Talk:Tooru Mutsuki/@comment-25615147-20150119222820/@comment-10733658-20150120180531

So I've been thinking about the possible outcomes, and trying to assess my honest feelings about them. When the revelations about Mutsuki hit in chapter 4, I was honestly in a wait-and-see mode because there have been some "crossdressing girls" characters I really enjoyed. Then chapter 5 seemed to sink that theory, presenting Mutsuki as someone that wanted to live as a man and felt uncomfortable as a girl. Seemed pretty settled at that point, and representation of Transmen is incredibly rare in fiction.

Honestly, I think I'll be disappointed in Ishida ultimately goes with what some of the strongest naysayers have been predicting. I really dislike the whole "abused/raped girl pretends to be a dude/becomes a lesbian to cope" kind of narrative, since its such a negative stereotype in real life. I don't think I've ever seen it done well, without all the ugly implications that they just need to be "fixed" and become a happy heterosexual or cisgender person again.

I would have been fine had we either not gotten the flashback in Ch. 5 or alternately been presented with some goal/motivation (ala Utena, Naoto, Mulans of the world) to explain things. But like I already said, the idea of Ishida falling back on a really harmful and stereotypical trope leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I hope that's not where he's ultimately taking things, since I don't think even Ishida could make that trope not be Bad Writing 101.