Tomoko suspects that her elder son, Hiroki, is gay. He hasn't told her outright, but he's also not the best at hiding things, and by the time of this manga, his first year in high school, she's all but certain. And you know what? She's okay with that, because he's her son and she loves him. The end. The heartfelt stuff is really good - Hiroki’s dad travels for work and the way he means well but completely throws off the family dynamic and can’t read the room when he is there is a nice contrast to everything Tomoko does. There’s also a satisfying ending to this volume that shows she had to learn to be the ally she’s become. In July 2020, Square Enix announced they would also be publishing the series in English. [5] Volume list [ edit ] No. Hiroki is arguably less important to all this than Tomoko, though he gets a couple of good moments. Mostly he’s just a typical teenager, though gay, and it doesn’t translate into anything interesting in the storytelling. He plays video games and hangs with his friends like everybody else, but I can do that on my own time too so this book needs a bit more oomph. Blue Flag, by mangaka KAITO, seems like a generic love triangle at first glance. Taichi has always felt inferior to his popular friend Touma, and thus keeps his distance as they approach their senior year. Then, a quiet girl named Futaba admits her love for Touma and asks Taichi for his help in winning Touma over. Taichi avoids Futaba at first, but the two soon become closer. However, a surprising twist threatens their blossoming romance, and Taichi realizes he definitely doesn't know Touma as much as he thought he did.

Sarah (May 27, 2021). "I Think Our Son Is Gay Volume 1 Review". Anime UK News . Retrieved July 12, 2021.Okura launched the manga on the Gangan pixiv service in August 2019. The manga's third compiled book volume shipped in Japan in November 2020. Square Enix Manga & Books shipped the first volume on May 11. As a slice of life manga, ‘I Think Our Son is Gay’ is an upbeat and humorous chronicle of the awkward stage between adolescence and adulthood, but the values explored in the series go beyond its feel-good storyline. Touching on topics ranging from asexuality to being forced out of the closet, the manga also provides the opportunity for cis-identifying readers to learn about how to be better allies to LGBT friends and family members. This one hit me right in heart. Okura's manga series is equal parts sweetness and poignancy as we follow a mother of two Tomoko as she aims to support her elder son, 15-year-old Hiroki. Hiroki is a sturdy, affable kid who wears his emotions right on his face. He's easy to read and becomes flustered whenever the subject of romance up around his mom. He isn't fooling anybody when it comes to matters of the heart, but Hiroki isn't ready to come out to his family that he's gay. So his mother waits in the wings while quietly supporting him in hopes that he'll feel comfortable and they'll be able to talk about his current crush and other matters openly. This volume is also notable because DAIGO gets a chapter from his perspective. It doesn't answer the question of whether or not he's aware that Hiroki likes him romantically, nor does it reveal if he reciprocates. But what it does show us is that Hiroki is an important person to DAIGO and that he wasn't sure how having a girlfriend would affect their friendship. If anything, he was willing to continue to put his friendship with Hiroki first, but Hiroki himself quashed that idea. The whole thing implies that this close friendship may not be forever, because the boys could want very different things from each other. But that bittersweetness is part of growing up, and it's good to see that DAIGO, too, is grappling with it.

For our son who's likely gay and hiding it it may still be difficult to talk about "anything with his family". I just want him to know that his mom, his dad and his little brother all care him about very much." Now, Hiroki is throwing himself into his afterschool activities with bestie Daigo despite nursing a potential broken heart, and he’s even found a new hobby: Dancing!It is a rather lighthearted story of an accepting and loving family and the eldest son trying to keep his secret while coming to terms with his own sexuality and developing first crushes. Loveridge, Lynzee (May 14, 2021). "I Think Our Son Is Gay Volume 1 Review". Anime News Network . Retrieved July 12, 2021. To this end, she discusses things with Mr. Tono, her gay coworker (without actually saying why she's asking). Tono is an interesting character because he's the only out character in the series so far, making him the de facto reassurance for Tomoko that things will be okay for her son. But he also shows her how unthinkingly cruel the world can be. Tomoko watches uncomfortably as coworkers treat Tono like a character rather than a person, assuming things about him based solely on media stereotypes rather than who he is as a human being. Although Tomoko rarely says anything to them, we can see her registering each microaggression and careless assumption, and how those affect her thinking and worldview. For example, when a TV program runs a segment that attempts to “test” someone's heterosexuality as a joke, Tomoko is forced to realize that she might have found it funny before. But now it just makes her think about how unfunny that “joke” is and how hurtful it could be. Her first concern is always for her son's comfort and well-being, which is, incidentally, a significant aspect of positive allyship. I imagine that there is more drama on the horizon, which may sell the story for people who don't care for slice-of-life manga, because Dad has a lot of unlearning to do. But for me the draw here is the simple fact that Tomoko supports her son and loves him, letting him know in a thousand little ways that he can tell her whatever, whenever. I'll take that gentle, loving reassurance over any number of dramatic stories.

Although Yuki takes a much lesser role in the series, this volume continues the hints that he isn't all that into romance. When Asumi's mother and other neighborhood women crow that if he's gone to the movies with a girl she must be a girlfriend, Tomoko feels uneasy. She knows that Yuki is not interested in dating, and she cannot quite pinpoint why she feels uncomfortable with the other women's assumptions. It may not be gearing up to say that Yuki is aromantic and/or asexual, but the fact that Tomoko's discomfort is included is important because it recognizes that there is no timeline for when or if someone becomes interested in dating. The crucial thing is to let people be themselves at their own pace, and the brief inclusion of Yuki's life helps to show that. It's also important that Yuki himself raises the possibility of no longer going to the movies with people to avoid the type of speculation he has been subjected to. As always, I Think Our Son Is Gay points out problematic elements of social expectations with a light touch, making them all the more resonant. The manga doesn't completely refrain from discussing LGBTQ+ issues, but all are approached with the same kind of feeling as having a heart-to-heart with a trusted adult. Hiroki's dad is ignorant to the fact his son is gay and fortunately he works away from home for long periods, so we're not subjected to his ignorance often. Tomoko broaches her husband's casual homophobia about gay affection by suggesting he watch the BL drama all his female coworkers are talking about. She also maneuvers around Hiroki's still closeted status to discuss his desire to hold hands in public and gauge his concerns about judgment. She also considers the possibility of his future heartbreak if his crush were to reject him.

Reviews

What's It About? 15-year-old Hiroki is gay and his mom, Tomoko, knows it. He hasn't come out to her, but her observations (and the fact that Hiroki wears his heart on his sleeve) has made it apparent to her. Tomoko quietly attempts to support her son, whether it be about his crush on a male classmate, or trying to get through her casually homophobic husband. Tomoko is Hiroki's #1 fan, and she's dedicated herself to supporting him emotionally until he's comfortable enough to tell her his feelings himself. As you could probably guess from the title, the story is centred on a mother who has a growing feeling that her eldest son, Hiroki, could be gay. As Hiroki enters his first year of high school, homemaker Tomoko notices small clues that suggest her son has more interest in boys than girls. Rather than jumping to her own conclusions or questioning Hiroki directly, however, she resolves to give him the space to discover his identity in his own time and contemplates the best ways to support him. Love Me For Who I Am's art makes it seem like a moe manga, but the manga actually delves into some serious subjects. Love Me For Who I Am, by Kata Konayama, starts with one of the main characters, Tetsu Iwaoka, inviting his loner classmate Mogumo to work for his family's maid cafe. The maid cafe caters to a specific niche, employing only "girly boys." However, Mogumo tells Tetsu that he shouldn't assume someone's gender because of their presentation. Mogumo is actually nonbinary and causes the cast to reflect on their assumptions about gender.