Megan Leyman

Hello everyone! 

As someone who is transitioning, it’s good to have supportive best friends which will love you as you and support you in many ways, 

So, this has got me thinking about stories of best friends of someone whose gender changed by choice or not, which has come up a few times in the many Mangas I’ve been read as of late. 

So, let’s talk about a few examples;  

Bro Girl – Otoko Tomodochi Girl 

Shougo, friend of Natuski, a childhood friend changed from male to female for a few months due to a clinical trial for money. 

Natsuki has still got the mindset of a boy despite the change and Shougo tries to keep on thinking his roommate is a guy but hard to think that at times when Natsuki is looking cute at times. Towards the end of the story, Shougo develops feelings for natsuki as a girl and ask his roommate for the opportunity to have a date while Natsuki still a girl, which they give Shougo with the challenge of impressing them before Natsuki changes back to a boy. 

Shishunki Bitter Change 

Kazuma, best friends of Yuuta & Yui 

Yuuta & Yui are a boy and girl who somehow swap bodies when Yuuta (the boy) falls from a tree & lands on Yui (the girl).  

They spent 8 years in each other’s bodies, the only person they could confine in during the weird experience was their best friend Kazuma.  

Of course, at first, he doesn’t believe them, like any normal person you would highly doubt something like this could happen. Yui in Yuutas body does get feelings for Kazuma but doesn’t work out, as the story ends with Yuuta & Yui able to get back into their own bodies and get together which Kazuma supports. 

The story covers 9 volumes so having to be brief and I would have to take a few days to read 65 chapters and then this blog post would be a lot longer, I highly recommend this series. 

Balance Policy 

Masaomi, best friends with Kenji-jun, a boy who was changed into a girl with science to help maintain the human population after some kind of fertility failure resulting in fewer female babies being born. 

The whole story really covers Masaomi dealing with this big change, and I really don’t want to spoil it, please check it out 

Until I become me (Ore Ga Watashi Ni Naru Made) 

Rumi, best friends with Akira, a boy who used to bully girls, ends up waking up as one due to “Idiopatic Sex Change Syndrome”. 

Unlike the stories I have mentioned above, the story is still ongoing, and Rumi isn’t aware of Akira originally being a boy (changed at age 7, i think Akira is around 13/14 now?? I think). Rumi just thinks Akira was just a tomboy girl at first and their friendship has developed from there, Akira does want to keep Rumi their past but doesn’t have the courage and doesn’t want to ruin their friendship 

My theory as the story is still ongoing, that Rumi will be shocked when she finds out Akira’s past, but she has only known Akira as a girl for years and has only been good, they are just two girls who are best friends dealing everything a girl growing up would deal with. 

I have brought this manga up a few times, it’s a huge shame I can’t support this series officially as its just available in Japan so having to read it by the amazing work of people translating it too English. 

The Choice Is His & Hers – Kare to Kanojo Sentaku 

Kazuma – Best friends of Haruka. 

Two best friends who haven’t seen each other for 8 years reunite, Kazuma wondering why at their meet-up a girl has turned up. Haruka has been changed by the Acquired Sexual Reversal Syndrome (got to give it to these authors for coming up with these different diseases as a plot point), she changed 3 years before their meet up. 

The two of them want to treat each as they did before but they find it hard, both worry about if the other person gets into a relationship or if they should let it happen or not. While the manga finished about 3 years ago, it’s still on the progress of getting translated into English, so I can only guess what will happen, but I like to say they get together. 

I was going to mention Wandering Son about a transgendered girl and boy who are best friends but like Bitter Change. It would take too much time to talk about it, I briefly talk about Wandering Son in this post here. 

These are just a few examples of best friends dealing with a change like transitioning. 

From my research and memory of reading tons of titles it fits into 3 different categories of still staying friends, a relationship or just lust eg sex. 

Not far results I would assume of a friend dealing with someone transitioning in the real world, there is no diseases or gods are work changing things suddenly. 

Fantasy has some basis in reality. 

My friends are still my friends as Megan as they were as Matt, they still think I’m weird and quirky, I know it’s been an interesting journey for them too alongside my own, so I try to be as understanding as possible to help them out and myself too. 

Change can be scary for everyone around you not just for yourself but if it’s for the right thing, then it’s alright. 

My friends pointed out to me, if I was born as Megan to begin with instead of Matt, I never would have got introduced to one of my best friends whom we were originally trying to date but didn’t work out then she met the love of her life and I never would have met her friends who became mine over time, they are my world now, cheesy to say it but Im saying it. 

With that, I think Im finished

Thank you so much for reading!

Megan