Takumigraphics – serie

Middle School. The threshold to puberty, and the beginning of the end of childhood innocence. Shuichi Nitori and his new friend Yoshino Takatsuki have happy homes, loving families, and are well liked by their classmates. But they share a secret that further complicates a time of life that is awkward for anyone: Shuichi is a boy who wants to be a girl, and Yoshino is a girl who wants to be a boy. Celebrated manga artist Shimura Takako (Even Though We're Adults (Seven Seas Entertainment)) portrays Shuishi and Yoshino's journey with affection, sensitivity, and gentle humour as they figure out their gender identity and take tentative, age-appropriate steps toward transitioning. This new paperback edition collects the first two volumes of Wandering Son. In Volume One, Shuichi and Yoshino covertly experiment with cross-dressing and new hairstyles, and get to express their identities when the class puts on a gender-bent play. In Volume Two, our protagonists make supportive new friends with the grown-up Yuki-san, a trans woman who they look up to as a mentor, and their classmate Saori, who becomes a queer ally to Shuichi. A poignant coming-of-age story, Wandering Son is a sophisticated work of literary manga and was adapted into a popular anime series in 2011.

South Korea, 1929. Arisa Jo, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is the most eligible bachelorette in all of Gyeongsung (the capital city). With her Western dresses, movie star hairstyle, and assertive attitude, she embodies bold 'Modern' values. Meet her opposite, Jun Seomoon, a young man from the countryside deeply rooted in tradition. When Jun is charged by Arisa's father to be her escort in the big city, these opposing forces create sparks. Through this unlikely connection, these teenagers open their eyes to new perspectives amidst the rapidly changing world they live in. Coming off the heels of her acclaimed Raging Clouds, Lovers of the Empire proves Yudori to be a comic artist at the height of her creative powers. On the surface a sweet and funny will they, won't they romance, this story garners depth from its depiction of Korea at a crossroads: a city occupied by Japan, moulded by Western influences, and facing a modernity that stirs inner conflicts within its citizens. Rendered in gorgeous full colour, this period piece portrays a fascinating city in a tumultuous time, with two winsome characters at its heart. Age 16+

After Japan lost the War, the country was thrown into devastation. No one felt this devastation as much as Japanese women, who, left with few paths to choose from, took low-wage jobs, fell into sex work, and wed American G.I.s. In their affecting graphic novel debut, Marina Lisa Komiya follows the lives of two Japanese women and the American soldiers they marry in this tumultuous time period. Best friends (and possibly lovers) before the War, Haru and Yoriko are separated in the evacuation of their town during the air raids. As they search for each other afterward, Haru gets by as a waitress, while Yoriko sells her body at a brothel. Their fortunes change when they each meet respectful American soldiers, who take their hand. Arthur, a Japanese American, grapples with the inner conflict of his dual identity, while Scott is at once fascinated by Japanese culture and wracked with guilt over the destruction American forces have wrought. Amidst the postwar desolation, love and understanding finds a way, in this powerful work of manga that explores sexuality, identity, and unlikely cross-cultural connection.

In Akane Torikai's Wandering Cat's Cage, it is the near future. Only a few women are still able to menstruate, and even fewer men will be born to them. Reproduction is limited to medical intervention controlled from on high, and the structures and lives of the past hold no weight: they are only hinted at through the remaining scraps of a world that no longer exists. Life can be good, though, if you fall in line, and the women of The City live bright, happy, tightly controlled lives. But complete obedience isn't for everyone. For the women across the river, who live in a rundown shantytown, viewing the opulence of the city from afar each night, life is different. It is humble, and often dangerous, but it is free. It is here that Sanada, a young acupuncturist, lives with the mysterious Reiho, the only male she's ever met, and who sells himself to the rich women who sneak across the river for something they've never experienced...The two form a small 'family,' taking in other young women ousted from the city. But a real, living, breathing male might be too precious to leave to the shabby streets. When Reiho is kidnapped at gunpoint and taken to the breeding program in the city, Sanada must join with the other outcasts to try and rescue him, and learn the difficult truths of love, self-actualization, society, community, safety, and the future itself. Master manga-ka Akane Torikai (Sensei's Pious Lie) has produced a stunning work of relational SF through a gender-bent looking glass. Torikai pulls no punches examining the deeply messy subjects of our day - sexuality, gender dynamics, romantic love, familial trauma, freedom, and control, through immaculately realized settings and character-rich, emotive body language. Produced in partnership with MSX: Mangasplaining Extra.