To Strip the Flesh
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-01 09:51:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Oto Toda
- ISBN：1974722376
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Summary
A moving collection of six short stories that explores what must be stripped away to find the truth and celebrates the beauty of embracing who you are。
Chiaki Ogawa has never doubted that he is a boy， although the rest of the world has not been as kind。 Bound by his mother’s dying wish， Chiaki tries to be a good daughter to his ailing father。
When the burden becomes too great， Chiaki sets out to remake himself in his own image and discovers more than just personal freedom with his transition—he finds understanding from the people who matter most。
Chiaki Ogawa has never doubted that he is a boy， although the rest of the world has not been as kind。 Bound by his mother’s dying wish， Chiaki tries to be a good daughter to his ailing father。
When the burden becomes too great， Chiaki sets out to remake himself in his own image and discovers more than just personal freedom with his transition—he finds understanding from the people who matter most。
Reviews
WaferBiscuits
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Defy the parents who love you wrongly。 This story shattered me when I read it a year ago， and I’m so delighted that it has an official translation available。 It makes my chest tighten just thinking about it， one of those works that sticks to your brain and shapes you。
Amanda Peterson
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I enjoyed the main story of Chiaki， his journey and acceptance as well as that of his father’s was noteworthy。 Imagine my surprise when I saw there were other short stories too， all centered around identity。 I liked some more than others。 If it had just focused on one story， the rating would have been higher。
Cat
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I don't think I've ugly cried that hard in a very long time。 I don't think I've ugly cried that hard in a very long time。 。。。more
Kells Perry
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I enjoyed the titular story quite a lot and if this collection had been only that story or the short stories had stuck with queer themes then I think this would easily have been 4 stars， maybe 5。
bow down to our ace king victor vale
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。73！ 1/ -chiaki is indeed very cool。 -the comments were disgusting wtfhe looks so much happier now my heart 😭 this story was heartwarming i loved it sm。 its my fav in the volume。 very impactful and made me kinda emotional 2/ my thought process reading the second story: ah omg the fans interacting are so cute！！…ohh it’s his grandma… why is her head in a block？？…。wait SHES DEAD？？ 💀the twists within this story haha i love it; ok but why did i think the story was going to be abt the grandma setting 3。73！ 1/ -chiaki is indeed very cool。 -the comments were disgusting wtfhe looks so much happier now my heart 😭 this story was heartwarming i loved it sm。 its my fav in the volume。 very impactful and made me kinda emotional 2/ my thought process reading the second story: ah omg the fans interacting are so cute！！…ohh it’s his grandma… why is her head in a block？？…。wait SHES DEAD？？ 💀the twists within this story haha i love it; ok but why did i think the story was going to be abt the grandma setting up her son with the girl （also the afterlife has TV？？） 3/ haha “are you really Italian？！” when he bowedthis story was bizarre yet kinda charming lmao david wearing an apron at the end XD 4/ a watermelon just came out of his face 😀the nose tearing… ouch T^T his mother’s smiling face when holding her baby 😭 aw the author notes and stories at the end of the volume were cute as well :） I rlly liked hearing the authors takes 。。。more
Ronin Reader
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I loved this！ It was such an interesting take on gender dysphoria， and used the manga medium quite well。 These stories have heart and they have meaning， leading to something anyone curious about this side of LGBT should definitely check out。 （The watermelon one made me tear up…）
rachel
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Loved the main story in this short story collection but otherwise felt like there was no cohesion between the stories。
Zian B。
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I’m giving this manga volume 4 stars solely because of Chiaki’s story was heart-wrenching at times， but even more so heartwarming。 His story was my favorite out of the entire collection and I adore his friendship with Takato。I think I understand that the message， or at least one of the messages， for this manga is wanting to be understood。 But I was confused with 2 of the stories told in this manga。
Elizabeth
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To Strip the Flesh by Oto Toda is a collection of manga short stories beginning with two stories about To Strip the Flesh specifically and then continuing into others。To Strip the Flesh is about learning to live authentically as yourself without allowing your parents or others expectations for your life to limit you。 You only have one life and you cannot wait to be true to yourself。 One of the most profound experiences for Chiaki， that limits his ability to move forward are his father’s tears an To Strip the Flesh by Oto Toda is a collection of manga short stories beginning with two stories about To Strip the Flesh specifically and then continuing into others。To Strip the Flesh is about learning to live authentically as yourself without allowing your parents or others expectations for your life to limit you。 You only have one life and you cannot wait to be true to yourself。 One of the most profound experiences for Chiaki， that limits his ability to move forward are his father’s tears and pain when he realizes that a bullet has grazed Chiaki saying， “I put a wound on a little girl’s body。” These words come back to haunt Chiaki again and again and provide a stark contrast to the previous statement， “Battle scars are a man’s pride”The visual elements of the story were beautifully rendered with the initial butchering as homage to stripping of flesh， Chiaki’s recurring dreams about being on the table used for butchering， and Chiaki’s excessive swollen breasts representing the dysphoric perception of the body。 All of these elements came together to maximize the potential of the format without being overly graphic in a manner that detracted from the content。 Chiaki’s desire to participate in hunting with his father， a dangerous， masculine activity is a point of conflict and development。Ultimately， the initial storyline ends with Takato， Chiaki’s friend and confidant since childhood， shielding his new girlfriend from Chiaki because he has become so interesting and hot with his scruff and his “come hither look”。 I loved this closing because it illustrated Chiaki’s confidence in himself and his happiness after transitioning and moving forward。 I was blown away by how artfully the experience of becoming ones own person and changing into ones own body was rendered。 The collection is worth reading based on this story alone。CW: gender dysphoria， self-harm， butchering; the images themselves were not particularly graphic， but there are instances in which Chiaki appears to consider harming himself due to dysphoria。 。。。more
TheBackCatalogue
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To Strip The Flesh is an evocative horror-driven short story collection。 Of which the title story recounts the experiences of a transman coming out to his hunter father。 It also includes the stories I Just Love My Fave， David in Love， Hot Watermelon， and a collection of two-page mangas done by the author during their time studying。 Each story masterful showcases Oto Toda's skill in both the narrative and illustrative fields。 Making Toda a name to look out for。Read the Full Review @ The Back Cata To Strip The Flesh is an evocative horror-driven short story collection。 Of which the title story recounts the experiences of a transman coming out to his hunter father。 It also includes the stories I Just Love My Fave， David in Love， Hot Watermelon， and a collection of two-page mangas done by the author during their time studying。 Each story masterful showcases Oto Toda's skill in both the narrative and illustrative fields。 Making Toda a name to look out for。Read the Full Review @ The Back CatalogueContent Warnings:Viz’s Parental Advisory: TO STRIP THE FLESH is rated T+ for Older Teen and is recommended for ages 16 and up。 This volume contains （depictions of） gender dysphoria， nudity， swearing， and scenes of animal butchery。Graphic: Horror Elements， Body Horror， Gender Dysphoria， Animal DeathDepicted: Transphobia， Self Hatred， Terminal illness， Vomit， Death of a Parent 。。。more
Ravi
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ok felt a bit baited into thinking all the stories were abt trans ppl。 still a great collection tho
Cathy
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My Thoughts:This book is an older YA manga of six short stories that look at the idea of stripping away and finding truth through the reveal。 The longest short story represented on the cover is about Chiaki who has always believed that he should be a boy and be able to go hunting with his dad。 However， her mom's dying wish was to see Chiaki in a wedding dress so she tries to be a good daughter even if she struggles with her body， her breasts and even how the outside world sees her/him。 My Thoughts:This book is an older YA manga of six short stories that look at the idea of stripping away and finding truth through the reveal。 The longest short story represented on the cover is about Chiaki who has always believed that he should be a boy and be able to go hunting with his dad。 However， her mom's dying wish was to see Chiaki in a wedding dress so she tries to be a good daughter even if she struggles with her body， her breasts and even how the outside world sees her/him。 。。。more
Cole
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The story itself To Strip the Flesh is 5 stars- amazingBut all the other short stories didn't really add anything to it， they were all completely unrelated to the theme of the main story。 They were still good though The story itself To Strip the Flesh is 5 stars- amazingBut all the other short stories didn't really add anything to it， they were all completely unrelated to the theme of the main story。 They were still good though 。。。more
Tania
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Me gustó cómo aprovecha el gusto de Chiaki por la cacería y los cortes de carne para extrapolar su experiencia corporal como hombre trans， así como la relación con su padre。 La plática que tienen sobre qué hace feliz a los hijos tiene gran peso， pues Chiaki vivía atormentado por el deseo de su madre muerta de verlo con una pareja e hijos， lo cual fue apoyado por su padre sin pensar en que la felicidad de Chiaki le corresponde solo a él。Sólo leí el oneshot， no el volumen completo。
Robin
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This is quite unique， I loved the cover design so I really wanted to read it。 Honestly the story is quite straightforward and the cover story is only about half the volume， the rest is various short stories which proceed to get odder and odder。 It’s worth checking out tho， I found the David story particularly entertaining 😂
Cedar Faucette
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I was extremely close to giving this book 5 stars， which if you know me is very rare but I just couldn’t。 The first short story to strip the flesh was immaculate， and definitely deserves 5 stars。 I love how the author shows the experiences of the main character and his perspective。 But all the other short stories in the second half just were not that good and were not that profound like the first one。 Overall I highly recommend reading this book， if only for the first half。
Joseph Whitt
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Excellent selection of short stories。 To Strip the Flesh is obviously the standout， but David in Love and the one with the mom and the son were also really fantastic。 Great art， it’s apparent that they assisted Fujimoto but obviously their art is still their own。 Also some excellent panel layouts and scene transitions in here。 Just in general a great looking book！ The interview at the back of the book between Toda and Motigi is very insightful as well。
Misty Burrows
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I liked this collection！ My favourite was "David in Love"。 I liked this collection！ My favourite was "David in Love"。 。。。more
Neon
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the algorithm must be powerful because they recommended this to me based on what I've read？， and I did indeed read the titular short story last year already。 I'm glad it got an official english release， I will definitely check out the other works in this collection too the algorithm must be powerful because they recommended this to me based on what I've read？， and I did indeed read the titular short story last year already。 I'm glad it got an official english release， I will definitely check out the other works in this collection too 。。。more
brian ♡
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i feel like often times i don’t enjoy short story manga collections as much so this was a breath of fresh air。 i love how unique it was。 “even though i’m a man… am i gonna… am i gonna die as a woman？ without anyone ever thinking of me as a guy？”that line really got me。 i had to take a minute after reading it。
Jake
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Complex。 Different。 Artfully done。 Refreshing to read what I guess you could call “literary manga”。
DK
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I really liked this compilation of manga short stories！ The first story， and the longest in the volume， is about Chiaki， a trans man who has been putting off transitioning because he doesn't want to upset his father。 I found this story to be extremely relatable and thought it captured that tension between feeling repressed by parents and the need to be seen for your true self。 I liked that Chiaki's best friend has been a staunch ally even since learning that Chiaki is trans and does his best to I really liked this compilation of manga short stories！ The first story， and the longest in the volume， is about Chiaki， a trans man who has been putting off transitioning because he doesn't want to upset his father。 I found this story to be extremely relatable and thought it captured that tension between feeling repressed by parents and the need to be seen for your true self。 I liked that Chiaki's best friend has been a staunch ally even since learning that Chiaki is trans and does his best to support him。 All in all， an emotional story with a satisfying ending。 The other stories in the collection were interesting and had a theme of love and the urge to connect with and understand our loved ones。 They range from cute （I Just Love My Fave） to silly and a bit weird （David in Love） to visceral and searing （Hot Watermelon）。 The two page comics were really fun as well！*I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* 。。。more
Smote
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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-pacedPlot- or character-driven？ CharacterStrong character development？ YesLoveable characters？ YesDiverse cast of characters？ N/AFlaws of characters a main focus？ Yes3。75
Ezra Letson
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✨ Free ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review！ ✨'To Strip The Flesh' is an interesting manga collection of short stories， with the title story being the strongest。 It tells the story of a young transgender man in Japan， attempting to postpone his transition until his ill father passes away， so as not to upset his father's ideas and dreams of what his child's life will be like。 His father wants nothing more than for the main character to get married and have a family （as a wom ✨ Free ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review！ ✨'To Strip The Flesh' is an interesting manga collection of short stories， with the title story being the strongest。 It tells the story of a young transgender man in Japan， attempting to postpone his transition until his ill father passes away， so as not to upset his father's ideas and dreams of what his child's life will be like。 His father wants nothing more than for the main character to get married and have a family （as a woman）; his closeted transgender son wants nothing more than to be able to go on hunting trips with his father， but as the man he really is。 Ultimately， he decides to go ahead with his transition， even while his father is still alive。 The story follows the two as the father is able to see how much happier his son is now that he's living life as his true self， and they grow closer than they were before。 I will add that hunting and butchering is portrayed quite a lot in the story， as it's a hobby the father and son share， so if you're not keen on that （though the gore isn't too graphic）， you may want to pass on this one。 I'll also add TWs for gender dysphoria （a main theme in the story） and a couple transphobic comments。 Furthermore， as the story takes place in Japan， there are references to the transition process in that country that may be unfamiliar to readers from elsewhere （required chromosome tests， travelling out of country for surgery， references to 'Gender Identity Disorder'）。 Regardless， I thought this was an interesting read， and it was great to see how much happier the main character became as the manga progressed。The other stories in the collection also have similar themes of love and family bonds， but the title story really overshadows them， in my opinion。 。。。more
Dresden （Effloress）
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It's 1:40am and I'm crying。 3。5 stars。I understand that every trans experience is different， but I *personally* wasn't a fan of how heavily focused this manga was on using medical transitioning as a means to validate the mc as being perceived as a "fully realized" man。 It's 1:40am and I'm crying。 3。5 stars。I understand that every trans experience is different， but I *personally* wasn't a fan of how heavily focused this manga was on using medical transitioning as a means to validate the mc as being perceived as a "fully realized" man。 。。。more
Lex
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I really liked this compilation。 Speaking as a transgender individual， Chiaki's story was something that really resonated with me。 The symbolic imagery was also really solid。 All of the short stories in this compilation are really solid and good works， but To Strip The Flesh and its continuation chapter in this book really meant a lot to see these feelings on the page。 I really liked this compilation。 Speaking as a transgender individual， Chiaki's story was something that really resonated with me。 The symbolic imagery was also really solid。 All of the short stories in this compilation are really solid and good works， but To Strip The Flesh and its continuation chapter in this book really meant a lot to see these feelings on the page。 。。。more
Seo Sys
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oh my god I actually cried so hard to this at first I read it because I was like oh trans manga， gotta read because yk something I find relatable little did I know I was gonna end up sobbing over this one manga for a good 5 minutes because everything was so real？？ Especially the part where Chiaki wakes up and holds a ** to his chest， and cries about how upset he is in his body I was just like wow。 wow。 I didn't expect everything to hit so hard。 Especially with the argument with his dad， and the oh my god I actually cried so hard to this at first I read it because I was like oh trans manga， gotta read because yk something I find relatable little did I know I was gonna end up sobbing over this one manga for a good 5 minutes because everything was so real？？ Especially the part where Chiaki wakes up and holds a ** to his chest， and cries about how upset he is in his body I was just like wow。 wow。 I didn't expect everything to hit so hard。 Especially with the argument with his dad， and the sweet ending really had me in tears （literally not saying this to be funny I was in tears） I'm so glad Chiaki had a friend that understood him。 People like that are so hard to come across， I wish I had a pillar of support like Takatou。 Loved the ending again， especially with the line "This is Ogawa Chiaki， currently looking for a girlfriend。" For pride month I totally recommend reading this！！！！ 。。。more
Terrence
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A short story collection， the first of which focused on someone with GID （Gender Identity Disorder） and them dealing with their parents who sees them as their little girl still。 It treats the subject matter with a lot of respect I think。 I like the messaging that is "find your own happiness， not other's expectations / happiness" but also isn't just a total rejection of the parent's feelings either。 The rest of the collection focuses on different forms of "stripping the flesh"， like living dolls A short story collection， the first of which focused on someone with GID （Gender Identity Disorder） and them dealing with their parents who sees them as their little girl still。 It treats the subject matter with a lot of respect I think。 I like the messaging that is "find your own happiness， not other's expectations / happiness" but also isn't just a total rejection of the parent's feelings either。 The rest of the collection focuses on different forms of "stripping the flesh"， like living dolls / statues and being able to see the mind / feelings of someone else。 Some slight supernatural tones to the latter stories。 I liked the two page shorts at the end too。 Some more traditional romance stuff， some comedy （anthropomorphic comedy too）。 Just fun stuff to finish off the book。Art is well drawn。 Characters all distinct in design and personality。 。。。more
Randi Vengelen
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I enjoyed the first story in this collection and I wish that it been longer。 I think that there could have been more character and relationship development， it felt as though the story ended very abruptly。 I did not realize there would be other stories in this text。 Some of them were fun and interesting， but for the most part they were forgettable。 I think this will appeal to a lot people and I'm glad I was able to read it， but it wasn't something I would necessarily recommend。 I enjoyed the first story in this collection and I wish that it been longer。 I think that there could have been more character and relationship development， it felt as though the story ended very abruptly。 I did not realize there would be other stories in this text。 Some of them were fun and interesting， but for the most part they were forgettable。 I think this will appeal to a lot people and I'm glad I was able to read it， but it wasn't something I would necessarily recommend。 。。。more
Jenna Wine
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ARC received by VIZ media via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 I had higher hopes for this collection， I recently read Boys Run the Riot and was ecstatic that the protagonist was a trans man written by a trans man。 I have read/watched so much manga and anime where trans characters are the butt of the joke so I was excited to see that there was another manga coming out with a trans character as the protagonist。I personally wish that the first story was the entirety of the collection an ARC received by VIZ media via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 I had higher hopes for this collection， I recently read Boys Run the Riot and was ecstatic that the protagonist was a trans man written by a trans man。 I have read/watched so much manga and anime where trans characters are the butt of the joke so I was excited to see that there was another manga coming out with a trans character as the protagonist。I personally wish that the first story was the entirety of the collection and that it was a longer story。 I do think the other stories were cute （although at the same time sometimes horrifying - I’m not so sure about watermelon now） but nothing was as interesting and impactful as the first story。Going in I thought the entire collection would be about transitioning and daily lives of trans folx so that was my mistake going in。Overall， I don’t think I would buy this collection specifically for my library but I am looking forward to seeing more trans representation in manga。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=To Strip the Flesh
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=To Strip the Flesh&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,To Strip the Flesh&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0