My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1) By Gengoroh Tagame
Wow i loved this so much and i cried holy shit My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1) 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! My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1)
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. My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1) 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 !! My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1) 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! My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1)
Absolutely adored this! Highly recommend if you're in the mood for a heartwarming manga :) My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1) 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! My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1) 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! My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1) 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! My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1) 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! My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1)
Read My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1)
Ten years ago Yaichi’s twin brother moved to Canada and married a man called Mike. A month ago, he died.
Now Mike has arrived to Japan to meet Yaichi and his daughter Kana. Yaichi has to face his own preconceptions and come to terms about who his brother really was. My Brothers Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto, #1)
