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lizardgod's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Chapter Count: 6
BL Checklist:
BL Checklist:
- Are all love interests adults (18+)?
- No
- Are all love interests enthusiastically consenting?
- No
- Is there any NSFW scenes?
- Yes
- Does someone get SA'd?
- Yes
- Is there homophobia?
- Yes
- Is there a seme/uke dynamic?
- Yes
- Do one or more love interests have a tragic backstory?
- Yes
- Do one or more love interests have bad parents?
- Yes
- Do one or more love interests die in the end
No
- Do one or more love interests abuse the other(s)?
- Slightly
- Is there a good, established plot?
- Mostly
Notes: Sad but average. Nothing great to note and I could understand why people may hate the 'cross-dressing' aspect because it's genderfluid but not. I didn't hate it, but I do wish the author had gone about it differently.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Blood, Violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Grief, Transphobia, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Mental illness
alaspooriorek's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Okay. I sat on my thoughts for this manga for a couple days because I wanted to be absolutely clear, to myself, in a review. Boy meets Maria is about two characters Taiga and Maria/Arima who are part of drama club. Taiga dreams of being a hero and to do so, he thinks joining drama club will help him do so. Near the beginning of school, Taiga comes across the dance club doing a performance becomes infatuated with their star fill in Maria. Only, Maria is not all she seems and is actually? maybe? Arima a male presenting classmate. Instead of being thrown off by that, Taiga's crush persists and he resolves to show Maria/Arima that he is worthy of being by their side.
First, I want to mention that this book is marketed to the wrong audience. Everything about the cover and description of this book seems like it's a lighthearted, meet cute, teen romance, but that's very, *very* wrong. There are some serious, frankly triggering, scenes all throughout this manga. I normally don't care for marking triggers, because I feel like people should do their research before going into a book, but I am here to say right now: This book has some explicit scenes that deal with gender confusion, child abuse, child sexual assault, and an overall lack of consent on many levels. Please be aware of this before reading this manga. I do not believe the publisher has done enough to warn its readers about the content of this book.
As for my review. I have been thinking about this book since I put it down a week ago. In many ways, I respect this manga for giving such nuanced characters and conflicts. I did not enjoy the experience of reading <i>Boy Meets Maria</i>, but I can appreciate some of the elements it presents. Arima/Maria has been traumatized by the past. I am actually unsure what pronouns to use when referring to the character, because the character themself does not know. And that's one of the central conflicts of the book. Arima/Maria is figuring things out. They are not succeeding in a healthy manner and it's incredibly painful to experience with them. I, myself, cannot speak on how gender dysphoria feels, so I can't speak to how accurate this portrayal is. Arima/Maria does terrible things because they are hurting and don't know how to get help. Does it excuse how terrible those things were? No. But I appreciate that the author wrote such a complex character.
Taiga's mother died when he was young. He's lost faith in his father and feels a consuming loneliness that he hides from his everyday friends. His desire to become a famous actor so he can become a hero in people's eyes stems from the fact that he desperately wants a hero for himself. Against the complexity of Arima/Maria's character Taiga might seem simple to figure out, but his character growth is immense throughout the manga volume.
In regards to certain scenes, I will mark the following part of the review as spoilers. All the triggers mentioned before apply to this part of the review.There are a couple scenes in this manga that I personally had trouble reading. First, Arima/Maria exposes themselves to Taiga at the beginning of the manga. This is played off afterwards as something that isn't serious, but Arima/Maria committed an act of sexual assault here. Though this scene does add to their character, it was still uncomfortable to read and then see the immediate reactions afterward.
Second, there is an explicit scene of child rape in this manga. It is graphic. It is violent. It is painful and uncomfortable to read. I, ultimately, do not feel that the manga gains anything from just how graphic this scene is. Maybe this is where my opinion will differ from others, but I do not believe it was necessary to show the actual rape happening to prove that it happened to Arima/Maria. It felt like a step too far into torture porn rather than showing that an incredibly scary, painful, traumatic event was occuring. Perhaps how graphic the rape was and showing it was the important part of the story, but I can't say I agree.
I appreciate <i>Boy Meets Maria</i> for being brave enough to show life and trauma being how it is: messy, complicated, heart-wrenching, and layered. It think it's important sometimes to read books that make you physically and mentally uncomfortable. This manga just went a little too far for me. Normally I don't write reviews this long, but I thought it would be important in this case.
<i>Boy Meets Maria</i> 3/5 stars
First, I want to mention that this book is marketed to the wrong audience. Everything about the cover and description of this book seems like it's a lighthearted, meet cute, teen romance, but that's very, *very* wrong. There are some serious, frankly triggering, scenes all throughout this manga. I normally don't care for marking triggers, because I feel like people should do their research before going into a book, but I am here to say right now: This book has some explicit scenes that deal with gender confusion, child abuse, child sexual assault, and an overall lack of consent on many levels. Please be aware of this before reading this manga. I do not believe the publisher has done enough to warn its readers about the content of this book.
As for my review. I have been thinking about this book since I put it down a week ago. In many ways, I respect this manga for giving such nuanced characters and conflicts. I did not enjoy the experience of reading <i>Boy Meets Maria</i>, but I can appreciate some of the elements it presents. Arima/Maria has been traumatized by the past. I am actually unsure what pronouns to use when referring to the character, because the character themself does not know. And that's one of the central conflicts of the book. Arima/Maria is figuring things out. They are not succeeding in a healthy manner and it's incredibly painful to experience with them. I, myself, cannot speak on how gender dysphoria feels, so I can't speak to how accurate this portrayal is. Arima/Maria does terrible things because they are hurting and don't know how to get help. Does it excuse how terrible those things were? No. But I appreciate that the author wrote such a complex character.
Taiga's mother died when he was young. He's lost faith in his father and feels a consuming loneliness that he hides from his everyday friends. His desire to become a famous actor so he can become a hero in people's eyes stems from the fact that he desperately wants a hero for himself. Against the complexity of Arima/Maria's character Taiga might seem simple to figure out, but his character growth is immense throughout the manga volume.
In regards to certain scenes, I will mark the following part of the review as spoilers. All the triggers mentioned before apply to this part of the review.
Second, there is an explicit scene of child rape in this manga. It is graphic. It is violent. It is painful and uncomfortable to read. I, ultimately, do not feel that the manga gains anything from just how graphic this scene is. Maybe this is where my opinion will differ from others, but I do not believe it was necessary to show the actual rape happening to prove that it happened to Arima/Maria. It felt like a step too far into torture porn rather than showing that an incredibly scary, painful, traumatic event was occuring. Perhaps how graphic the rape was and showing it was the important part of the story, but I can't say I agree.
I appreciate <i>Boy Meets Maria</i> for being brave enough to show life and trauma being how it is: messy, complicated, heart-wrenching, and layered. It think it's important sometimes to read books that make you physically and mentally uncomfortable. This manga just went a little too far for me. Normally I don't write reviews this long, but I thought it would be important in this case.
<i>Boy Meets Maria</i> 3/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Transphobia, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Rape, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Grief, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Homophobia, Hate crime, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Child abuse, and Mental illness
littleb333's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Rape
Minor: Homophobia and Grief
jolyne's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
3.25
I was not a fan of how detailed the child SA scene was and did not see a need to depict it in that way. The art is by far the best and most interesting part of this one-shot. Granted, I’m sure that I wasn’t the target audience as an American lesbian, and maybe the queer male audience does find that the story accurately and appropriately represents some of their experiences. It’s an extremely quick read so, if you’re on the fence, I’d say go for it. At least the art is gorgeous to look at (save for the pedophile moment).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Rape, Transphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Grief, Bullying, Deadnaming, Sexual content, Blood, and Toxic friendship
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