Manga Reviews

Fukakai na Boku no Subete wo (Manga) add (All reviews)

Oct 27, 2024

Mara2463

Recommended

Love Me For Who I Am – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 6/10 – 6 x 0.275 = 1,65
Art – 5/10 – 5 x 0.2 = 1
Characters – 8/10 – 8 x 0.225 = 1,8
Enjoyment – 6,5/10 – 6,5 x 0.3 = 1,95
Total: 6,4 -> 6

Story – 6/10
Love Me for Who I Am is more than just a love story and more than just a LGBTQ+ tale. There is romance, but it is quickly elapsed by the more pressing matter of sexuality and gender identity, whether through the main or secondary characters. Truly, what we have here is a story about the overcoming of ... obstacles that come with our self-knowledge of gender and sexuality. It is a story of acceptance and a story of accepting alterity.
First, there is transgender and non-binarity, which come right to the fore in the beginning, and then, later on, the lesbian question is brought up as well. All of this intertwines to create a deep story about the hardships of accepting ourselves.
The darker side of gender exploration – that of suicidal ideation and self-harm – is also glazed upon. Truly, it would have been strange for such a depiction of the LGBTQ+ community without its darker side, resulting from the confrontation between ourselves and a society that does not accept us. What Love Me For Who I Am depicts this journey quite well, this rite of passage that the LGBTQ+ community knows all too well.
The story also does a good job of depicting its topics from multiple viewpoints, not just that of the main character.
However, the story is too short to explore anything other than LGBTQ+ questions. Other plot lines, such as the love between the main characters and the café itself, are quickly resolved and relegated to the background.

Art – 5/10
The art style of Love Me for Who I Am is anything but extraordinary. It is ordinary, dull, and has a bad character design: it becomes tough to distinguish between characters, although the manga does a good job depicting the main character. Technically, the fluency of the panels is well done, making it quite easy to follow up on the story. The scenarios are mostly void, and the story happens in abstract – which is a perfectly sound option as well. The page composition is well done, although quite normal.

Characters – 8/10
Regarding the characters, Love Me for Who I Am presents us with a meaningful cast that greatly surpasses the main character – Mogumo. Verily, characters are the main aspect of Love Me for Who I Am – be it Tetsuo, Kotone or Mogumo’s sister. Them story uses them to present pressing matters and to develop the narrative, although they are somewhat archetypal. The author prefers not to develop most characters and just introduces another character when the story so needs to. The thing is that this move between characters is impeccable. This isn't to say that they don't develop any characters – being the main character a prime example of character development – for the story is based around them. The characters get the job done, and in that matter, they are well done.

Enjoyment – 6,5/10
Although it is an entertaining read, the enjoyment can't be too high. It is a story that fulfils its purpose of exploring non-binarity and transgender, but mostly the former, in both a hostile and friendly environment, as well as exploring the topic of love and romance within the LGBTQ+ community and how the different labels interact with one another. However, the story isn't much more than this. If you're looking for a romance, I wouldn't recommend Love Me For Who I Am. But what this manga offers you is something else: a fully engaged story on the LGBTQ+ community, mostly non-binarity, with slight romance and drama, mentioning suicide and self-harm in a humane fashion. For these reasons, and although it isn’t the best LGBTQ+ manga, it is a quick read that deserves to be recommended.

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