History Manga / Maomarimo

* ContrivedCoincidence: The festival and the arrival of the letter just happen to coincide on Ako and Mao's 16th birthday. Though it's reasonable to assume that the ceremony was specifically scheduled for Ako's birthday since offering the maiden as a sacrifice on her 16th birthday is the whole point of the ceremony.

* SecondLawOfGenderBending: Played with. Mao appears to have accepted her GenderBender, it's Ako and Jiu who continue to object. Ako because she's wracked with guilt and Jiu because he thinks it's a travesty that no one appears interested in curing his best friend. However, Mao's inner monologue reveals that she's not as complacent as she appears, just trying to make the best of things.

* SmokingIsCool: Inverted. Jiu seems to think so, but Mao mocks him by constantly reminding him that it just makes him look like a kid who wants to look cool, especially since he doesn't inhale.

* ThirdLawOfGenderBending: Mao pretty much jumps into girlhood with both feet, and the whole village seems willing to oblige because they want to protect everyone involved from public embarrassment. Even Ako is torn on this point. She wants Mao to go to Tokyo for medical treatment (and presumably a cure) but is afraid of what the inevitable publicity would do Mao.

* MarilynManeuver: Mao takes advantage of the additional ventilation allowed by a skirt, which thoroughly creeps Ako out.

Like most rural Japanese villages, Tamano celebrates an annual festival in honor of its own own local deity, the ''Marimo'' (seaweed ball) guardian spirit. But unlike most such communities, the Marimo festival actually includes a VirginSacrifice. Nothing bloody or horrific, mind: It's a purely symbolic sacrifice that involves dressing a local maiden in ceremonial robes and making her spend the night in a boat out on the lake. No muss, no fuss, no blood, and so far, no casualties.

* DifferentForGirls: inherent in the premise. Unusually, it's primarily focussed on how different is is for ''everyone else'' (mostly Akoya) now that Mao is a girl.

* MarilynManeuver: Mao takes advantage of the additional ventilation allowed by a skirt, which thoroughly creeps Ako out. Ako's also angry because it forces her to give Mao a lesson in proper feminine deportment when she doesn't want Mao to be a girl at all.

Unfortunately, this year there's a problem. This year's sacrificial maiden, Akoya Nota's (Ako to her friends) is prone to seasickness and hates boats. So her beloved twin brother Mao decides he'll go in her stead and protect his more outgoing sister just as Ako has always protected him. Mao dons the robes and boards the boat while Ako is distracted. They may not look anything alike but they're about the same size and in the robes and the dark who's to know? Well, apparently the God knows, because there's a loud booming sound followed by a dense fog, and when boat drifts back to shore the next morning Mao's been turned into a girl!

Unfortunately, this year there's a problem. This year's sacrificial maiden, Akoya Nota's (Ako to her friends) is prone to seasickness and hates boats. So her beloved twin brother Mao decides he'll go in her stead and protect his more outgoing sister just as Ako has always protected him. So he dons the robes and boards the boat while Ako is distracted. They may not look anything alike but in the robes and the dark who's to know? Well, apparently the God knows, because there's a loud booming sound followed by a dense fog, and when boat drifts back to shore the next morning Mao's been turned into a girl!

Unfortunately, this year there's a problem. This year the festival's on Akoya Nota's (Ako to her friends) sixteenth birthday, making her the sacrificial maiden. Unfortunately, Ako is prone to seasickness and hates boats. So her beloved twin brother Mao decides he'll go in her place and protect his more outgoing, tomboyish sister just as Ako has always protected him. So he dons the robes and boards the boat in her stead while Ako is distracted. They may not look anything alike but in the robes and the dark who's to know? Well, apparently the God knows, because there's a loud booming sound followed by a dense fog, and when boat drifts back to shore the next morning Mao's been turned into a girl!

Like most rural Japanese villages, Tamanajou celebrates an annual festival in honor of its own own local deity, the ''Marimo'' (seaweed ball) guardian spirit. But unlike most such communities, the Marimo festival actually includes a VirginSacrifice. Nothing bloody or horrific, mind: It's a purely symbolic sacrifice that involves dressing a local maiden in ceremonial robes and making her spend the night in a boat out on the lake. No muss, no fuss, no blood, and so far, no casualties.

* NoImportForYou: Hasn't been licensed and probably won't be, since it doesn't plow any new ground

* SmokingIsCool: Inverted. Jiu seems to think so, but Mao mocks him by constantly reminding him that it just makes him look like a kid who wants to look cool, especiall since he doesn't inhale.

* ContrivedCoincidence: The festival and the arrival of the letter just happen to coincide an Ako and Mao's 16th birthday. Though it's reasonable to assume that the ceremony was specifically scheduled for Ako's birthday since offering the maiden as a sacrifice on her 16th birthday is the whole point of the ceremony.

* UnfortunateImplications: Plays to the stereotype that an effeminate boy like Mao would be better off as a girl, played with (slightly) in that his best friend and sister don't agree.

* ContrivedCoincidence: The festival and the arrival of the letter just happen to coincide an Ako and Mao's 16th birthday. Though it's reasonable to assume that the ceremony was specifically scheduled for Ako's birthday since offering the maiden sacrifice on her 16th birthday is the whole point of the festival.

Like most rural Japanese villages, Akoya's village celebrates an annual festival in honor of its own own local deity, the ''Marimo'' (seaweed ball) guardian spirit. But unlike most such communities, the Marimo festival actually includes a VirginSacrifice. Nothing bloody or horrific, mind: It's a purely symbolic sacrifice that involves dressing a local maiden in ceremonial robes and making her spend the night in a boat out on the lake. No muss, no fuss, no blood, and so far, no casualties.

Unfortunately, this year there's a problem. This year the festival's on Akoya's (Ako to her friends) sixteenth birthday, making her the sacrificial maiden. Unfortunately, Ako is prone to seasickness and hates boats. So her beloved twin brother Mao decides he'll go in her place and protect his more outgoing, tomboyish sister just as Ako has always protected him. So he dons the robes and boards the boat in her stead while Ako is distracted. They may not look anything alike but in the robes and the dark who's to know? Well, apparently the God knows, because there's a loud booming sound followed by a dense fog, and when boat drifts back to shore the next morning Mao's been turned into a girl!

* DecoyProtagonist: Despite the title, the story so far has been more about Ako and Jiu's reaction toao's change.

* FollowTheLeader: can you say Kashimashi?
* TheIngenue: both Mao and her eldest sister Saku

* OutnumberedSibling: Mao has three elder sisters (Ako is the elder twin) perhaps explaining why he's not so put out by becoming a girl. Perhaps he was tired of feeling left out.

* SecondLawOfGenderBending: Played with. Mao appears to have accepted her GenderBender as the god's will, it's Ako and Jiu who continue to object. Ako because she's wracked with guilt and Jiu because he thinks it's a travesty that no one appears interested in curing his best friend. However, Mao's inner thoughts reveals that she's not as accepting as she appears, just trying to make the best of things.
* ThirdLawOfGenderBending: Mao pretty much jumps into girlhood with both feet, and the whole village seems willing to oblige because they want to protect Mao and themselves from public embarrassment. Even Ako, who wants Mao to get medical treatment, is torn on this point, afraid of what the inevitable publicity would do Mao.

* Unfortunate Implications

* DecoyProtagonist: Despite the title, the story so far has mostly been about Ako

* MarilynManeuver: Mao is intrigued by the additional ''ventilation'' allowed by a skirt, which thoroughly creeps Ako out. It also angers Ako because she's forced to tell Mao to act like a proper girl when she doesn't want her to be a girl at all.

* NotBloodSiblings: Mao and the girls, though Mao doesn't know and her sisters only found out on the night of the festival after Mao boarded the boat.

* DangerousSixteenthBirthday: The festival takes place on Ako and Mao's 16th birthday. Ako's father's letter confirms that Ako and Mao do share a birthday even if they really aren't twins.

* NotBloodSiblings: Mao and the girls, though Mao doesn't know and his sisters only found out on the night of the festival.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Ako and Mao. Just another thing that makes Ako uncomfortable, because Mao seems determined to become as girly as possible as soon as possible because she thinks it will help her get used to the change

* WideEyedIdealist: Mao again. How much of this is

Unfortunately, this year there's a problem. This year the festival's on Akoya's (Ako to her friends) sixteenth birthday, making her the sacrificial maiden. Unfortunately, Ako is prone to seasickness and hates boats. So her beloved twin brother Mao decides he'll go in her place and protect his more outgoing, tomboyish sister just as Ako has always protected him. So he dons the robes and boards the boat in her stead before she can. They may not look anything alike but in the robes and the dark who's to know? Well, apparently the God knows, because there's a loud booming sound followed by a dense fog, and when boat drifts back to shore the next morning Mao's been turned into a girl!

* BrotherSisterIncest: Ako's interest in Mao wasn't entirely healthy, but it apparently wasn't reciprocated either, as Mao has no clue.

* ThirdLawOfGenderBending: Mao pretty much jumps into girlhood with both feet, and the whole village seems willing to oblige because they want to protect Mao and themselves from further embarrassment. Even Ako, who wants Mao to get medical treatment, is afraid of what the inevitable publicity would do Mao.

* SecondLawOfGenderBending: A rare aversion. Mao appears to have accepted her GenderBender, It's Ako and Jiu who continue to object. Ako because she's wracked with guilt over it and Jiu because he thinks it's a travesty that no one appears interested in curing his best friend.

* VirginSacrifice: The village elder speculates that perhaps the true, original form of the "maiden sacrifice" may have been a boy ''becoming'' a maiden in order to sacrifice his manhood to the god. You have to admit a sex change is a bigger sacrifice than a boat ride.
* WideEyedIdealist: Mao again

* AngstWhatAngst: Mao takes her transformation a lot better than can be reasonably expected, and much better than Ako. Either the transformation was more than physical or she she was already transgendered.