Draft:Cinzia (graphic novel)

• Comment: the plot is too long, onle review section is properly sourced Cinder painter (talk) 11:43, 24 June 2025 (UTC)

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Cinzia
Date	8 November 2018
Publisher	BAO Publishing
Creative team
Writer	Leo Ortolani
Artist	Leo Ortolani
Original publication
Language	Italian
ISBN	978-88-3273-155-2

Cinzia (Italian pronunciation: [ˈtʃintsja], CHEENTS-yah) is a 2018 dramedy graphic novel by Italian author Leo Ortolani, released via BAO Publishing.

Its protagonist is Cinzia Otherside, originally a character from Ortolani's comic book series Rat-Man; however, the story is set in an alternative continuity and Rat-Man himself does not appear in it.

Genesis

Cinzia Otherside was born as a character for Rat-Man; here, she was introduced as a transsexual girl (formerly a mailman named Paul) who is in love with Rat-Man himself, but is not loved back by him. She will unsuccessfully try to conquer him, until in the end, she will fall in love and marry one of Rat-Man's best friends, a policeman named Brakko.

For the book "Cinzia", Ortolani completely changed the story and setting in order to tell the story, struggles and feelings of a transsexual girl. In the preface to the book, Licia Troisi, a popular Italian author mostly known for her fantasy novels, recalls to have been present when in 2016, Ortolani first said: "And then I'd have a story about Cinzia on my mind".

Summary

Cinzia Otherside is a young transgender woman. One day, she meets a man named Thomas and falls in love with him. She then starts making plans to get to know him, and finally finds the way to do so: she will apply for a job in his same workplace. However, to prevent transphobia-driven rejection, she adopts a masculine look and thus gets to be hired, using her old name "Paul". Cinzia (as Paul) and Thomas become friends, until one day, "Paul" pretends to have a twin sister named Cinzia and introduces her to Thomas. Cinzia and Thomas then go out together and Thomas seems to be falling for her too... In the end, Thomas comes out as actually wanting "Paul", and when the chips are down, Cinzia will have to make an important decision: choosing her love, or the freedom to truly be herself.

Plot

"Love is not measured in centimeters."

Cinzia, opening line

Cinzia Otherside is a young transgender woman looking for her place in the world. Born with the name of "Paul", she adopted the name Cinzia from her grandmother, who suggested her to take hers, if she wished, shortly before she passed away. Cinzia is a very feminine woman, sweet and sometimes naive; ironically, in addition to being born in the wrong body, she has (as the book says) "30 extra centimeters". Cinzia struggles with the issues deriving from her status, including more or less overt judgment, and most importantly, the difficulty of finding love. She lives with her friend Tamara, a fellow trans woman, whom she first met when an LGBT association opened in their city; they go together to the reunions of such association. Despite being intelligent, well-prepared and qualified, Cinzia cannot find a job: when she participates to job interviews, in fact, everything is fine until she is asked to show a document; when she does, the interviewers discover her condition and do not hire her. Tamara, who earns money as a cam girl, suggests Cinzia to do the same but Cinzia firmly refuses, as she prefers to find a normal job; she has a part-time activity as animator in children's parties, where she uses her great ability to model balloons.

In the meantime, Cinzia also tries to pass the much-feared "gender naturalization examination", a [fictional] test which would determine if she is a man or a woman; the examinator is an insensitive female doctor who keeps on deadnaming her even though she insists in reminding her her name is Cinzia.

One day, while in a bar, Cinzia sees a young man and instantly falls in love with him at first sight. She then starts making plans to get to know him, and eventually comes up with one: if she gets to be close to him, she will be able to understand what he likes in a woman, and once found this, she will know what to do in order to conquer him. The best way, she thinks, would be to work in his same place; however, Cinzia knows that she would be most likely not hired. She then decides to change for love: she cuts her hair and presents herself in the workplace with a masculine look, introducing herself by her previous name Paul. She is immediately hired and on the same day, she meets Thomas, the man she loves. Shortly after, however, Cinzia discovers that she has begun working for "Natura e Famiglia" (nature and family), an ultra-conservative organization which sees any different sexual orientation, gender identity and family type as "errors". For the love of Thomas, she decides to stay anyways.

Cinzia (as Paul) and Thomas gradually become very good friends, with Thomas getting on very well with "Paul". Cinzia finds that Thomas is actually engaged to a woman, Melania, who he is about to marry, but keeps on getting to know him. One day, Thomas asks "Paul" to go with him see a sport match, to the joy of Cinzia. The girl has an idea: she will tell Thomas that Paul has a twin sister, and will ask him if he wants to meet her. While at the stadium, as the match atmosphere climaxes, "Paul" finally finds the courage to ask Thomas about it, and he accepts, saying that if his sister is like him, she will surely be a fantastic woman.

As Cinzia comes back home she is super glad, but Tamara brings her back on earth by making her reflect on how will Paul introduce Cinzia to Thomas, since Paul and Cinzia are the same person. Cinzia realizes the paradox and panics, but Tamara calms her down and tells her she has a plan for that: they will go to a classy restaurant, and "Paul" will tell Thomas that he and Cinzia have had an argument and do not want to be together in the same place, so Thomas will meet each one of them separately, on the same night. Even though he finds that "strange", Thomas accepts.

Cinzia starts the evening as Paul and at a certain point, she rushes away and, while Tamara remains with Thomas (gaining time for her), Cinzia goes to the mobile beauty salon of Glorio, a friend of Tamara's, who will give her a complete glow-up makeover. Before starting, Glorio asks how should they make her look, and Cinzia replies: "unique".

Cinzia, now more beautiful than ever, comes back to the restaurant and both Thomas and Tamara are struck by seeing her. Tamara leaves, and Cinzia and Thomas spend the rest of the evening together. They eventually go to another venue, and Cinzia finally gets to seduce him: they are just about to kiss, while an unexpected noise interrupts them. It is enough to break the magic between them: Thomas says she is fantastic, but he is about to marry Melania. Struggling not to cry, Cinzia pretends nonchalance and tells him "I'm sorry for you", then she leaves.

What has happened causes Cinzia to be depressed: on the following day, she is in her room, under her blankets, and refuses to eat or go out. She then has a vision of her grandmother, who – first comically, then with enthusiasm – tries to get her to fight and get out. Cinzia thanks her and eventually gets out of the blankets.

Cinzia decides to resign from "Natura e Famiglia": for the last time, she goes there as Paul and meets Thomas. They go to talk in her office, and Thomas explains "Paul" that the real reason he has not gone further with Cinzia is that he wants him, thus coming out and kissing "Paul". After the kiss, Cinzia decides to reveal everything to Thomas, telling him that Paul and Cinzia are the same person. Thomas looks at her badly and stops answering her, even when Cinzia asks him why he stays in "Natura e Famiglia" if he is like that.

After some time, Tamara and Cinzia go to a reunion of their LGBT association, and Cinzia finds that more and more letters have been added to the acronym ("you have missed some reunions", comments Tamara). Here, Cinzia holds a speech about how beautiful it would be if everyone were just free to love whoever they want, beyond any labels and with no need for them. Despite the discourse being beautiful, deep and passionate, most people in the room laugh at her and criticize her. Deeply deceived, Cinzia tells Tamara she gets out [the organization] and goes away, perceiving they have become way to extremist too, on the other side.

Nevertheless, Cinzia later participates in the pride parade with Tamara: her friend is dressed as a Brazilian carnival dancer, whilst Cinzia as a Village People-esque captain. At a certain point, the parade passes by the headquarter of "Natura e Famiglia", and Cinzia has an idea: as a revolutionary act, she walks into it, "bringing our reality into their world": there she meets Thomas, and they eventually kiss in front of all the organization's staff. Then, Thomas picks Cinzia up and walks away with her in the crowd.

In the ending, Cinzia – whose blonde hair have grown long back – details the further developments of her story: she and Thomas have been together for some time, but then she has decided to break up with him: "he loved Paul", she says, "and I... Well, I'm not Paul". As a last present, she leaves him a condom modelled in an animal shape, as if it were a balloon. Tamara has fulfilled her dream to get new breasts, and Cinzia is now in love again; she does not know if it will work, and is aware that it will probably not be easy, but she will try, putting her heart in it as always and being herself.

In the end, as she gets off from a subway, we see Cinzia in a fully feminine attire that reflects her real being, looking beautiful and finally serene. Speaking directly to the readers, she informs them that she has received the results of the gender determination test: however, she leaves the closed brief on a bin and walks away with a smile, saying she is not interested in those results anymore: "I know who I am... I am Cinzia".

Style and references

The story mixes comedy and drama; Licia Troisi writes in the preface to the book that the story is at the same time "funny" and "moving". As common in his works, Ortolani also makes use of absurd comedy, innuendos and exaggerated situations.

The story presents funny and touching moments, and deep reflexions. It also features a parallele between Cinzia's story and feelings and the biblical universal flood, as well as imaginary dialogues between Cinzia herself and Noah, Sem and most importantly Noah's son Cam, who will "encourage" her to realize the "twin sister" plot at the stadium.

The book also contains musical theater-inspired moments, one of them with the song "Staying Alive" by Bee Gees; when Cinzia first falls in love with Thomas, she hears in her mind the song "A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin; her feelings are so intense that she even "sees" Aretha herself and her backing vocalists performing around her. The song (and associated images) will return later two times, but in the latter, it will feel bittersweet, since it will be heard by Cinzia while passing alone by a boy and a girl in love. In the club where she goes with Thomas (and where they almost kiss), Cinzia asks the piano man to play Joe Cocker, and the musician plays "Up Where We Belong".

Reviews

The book has received generally favorable reviews: Claudia Padalino of Mangaforever talks about an Ortolani «in true state of grace»; Spazio Bianco defined it as «a mature work in all respects, without flaws and in which there is no lack of passages of emotional intensity, laughter and music, but to which the author has added a profound reflection on the relationship between the will to assert oneself and the right to be so, between lived and perceived». This ability to mix comedy and commitment has also been underlined by Lega Nerd, according to whom Ortolani has managed to «condense all the essence of his way of writing, entertaining with the many gags always with a perfect rhythm [...] but striking our sensitivity at every turn of the page». BadTaste, on the other hand, while appreciating the work and the use of the comic and dramatic part, has found excessive space for some gags.