'Tis the season for early reviews and this one comes courtesy of VIZ Media! Today we're taking a look at To Strip the Flesh by Oto Toda - an anthology unlike anything I've seen in the U.S. market to date. 

To Strip the Flesh gives top billing to the story of the same name which is featured in the anthology. This was a good move, as it was the cover art and synopsis of that story which drew my interest in the first place. Also, unlike other anthologies I've reviewed thus far, the titular story accounts for roughly half of the length of the volume - I LOVED THAT. With anthologies I am often left feeling disappointed that the story that first caught my interest isn't longer. Here, I felt like it was long enough to reach a suitable ending without feeling rushed - and with a topic this sensitive and socially relevant I am especially happy about that. 

In To Strip the Flesh we follow the story of Chiaki, a young trans man struggling with who he knows himself to be and who he thinks his loved ones want him to be. Through glimpses of Chiaki's childhood and adolescence we see that he has always known himself to be male, but has been raised and treated as a female despite repeated attempts on Chiaki's part to be seen in a way that fits who he is on the inside. Chiaki has always longed to hunt beside his father but with his father being of the opinion that hunting is too dangerous for a girl (which he considers Chiaki to be), he has had to settle for live streaming himself butchering wild game - all the while enduring crude comments from viewers about elements of Chiaki's body that he himself dislikes. 

Without giving too much away, I will say that To Strip the Flesh was genuinely touching. Chiaki's journey to become the person he wants to be is nothing short of beautiful. Watching Chiaki strengthen his resolve to face his father with honesty and then seeing his father's response (don't wanna spoil it, it's too good) truly moved me. I think we are all very accustomed to seeing LGBTQ+ stories with elements of conflict within the family, but never have I seen one that didn't sting as I read it. Chiaki's story is such a loving, positive depiction and I could not be happier to see something so uplifting published with a rating that makes it accessible for trans youths in particular. Viz also handled this story with a lot of awareness - the back of the volume includes some notes on terminology in order to clarify why some terms that are no longer commonly used in the U.S. are referenced in the story. It is this type of supplementary information that not only helps readers to better understand choices in verbiage, but helps to bridge the cultural divide that much more. 

As an anthology, we of course have other short stories included. Because they are short I don't want to go into detail on them except to say I found each one unique, thought-provoking, and in many ways bittersweet. The remaining stories are not LGBTQ+ related, but I found the volume as a whole carried an overarching theme of trying to convey feelings while struggling to communicate. Hot Watermelon in particular left a strong impression on me, as did I Just Love My Fave. I think it is a great credit to Oto Toda how deeply these stories were felt despite their brevity. 

The volume wraps up with an interview between the author and content creator Motigi, a former gay sex worker and gay bar employee. I have to say that I loved this addition. It was very interesting to learn more about the author and the inspiration behind To Strip the Flesh. Not to mention, I think anybody who reads this interview will inevitably take a real shine to Motigi! Frankly, after just that brief interview I'd really like to see some more of "the most beautiful bitch in the Northern Hemisphere" - we're lookin' at you, here, Viz.

To Strip the Flesh hits shelves June 21st! Check back on release day and we'll get you shopping!

TLDR;

This is, without a doubt, a true gem, guys. If we rated with stars we'd give it five. If we used points, it'd be a ten. Were we a thumbs up or down sort, we'd give it two thumbs up. But around here, we rate things by flavor and this one is totally SWEET. 

Release Date: 6/21/22
Page Count: 208
Age Rating: 13+