My Brother's Husband, All Volumes

弟の夫 [Otōto no Otto] #1-4

by Gengoroh Tagame, Anne Ishii (Translator)

Yaichi is a work-at-home suburban dad in contemporary Tokyo; formerly married to Natsuki, father to their young daughter, Kana. Their lives suddenly change with the arrival at their doorstep of a hulking, affable Canadian named Mike Flanagan, who declares himself the widower of Yaichi's estranged gay twin, Ryoji. Mike is on a quest to explore Ryoji's past, and the family reluctantly but dutifully takes him in. What follows is an unprecedented and heartbreaking look at the state of a largely still-closeted Japanese gay culture: how it's been affected by the West, and how the next generation can change the preconceptions about it and prejudices against it.

(Please note: This book is a traditional work of manga, and reads back to front and right to left.)

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, LGBT, Comics, Queer, Fiction, Contemporary

704 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Gengoroh Tagame is a Japanese manga artist who specializes in gay BDSM erotic manga, many of which depict graphic violence. The men he depicts are hypermasculine, and tend to be on the bearish side.

Born into a family descended from samurai, Tagame began his career as a manga artist in 1982, while he was studying graphic design at Tama Art University (多摩美術大学). His works have been published in several Japanese gay magazines, including Sabu, G-men and SM-Z. Since 1986, he has used the pen-name Gengoroh Tagame, and since 1994 Tagame has lived off the profits of his art and writings. In recent years, Tagame has edited a two volume artbook series about the history of gay erotic art in Japan from the 1950s to the present, 日本のゲイ・エロティック・アート (Nihon no gei, erotikku āto, Gay Erotic Art in Japan) volumes 1 and 2.

All his works contain "virile males, or youths, and their apprenticeship of physical and mental submission". Works of his include: Jujitsu Kyoshi at B Product; Emono, Shirogane no Hana (3 vol.) and Pride (3 vol.) at G-Project.

His manga Gunji (軍次) was translated into French in 2005, followed by Arena in 2006 and Goku in 2009. An artbook of his works has also been published in France by H&O Editions. An exhibition of his works was held in France in May 2009. Tagame is openly gay.

Tagame has been called the most influential creator of gay manga in Japan to date, and "the most talented and most famous author of sado-masochistic gay manga". Most of his work first appeared in gay magazines and usually feature sexual abuse. Tagame's depiction of men as muscular and hairy has been cited as a catalyst for a shift in fashion amongst gay men in 1995, away from the clean-shaven and slender bishōnen stereotypes and towards a tendency for masculinity and chubbiness. Tagame's work has been criticised by notable gay manga writer Susumu Hirosegawa as "SM gekijō" (S&M theater) for its violence and lack of complex storylines.

A small amount of Tagame's work has been licensed in English; a short story, "Standing Ovations", was included in the third issue of the erotic comics anthology Thickness, and in July 2012, Picturebox announced a short story collection, The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame, for 2013 release, which will be the first completely bara work published in English in a print format. The book will collect short works spanning 15 years of Tagame's career, including a new story commissioned especially for the book by book designer Chip Kidd.

(notes : everything else can be read on wikipedia)

Reviews

[Larry H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had all the feels for this amazing graphic novel, told in traditional Japanese manga style (read in the opposite direction of traditional books).

Yaichi is a single father, dutifully raising his young daughter Kana. One day, a visitor arrives: Mike, a bearish Canadian man who was the husband of Ryoji, Yaichi’s estranged twin brother. Ryoji had always promised he’d show Mike the area in Japan where he grew up, and although he died, Mike is determined to see those places anyway.

Mike’s arrival stirs up questions and emotions. Kana didn’t even know she had an uncle, much less one who died. And men marrying other men? That doesn’t happen in Japan. Does that really happen in other places?

Yaichi must deal with his unresolved feelings toward his brother and his sexuality. Mike is just so unapologetically open about everything, which is in sharp contrast to Japanese culture, and Yaichi isn’t sure how he feels about the whole “gay thing.” But the longer Mike stays with them, the more Yaichi realizes that HE is the one whose thinking must change, for Kana’s sake, and if he wants to have any sort of relationship with Mike in the future. Plus, he sees things through the openness of Kana's viewpoint.

My Brother's Husband is such a sweet, beautiful story. The book I have has all four volumes in one, but it was an easy read I couldn’t put down. I totally was waiting for melodramatic things to happen but then I remembered that’s not the way things often happen in Japan.

I loved this story of family and love and acceptance!

See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.

Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.

[Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to cry. I need to cry. I need to experience catharsis and my body simply will not allow it. This is probably my favorite scene in the two volumes:

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful realistic story. The actions here speak louder than any rhetoric. An unsure (or even homophobic) person can come to understand what a gay relationship truly is once they meet someone that models the love for their partner without reservation the way Mike has done in here.

Yaichi had unspoken questions about his twin Ryoji while growing up in Japan. Ryoji came out gay in their late teens, to which Yaichi was ambivalent and never really knew how to really react. Then Ryoji went to Canada and married Mike. As these twins grew apart, Yaichi married Natsuki, and had a girl, Kana. Now, Yaichi and Kana live alone after an amicable divorce. And Ryoji died in Canada after a happy decade or so with Mike.

Mike had promised Ryoji that they would come back and visit family in Japan. This story revolves around Mike's three week visit, staying at Yaichi/Kana house. Mike's openness befriends Kana instantly, and even Yaichi's fear to ask questions melts away.

I am so glad that I bought this large multi-volume single book so I could read this entire story. The innocence of Kana (age 9 or 10 maybe) in accepting Mike and then learning the concept of marriage simply as two people in love, gets skeptical-Yaichi to say I'm turning into my daughter prior to half way through this book.

5* and into my all-time-favorites shelf. This belongs on ALL library shelves.

[Dayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goshhhhhh this manga! MY BROTHER’S HUSBAND was so beautiful! I wanted to cry, I laughed, and I felt so much for this family!

This manga is so important. I learned so much about LGBTQ in Japan and also what it could be like for those who need to learn more but have always called themselves not bigoted or ignorant.

The topic of grief is another important one weaved into this story. I wanted to cry so many times when we witnessed these heartbreaking moments of honest emotional pain.

This book was just so darn beautiful and I saw talk of a live action?? YES, PLEASE.

Happy reading!

[fatherofdragons113 · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was the best manga ever. I am SOBBING 😭

[Matty Dub · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily the most wholesome read of 2020 for me, even Yotsuba would have a hard time topping it. It’s such a beautiful story of acceptance and love set in notoriously homophobic Japan, it brought a tear to my eye on more than one occasion.

Really wish we see a left to right edition one day so I can share it with friends without having to hear the “I can’t read right to left “ excuse 🙄🙄

[Amanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute, all the feels! 😍😭😭
Full review at https://amanjareads.com/2023/02/09/my...

[Oriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

It would be tough to overstate how much I loved this gorgeous, touching, wrenching book. What an absolute stunner, oh my god.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh, this manga was such a good one, so wholesome and sweet and I was crying my eyes out by the end (in a good way). Thanks T. for this recommendation, it was a great way to start 2026 !

[Stephanie]

Thanks to Pantheon for the free review copy!

This was great - it’s the story of Mike Flanagan’s trip to Japan to visit the estranged brother of his late husband. Yaichi, Mike’s brother in law, is shocked to see him and uncomfortable having him in their house. Through Yaichi’s daughter Kana, he learns to love Mike, understand his brother, and challenge what he’d always been taught. It’s very much Yaichi’s story of change, but also Mike’s story of discovering his husband’s past.

Loved the sweet relationship between Mike and Kana, the glimpses into Japanese life, and the reflections on what it means to be family.

[Pris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly wholesome and so important! 🖤😍

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this up at the Kinokuniya bookstore in LA after having it in my Amazon shopping cart for years. It's a beautifully written, engaging, page-turner of a story about a straight Japanese man who learns to accept his gay brother (after his death) via a rather unsettling visit from his brother's Canadian widower. The art is well done, the chapters proceed at a quick pace, and the overall narrative comes to a satisfying and meaningful close. I'd certainly recommend this to straight people who wanted to think through their assumptions about their own gay family members. I'm very glad I finally read it and I'm glad this is part of my library.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so wholesome 🥺

[Alexander Almeida · Rating 5 out of 5]

a coisa mais fofa já feita

[ReadingTilTheBreakOfDawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Brother's Husband was my first official manga book(s) and will definitely not be my last.
Thank you to Erica for recommending it.

This was a traditional Japanese manga that had beautiful graphics to go along with such a special story. Mike, the Canadian, was married to Ryoji, brother to Yaichi. Ryoji and Yaichi lost touch over the years, but Mike knew he had to build and repair the bridge between the two of them since he promised Ryoji. When Mike shows up to Japan, Yaichi and his daughter Kana welcome him into his home, but Kana has questions that Yaichi really doesn't have the answers to. My Brother's Husband was an eye opening story of what it's like for the LGBTQ+ community in other countries that are more closed off.

I enjoyed the relationships Mike formed in his short time in Japan. Not only with his extended family, but others that felt like they could open up to him. While I was always waiting for the "other shoe to drop", this wasn't that type of story. It was about family, acceptance and seeing an adult grow and learn from the next generation. The way the young children were open to everything was heartwarming. It just goes to show that children are our future and we must give them all the tools to learn and accept. It was almost like a "coming of age" for the father to grow and realize his past mistakes. It's never too late to do better and be better.

If you're new to manga or even want to open yourself to seeing through a different lens, this book would be a great place to start. It's a book that I want to hold close to my heart and share with others.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet enough series that's more targeted towards families and allies. Very adorable though it's a bit oversimplified. A lot of Japan intrigue, and so many yum-sounding Japanese dishes. I had an impression that Japan was more welcoming of queer people, but now I stand corrected.

I was watching Pachinko in parallel, and that made for an interesting experience. More interesting was actually learning about the author's other works - boy, oh, boy!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge collection, but worth every page. A warm-hearted story about cultural differences, and what it means to be a family. The linework by Tagame is crisp and hews more towards realistic than a lot of manga art, which suits the story. Many of the facial expressions he captures are surprising in their depth and detail. A worthy addition to everyone's library.

[Emelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second read 11-12/1-21: I love it, I love it, I love it!!

First read 16/2-20: So pure and heartbreaking but also so wonderful and cute!

[Francisco Eustáquio · Rating 5 out of 5]

"But what kind of adult says gay people are a bad influence on children? What if the child is gay. What if they want to... come out? If the people closest to them are their first enemies in their new, uncertain life... It's too cruel."


Este mangá é um caldinho para a alma à boa maneira do Hearstopper. 

O autor parte de uma situação dolorosa: a perda de Ryoji, marido do canadiano Mike que acaba por viajar até ao Japão para conhecer o irmão gémeo do falecido marido, Yaichi e a filha Kana.


Numa obra profindamente pedagógica e divertida Gengoroh explora e desconstrói (ao longo de 28 capítulos) todo o tipo de preconceitos associados à homossexualidade na sociedade japonesa (e noutras!) à boa maneira de uma comédiade de costumes.  Ainda aborda a igualdade de género pois é Yaichi que tem a guarda da filha e faz todas as tarefas domésticas.


Adorei as ilustrações. As personagens masculinas são por vezes algo eróticas (banhos, ginásios) mas nunca de mau gosto. A história esta escrita com grande sensibilidade e é muitas vezes a cândida e deslocada Kana que dá voz aos preconceitos ajudando a desmistificá-los.


Apesar das suas 700 páginas é uma leitura rápida e leve capaz de amenizar alguns dos nossos azedumes com o mundo. E chegamos ao fim e pensamos: mas não há mais?

[Cameron Sant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought three comics at the bookstore yesterday, went home, read them all, and this was the winner of the bunch lol.

Really fantastic slice of life series about what happens when a Canadian gay man (Mike) goes to visit his late husband’s brother (Yaichi) in Japan. It deserves the high praise. It’s a bit “how not to be a homophobe 101” but the characterization really sells it, and the self-reflection and growth that Yaichi goes through is quite moving. (And I’m sure many of us could say “The homophobes in our lives could never” lol.) I think what is most moving here is about the subtlety of homophobia and how Yaichi moves from a perspective of “I was fine when my brother came out, I accepted him” to really understanding how he in fact did not accept him, expressed that subtlety, and hurt his brother.

It’s about how the normal intimacy of family can be strained or reluctant when a family member is “other”. I was fascinated with how the intimacy that Yaichi and Mike have builds to true acceptance (where in most series it would be used to build to a romance.)

Also, fantastic writing of the kid. Yaichi’s daughter Kana is the light of the series and she is written with an equal dose of realism and heart.

[Sai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. I think this can serve as a tool for helping people become better allies. 🏳️‍🌈

This is a story about a Japanese man, Yaichi, coming to terms with his brother being queer. His (dead, estranged) brother's Canadian husband, Mike, comes to visit him in Japan, and at first Yaichi is incredibly reserved—he hesitates to get out of the bath in just his underwear because of Mike, for example—but he eventually becomes aware of the stigma and discrimination that people like Mike and his brother experience. Accompanying Yaichi is his daughter, Kana, who has yet to acquire preconceived ideas about gay people, and so the comparison between his and his daughter's thoughts and actions toward Mike when they meet are made more stark.

Everything was done so well, and at no point does it come off as "preachy" to the reader. As such, I think this would be a great read for everyone; even for people who are not part of the LGBTQI community.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book at the start of my vacation and read it in the down time I had in the hotel each night; I couldn’t put it down! It’s very heartwarming and yet bittersweet as well. I was very curious in the difference in attitude towards LGBTQIA people in North America (I’m in the U.S.) and Japan, and I haven’t seen anything tackle this in this way. I could identify with Mike, as I’m bisexual and have dated someone who had family who couldn’t accept them for being LGBTQIA. His character is amazing, all the characters are, really. They all grow and change; it’s a book about challenging one’s own existing beliefs about how the world should be and about how gay people are seen. I highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of if you are involved in the LGBTQIA community or not- everyone has something to gain from reading this.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only two books have ever made me cry - both happy and sad tears - this is the second book. A remarkable story about family and what acceptance looks like around the world. It’s a wonderful read. What took me so long to find this and read it? Heartwarming and heartbreaking and everything in between.

[Gizzard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice manga about a man who lost his husband, going to Japan to meet his husband's brother and niece. The brother processes his feelings about his twin brother being gay while we learn a little about Japan.

[Nora Yıldız · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aldığımda içeriğinin cinsel olabileceğini düşünüp birine veririm diye düşünmüştüm ama içinde cinsel hiç bir şey bulunmaması üstüne hayattan geçmişten insanlardan pişmanlıklardan ders vermesi çok güzeldi ama yazarın diğer kitapları galiba cinsel içerikli olabilir

[Cade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got me cryin at 8:30 in the morning

[Coke Fernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

[Patricia Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, another manga made me cry. Highly recommend.

[Vladimir Martínez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitivamente una muy buena lectura para entender y educarse sobre la comunidad LGBT, una gran historia que muestra múltiples facetas sobre lo que llega a enfrentar una persona homosexual.

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/s7BV77eoPvA

Enjoy!