Mimoza no Kokuhaku
The Mimosa Confessions

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I find it important to preface this review by stating that I personally am not a part of the LGBTQ community, although I am very supportive and have the privilege of being friends with many people who are in the community, including some who have transitioned. I say all this to make it clear that while I thoroughly loved The Mimosa Confessions and believe it is a profoundly mature, yet realistic (for a high school setting) approach to such a heavy topic, I cannot personally relate to the struggles felt by Ushio, and as such my review may have less merit than that of ... someone who has gone through similar identity struggles themselves. Please keep this in mind as you read the rest of this review.

The Mimosa Confessions is yet another masterwork by The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes author Mei Hachimoku, this time attempting to tackle the heavy subject matter of what it is like to be transgender, and what it is like to transition, all within the confines of a small, rural town (Tsubakioka) that is more close-minded than the big cities. The work centers around Ushio Tsukinoki, the transgender girl in question, along with her lifelong best friend, Sakuma Kamiki, and their bubbly classmate, Natsuki Hoshihara. Together, they attempt to help Ushio through this new chapter in her life while managing the reactions of their fellow classmates. And believe me, there are quite a wide variety of reactions; this work does NOT shy away from showing the ugly side of what people face when transitioning, including ostricization, bullying (verbal AND physical harassment), and even family fallout. But it also makes clear that this hatred simply the minority voice, and that in the end love and compassion, friendship, and the importance of being true to yourself prevails.

With all that said, this work is not a depressing, melodramatic work. While there are, of course, serious moments sprinkled throughout all of the volumes (more in some than others), this is also a light, enjoyable read with plenty of upbeat moments; scenes of normal high school life, romantic moments between characters, and even some pretty solid humor mixed in. Mei Hachimoku has a beautiful way of writing that strings all of these seemingly disparate themes with ease, while also dragging you into the world of the novel and making you really empathize with the characters and their struggles on a deeply personal level.

Speaking of the characters, they are truly where this work shines. They are all written extremely well, in a realistic manner relative to the role they are designed to play (and realistic to how I'd expect a high schooler to act), and most of them play their role perfectly without feeling underutilized or overstaying their welcome. Ushio is a phenomenal character, written in such a mature yet so vulnerable way that it is almost picture-perfect to what I would expect in reality for someone who's taken such a massive step in their life. The other leads, while not getting as much characterization, are still well fleshed out and fulfill their roles eithout feeling like basic character tropes (even if Sakuma does get self depreciating a bit too often; admittedly, that IS pretty accurate for a high schooler). Even side characters are utilized fairly well throughout, maintaining a healthy presence throughout while playing at least one important role across the span of the five volumes Good characters are a MUST for drama-heavy works like this, especially one where the emotions of characters are laid so bare to see due to the intense personal nature of the issues at hand, and I am glad to say it fully stuck the landing for me.

The romance aspects are also quite well executed. I wasn't sure exactly where the story would go at first, as there were a few possibilities depending on how the author wanted to handle it, but it soon became pretty clear what they were aiming for. I was admittedly unsure if the story would be successful in making it satisfying, especially in just five volumes, but I'm pleased to say thay it did so and then some. Everything feels earned. It does suffer from some rushing towards the end by virtue of skipping the entire senior year, but I still find everything around it sufficient for it to have felt believable and well-earned.

Some more general notes on the books: Mei Hachimoku has a beautiful way of writing thay doesn't shy away from breaking up the more standard format. There are instances of non-linear storytelling, changes in speaker/POV, along with a hearty dose of foreshadowing for events that get paid off at the perfect moments. The artwork is also fantastic. I will admit that I initially found the black and white illustrations to be a bit simple, but they quickly grew on me. They have this almost sketch-like feel at times that is very cozy, and drags you right into the story. And the cover illustrations are all beautiful as well, unsurprisingly.



Final thoughts/TLDR: The Mimosa Confessions is, simply put, a beautiful work. It manages to put forward a compelling story about a complicated, deep subject in a way that even someone unknowledgable about it can resonate with and enjoy, while also delivering a very satisfactory conclusion, if not a bit rushed. I do wish more things could've been expanded on or revisited, but what we got still told a complete story that was both enjoyable and believable, which is the most important part. The characters are what make this world shine. They are written so intricately and with such care, it's almost impossible to not emotionally connect with them, and I will be remembering them fondly for many months to come.

Overall Ranking: 9/10

"What would you do if your best guy friend came to school dressed like a girl one day?"
-Mei Hachimoku

Ushio Tsukinoki is a boy who one day chooses to live as a girl. Naturally, she is not accepted by society, and the story is initially set on her struggles against societal prejudice she is confronted with. If I were to compare this to a book, To Kill a Mockingbird springs to mind.
However, there is much more to it: the book tackles tricky topics such as LGBT, gender dysphoria, infidelity/polygamy (what would you do if you found out your friend is dating 4 partners at once, with ... consent of each partner?) and questions them in light of contemporary societal norms, with funny twists and turns here and there to ease up the tension.

As for the characters, the main heroine Ushio turns into a girl and is supported by her two best friends, Sakuma Kamiki and Natsuki Hoshihara with each friend in love with the other (love triangle) along with your classic bully Arisa Nishizono who doesn't accept Ushio no matter what, backed by actual sound arguments.

Hachimoku juggles each of the three main characters well, allowing enough but not too much development, leading to an equal amount of "page time" to make a well-tuned orchestra.

I want to especially stress how Hachimoku portrays the main heroine Ushio in a thorough yet delicate manner was handled very well, especially due to the novelty and sensitivity of the topics addressed. Hats off.

What I also enjoyed was not the characters being the emotional driving force, but rather the circumstances the characters find themselves in being the main emotional generator, (i.e. a lot of plot convenience) as is often the case in light novels/animanga culture. What I mean is something is always happening, some (unexpected) event is always driving the plot forwards.

As for readability, the English is very easy to understand, and Hachimoku deliberately avoids certain words to make the book more accessible. Plus, a lot of tropes were used which made it a fun read (at least in the English version).

Last but not least, words do not do justice to KUKKA's illustrations. They're simply awe-inspiring.

This is a story about a boy that decides to live as a girl and the struggle and prejudice that follows it.

The Mimosa Confessions is a light novel that first piqued my curiosity not only because of its premise but the fact that it ended up being a relatively short series (the last and fifth volume will be published the month I write this review).

A story about a transgender heroine is a peculiar and uncommon one, and its a delicate matter to broach, but rest assured that the author, Hachimoku Mei, handled the matter with the utmost care and respect. He also did a pretty ... good job of making it painful, bitter, sometimes lighthearted and funny, but always compelling to read. That's the most important thing to me.

I have to make one thing very clear: Hachimoku Mei's writing is pretty damn good. Its my first time reading his work, and it left so good of a impression on me that I will definitely read his other books. His writing really struck its chord with me on a personal level. Not only because of how he handled stuff in general, but stories with rural settings always enthrall me, but its useless if the author's writing is poor. Fortunately, that isn't the case here.

The Mimosa Confessions takes place in a "backwater country town" (this is exactly how it is described in the book) and this setting is portrayed majestically thanks to the author's writing, it's as if it teleports you to this place you've never been or seen, as you follow the characters day-to-day and struggles. I always see writing as some form of magic, certain people have this ability to create a world, characters and drama so human and real you care for this so much that you feel a whirlpool of emotions while you read the book. That's a sign of a good author, and most importantly, of a good story.

In regard to the characters, I loved how the author tried to rationalize their thoughts and way of seeing life, as a contentious book handling certain topics, obviously you will have lots of prejudice present there, and characters with strong opinions, but I think the author did a good job of giving some kind of logic to their actions and thinking, even if you as a reader will see it as wrong and hate them. The author stated in the afterword that he hoped this book would provide some food for thought, and after reading it, I can see why.

To sum things up, even if you don't find the premise appealing at all, I would say to give it a try if you like drama with well-characterized characters and a good prose. Don't dwell too much on the transgender bit, of course it is the main theme of the story, its interesting and well-handled, but the most important thing is that its just a damn engaging read.