Im not saying this is the best manga that features or centers trans characters. I havent read all the trans manga out there to be fair. Theres some that Ive heard good things about such as Boys Run The Riothttps://anilist.co/manga/114972/BoysRunTheRiot/. But so far this story is the subjectively best manga Ive read for actually speaking to the trans experience. From what Ive seen a lot of trans manga seems to go on in one of two directions 1: well meaning but misguided and possibly problematic Wandering Sonhttps://anilist.co/manga/30585/WanderingSon/ or 2: sugary wish fulfillment Bokura no Hentaihttps://anilist.co/manga/71973/BokuranoHentai/. My issue with the first is obvious and my issue with the second is that while it can be a nice read it doesnt really say much of value. In a lot of trans media the characters almost always pass and they are often accepted by others without issue. In manga its usually some super feminine boy who is mistaken for a girl constantly and just transitions without that friction. Usually with no mention of hrt. Its not really applicable to being trans as most people experience it. This isnt technically a trans manga. Its a gender bender. This seems to be much more common as a setup for trans... adjacent manga. Maybe thats because it is/was an easier sell in a conservative society or because it appeals to cis audiences better but Im not really knowledgeable enough on Japan to have a take on that. Gender bender manga is usually a poor allegory for transness because it essentially functions as either a comedic gimmick or as mentioned before shallow wish fulfillment. This manga takes it in a different direction because the characters arent just inexplicably cool with it and the story isnt about coming to terms with the condition. Basically in most genderbender stories the character is cis. In this one theyre trans. Its essentially gender bender as psychological horror. Ive never seen/read a piece of media that so viscerally communicates the horror of gender dysphoria. Several panels of it are incredibly relatable. It sadly got cancelled very early on but I still think it works for what it is even if the story is totally unresolved. Im not into reviewasrecommendation so Ill leave it at if youre looking for an unflinching take on dysphoria with realistic flawed but likeable characters give it a read. Itll take under half an hour. It does have some heavy imagery and events though. I cant write all that much more about what is just a 6 chapter cancelled series but I do really appreciate this manga. Im not particularly interested in most trans media out there honestly because it tends to feature people who pass. While the internal struggle can be interesting and relatable I ultimately cant entirely relate. Trans media covering how much it sucks to exist while not passing is pretty uncommon. Maybe its difficult to empathetically portray a nonpassing trans character to a cis audience. Fujimoto does an admirable job with Togata in Fire Punchhttps://anilist.co/manga/87170/FirePunch/ in a way although theyre more of a repressor I guess and he also happens to have a one shot with a very similar comedic take on the genderbender trope as this WokeUpasaGirl Syndromehttps://anilist.co/manga/98713/WokeUpasaGirlSyndrome/. But anyway this story doesnt even feature a traditionally trans character but it speaks better to the experience than anything else Ive seen or read.