It stopped scanlating two years ago. I have the volumes, am scanning and cleaning and hopefully picking this story back up...! That's simply because I love Aiesu.

I love Aiesu because of the beautiful portrayal of the pain of gender issues... and how confusing it can be. I can't believe the mangaka could articulate so well the confusion, and with such delicacy. She brings to us readers and understanding of an issue that most people don't even know about! I wish all manga could touch the real world in this way. Maybe Intersexual people read this manga and feel liberated...

I love the main character Haru! S/he is so strong, bright and direct, and truly is an intersexual person, blending male and female perfectly. I really want to know where her/his life goes...! Especially his/her relationship with Kenji >___<~! Yes, I like the love story. And the relationship s/he has with his/her mother.

I hope we can all continue to love Haru's story together! Check out my post on the forum to see how it's going (today I'm looking for a better Japanese translator than myself >___<)

I actually found this manga by accident while looking for some cheesy shoujo manga. It's definetly a story that you don't often find, but I like it very much. The drawing is not the best, but it's more than acceptable. At the beggining I thought there would be a lot of short stories, but the third case got longer and longer and I haven't acctually read it's ending.

The characters are pretty good and the main character, Hoshino Haru, is to be admired, the other characters are also good. They are complex and develope through out the story while telling their own perspective on things and also while they tell their own stories and problems.

I knew about hermaphrodits from before, i'm not sure if it's the same, but I just thought of them in a biological way, I never thought of them in a human way like this manga does. The author treats pretty well the issue, she talks about the biological part as well as the human part of the characters and how they are recieved in society. I do have my doubts, because even though the story tells the harsh stories of the characters, I doubt that IS almost always have a happy endings in their lifes like in this manga.

This manga is really good, I love it and find it awesome, at list to me. The story and characters are complex so if you are looking for light headed manga, this one is not for you.

... Last updated on November 3rd, 2008, 3:30pm

This manga could be a good introductory tool to the idea of intersexuality but it is not really scientifically accurate and fails to understand it's own subject matter. The author implies that intersexuality (which encompasses over 200 different conditions) always causes infertility, which is simply not true. If you really want to learn about intersexuality then look elsewhere. I also take issue with the complete lack of LGBTQ understanding. For a manga about people who do not fit the biological gender-binary it is very gender and hetero-normative. There also seems to be a lack of understanding that you can have a fulfilling sex-life without penetrative sex. It's a good story, but ultimately not one I think the author really had the understanding to write.

... Last updated on August 16th, 2017, 1:06am

I totally second what oriana3k had mentioned in his/her review.

It's a tear jerker reading some parts of the manga. I do agree, that Haru's story is longer than I expected but the thing that I love about Haru's story is how we get a glimpse on how IS has not only effected Haru's life but also the people around him.(parents, siblings, friends, teachers)

I've read loads of mangas before, and so far..this manga is one of the most realistic manga that I've ever encountered. (with the exception of the very long volumes extending Haru's life)...BUT this manga is WAY BETTER than those melodramatic 'so-called Emotional' mangas like Koizora and Life.

IS is also one of the few mangas that made me so emo T__T just like the works by MOMOCHI Reiko and MIHARA Mitsukazu....

Highly recommended, and I really hope that this manga will be licensed in english for another excellent addition for my manga collection.. =)

... Last updated on March 13th, 2009, 1:02am

Personally I think Janimes note at the end of v8 was unfair to the mangaka who is obviously simply showing us how I.S. affects Haru throughout his/her lifetime even little things like where to change clothes. To expect to be able to get a true idea of I.S and its affects on someone throughout thier lives in a series of one chapter stories is unrealistic. This story isn't yaoi or shoujo it has a purpose. Yes it did get a bit preachy and sappy for a bit but most mangas do this. If you want short story entertainment find something else, this is a meaningful story about real issues people face. Personally I know alot of people that would have liked to have seen how Haru's treatments and relationship with Kenji turn out. I did check the wiki info listed above and found that for what was known about I.S at the time this story was made the mangaka did a good job. Janimes not wanting to continue a manga that actually sticks to an issue and educates because its not just a bunch of mindless one chapter shorts is immature on thier part.

in the beginning i was really into it. the story is unique and it actually has a good message about raising awareness of IS and promoting understanding and acceptance. however, the stories were repetitive. also, i just felt like the story was overwhelmed by the message. it was too preachy. and, i felt like it looked down on people with IS who choose to get surgery. it kept saying we need to accept that there is a third sex and the stories were all about characters learning to accept themselves and then teaching others about acceptance, which i agree is a good thing but, at the same time, the story makes it seem like intersex people should never get gender reassignment surgery and just figure out how to live being intersex. i just think the issue is more complicated than that

... Last updated on June 14th, 2011, 8:52am

Well it is a fiction and one should read it as such, if someone wants to learn more about actual I.S. there is always wiki. Apart for that it is really nice to have a manga like this, the art might not be very good but the plot is solid and enjoyable.

The subject is wonderful, and I am glad that someone decided to breach the topic. There are issues though. The information given is repetitive and incomplete: it would be easily possible to give some more depth given the scope of the manga. IS's understanding of intersex conditions is poor and often inaccurate, both on the grounds of sex and that of gender (if intersex individuals are born genderless then all people are, which isn't necessarily the case either, even according to the manga). Also, all intersex individuals are represented as sterile, which happens not to be the case: it is largely dependent on the particular condition of the individual, the probability being determined by the factors that make them intersex (see Wikipedia for starters). This is relevant because the manga has a huge focus on fertility, completely ignoring other facets (adoption, wanting children in the first place, etc.) and assuming that having children is the proper course of events for all couples. Then there is the assumption that all XX females and XY males are fertile, heterosexual, and cisgender (or at least are supposed to be): whilst obviously the reality is far more complex. (Side note: in humans, conditions where the affected individual has both male and female gonads, at least one of these will not function. This is relevant in the last story...) Going by the manga's logic, a woman who had a hysterectomy is no longer female, or is she still female because she was born with all the parts?-- it's ridiculous either way. The views IS represents on these issues is backward, and it is not hard to find works which have better views on sexuality and fertility, although Haru's situation of being so completely between male and female gender-wise is highly unusual in Far Eastern works. Furthermore, the LGBT community is completely passed over and ignored, and even cast in a slightly negative light when mentioned in passing. While it tries to deepen understanding of gender issues, "exploring" them while passing over a group that has brought much attention to these matters since the 1980's is odd and never supported or justified in any way. As a story it is well done and the art is suitable (it even avoids many cliché pits), thus the rating, however, as an ambisexual, I can't help but be perturbed by this.

... Last updated on April 23rd, 2018, 11:21am

What can I say, it's beautiful, fairly realistic and tinged with sweet, coming-of-age moments.

It starts off in a episodic case-by-case format but once the main story of Haru is introduced, the real magic happens. Though the description sounds heavy (and a little depressing) it's nothing short of bright and lovely. It has its sad moments, but they always end with a hopeful resolve. The main message is consistant and always explained well. The character growth is heart warming, reflective and relatable in such a way, it makes you feel like anyone has the ability to learn and improve from the complications of life. And in all, it has a wide range of feel-good qualities that are both informative and inspiring.

The last thing I want to do is run on with flowery praise, but it is a story of honorable mention. It is a breath of fresh air and a joy to read.

Sidenote: I also found myself loving the mangaka's personal side stories. She is hilarious ^O^ (plus a couple side characters - Julia and Daimon <3)

... Last updated on June 26th, 2013, 6:06pm

I don't often see manga with this kind of theme taken even remotely seriously, which is why I'm very glad I came accross this. It deals with serious issues and there's enough romance to satisfy the typical josei/shoujo readers, without depicting the romance as abhorrently cliche.The struggles the characters go through, while slightly overdramatic, are realistic and not limited to the people with intersex characteristics. Both the main characters deal, in their own way, with a society that looks fown on people who don't fit into the neat box of 'male' and 'female'. The secondary characters are well thought out and go through their own struggles.

I only have a few gripes with this manga, which I'm going to agree somewhat with KoariNite. The issue of surgery for people of intersex, I'm sure, has to be far more complicated than that. From what the mangaka seems to be implying, for a person to have gender assignment surgery would leave their personality irrevocably altered into the mindset of the 'gender' they decide to become. It seemed to be especially implied in the case of Haru. Now, I'm not denying that there are differences between sex. Still, at least for most people, I'm in serious doubt that an individual who has been wearing shorts and t-shirt their whole life, and are into sports, are going to suddenly have a total 180 in personality, and suddenly decide they like make-up, fashion and dresses instead.

There's only this little issue though, and may only be me who sees it that way. Overall, I'd say defiantely read it, you don't often see the issue of intersex taken very seriously in manga.

... Last updated on August 17th, 2011, 12:14am