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A review by elliott_roi
Boy Meets Maria by PEYO
3.5
I had mixed feelings about Boy Meets Maria by PEYO. I thought the themes were very strong as the book explores sexuality, gender, expression, and performance. But overall I felt the focus was too much on trauma, and the message coming across was that Arima struggles with his gender because of his trauma (being forced by his mother to dress as a girl and a later sexual assault by a teacher).
However, I did enjoy how Taiga accepts and loves Arima regardless of gender. And by the end of the story, we see Arima processing his trauma and learning to explore his gender and expression in more healthy ways.
Overall, there were some very sweet moments in this manga and I loved the art style. But I'm not sure if I would recommend it or not (and definitely check the trigger warnings if you do read it). I appreciate these types of stories can be important (and perhaps in the context of Japanese culture, it may be even more so), but I personally worry that such stories can reinforce false narratives about trans people just being confused or traumatized.
However, I did enjoy how Taiga accepts and loves Arima regardless of gender. And by the end of the story, we see Arima processing his trauma and learning to explore his gender and expression in more healthy ways.
Overall, there were some very sweet moments in this manga and I loved the art style. But I'm not sure if I would recommend it or not (and definitely check the trigger warnings if you do read it). I appreciate these types of stories can be important (and perhaps in the context of Japanese culture, it may be even more so), but I personally worry that such stories can reinforce false narratives about trans people just being confused or traumatized.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Death of parent