I mean, Nekomiya provides a total of two (2) front-facing possibilities: that she’s a cis girl fucking with you for kicks, or that she’s a trans girl fucking with you because she’s scared. The cross-dressing “option” is just solipsism on the part of the protagonist and misapprehension on the part of the author.

There are crossdressers/men in drag that aren't trans. Nekomiya's "backstory" (we dont even know if that's even true) can be interpreted as a closeted trans girl, but at the same time nothing refutes the possibility that it's really a he who just enjoys crossdressing. Freedom to wear what one likes has always been something some men wished for.

I’m not gonna say no crossdressing guy has ever had issues with body image because that’d be utterly unfair, but what crossdressers don’t experience is gender dysphoria as a result of how they’re pressured to present in the world. What Nekomiya describes in her original claim is absolutely a “trans narrative”, only furthered by the protagonist’s “I don’t date dudes” dismissal and grotesque obsession with her genitals.

Again, she may be cis, but nothing she says in the manga suggests boyhood (I understand the author is trying for that gender confusion schtick, but honestly fuck the author).

I’m not gonna say no crossdressing guy has ever had issues with body image because that’d be utterly unfair, but what crossdressers don’t experience is gender dysphoria as a result of how they’re pressured to present in the world. What Nekomiya describes in her original claim is absolutely a “trans narrative”, only furthered by the protagonist’s “I don’t date dudes” dismissal and grotesque obsession with her genitals.

Again, she may be cis, but nothing she says in the manga suggests boyhood (I understand the author is trying for that gender confusion schtick, but honestly fuck the author).

Right, Nekomiya did say "I felt like I was born in the wrong body", which is certainly more trans leaning. It's still kept vague on purpose though.
Uh... "I don't date guys" and wanting to know whether that person in front of him has a dick would also be applicable if Nekomiya was just a crossdresser. I really don't get why some people here get seriously upset over that part anyway. It's natural for straight people not to be attracted to the same sex even if they are the opposite gender. It's not a fair position to be in for either side. If you like girls (usually) you wouldn't be sexually attracted if they had male genitals and beards etc. If you are into men you won't be looking for a vagina or breasts. Those are just physiological facts.

Not saying those can't be overcome, but it's rare.

Well, for me ... Nekomiya was born male, but I bet after revealing her secret she felt really sad thinking "I can't let it end like this" so then the teasing started, and when they managed to become friends is when she felt really grateful because despite the gender, she was accepted... And besides, there's a lot of clues showing how Nekomiya wasn't very social and that she skipped certain activities (even if she was lying about the past, we still have the guy's memories)... A CIS girl wouldn't need to do that, right?

But then the secret is out, but they're already friends so it doesn't matter! and that's a happy ending for me.

last edited at May 30, 2019 1:13PM

Why must every thread degenerate into such a shitfest over one or two people nitpicking things to get offended over every time? It's just narcissism at this point.

last edited at May 30, 2019 1:16PM

What Nekomiya describes in her original claim is absolutely a “trans narrative”, only furthered by the protagonist’s “I don’t date dudes” dismissal and grotesque obsession with her genitals.

While this much is true, it is also followed by "I was lying!", once again throwing everything Nekomiya said into question.

Well, on the positive side, Hakone-kun at least knows the truth in the end, it's just us left wondering. :D

@Serenata For what it's worth, I interpreted it the same way.

IM GOINNNNNG OOF THE RAIIIIIIILS ON A CRAZYYYY TRAIIIIIIIIIIN (sick ass guitar solo)

Rotfl. I can't believe someone actually wrote manga about "Schrodinger's dick" joke xD

The arguments this story spawned make me weep for humanity.

Jesus Christ, people.

I love how over-dramatic yet sincere the MC is, and how cute and relatable Nekomiya is.

(Edit: I feel like the only reason Nekomiya tells the Mc that they're actually a girl right before he is about to leave is because they are lonely and do not want the opportunity to make a new friend to disappear right in front of their eyes. So they lied so MC would become curious enough about their gender to agree to be their friend. I believe that Nekomiya does not have many chances to make friends so they are desperate to the point where they will use their gender as an opportunity to make a friend, even if the friendship in question is not genuine.
However, this is just a theory, and I may be wrong.
I still find Nekomiya a great character regardless of their gender)

last edited at May 30, 2019 5:30PM

bubbleteabird posted:

I love how over-dramatic yet sincere the MC is, and how cute and relatable Nekomiya is.

(Edit: I feel like the only reason Nekomiya tells the Mc that they're actually a girl right before he is about to leave is because they are lonely and do not want the opportunity to make a new friend to disappear right in front of their eyes. So they lied so MC would become curious enough about their gender to agree to be their friend. I believe that Nekomiya does not have many chances to make friends so they are desperate to the point where they will use their gender as an opportunity to make a friend, even if the friendship in question is not genuine.
However, this is just a theory, and I may be wrong.
I still find Nekomiya a great character regardless of their gender)

That's how bugdevil and I saw it too so I guess that's how it should've come across for everyone.

The arguments this story spawned make me weep for humanity.

Jesus Christ, people.

One may say that's what the author hoping for. That's why he/she produce a story using the idea of 'Schrodinger's cat' to trigger arguments.

The arguments this story spawned make me weep for humanity.

Jesus Christ, people.

One may say that's what the author hoping for. That's why he/she produce a story using the idea of 'Schrodinger's cat' to trigger arguments.

Jamal_Williams69 posted:

Why must every thread degenerate into such a shitfest over one or two people nitpicking things to get offended over every time? It's just narcissism at this point.

I know right

Why would anyone on this site take depictions of trans narratives personally

TBH in terms of trans depictions, this seems pretty 'woke' at least as far japanese goes

I really love page 24 because that is a very important and powerful message: there is more to someone than just their sexuality. Media usually likes portraying minorities based on stereotypes, reducing their character to their skin color, sexuality, religion, etc... (i.e token black guy). However, as page 24 reminds us, people are still people no matter the differences and should therefore be treated as such.

Instead of people zeroing on differences, people should therefore focus on empathy.
In the end, Nekomiya's gender is never revealed because that was never the theme of the story.
What matters is that the MC saw Nekomiya as a person, instead of just a gender, and decided to connect with them.

last edited at May 30, 2019 11:34PM

I love how over-dramatic yet sincere the MC is, and how cute and relatable Nekomiya is.

I still find Nekomiya a great character regardless of their gender)

That's how bugdevil and I saw it too so I guess that's how it should've come across for everyone.

(Mixed quotes above)

Have the people arguing forgotten the whole premise? It's Schrodinger's Cat! Is it alive? is it dead? We don't know until we look: that's the whole point!! Plus the natural talent cats have for teasing and annoying slobbering dogs... or boys in this case.

The bottom line it: it's just a one-shot at this point: based on a single idea of Schrodinger's Cat being a boy... or a girl :-) We don't know for sure but it's gotta be one or the other, eh?

Prunus Girl, mystery adition.

What we can definitely say for certain is that Nekomiya is femme-presenting. Enough that it's everyday at school. Not as much a hobby as general gender presentation. Regardless, they're "josou" (女装), whether that means just a normal girl wearing feminine clothing or a crossdressing guy.

What's rather clear is that from the backstory panels, it seems like Nekomiya is generally a loner (by choice or ostracization, who knows). That could hint at the fact there's something different about them than the rest of everyone. Whenever everyone else is talking and socializing during class break, Nekomiya is

Interestingly enough, to further add to the mystery, I checked the raws, and Nekomiya uses the pronoun "boku" (ボク) but never the more masculine-aligned kanji (僕). (Some girls, often tomboys, do use boku from time-to-time, after all.)

For people aware of Japanese culture reading this, they're also playing with a lot of different aspects which add to the Mystery:

• Nekomiya is shown multiple times and multiple ages in PE. PE is often gender-segregated in Japan, but sometimes not, and Nekomiya is always set to the side like an observer.
• Regarding seating arrangements, it is very common to be gender segregated in classrooms, but some schools do offer more progressive seating. Since Nekomiya's seat is between our protagonist and some other boys, it would hint they are amab if the seating arrangement is girls-in-front, boys-in-back.
• Nekomiya's name (猫宮) translates to "Cat Princess/Princess/Royalty" depending on reading. However "miya" (宮) can also refer to an ancient punishment which, for amabs, is castration. Regardless, for the Japanese queer community, being a cat (neko / 猫) is also slang for being a bottom, but also has connotations of sadism as well, which we can see hinted at as they toy(?) with the protagonist.

The Pixiv sauce is tagged by the artist with "Schrodinger's Panties" as well, which is a double-meaning. It applies to the story obviously, but it also is used for images in which the artist teases you, but doesn't let you see the panties, as we see in the last page.

The author says there's not going to be a sequel to this because they want to leave everything to our imaginations, as the story is basically perfect for what they set out to make.

Regardless, as a trans woman I am completely fine with this one-shot. While it falls into the same pitfalls of gender essentialism and stuff like most media does, the conclusion is kinda the important part. That regardless of what they have under the skirt, friendship and romance are possible. That connection transcends gender, if you will. I will personally interpret this character as a trans girl for my own headcanon, but, true to name, Nekomiya's character exists in superposition of gender.

I will point out, however, that I think Nekomiya has wanted to be friends with him for a long time. He's the only one who noticed them really, always on the sidelines, not behaving like everyone else. I think they sensed he was capable of transcending society's boundaries to establish a connection, and that in itself is beautiful.

Anyway, I've written way too much for this one-shot~

last edited at May 31, 2019 11:21AM

Does anybody remember Pat from Saturday night Live?

Ah, I forgot my rule of not reading comments on these kinds of stories. At least gwennie-chan’s insights were interesting.

last edited at May 31, 2019 10:55PM

At least gwennie-chan’s insights were interesting.

It's like the old Chinese proverb says - even in dumpster fire there is illumination :v

The arguments this story spawned make me weep for humanity.

Jesus Christ, people.

It's the "Me" generation amplified and condensed into one website. Someone's fictional work has to involve yourself SOMEHOW.

There are literally more whiny comments whining about how bad the comments are than there are "arguments". It's almost like having a discussion is the point of forums.

There are literally more whiny comments whining about how bad the comments are than there are "arguments". It's almost like having a discussion is the point of forums.

Its more-so just piggybacking off of someone else due to having a mutual agreement that more often than not, the discussion either turns sour extremely quickly and becomes unproductive or eventually becomes too meta to the point moderators have to step in and shut it down.

It's a somewhat vicious cycle myself and other users are a little tired of seeing throughout the years on works that could be slightly perceived as controversial.