Review: Last Gender When We Are Nameless Vol. 1 by Rei Taki

Review: Last Gender When We Are Nameless Vol. 1 by Rei Taki

October 21, 2022

For the first time in a hot minute - it's review time!! We're diving back in with Kodansha's Last Gender When We Are Nameless Vol. 1 which releases next Tuesday, October 25th. 

Last Gender centers around BAR California - a members-only establishment where all are welcome. Within the walls of this tucked-away sanctuary the patrons are free to express their truest selves without fear or judgement. As we meet our cast of characters we're treated to a vast array of sexual orientations, gender identities, and human circumstances. Each of the characters are facing difficulty in the outside world as well as grappling with their own internal struggles and insecurities. It is through chance encounters at BAR California where we see their lives intersect, each person's story flowing into the next. 

There is so much representation in Last Gender that I was honestly blown away. Off the top of my head I recall a closeted lesbian woman (maybe bi? I don't think it was explicitly explained but my take was lesbian), a bisexual trans woman, a pansexual cis man, a bigender person, and an aromantic woman. Each person's story tackles a good chunk of the assumptions and misconceptions society makes about them and it honestly evokes such a mixture of feelings for me: sadness that these are very realistic scenarios, disappointment that society still has so far to go, joy that we're seeing stories like this brought to life in the form of manga. Lots and lots of different feelings. 

Now, Last Gender is rated in the 18+ category as there is nudity and sexual activity depicted within its pages - however, I will say that these adult elements are more humanizing than they are sexy. It isn't sex for the sake of arousing the reader, it's sex as a piece of who these characters are at their core and where sex fits into their worldview. 

Author/Illustrator Rei Taki is faultless in both art quality and story telling - I am honestly really impressed with Last Gender overall. It manages to present a lot of thought-provoking content in a single volume, and while it would have worked well as a one-shot I am really pleased that there will be further volumes. It was refreshing to be presented with an LGBTQ+ manga that explores where gender, sexual orientation, and personal identity intersect that was not (at least from my view) created to be titillating. I believe this is the first review of a Kodansha release for us and I give HUGE props to Kodansha for bringing Last Gender to western audiences. Not only have they brought us a truly unique story, but the volume includes the one-shot story that Last Gender is based off of: A Self for All Seasons. 

Normally I would assign a content rating at this point, but I'm not going to this time. Last Gender just defies those categories. It is too mature to be sweet, but it's too thought-provoking in its presentation of sexual interactions to be called spicy. So - read it in private, but DO read it! 

Ready to shop? Pick up your copy HERE

Publisher: Kodansha

Release Date: 10/25/22

Age Rating: 18+

Page Count: 176