# The Gender of Mona Lisa
**The Gender of Mona Lisa** (*Seibetsu "Mona Lisa" no Kimi e.*; 性別「モナリザ」の君へ。), also published in English as **Just Like Mona Lisa**, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsumuji Yoshimura. The story is set in a world where people are born without a biological sex and choose to undergo male or female puberty at age twelve, completing the change by fourteen; its protagonist, Hinase, is still undecided on the verge of turning eighteen.[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747629/the-gender-of-mona-lisa-001-by-tsumuji-yoshimura/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 性別「モナリザ」の君へ。 (*Seibetsu "Mona Lisa" no Kimi e.*) |
| Premise | People are genderless until age 12, when their body changes toward the gender they wish to become; the transition completes by 14[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747629/the-gender-of-mona-lisa-001-by-tsumuji-yoshimura/) |
| Demographic | Seinen; drama, psychological, romance, school life, slice of life[2](https://www.manga-passion.de/editions/1298/the-gender-of-mona-lisa) |
| English print | Square Enix Manga & Books, titled Just Like Mona Lisa, from July 16, 2024; 10 volumes[3](https://squareenixmangaandbooks.square-enix-games.com/en-us/product/9781646092772) |
## Premise and story
In the series' world, a person is born genderless, and on reaching twelve years of age their body begins to change toward the gender they wish to become; by fourteen the transition is complete.[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747629/the-gender-of-mona-lisa-001-by-tsumuji-yoshimura/) Hinase, a high school senior about to turn eighteen, is still undecided, living contentedly without a gender well past the age when everyone else has chosen.[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747629/the-gender-of-mona-lisa-001-by-tsumuji-yoshimura/) • [3](https://squareenixmangaandbooks.square-enix-games.com/en-us/product/9781646092772)
The romance that drives the plot begins when both of Hinase's childhood friends confess their feelings on the same day: the bubbly girl Ritsu and the thoughtful boy Shiori pull Hinase in opposite directions.[3](https://squareenixmangaandbooks.square-enix-games.com/en-us/product/9781646092772) As high school nears its end, Hinase faces the linked questions of whom they love and what gender they will become; later volumes raise this as the question of whether choosing a romantic partner should define someone's sense of self.[4](https://squareenixmangaandbooks.square-enix-games.com/en-us/product/9781646093328) The story poses the question directly in its later framing: what is the nature of gender?[5](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/769460/just-like-mona-lisa-08-by-tsumuji-yoshimura/)
A supporting storyline follows Nao, whose study abroad in France and a photograph of a genderless person carry part of the mystery; Shiori is determined to uncover that person's identity, even confronting his own brother to do so.[4](https://squareenixmangaandbooks.square-enix-games.com/en-us/product/9781646093328)
## Publication history
**English and other editions.** The series is published in English digitally under the title The Gender of Mona Lisa through Comikey and [Square Enix](https://www.edgepedia.org/square-enix)'s Manga UP! Global app, in numbered chapters released from 2023.[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747629/the-gender-of-mona-lisa-001-by-tsumuji-yoshimura/) At its [Anime Expo](https://www.edgepedia.org/anime-expo) 2023 panel, Square Enix Manga & Books announced a print edition under the new title Just Like Mona Lisa, beginning in July 2024; volume 1 went on sale July 16, 2024, as a 192-page trade paperback rated Older Teen, in genres Romance, School Life, and LGBTQIA+.[3](https://squareenixmangaandbooks.square-enix-games.com/en-us/product/9781646092772) Subsequent print volumes have followed on a schedule running through volume 10, announced for May 19, 2026.[6](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/769462/just-like-mona-lisa-10-by-tsumuji-yoshimura/) A German edition, from the publisher's Hayabusa line, is complete at ten volumes in a 12.5 x 18.0 cm softcover format.[2](https://www.manga-passion.de/editions/1298/the-gender-of-mona-lisa)
## Ending and later volumes
The main story concludes with volume 8, and it does not depict which gender Hinase chooses; volumes 9 and 10 instead present both possibilities.[7](https://mangaplaza.com/review/0303007816/) In the volume 10 future, Hinase becomes a man: he thrives as a school nurse helping children navigate gender, while navigating relationships with Ritsu and Shiori and the misgivings that come with each path.[8](https://squareenixmangaandbooks.square-enix-games.com/en-us/product/9781646093366) Japanese reader reviews collected on MangaPlaza give the title an overall rating of 4.8 from 71 global ratings, with 76% five-star and 24% four-star reviews.[7](https://mangaplaza.com/review/0303007816/)
## Genre position and themes
The series is classified as seinen manga, aimed at an older male readership, with the genre tags drama, psychological, romance, school life, and slice of life.[2](https://www.manga-passion.de/editions/1298/the-gender-of-mona-lisa) Its premise departs from standard romance and school-life setups by making gender itself, rather than a fixed set of characters, the variable the plot turns on: Hinase's choice affects not only a love triangle but the body Hinase will live in as an adult.[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747629/the-gender-of-mona-lisa-001-by-tsumuji-yoshimura/) • [3](https://squareenixmangaandbooks.square-enix-games.com/en-us/product/9781646092772) The book's title points at the [Mona Lisa](https://www.edgepedia.org/mona-lisa), a painting long surrounded by speculation about the model's identity, and the German edition's own synopsis leans on that reputation, asking whether [Leonardo da Vinci](https://www.edgepedia.org/leonardo-da-vinci)'s model "really was a woman" and noting the legend that the painting unites both genders.[2](https://www.manga-passion.de/editions/1298/the-gender-of-mona-lisa)
## References
1. [The Gender of Mona Lisa #001 by Tsumuji Yoshimura, Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747629/the-gender-of-mona-lisa-001-by-tsumuji-yoshimura/)
2. [The Gender of Mona Lisa, Manga Passion](https://www.manga-passion.de/editions/1298/the-gender-of-mona-lisa)
3. [Just Like Mona Lisa, Volume 1, Square Enix Manga & Books](https://squareenixmangaandbooks.square-enix-games.com/en-us/product/9781646092772)
4. [Just Like Mona Lisa, Volume 6, Square Enix Manga & Books](https://squareenixmangaandbooks.square-enix-games.com/en-us/product/9781646093328)
5. [Just Like Mona Lisa 08, Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/769460/just-like-mona-lisa-08-by-tsumuji-yoshimura/)
6. [Just Like Mona Lisa 10, Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/769462/just-like-mona-lisa-10-by-tsumuji-yoshimura/)
7. [The Gender of Mona Lisa Manga Reviews, MangaPlaza](https://mangaplaza.com/review/0303007816/)
8. [Just Like Mona Lisa, Volume 10, Square Enix Manga & Books](https://squareenixmangaandbooks.square-enix-games.com/en-us/product/9781646093366)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Graphic, illustrated, and Asian-format fiction › Graphic novels › Graphic novels by nationality and language*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license