Summary: I do not recommend this manga if you are looking for positive/accurate depictions of LGBTIQ characters, for the reasons stated below.
I will start by stating I did enjoy this manga, for many of the reasons stated in previous comments which I will not repeat.
The main purpose behind my comment is more to point out some of the problems I found with the concept of Mashiro as an Intersex character. I do realize that her* being half-male and half-female was done for symbolic purposes but the way it was done was a complete cop out for me personally.
I want to write this not so much to deter anyone who is interested a manga with an Intersex character in it but rather to point out this is not an accurate depiction. Had it been, Mashiro would have been female from the very start simply because they stated her "bottom half" is female. The manga however has her first depicted and believing she is male. There is next to no reveal as to how she managed to live her life as male up until that point or why she identified as male from the start.
However there is a silver lining to this, Mashiro's confusion and frustration over her gender identity is rather insightful for people who identify as trans* and how she fights to prove her identity as male. That is what I find to be the beauty of this manga, all the characters to a certain extent will have something identifiable with one character or another.
Going back to the issue of gender identity, one of the things I found most detestable was the whole vagina = female equation (I do acknowledge there will be people questioning this and further people who will disagree with why I state this in the first place). Taking a step back, once more the manga does not arrive to a conclusion as to why Mashiro presents as male despite having female genitalia in the beginning of the story. Realistically gender is assigned based on genitalia, but of course there would be no story otherwise had the mangaka chosen to acknowledge this. However despite not acknowledging this initially, it is brought up time and time again when it is revealed that Mashiro has "lady bits." Case in point, she must be a girl and this idea is constantly forced upon her. This ultimately leads to the conflict over her gender identity. Further more, her decision to be female is rather interesting. The manga makes an excellent point that being either male or female doesn't mean life will be easier, Mashiro states she believed that her life would be easier if she was a guy as opposed to a girl, and concluded she should be a girl but also acknowledges that both genders have their own struggles. But this further reinforces the idea that vagina = female and to like Sou she must be female.
Yet how the manga handles this issue becomes frustrating, multiple times the reader is delivered a big slap of "heteronormativity." This is done especially in regards to Mashiro's relationships to Sou and Kureha, she becomes the opposite sex for each character when her role becomes that of "love interest". What I enjoyed about the relationship between Mashiro and Kureha was her acceptance of Mashiro's identity as male despite the fact she has female genitalia. While the relationship with Sou was again that slap of heteronormativity, as it is depicted she can't have a relationship with Sou as a guy. There is absolutely no room for a homosexual relationship, especially when it came to having Mashiro accept a female identity. The relationship with Kureha only worked when Mashiro considered herself male, once she starts to accept herself as female, does she accept her feelings for Sou. It goes back to the same question in the manga, did she like Kureha for the sake of maintaining a male identity? But the manga does not open the possibility up for Mashiro having a relationship with Sou as a male or having a relationship with Kureha has a female.
To wrap up, this manga without intending to does depict gender dysphoria well, this is a step forward. However it further reinforces the idea of sex and gender being equal and heterosexuality as being ideal. It should be kept in mind that the set up is done for the sake of symbolism and in a shoujo manga there will be expectations of heterosexual relationships and BL for those who enjoy it (that was another quip I had, Mashiro looking male on top for the sake of BL but also under the guise that she's a girl.)
Overall I do recommend this manga for it's story-telling, it's art, and how it can be relatable. However if you're looking for a story with accurate representations of LGBTIQ characters, this is not your manga. Like many other gender benders, I find this story is progressive to the extent but also regressive.
(-4)
(+70)
