[4] The story is narrated by an unnamed psychiatrist as he reflects on the life and loves of Claude, the child of an aristocratic French family in the early 20th century.

Believing that his female body makes him an "imperfect man", and with a final appeal to Sirène having been ignored, Claude falls into despair and commits suicide.

Written and illustrated by Riyoko Ikeda, Claudine was serialized in Shueisha's shōjo manga magazine Weekly Margaret in 1978, with the first part published in the No.

[15][16][17][18] Austin Price of Otaku USA praised Ikeda's artwork as gorgeous and baroque, singling out her "expressive character designs and cinematic panel arrangements.

Lynzee Loveridge of ANN felt that this "forthrightness is unique for a genre that likes to stay in the 'will they or won't they' category so often."

Rebecca Silverman of ANN agreed, stating that "for a manga in 1978 to tackle this subject is impressive in and of itself, because there's not a lot of authors in 2018 who are trying, much less in a thoughtful way.

She added that "it reads a bit old fashioned now, as society moves towards greater awareness and understanding of transgender people, but it’s not stale in the least.

Loveridge of ANN complained that "Claudine indulges in many of the same tragic gay-panic tropes as yuri manga from that time period" where "the only possible ending to a queer romance is one of utmost tragedy.

"[18] Additionally, McNulty and Silverman of ANN thought the story "feels rushed confined to a single volume" and that "it doesn't have the impact of Ikeda's longer works.

"[16] Price of Otaku USA agreed, stating that "there's no time for Ikeda to delve into the premise" or to "develop the historical setting and the ways it might affect the characters", given the manga's short page count.