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three6mothra's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
chuckychuck96's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sarahdm's review against another edition
3.0
Review for the whole series:
I read this series because of a video essay by ceicocat called "The Incel to Trans Pipeline and Inside Mari" which I highly recommend.
I read "Welcome Back, Alice" first, which I am glad I did because it really helped me understand the author's ideas about gender before diving into "Inside Mari." Inside Mari definitely feels like a gender exploration manga, but it isn't as straight forward about it as Oshimi's other manga.
This isn't your typical situational comedy gender swap manga (Ex. Ranma 1/2). This really feels like a more nuanced exploration of what it would really means to swap bodies with a teenage girl and all the stuff that would naturally come with it: complex female relationship dynamics, unwanted advances of men, social pressures of filling the role of a woman, school pressures, menstruation, etc. Not to mention at one point, it starts to feel somewhat like a trans narrative. The main character Isao Komori is struggling to decide if he wants to save Mari, be Mari, or just wants her sexually. It really reminds me of another manga, Until I Become Me by Satou Hatsuki which is another gender swap manga that slowly starts to take on a more trans story line. But Inside Mari feels a lot more abstract. The ending is honestly, ambiguous, and has more of a DID vibe which I didn't really enjoy. I would have rather it stayed more on the trans narrative track, but I also get that Welcome Back, Alice fills that narrative a little better so at least there is that. The "mystery" of where Mari is gets solved but its still pretty confusing.
This is definitely interesting. Not totally sure I would recommend but still pretty good.
urbon_adamsson's review against another edition
5.0
Mari (as Isao) has finally reached her breaking point and it's telling everyone to f**k off.
ladyyaru's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
nelli_lakatos's review against another edition
fast-paced
2.5
Such a great volume with a great turn at the end. Mari has reached out! There is definitely a lot of unresolved questions in my head and I’m so excited to read the next volume to figure out where was the real Mari up to now. Why did she only reached out at this point? I’m curious to find out!
theogspiderman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
carolina_heart's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've never seen a manga with such a thoughtful earnest exploration of gender before as this one. Isao comes to learn the pressures of being a high school girl intertwined in all these relationships directly from her shoes and unlike other gender bender mangas it's not a joke, escapist or some dumb sexist bullshit but an earnest and very depressing look. I would say it's like the opposite of escapism. This word is overused and I'm unsure about this sentence but it's almost like a deconstruction of gender bender mangas, most of which are vapid and do not even attempt to broach genuine questions about identity or the subject that would be naturally raised by the premise. I'm not sure if that sentence is right, you could also just say it's a serious gender bender that is actually done well.
ianabk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5