a way that is as realistic as the way it is in Okaeri Alice. You can tell there is lived experience dripped into this manga, and that is one of my most favorite parts about any sort of media I consume. It's passionately real in all its beauty and ugliness. I sighed in frustration, laughed, gasped, yelled at my screen, and was even brought to tears. It’s wild, it’s annoying, it's biting (like it's got teeth), it’s both love and lust. What are these feelings and what differences do they have? a b c d e Cimi, Chris (December 4, 2020). "Okaeri Alice: Shuzo Oshimi Muses on Gender and Awakening". OTAQUEST . Retrieved May 30, 2022.

As someone who like Kei, doesn't feel like they fit into the boy or girl category, I really enjoyed reading this. The characters and themes are all obviously aspects and ideas surrounding the author's own complicated relationship with gender, masculinity, femininity, love, and lust. It's painfully obvious...and also beautiful and eye-opening. All of that is coated with beautiful art and great panelling, allowing readers to literally soak in the story. The farther we dwell into thoughts of certain characters, the more artistic the visuals become, making pretty much every scene filled with psychological content more memorable and impactful. I'm a fan of that kind of artistic methods, so I was delighted to see them in this manga. Also, we cannot forget about the absolutely stunning way of drawing expressive close-ups of characters' faces. Something well-known for Oshimi-sensei fans that will surely impress a lot of people for whom "Okaeri Alice" is the first manga created by this mangaka. The cast is not crowded. The story focuses on a several characters. Few of them are the main ones, receiving obviously the most attention and "screen time", although what I find as really nice about this manga's wriring is that the line separating "main characters" from "side characters" is thin enough to give justice to pretty much all of them. At least equally to the time they had in the manga itself. To be honest, I decided to read this cause I saw a pretty girl on the cover. Thinking this was one of Shuzo Oshimi's works, I thought ahead that it would try to make me feel weird and disturbed while reading it. And now that I have caught up on the few chapters, I would say that I enjoyed it, while also proving that statement true. As far as I know, transgenders aren't exactly that represented in anime other than cross-dressing or gender-bending. I thought that this manga would try and give a message about the point of view of a transgender but instead, it

sexual fantasies because of her. His classmate Kei encourages this, but Yo catches Yui kissing Kei. Kei Do you guys remember when people used to eat spoonfuls of cinnamon? When they thought at first, "Hey, you know what, it can't be that bad," and then they are utterly proven wrong and start choking? Yeah, that's how Okaeri Alice makes me feel. Every single time I try and swallow it, I start gagging. I cannot properly portray just how angry this manga makes me. Cimi also said that Oshimi's Inside Mari, despite its unrealistic premise, had a stronger impact. [2] Simultaneously, the story focuses on Kei and Ren, the hardships each of them faces with their body and identity, and the way in which they find comfort in each other. Chapter 28 is by far my favorite from this manga so far, and is nothing short of beautiful. It delivers an extremely powerful message about body positivity and self-acceptance. While there is still some awkwardness present, both characters share it, and they use the situation to convey a positive perception of one-another's body. This relationship is not explicitly sexual or romantic, yet it feels very intimate. If you think this story is transphobic or BAD because it offends your sensibilities then you're ignorant.