Just Like Mona Lisa Volume 1 Review
Readers may recognise mangaka Tsumuji Yoshimura for their series Unknown, digitally released by Yen Press almost a decade ago! Now their most recent series Just Like Mona Lisa comes to the print market, having enjoyed successful digital releases on several of the manga apps. Does it prove worth the wait? Let’s find out!
The story takes place on an alternate version of Earth where everyone is born without a gender. Then, once they reach the age of twelve, their bodies shift toward whichever gender they wish to become. However, our protagonist Hinase Arima has reached 18 without any signs of becoming either a boy or a girl and at this point, they’ve long since stopped expecting anything to change.
However, remaining genderless isn’t necessarily a good thing. Very few people are still without a defined gender over the age of 12 and research on the subject isn’t particularly prevalent. Could it be that Hinase has stayed this way due to not having a particular desire to become either gender or is it something else entirely? And will they be able to keep living like this without choosing in the long run? Those who remain genderless seem to die early, although no one’s sure if that’s related to not becoming male or female or simply outside factors.
And now Hinase has another pressing problem when their two best friends Ritsu and Shiori confess their feelings to Hinase on the same day! Because the three are in their last year of high school and graduation is fast approaching, Hinase’s friends are well aware that they’ll split up and go to different schools after this. Having been together since childhood, they’re desperate to keep Hinase by their side.
For Shiori this leads to a confession in which he declares, “I’ll make you a girl.” Unfortunately, Ritsu’s confession is not much better as she proudly claims, “I’ll make you a boy” although, unlike Shiori, she does regret phrasing it that way and later clarifies that she’s fine with Hinase no matter what their gender. However, Hinase has never viewed the two romantically nor has any experience when it comes to love, so they’re instantly plunged into a whirlwind of emotions.
And if you’re wondering if these confessions will affect Hinase’s gender at all, well the answer is maybe. Both their male and female hormones increase after the confessions, but there are still no particular signs of Hinase’s body changing in one direction or another. Should they choose to date one of the two, that may result in them finally changing gender but there’s a lot of emotional baggage to work through first.
I can see why some readers may be upset by the fact that people in this world are still locked into a single defined gender without being able to remain genderless. While it’s reassuring that they do at least get to make a choice when old enough and well-informed enough to, it still feels that someone like Hinase, who is unbothered and would probably identify as non-binary in our society, is stuck with being one or the other.
Admittedly, I’m also not a huge fan of how Ritsu and Shiori confess their feelings. It’s uncomfortable to see them enforcing their view of gender on Hinase, wishing to be with them, provided they become a particular gender. While Ritsu did somewhat walk it back, Shiori is more stubborn. I’m hoping author Yoshimura will spend more time exploring their feelings on gender and sexuality as the series goes on. This volume did give us a glimpse into the reason Ritsu chose to become female, but I do think Shiori needs more focus for me to even remotely care about his place in all this.
Those issues aside, I did come away from this volume having enjoyed the time spent with it. Yoshimura has an interesting concept here that’s well-developed. Not only is it dealing with complex matters of identity, but it’s mixed with the trials of romance and choosing a path in life as these three characters are now they’re approaching graduation. The artwork is splendid as well, which offers us attractive character designs and an emphasis on showcasing the emotions of the cast. I appreciate how androgynous Hinase’s design is too as they could easily pass for either gender right now, regardless of their body not having moved in a particular direction. They’re balanced out by Ritsu having a more girly character and Shiori having a more sporty, well-built appearance.
While this isn’t a full-colour manga, Yoshimura has opted to use blue ink for certain scenes throughout the work as well as for Hinase’s eyes. Outside of Hinase, this is usually reserved for important emotional moments and I think this restrained approach means these scenes hit all the harder when you notice the tinges of blue on the page. It’s nice to see this has been kept for the physical release too, as sometimes this use of colour would be digital only.
Just Like Mona Lisa Volume 1 comes to the West thanks to Square Enix and has been translated by Leo McDonagh with lettering by Asher Caswell and reads well with no issues to speak of. Extras for the release include colour pages at the beginning and some translation notes to close out the volume.
The series is complete in Japanese having run for 10 volumes between 2018 and 2022. Here in English, Volume 2 is scheduled for a release in September with #3 following in November. So certainly more of this, coming thick and fast! This is also available to read on apps Manga UP! and Comikey if you can’t wait for the print releases, although I’m not sure if its the same translation team on those releases.
Overall, Just Like Mona Lisa Volume 1 presents us with an interesting premise and plenty of questions. It’s a tricky subject to navigate and not everyone will be happy with how Hinase is handled (particularly when it comes to their friends!), but I’m certainly on the hook to read more. At the very least, I’m confident Tsumuji Yoshimura has a plan and I’m eager to see what’s in store for us next.
Our review copy from Square Enix Manga was supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).
