I thought I might as well start a thread about one of my favorite genres: tranga. Okay, so it isn't a real genre, but I made up this term for any manga that explores transgendered, transsexual or intersexed themes.

I don't just mean those silly shoujo romances where the girl or the guy plays the role of the opposite sex for romantic or circumstantial reasons. Nor do I mean one of those shounen comedies where the guy and the girl magically switch bodies.

What I'm talking about is manga that features people who willingly, voluntarily play with gender roles, because they want to. That is to say, tranga is manga that features genuinely transgendered or transsexual protagonists, or even intersexed ones.

Finding tranga can be quite a chore, since the gender bender category features a lot of stories that fit into a "romantically convenient cross-dressing" plot. Too few stories deal with gender dysphoria properly. Hardly any manga characters are portrayed as being truly conflicted about their genders, even if they're often forced to switch roles or bodies.

That said, there are some artists who've broken the rules. These are the genuine tranga titles I've managed to find:

Brave New World of Love: The mtf heroine faces high school pressures. Sassy and slightly silly, but quite a bit of fun.

Double House: A lesbian relationship between an mtf woman and her friend. A quiet, serious take on intimacy.

Family Compo: Features a protagonist whose aunt and uncle are both trans. Starts off as slapstick, but evolves into something much more substantial and moving.

Okama Report: Totally non-serious comedy about, well, okamas. Can be crass and indelicate, so don't expect trans issues to be treated with kid gloves. I suppose you could call this a more-or-less straight romance, but it's obvious that the main character loves cross-dressing too much for it be an excuse. Heh.

The Transient Son: Follows two young trans kids as they confront themselves, their families and society at large. Really lovely stuff. Possibly the best title I've listed here.

After School Nightmare: An intersexed protagonist tries to decide which gender to adopt. Well, it's actually a lot more complicated than that, because the plot features psychological mysteries as well as horror elements. Gender issues play an integral part, though.

Inter Sexuality: The title is self-evident, I believe... Basically, the manga traces the early development and mature lives of various intersexed protagonists, as they try to make their way in a society that places too much emphasis on clean gender distinctions.

Does anyone know of other tranga stories? If so, please tell me about them!

Remember not to link me to any manga in which people bend gender roles for ulterior motives (be they romantic or professional). I need manga in which people play with gender for the sake of playing with gender, and in which people are making considered decisions about their gender identity.

No hentai titles either, please. Let's keep this thread in the general forum, where more people can read about it!


Last edited by pearlesque at 4:01 pm, Jun 27 2007

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"They sicken of the calm, who knew the storm." - Dorothy Parker.

you can try "futaba-kun change"
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=1164

or boku no futatsu no tsubasa
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=244

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Thanks, Sakuya! Hey, about Futaba-kun Change... It says it's scanslated, but there's no scanslation group mentioned. Care to tell me who scanslated it? That way I can hop over to their IRC channel and snag myself a copy...

EDIT: Thanks to a couple of friends who've messaged me (you know who you are, darlings!), I'm glad to report that I now know the group responsible for Futaba-kun Change. It's SIRHC.

Last edited by pearlesque at 4:55 pm, Jun 27 2007

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"They sicken of the calm, who knew the storm." - Dorothy Parker.

sorry i dont have a clue who did it but got a new one you might wanna try:

the day of the revolution
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=792



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| One Punch Man | Noblesse | Nanatsu no Taizai | Gun x Clover |

i loved the day of revolution too, its shoujo, about a trans becoming a girl, and has a cute ending. too short for its own good tho

@pearl- these are some of my favorite genre's too, but i dont know many of the ones you put up, shoujo/josei titles?

cheeky angelis supposed to be a good shounen about a guy who becomes a girl, Ive only read the first volume but it seemed alright

Last edited by daed at 3:33 pm, Jun 27 2007

Neither Day of the Revolution nor Cheeky Angel qualify as tranga in my books, although I've enjoyed them both. In DotR, the transition is too swift and unnatural, plus it's something the heroine gets forced into, not something she chooses of her own free will. I hesitate to call the story tranga, because the plot is less about gender identity and more about pure circumstance. The heroine suddenly "becomes" a girl against her will; she doesn't become one because she's willingly re-evaluated her identity.

As for Cheeky Angel, it's one of those magical sex-change plots -- it does handle some gender issues, but the main character is again forced into this situation, and isn't there by choice.

I enjoyed both stories, though. I just wouldn't call them tranga.

And yeah, Daed, some of the titles I've listed qualify as shoujo and josei, but some qualify as seinen instead. The common theme is tranga... It's worth trying all of them out, if you're interested in this kind of thing.

Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention Bremen. Not one of my favorite stories (the sudden science fiction ending totally ruined it!), but the main reason I liked it was because one of the protagonists was trans. Ryo kicks a**!

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"They sicken of the calm, who knew the storm." - Dorothy Parker.

Nice topic, pearlesque. I enjoy your topics just 'cause you bring interesting subjects to light. I'm going to keep in mind to try some of these out. I have read what there is to read so far of After School Nightmare and I really love it. That's the type of stuff I like to read. Gets you thinking. And the characters aren't perfect.

edit - I checked out the first one on your list "A Brave New World" and found it really enjoyable! I am going to keep reading it (am on ch.2)

edit 2 - finished A Brave New World of Love and it was definitely lots of fun!

edit 3 - finished Double House. Very calming. And inspirational too. I don't know how they get labeling it as a Yuri or a Romance though. There was nothing suggesting that type of relationship.

Last edited by elle at 10:28 pm, Jun 27 2007

Ah, there goes pearlesque again with another interesting topic Great job once again! I'm sure this thread will spark many people's interest Now this one is very unique in its own. I didn't even know that there were 'tranga'! I have read one that could almost be considered tranga titled Croquis by Takanaga Hinako, but the only way I can describe it is with spoilers...
Even if it might not be what you're looking for, it's still a great story

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oops guess I shouldn't have read the spoiler. =O especially since I read the summary and such after and then decided it would be probably be a good read for the moment

edit - finished reading Croqui. ^^ Very cute story! definitely enjoyed it. Wow. Nagi(?), he sure thought like a girl!

@otakubaybay: guess what? I just discovered we're a year and 2 days apart. xD That's neat. ;)

Last edited by elle at 11:43 pm, Jun 27 2007

He was more like a flat girl then a boy

A year and two days, huh? Don't you mean...363 days apart? And you live in the U.S.! So what in the world is Idaho like? All I can think of is potatoes Sorry for the generalization

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haha, no that is pretty spot on. That's what everyone thinks and its actually not that far off the mark. We're pretty much mountains and deserts. xp Nothing too exciting. Lots of sagebrush some tumbleweeds.

oh! I get it! ... yeah, I think you're right. ^^ 363 days. Sorry, math isn't my specialty. xD

where do you live? not in the US?

edit - ah, just checked out your profile. ^^ Cali eh? I'm going to California to visit my Grandma for the fourth! xD You also read a lot of yaoi. Care to suggest some good ones? I like them if they're not too explicit. Or if they have more story. Don't know. Tried some and didn't like the ones that felt like just unrealistic porn.

Yeah, I really don't know anything about Idaho except that they have great potatoes

Ooh, suggestions, huh? I posted some I would recommend here Where in California does your grandma live?





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Orangeville.
k, thanks! I'll be sure to check them out. ^^

Orangeville? I have never even heard of it...I know that there's some town with Cherry in the name, but not orange...

And you're welcome


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=) yeah, it's like an hour's drive from Sacramento I think?
I could be wrong. I don't really know what I'm talking about.