Okay. I sat on my thoughts for this manga for a couple days because I wanted to be absolutely clear, to myself, in a review. Boy meets Maria is about two characters Taiga and Maria/Arima who are part of drama club. Taiga dreams of being a hero and to do so, he thinks joining drama club will help him do so. Near the beginning of school, Taiga comes across the dance club doing a performance becomes infatuated with their star fill in Maria. Only, Maria is not all she seems and is actually? maybe? Arima a male presenting classmate. Instead of being thrown off by that, Taiga's crush persists and he resolves to show Maria/Arima that he is worthy of being by their side. 

First, I want to mention that this book is marketed to the wrong audience. Everything about the cover and description of this book seems like it's a lighthearted, meet cute, teen romance, but that's very, *very* wrong. There are some serious, frankly triggering, scenes all throughout this manga. I normally don't care for marking triggers, because I feel like people should do their research before going into a book, but I am here to say right now: This book has some explicit scenes that deal with gender confusion, child abuse, child sexual assault, and an overall lack of consent on many levels. Please be aware of this before reading this manga. I do not believe the publisher has done enough to warn its readers about the content of this book.

As for my review. I have been thinking about this book since I put it down a week ago. In many ways, I respect this manga for giving such nuanced characters and conflicts. I did not enjoy the experience of reading <i>Boy Meets Maria</i>, but I can appreciate some of the elements it presents. Arima/Maria has been traumatized by the past. I am actually unsure what pronouns to use when referring to the character, because the character themself does not know. And that's one of the central conflicts of the book. Arima/Maria is figuring things out. They are not succeeding in a healthy manner and it's incredibly painful to experience with them. I, myself, cannot speak on how gender dysphoria feels, so I can't speak to how accurate this portrayal is. Arima/Maria does terrible things because they are hurting and don't know how to get help. Does it excuse how terrible those things were? No. But I appreciate that the author wrote such a complex character. 

Taiga's mother died when he was young. He's lost faith in his father and feels a consuming loneliness that he hides from his everyday friends. His desire to become a famous actor so he can become a hero in people's eyes stems from the fact that he desperately wants a hero for himself. Against the complexity of Arima/Maria's character Taiga might seem simple to figure out, but his character growth is immense throughout the manga volume. 

In regards to certain scenes, I will mark the following part of the review as spoilers. All the triggers mentioned before apply to this part of the review.

There are a couple scenes in this manga that I personally had trouble reading. First, Arima/Maria exposes themselves to Taiga at the beginning of the manga. This is played off afterwards as something that isn't serious, but Arima/Maria committed an act of sexual assault here. Though this scene does add to their character, it was still uncomfortable to read and then see the immediate reactions afterward. 

Second, there is an explicit scene of child rape in this manga. It is graphic. It is violent. It is painful and uncomfortable to read. I, ultimately, do not feel that the manga gains anything from just how graphic this scene is. Maybe this is where my opinion will differ from others, but I do not believe it was necessary to show the actual rape happening to prove that it happened to Arima/Maria. It felt like a step too far into torture porn rather than showing that an incredibly scary, painful, traumatic event was occuring. Perhaps how graphic the rape was and showing it was the important part of the story, but I can't say I agree.

I appreciate <i>Boy Meets Maria</i> for being brave enough to show life and trauma being how it is: messy, complicated, heart-wrenching, and layered. It think it's important sometimes to read books that make you physically and mentally uncomfortable. This manga just went a little too far for me. Normally I don't write reviews this long, but I thought it would be important in this case. 

<i>Boy Meets Maria</i> 3/5 stars

This was equal parts light hearted and devastating!! Please look up trigger warning prior to readings because the story moves fast and the unwarranted content just happens!!! There were parts that literally had me laughing aloud and other bits that’s gave me heart palpitations. I’m not sure what was discussed was explored as best as it could be. I almost feel that it was wrapped up in a bow without ever actually talking about the trauma of their childhoods.