*Special thanks to VIZ Media and NetGallery for the eARC of this manga*

TW: Dysphoria (especially around large breasts), Misgendering, Internalised transphobia, transphobia, mentions of suicide, outdated terminology commonly used in Japan, sexist and objectifying online comments, blood, animal hunting, death and slaughtering. Inanimate object in love with a young girl.

NOTE: This review comes from a white, non-binary person and most of my review will focus on the main story in this collection "To Strip the Flesh"

I quite liked this, but also am mixed on my review of this. I both love it and am stand-offish about parts of it. First and foremost, the author, though not trans herself, has had feelings of dysphoria in the past and used the story as an exploration of those feelings. The dysphoria Chiaki feels is truely relatable, especially having a large chest. His fears with his father's reaction to his transition are handled well. I really ended up liking Chiaki's father, who evolves quite well and has a great arc of growth.

Chiaki's best friend, Takato had good and bad moments. He was Chiaki's best support during high-school, but then when Chiaki wants to pursue surgery as an adult, he uses phrases such as "It won't make you a real man!" and "I hear people try to commit suicide after surgery" which he's not exactly called out on. He comes around, but I'm still not so happy with him.

I LOVE, but am torn, on the imagery the manga uses too. Only because of one thing: A lot of the time, since Chiaki is a butcher, he dreams or imagines his body (specifically his breasts) being removed in the same style as an animal's flesh being dismembered. Now I personally thought this was METAL AS HELL and loved it's dark, edgy, and incredibly therapeutic imagery. I loved it because it's every gender critical's nightmare, and I love reclaiming that. I also worry because I can so easily see this being used by said base against us, and that's disheartening. But I refuse to let them claim their worst nightmares out of my fun dream sequences. I really liked this aspect.

Would I recommend this manga to a trans person? Yes! Would I recommend it to a parent who was new to their child's transition? No, there are ones I'd say have more information to support that group.

As for the other short stories in the collection, I found them incredibly random and disjointed. Some were good, others meh, but overall, a nice exploration into the mangaka's style and storytelling.