Chồng của em tôi - Tập 1

弟の夫 [Otōto no Otto] #1

by Gengoroh Tagame, Nước Lọc Đá (Translator)

Chồng Của Em Trai Tôi – Thông điệp từ những lá cờ lục sắc

“Đồng tính” chỉ đơn giản là một dạng thức của tình yêu, là điều tưởng chừng rất đỗi bình thường nhưng nhiều người lại xem đó như điều bất thường. Đối với những người chưa hiểu, chưa biết về giới LGBT thì chuyện hai người cùng giới kết hôn với nhau cũng giống như một món ăn mà chưa biết cả mùi vị lẫn cách ăn thế nào.

Trong truyện “Chồng của em tôi” , nhân vật Yaichi cũng phải trải qua những cảm xúc như thế khi người bạn đời của em trai mình đột ngột xuất hiện. Dưới nét vẽ và cách dẫn dắt của tác giả Gengoroh Tagame, những băn khoăn, trăn trở ấy lại càng được khắc họa rõ nét hơn.

Yaichi là một ông bố đơn thân, sống cùng cô con gái nhỏ Kana. Bỗng một ngày, có một người đàn ông đến từ Canada tới gặp Yaichi và tự xưng là Mike, chồng của Ryoji (người em trai song sinh của Yaichi). Ryoji đã rời Nhật Bản đến Canada sinh sống và kết hôn với Mike, nhưng không may anh đã qua đời. Sau đó, Mike quyết định đến Nhật, đến nơi mà Ryoji đã từng sống để tìm hiểu về quá khứ của người bạn đời. Cũng nhờ chuyến viếng thăm đột ngột này, Yaichi cũng hiểu hơn về cuộc sống của em trai mình nơi xứ người, và cũng phần nào bớt định kiến hơn về giới LGBT.

Một bên là những suy nghĩ, định kiến đã ăn sâu vào trong nhận thức; một bên là tình cảm gia đình, mong muốn tiếp nhận và nỗ lực tìm hiểu. Hai cán cân ấy đã khiến Yaichi luôn phải đấu tranh, trăn trở. Anh cũng muốn hiểu hơn về em trai mình, hiểu hơn về một cộng đồng mà anh còn chưa biết gì cả, nhưng ở trong một nền văn hóa còn chưa cởi mở với đồng tính như Nhật Bản, thì còn vô vàn những khó khăn, trở ngại và e ngại.

“Chồng của em tôi” là câu chuyện rất ý nghĩa và cảm động về cộng đồng LGBT. Những vấn đề mà người đồng tính gặp phải được lồng ghép trong những trang truyện, nhẹ nhàng, không cố gồng lên giải quyết hay áp đặt. Từng chi tiết được đưa ra một cách tự nhiên qua cách nhìn, cảm nhận của những nhân vật trong truyện. Qua đó không chỉ truyền đi những thông điệp về LGBT mà còn cả những thông điệp ấm áp về tình cảm gia đình.

“Chồng của em tôi” , bộ truyện tranh nhận Giải xuất sắc ở hạng mục manga tại Liên hoan Nghệ thuật truyền thông Nhật Bản lần thứ 19, được chuyển thể thành phim và được dịch sang nhiều thứ tiếng nay đã đến với các bạn độc giả Việt Nam.

Skycomics hy vọng có thể giúp các bạn phần nào hiểu hơn về cộng đồng LGBT cũng như truyền tải được những thông điệp ý nghĩa về tình yêu đồng tính, tình cảm gia đình qua những trang truyện tràn đầy ấm áp và cảm động.

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

182 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2019

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

[Jaidee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 "funny, affirming, sweet" stars !!!


I read this to celebrate Pride Month and since I am a very wild person (NOT) I always try something new for this special time. I am a No longer a Manga virgin !!

First the illustrations are absolutely vivid and beautiful and it was a joy to flip these pages and follow along. Mike, a white Canadian visits Japan after his Japanese husband dies to visit his brother-in-law and niece. All the characters are adorable as they try to grapple with their new relationships, cultural differences and deal with their grief. This is suitable for those 13 plus.

I especially loved how inclusive and affirming this was. I am not sure Manga is something I will heavily get into but this was a promising and lovely start !!

[mina reads™️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow i loved this so much and i cried holy shit

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I loved this first volume of a manga series about Yaichi, divorced father of Kana, formerly married to Netsuki, and twin brother of Ryoji, who was gay. Ryoji died a month ago, in Canada, where he was married to Mike Flanagan, who arrives at Yaichi's doorstep to see the Japan Ryoji had always talked about, and to visit his brother-in-law and niece! Not that this is initially easy, since Ryoji and Yaichi were estranged when Ryoji left Japan ten years ago. He reluctantly allows Mike to stay at their house.

Mike, grieving, needs to make connections with Ryoji's world. Yaichi needs to make connections to Ryoji's world, too! Some highlights: The fact that Ryoji and Yaichi are identical twins makes for one especially heart-breaking moment. A gay kid in the neighborhood sees Mike and recognizes someone older he can come out to. Netsuki and Yaichi seem to get along okay for divorced parents; that's nice to see.

But the central highlight is Kana, who is the grease that makes the social engine begin to move ahead. She's a really great kid! The easy relationship that develops between the big beefy Mike and Kana is wonderful.

This manga has completely won me over. While on some level it is sort of predictable, I found it very sweet and moving. I read it just now in one sitting and couldn't wait to tell you about it! Read it!

[Lois Bujold · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was talking with a fellow anime-manga fan friend about the unlikely if eye-able way female manga artists portray gay guys for their primarily female audience, and wondered if actual gay guys would draw it differently; this was recced as a good basic example of the art-style differences, the story-line also dubbed "Gay 101 for straight folks", which turned out to be a fair evaluation. A Japanese man gets a visit from the Canadian widower of his late twin brother. Much learning follows on both sides. A gentle slice-of-life story, complete in two volumes.

Ta, L.

[Julie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, you know how supposedly there aren't any gay people in Russia?

Well, apparently there aren't too many in Japan, either.

But, somehow, a Japanese man named Ryoji becomes gay, despite the country's impeccable heterosexual record (was it contaminated green tea that did it?), and he flees to North America, the continent of the gays.

There he meets a hairy Canadian named Mike Flanagan, falls in love, gets married, then, unfortunately, dies too young.

The grief-stricken Canadian husband then travels to Japan to meet Ryoji's twin brother, Yaichi, presumably to reminisce over their shared love of Ryoji. . . but he is greeted with resistance and intolerance instead.

I will leave you with that cliffhanger and a sentence which I have never written or uttered before in my life: Wow, it turns out, I really like gay manga!

Why? Because gay manga, or at least this gay manga, features illustrations of male characters who look like Christopher Reeve as Superman and Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn. The other manga I've read so far has been illustrated by heterosexual males, all of whom seem to want to sketch women as heroine-addicted kewpie dolls who can't manage to keep their breasts in their blouses.

Honestly, the frequent appearance of the errant nipple has been the biggest setback for me in this genre, so if some gay men are willing to step up and illustrate women as normal looking and men as Viggo Mortensen looking, then, heck, meet your newest lover of manga!

[CG. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a great start to a manga series. Cute, light-hearted, and it still managed to deal with a lot of the deeper societal issues tons of people face.
Needless to say I'm a fan! And definitely interested in reading the future volumes!

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I'm a Japan fanatic."

Well, this is us being subtle.

It feels so good revisiting one of my all-time favourite manga series!

Mike is just so patient and accepting.
I would say Yaichi (twin brother of Ryoji, who passed away recently) is a bit of a jerk, being a homophobe here in the beginning.

I love the innocent character of Kana (Yaichi's daughter.)

And I cried so much again.

(Save some for the rest of the series, emo me 😭)

I love the manga style starting from the artstyle to the story and every character involved.

Definitely one of my all-time favorites!

All the feels!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adored this! Highly recommend if you're in the mood for a heartwarming manga :)

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was every bit as warm and fun as I expected. Yaichi is a single father trying to raise his young daughter, Kana, while working from home. One day, a large, friendly, bearded Canadian, Mike Flanagan, shows up on their doorstep. He is the husband of the recently deceased Ryoji, who was Yaichi's estranged twin brother. Mike is looking to explore Ryoji's past. Kana falls madly for "Uncle Mike," and Yaichi begins to confront his unexamined prejudices about gay men and come to terms with his brother's death.

Tonally, this book reminded me of With the Light. Both manga seek to educate by demystifying people different from the traditional norm (autistic children in With the Light, LGBTQ+ folks in My Brother's Husband.) Both series show people being accepting and welcoming, with any fear or suspicion being quickly overcome. This is, perhaps, more easily achieved in fiction than in real life. Depends on the people one meets, I suppose.

Mike Flanagan is an easy character to like, kind, friendly, outgoing. I like that he's Canadian. In my experiences with manga and anime, Westerners are often from the USA. It's nice to see another English-speaking country get a nod for a change.

This book is endearing and heartwarming, just a huge bundle of fun. Recommended!

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so good and heartbreaking! I think the "the straight guy has to come to terms with his own homophobia" narrative has a lot of potential to feel forced and kind of...wrong, but it was so well done here and we have to keep in mind this isn't primarily written for a western audience so our filters shouldn't necessarily always apply to all kinds of stories, and specifically not to this one.

I can't wait to read more and I would definitely recommend!

[h o l l i s · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected. It feels a little stiff and one-dimensional right now. Hoping volume two is better.

[Shawn Mooney (Shawn Breathes Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving story about a gay Japanese man, recently deceased, his straight twin brother who’d never accepted his homosexuality, and his Canadian widower of a hunky husband. Were the story not set in Japan I would have found it overly sentimental and wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much; however, this is exactly the kind of story that Japan needs.

[R.B. Lemberg]

So I am a queer person in same-sex marriage, and both of us are immigrants from fairly homophobic cultures (I'm from Ukraine and Russia, spouse is Hungarian). My spouseperson got this book from the library. It was sweet, but I felt it was aimed more at heterosexual people like the protagonist Yaichi, who is on a journey of finding out that gay people are not so horrible after all. I would have liked to learn about the gay person Mike (and his late partner), and perhaps that's still in the upcoming volumes, but I felt there was not much of him shown beyond him being The Model Nice Gay Uncle. Not rating because I did not feel that I was this book's target audience, but it was nicely drawn and a quick read.

[MaDoReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

(No es BL, aviso a navegantes)
Me ha gustado mucho, te hace reflexionar sobre muchas cosas, pero sobre todo sobre como aunque no se hable de algo, no significa que no exista.

[disco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! What a great Manga - this was influential in the best way.

[Tomasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zaczyna się przyjemnie, ma spory walor edukacyjny. Trochę niepotrzebnych scen i ujęć, ale chętnie przeczytam resztę. 3.5

[Bánh Ít Nhân Thịt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5🌈 . Một bộ manga nhẹ nhàng, cảm động. Fan của thể loại slice of life nên đọc thử bộ này.
Một điểm hay của bộ truyện là tác giả cân bằng rất tốt yếu tố vui - buồn (nhưng với mình thì bộ này buồn nhiều hơn). Những chủ đề về người đồng tính trong truyện dù không quá mới mẻ, đột phá nhưng được trình bày rất sâu lắng, nhẹ nhàng và mang tính giáo dục.

Mà mình thấy mọi người hơi underestimate bộ này nhỉ. Thường mình thấy các review sẽ recommend bộ này cho học sinh cấp 1, 2.
Đúng là bộ này được viết cho cả người lớn và trẻ em đọc, tuy nhiên mình vẫn thấy tác giả gài gắm vào những vấn đề rất sâu sắc và yêu cầu người đọc phải tinh ý nhận ra những hint đó.

Ví dụ chương cuối tên là "Cảm ơn" và có nhắc đến việc Mike đã bước vào cuộc sống của 2 cha con, làm đảo lộn mọi thứ theo hướng tích cực. Trở lại mấy chương đầu có chi tiết về Yaichi là một người kẹt lại trong quá khứ (thừa kế nên ko phải ra xh bươn chải), kẹt trong vòng lặp. Qua đó tác giả muốn nói về việc ta nên cảm ơn những người đã đi qua đời ta, dù chỉ thoáng qua nhưng họ đã khuấy động thế giới quan của mình, làm mình thoát khỏi vòng lặp tẻ nhạt của cuộc sống.


Hay là chi tiết về văn hoá Á Đông, lúc mới nhìn vào thì thấy rất tuyệt do chúng ta không hay đánh đập bạo lực người đồng tính, nhưng chúng ta lại thích chơi trò "giả bộ" và "làm thinh" - nghĩa là khi người thân come out, chúng ta né tránh không bao giờ nói về việc đó (taboo), giả bộ như chưa có chuyện gì xảy ra, nhưng từ đó lại âm thầm đối xử với người đó như một người xa lạ. Tác giả chỉ ra rằng nét văn hoá này cũng rất toxic.
Hay là chi tiết về hiện tượng dị tính hoá hôn nhân đồng tính, hoặc phân đoạn Mike đi ăn nhà hàng với bạn thân cũ của chồng mình sau đó về nhà.
Hay là chi tiết tác giả cho thấy chúng ta đang hiểu sai về từ "come out" và cách hiểu sai đó ảnh hưởng gì đến việc nhận thức bản ngã của mỗi người. Hay chi tiết về "homosexual people are more than just their sexuality" (ko biết dịch câu này sao). Và còn rất nhiều chi tiết nhỏ nhặt khác nữa, nếu không để ý thì sẽ không thấy hết dụng ý.

Nói chung thì bộ này cũng không phải là quá phức tạp, vĩ mô, nhưng mình nghĩ trẻ em cấp 1,2 đọc sẽ không thể hiểu được hết các theme được cài cắm vào trong này. Mình vẫn recommend bộ này cho những độc giả lớn tuổi hơn.

[Mika · Rating 4 out of 5]

À milles lieux des autres travaux du mangaka, ce premier volume est très agréable... et surtout moins léger qu'il n'y paraît. Les bases et les thèmes sont posés, particulièrement celui de la vision de l'homosexualité dans un Japon encore très conservateur. Super hâte de lire le second tome.

[Ray Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tras la muerte de su esposo Ryoji, el canadiense Mike decide viajar hasta Japón y conocer los lugares que su pareja frecuentaba siendo joven. Allí conoce a su sobrina Kana y a su cuñado Yaichi, quién era el hermano gemelo de Ryoji.

El Marido de mi Hermano tiene un estilo más inclinado al bara por lo que no es el típico dibujo japonés y es, hasta cierto grado, mucho más realista. La historia me ha parecido de lo más enternecedora pues Mike es un hombre corpulento cuya personalidad no podría ser más preciosa. Él es lo que me gusta llamar un oso y es que es de esas personas que son sumamente amables y que siempre se preocupan por otros. De hecho, la relación que se forma entre él y su sobrina es enternecedora hasta la médula.

Es increíble cómo los niños son mucho más fáciles de educar que los adultos pues al pertenecer a la comunidad LGBTQ+ me queda claro que todavía existen muchos tabúes que romper y aunque poco a poco hemos ido avanzando, no cabe duda que el rechazo y la discriminación son el pan de cada día para todos nosotros.

Afortunadamente este tipo de historias sirven para entretener al mismo tiempo de informar y hacernos ver que el que una pareja homosexual contraiga matrimonio, no la hace menos importante, ni tampoco la exenta de todas las peculiaridades que se viven en compromiso.

Confío en que Yaichi, pese a mostrarse un poco hostil con su cuñado Mike al inicio, logre ver que el hombre no tiene malas intenciones sino todo lo contrario. Se nota a leguas que amó intensamente a Ryoji y quizá convivir con Kana y con él sea una forma de recuperar un poco de lo que fue su esposo.

En fin, ¡no puedo esperar a leer el siguiente volumen! Presiento que esta historia va ser parte de mis favoritas de este año.

[justmiaslife · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jetzt schon eins meiner absoluten Jahreshighlights!

[Peter Derk · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good: The drawing is really great. The characters have good weight to them, and the figures are realistic (although idealized) without losing their cartoon-y charm. The dudes are straight-up hunky, to use an outdated term. The one guy, Mike, is the spitting image of the men painted on the side of a bear bar I used to walk by from time to time. This is totally the "male gaze" as applied to dudes. Crotch shots, semi-nudity, and all of it dudes. There is one woman in the book, and the drawings of her are not sexy at all, or at least a lot less sexy than the drawings of the dudes. If you've ever wondered how you would react if men were depicted in comics the way women are, give this one a shot. It's also an interesting piece to bring up in the discussion of sleazy depictions of characters in comics and loving, but still erotic depictions of characters in comics. There's a difference, and it's well-expressed here, even if it's hard to quantify in words. It's like...you can draw nude or semi-nude figures that feel less salacious than fully-clothed people, but it's hard to nail down exactly how this works.

I think I'm also putting in The Good the fact that we get to see how being gay is received in Japan, which is a bit different than the states. Gay marriage is not currently legal, and from this book and a bit of internetting, it would seem that there's a bit less openness about being gay.

Some readers would probably put this in the bad category, but I think...I think it's okay to depict a character struggling with the fact that his brother was gay. I think a lot of the characters in a situation like this are depicted as either total cultural heroes or complete social monsters. The character, in this case, is a good father, a good cook, a very nice and polite person, and he's a tad homophobic, or maybe just very inexperienced in a way. He's middleground. It's hard to describe what I mean here, but what I'm getting at is that this is a character type that feels more like a real character than a cipher created to make a point, and that makes for good reading. Plus, he can change, and seeing a character change in a two-steps-forward, one-step-back kind of way is more interesting than seeing someone who's perfect out of the box, and I'd say that seeing a character make a positive change sends a better message than watching a perfect character be perfect.

The Bad: I think the translation wasn't great. Some of the interjections and callouts were weird, and the way speech was broken up between linked speech balloons was pretty nonsensical at times. I think the translation was accurate, but there were places where the dialogue sounded really stilted, or was laid out oddly. It was kind of a bummer.

Overall: I mean, it's a doubleshot of cultural awareness. You've got a message about gay people being, well, people, and you've also got a message in there about the ways in which different cultures adopt things at different speeds or with different enthusiasm. On that front, A+.

As far as comics go, great drawings, translation could have used some work. B.

As far as unrealistic depictions of dad bods, A+. By which I mean the dad bods were ripped, so they did a good job of depicting them unrealistically. So maybe that means I'm supposed to give them an F? I dunno.

[Bine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eigentlich 4,5, aber weil der Manga mich auf einmal sehr doll berührt hat, runde ich gerne auf.
Eine süße Geschichte über eine ungewöhnliche Familie, die sehr behutsam an das Thema Tod und Homosexualität heranführt. Teilweise war es mir etwas zu belehrend. Als würde das Erzieherische die Story strukturieren. Das wirkte teilweise unnatürlich. Dann aber gab es einige sehr bewegende und schöne Szenen. Eine hat mich sehr zum Weinen gebracht (und ich habe um ein Haar vergessen, an meiner Haltestelle auszusteigen). Auch die Bildsprache ist oft mega toll! Der Zeichenstil gefällt mir mal mehr, mal weniger. Außerdem ist der Manga ein wahrer Pageturner. Ich liebe Mike und auch die Tochter ist nicht halb so nervig wie die meisten Kinder in jeglicher Form von Literatur. Dieser Band endet mit einem furchtbaren Cliffhanger, also gibt es keinen Zweifel darüber, dass ich den nächsten Band auch noch lese. Hiermit war ich sowieso viel zu schnell fertig.

[kailey 💫 · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so cute and heartwarming! i absolutely adored it and can’t wait to read the second volume.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly loved this beautiful manga book from the famous Gengoroh Tagame. From what I've read, this is his first foray into G-rated content. My Brother's Husband is a sweet and simple story of a Canadian man who visits his late husband's brother and niece in Japan. Fell in love with Mike, Yaichi, and Kana. Can't wait to read Volume 2.

[Malex · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Book Z Tobą · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute slice-of-life story that I enjoyed, and would like to read more of, but which is very direct in its messages. Some of this could be due to the translation and/or the social climate of Japan (where gay marriage is not legal) versus somewhere like the US (in which there is controversy, but in which sexuality isn't really a taboo topic). The super cute little girl, Kana, is used by the author to ask blunt questions of her visiting Uncle Mike about what it's like to be gay, so that the author can answer them in a non-threatening way. For example, "Who's the missus and who's the mister?" (The answer to this was, "We're both men, so I'm your uncle's husband, and he is my husband.") There are other gender equality messages such as, "The job of 'papa' sounds like a wonderful job."

The art was fine, but not spectacular, though I did enjoy the chapter pages of food and Kana in different cute outfits. Overall, a quick, sweet read.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tagame is more well known for his gay erotica, but My Brother's Husband has him branching out into slice-of-life with nary a sexualised naked dude in sight. It's a story about Yaichi, father to Kana, when Mike, the husband of Yaichi's recently deceased twin comes to visit. Yaichi and his twin grew apart when they were teens, after the brother announced that he was gay. Yaichi never really thought about this until Mike ends up on his doorstop after travelling all the way from Canada. Now Yaichi has to come to grips with his homophobia and how he wants to change.

My Brother's Husband is a very quiet manga. It's mostly a few people talking to each other about everyday things, with a lot of internal debates on the part of Yaichi. It's a powerful story about homophobia in Japan and about how we can hurt people even unintentionally. Very much looking forward to volume 2!

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read a ton of manga but this one looked great and had good reviews. I enjoyed the sweet story - with the thread of melancholy and grief that ran throughout. This manga taught me interesting aspects of Japanese culture that I really hadn't realized or thought about before. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know straight-laced but generally open-minded Yaichi-san, Canadian muscle bear Mike, and Yaichi's daughter Kana. Looking forward to reading volume 2!

[Zaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very pleasant manga, with nice characters. I found interesting that the focus was on gay relationships, from the points of view of people not accustomed to them (and narrow minded for the father, on a cultural level). The little girl added a dynamic and sweet touch to the read, the father was gentle even if worried, and the Canadian uncle was really friendly. The art was simple but worked for the story, so I wasn't bothered by it. I'm looking forward to read the next volume.