I Didn’t Lull You To Sleep Only For You To Be Obsessed With Me

Can someone tell me what chapter is it the different ways of knowing the true and fake martial arts here?

I'll provide a more comprehensive review later, but this story was an outstanding 10/10 throughout. The pacing was excellent, and the plot was intricate without relying on miscommunication or interpersonal conflicts. It's truly a "soul-soothing" read, Rofan. I'm amazed it hasn't been officially translated or adapted into a webtoon yet; it's that exceptional. Belle Reservoir has recently resumed updates, but you can also access the Korean version via Google Play Books, accompanied by a webpage translator if needed.

The narrative thus far appears genuinely heartwarming. Our protagonist decides to open a café in a smaller town due to financial constraints, where she unexpectedly encounters a cute and neglected child who might be the grumpy male lead's estranged nephew. After a disagreement with their aunt, she takes the child under her wing and cares for him, showcasing her nurturing side.

As fate would have it, the male lead is likely to seek the child at her café, where he'll not only find solace but also discover her extraordinary coffee with a magical touch, capable of curing his insomnia. Her culinary skills seem exceptional, creating both delectable food and beverages.

What stands out in this translation is its fluency, which is a refreshing change from the typical Korean plot translations I've come across. Often, English translations of Korean stories tend to be repetitive and less cohesive, causing me to prefer the original manga. However, this particular translation flows smoothly, leaving me eager to read more without the urge to skip over any part.

Firstly, it's understandable that the translators divided the chapters into sections. The translation is top-notch, and they even incorporate interesting coffee facts, which adds a delightful touch. I'm enjoying the story so far, as it maintains a familiar balance between romance and fantasy elements. The author has taken a unique approach in some aspects, like not resorting to clichéd plotlines.

For instance, a character quitting their job was a straightforward resolution without the typical hero or main lead (ML) rescuing them, which I appreciate. The MC-ML relationship stands out as refreshingly authentic; they haven't shown signs of instant attraction or possessiveness, which keeps things intriguing.

What's impressive is how both the MC and ML exhibit maturity, especially when it comes to their interactions. When the MC initially hesitated to join them, the ML offered to invest in her capital shop rather than resorting to emotional manipulation. Similarly, when he insisted on having the MC at the imperial palace for the child's emotional support, despite his own claims of not needing affection, it showcased his considerate nature.

Overall, I appreciate the理智 and genuine portrayal of the characters, and I hope this balance continues throughout the story. It would be fantastic to see more MLs who prioritize reason and empathy over manipulative tactics.

The storyline stands out with its distinctiveness, seamlessly blending a heartwarming and emotional aspect with a strong, realistic female character who approaches situations with a mature and rational mindset. It's refreshing to witness well-thought-out decisions that reflect an adult's understanding of the world. Unfortunately, I am disappointed by the lack of recent updates. I earnestly hope for more chapters to be added, as I believe many others would appreciate this engaging narrative as much as I have.

Warning: This review is somewhat lengthy and occasionally repetitive.  

I.S. initially caught my attention because, honestly, how many manga out there focus on intersex individuals? As a fan of Hourou Musuko and a few others that explore gender identity and sexual orientation, I was thrilled to discover this one and immediately set out to find it.  

If this were a review solely of the first story, Case 1, I would rate it as follows:  

Story: 9  
It's brief but incredibly heartfelt. Despite the rough translations, I genuinely connected with the protagonist, Hiromi. There were moments that nearly brought me to tears. While character development was limited, Hiromi was developed enough to make the story enjoyable.  

Art: 9  
The artwork remains consistent throughout the series, charming and visually appealing. It’s clean and well-executed.  

Character: 8  
I wished for more depth in the supporting characters, but given it's a one-shot, Hiromi stood out as strong, determined, and believable. His decisions felt logical within the context of his situation.  

Enjoyment: 10  
Isn't it obvious by now that I absolutely adore the Case 1 one-shot?  

Overall: 9  
A nine because of some casual averaging. I appreciate how real-world issues are addressed.  

Moving on to Case 2, it felt somewhat repetitive. Perhaps reading it all at once wasn’t the best idea. The protagonist's repetition made me lose interest, though I stayed engaged due to subtle differences in the protagonist and the greater contrast among those around her.  

Now, onto Case 3, which is the primary focus of this review. Here, our protagonist is Haru. Raised as intersex rather than male or female, and using female pronouns for much of the story while identifying more as male before switching to male pronouns. For the remainder of this review, I'll use male pronouns.  

Story: 6  
The opening was fascinating, offering insight into the parents' perspective. Deciding how to raise an intersex child—whether to force surgery on an infant, let them decide later despite potential social ostracism, considering the child's health and happiness—all these questions are monumental for anyone raising an intersex child. The sections focusing on the parents and young Haru were excellent, fun, and believable.  

However, once Haru reaches high school, the story weakens significantly. Over and over, Haru can't seem to think about anything other than being intersex. Understandably, such concerns weigh heavily if one fears judgment, but almost every page of Case 3 reiterates, "I am intersex. I accept that I am intersex. I must educate about intersex. It's okay to be intersex." Every. Single. Page. It's fine acknowledging your intersexuality; accepting your body and promoting awareness are commendable. Hiromi and the protagonist from Case 2 also educated others. People need that guidance. Still, when every page mentions "I.S." multiple times, it grows tiresome. I appreciated moments where Haru focused on something else, like romantic feelings or interactions with his best friend—they provided refreshing variety.  

When the narrative switches perspectives, it often feels invigorating—unless the new viewpoint fixates solely on Haru's intersexuality, making it redundant. In short, the story stagnated, revisiting the same points endlessly.  

Art: 9  
As previously mentioned, the art is delightful and aesthetically pleasing.  

Character: 7  
Initially, Haru and his family's development were compelling as you witness him growing into what seemed like a resilient character navigating gender identity, puberty, and other challenges. He reflects on his intersexuality during relevant developmental milestones, which works initially. However, this theme drags on excessively, losing impact and becoming monotonous. I found myself eagerly clicking through pages hoping for novelty.  

Miwako deserves mention here. She undergoes significant development in just a few chapters, surpassing Haru's growth across several volumes. Unlike Haru, who always knew he was intersex, Miwako was raised as a girl, unaware of surgeries performed without her knowledge or consent. Upon discovering the truth, she felt betrayed and lost trust in her parents. Her journey from deep depression to acceptance was condensed yet impactful, avoiding the prolonged repetition that plagued Haru's arc.  

Enjoyment: 5  
Repetitive content and constant reminders about accepting intersex individuals (preaching to the choir) dulled my experience. What could have been moving became numbing, leaving me disengaged from characters I once thought might elicit tears. At this point, I continue reading only in hope of something remarkable.  

In summary, Case 1 is excellent, Case 2 is decent, and Case 3 is progressively disappointing. If you enjoy reading the same message repeatedly or appreciate characters whose development stalls until it loses meaning, you'll love Case 3. Otherwise, stick with Case 1, perhaps Case 2, and only approach Case 3 if bored and curious about exemplary parenting examples.  

Oh, and nearly everyone in this manga cries an awful lot—seriously, a LOT.  

Note: If anyone finds my terminology offensive, please message me so I can correct it. I strive to avoid unintentional offense but recognize occasional missteps despite good intentions.

This is going to be a challenging review to write because I have conflicting feelings about this manga.

IS: Otoko demo Onna demo Nai Sei is a manga consisting of three separate stories, the first two being only six chapters each and the last one taking up the majority of the manga. This last story is by far the best and the only one I will discuss in this review. To me, volume 2 (chapter 13) is where the actual story begins, so if you start at the beginning and aren't really feeling it, I'd recommend just skipping volume one as it has no impact on the rest of the story.

So, how is the story? Well, it's fantastic and very engaging. Haru is an excellent protagonist, and you genuinely empathize with him throughout the story. We follow him from birth all the way to early adulthood, and his character development, along with that of many side characters, is so well done that it deserves recognition. The art style is standard shoujo, nothing extraordinary but effective. Character design is decent, which I don't mind as long as they look distinct enough from each other, which they do. The drama is great and almost brought me to tears at times, and the story itself is deeply moving. So why do I have mixed feelings about it?

The pacing. For the first 30-40 chapters, the story moves at a great pace, but then we get stuck in "almost-filler-land" for what feels like forever. Basically, most chapters take place from a single character's viewpoint, and that character is often the main character, Haru. Now, as I said, Haru is great, and there are several other characters who are also great, but at some point, the author decided that every single minor character needed their own chapter, their own issues, their own tragic backstory, and it completely disrupts the flow of the story. You're so invested in it, and then suddenly it feels like half the chapters become unnecessary side-story filler about people you aren't that invested in.

What makes it worse is how formulaic it eventually becomes. I wasn't exactly counting, but it felt like there were at least 15 chapters in this manga that all followed the exact same formula. We get to know some minor character, they have it rough for some reason (boyfriend only wants sex, rough family life, is bullied, can't stand up for themselves, dead mom, etc.), then they meet Haru, are sometimes mean to him at first but he just takes their abuse and then calmly relates their problem to his own, tells some personal story about his life, and then gives a motivational speech which makes them respect him/feel better. Not only does this get extremely repetitive, but it also makes Haru seem really one-dimensional when we know he isn't.

The problem is that these chapters are split up so you don't get them all in a row, and while some of them really could be skipped without missing anything significant, others cannot, so you need to read it all unless you want to risk becoming confused later. For the record, I'm not saying all of these chapters are bad; they just feel like they're interrupting the flow of the story, and all I could think while reading some of them was that I wanted to get back to following Haru and his journey.

Eventually, the story more or less gets back on track and from that point on it's pretty good again all the way to the end, which I liked well enough, although I was kind of hoping for a bit more (that could very well just be my preference though).

Overall, IS: Otoko demo Onna demo Nai Sei is a fantastic manga plagued by some puzzling pacing decisions here and there. If I could judge only the good parts, this would be a 9, but as a whole, it's probably closer to a 7.

That said, when it's good, it's really good, and I'm glad I read it.

I.S. is one of those manga that I truly cherished. Not because it's filled with romance and mushy emotions that drown your sorrows and make you dream of a prince charming someday. That, to me, is utter nonsense. What it does have, though, are genuine heartfelt feelings—soft, tender, and tinged with sorrow. The pain of being different is portrayed vividly in this manga, in various forms. Being 'different' isn't something most people openly desire; many just wish to fit in and be 'normal.' This manga highlights the challenges faced by intersex individuals.

The initial volume begins with a series of short stories, giving insight into the struggles intersex children face while growing up. There are people in the world who don't understand intersexuality or the complexities of raising 'different' or special-needs children. Additionally, there's the burden on parents making life-altering decisions for their children, impacting not only their own lives but also shaping their children's futures and mindsets.

This portrayal is deeply touching. While some aspects may not be entirely factual despite evident research, the manga effectively conveys the hardships experienced by families with intersex children as they mature. This leads us to Haru's storyline and the characters.

The remainder of the manga follows Haru's journey. We witness how Haru's parents choose to raise him and the impact of being intersex on his life. The narrative is profoundly moving and cleverly crafted, weaving romance, love, pain, and suffering into an almost flawless story. The character development in this series is exceptional.

The characters are the backbone of this manga/series. They are compelling and intriguing, drawing you further into the story as you yearn to discover their fates. Whether the intersex children decide to identify as male or female, and how those around them react—be it teasing, cruel, misunderstanding, or kind and friendly—all add layers to the narrative.

The artwork is straightforward and clean, though shading and tone can occasionally appear messy or awkward, which isn't unusual for shoujo manga. The characters are simple yet distinct, and their transformations are visually noticeable, complementing their evolving personalities beyond mere dialogue.

I would recommend this manga to anyone with an open mind and the ability to empathize with the reality that many people are different—not necessarily by choice. This manga was incredibly touching and an extraordinary read.  

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