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My Brother's Husband

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My Brother's Husband
The cover of the first volume of My Brother's Husband
弟の夫
(Otōto no Otto)
GenreDrama
Manga
Written byGengoroh Tagame
Published byFutabasha
English publisher
MagazineMonthly Action
DemographicSeinen
Original runNovember 2014 – May 2017
Volumes4

My Brother's Husband (Japanese: 弟の夫, Hepburn: Otōto no Otto) is a manga series by Gengoroh Tagame, serialized by Futabasha in the magazine Monthly Action from November 2014 to May 2017. The series was released in English in two-in-one omnibus editions by the American publisher Pantheon Books.[1] The series follows the relationship between stay-at-home father Yaichi, his daughter Kana, and Canadian Mike Flanagan, who married Yaichi's estranged and recently deceased twin brother Ryōji. The manga deals with issues of homophobia and cultural differences. It is also noted for being a change in Tagame's usual work, as previously he predominately wrote homoerotic bara manga.[2] Tagame has said that the theme of the manga is about family relationships.[3]

Plot

Yaichi (弥一) is a stay-at-home single father, who lives with his daughter Kana (夏菜). Yaichi is visited by Mike Flanagan (マイク・フラナガン Maiku Furanagan), a Canadian who married Yaichi's estranged twin brother Ryōji (涼二), who has recently died. Mike has traveled to Japan in order to pay his respects to Yaichi and his family. At first, Yaichi is not interested because of Mike's homosexuality, but during his stay Yaichi begins to confront his old attitudes.[1][2]

Release

The manga was serialized in Futabasha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Action starting in November 2014. It is licensed in North America by Pantheon Books,[1] which published the first two volumes in an omnibus edition on May 2, 2017.[4] The manga has also been licensed in France by Delcourt under its Akata label.[5]

Reception

A photo of Gengoroh Tagame
Gengoroh Tagame, author of My Brother's Husband.

James Yeh of Vice commented on how the series deals with the issue of gay marriage, which in Japan is illegal, and wrote that Tagame's artwork, writing and muscular male characters make My Brother's Husband "a beautiful, stirring, and deeply human work".[6]

Charles Pulliam-Moore, writing for io9, commented on how the manga deals with homophobia in modern-day Japan, saying that, "My Brother's Husband gently alludes to the sort of small, everyday aspects of homophobia that ultimately drove Yaichi's brother to leave" and that: "The message the Tagame's trying to get across—that quiet, subtle bigotry can be just as harmful as loud, bombastic bigotry—isn't always an easy one to process. Tagame understands that and hopefully, as the rest of the book unfolds, readers will too."[2]

Rebecca Silverman praised the series in Anime News Network, giving it an A− grade, claiming: "My Brother's Husband is an honest, quietly emotional look at how prejudices and preconceptions can hurt not only the people we're biased against, but also ourselves. Both heartbreaking and heartwarming, this first volume is well worth reading, and Tagame's solid, clean artwork with attention to details like body hair that we don't often see in mainstream manga, help to ground the story in reality. It's the kind of book that you can devour in one sitting but wish that you didn't – not only because there's so much to think about, but also because it's good enough that you don't actually want it to end." However, Silverman criticised the length of time it takes for Mike to develop as a character, and some issues with the artwork.[7]

Ian Wolf gave the series 10 out of 10 in MyM, commenting positively on how the manga manages to confront homophobia, and how it stands out from most LGBT-themed manga released in the English, which are normally yaoi series depicting bishōnen.[8]

The French edition has been reviewed by a prominent gay magazine, Têtu, which regarded Tagame's foray into gay rights positively.[9]

My Brother's Husband received an Excellence Prize at the 19th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2015.[5] In December 2016, the French edition of the manga was nominated for the "Best Comic" at the 44th annual Angoulême International Comics Festival.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Pantheon to Publish Gengoroh Tagame's My Brother's Husband Manga". Anime News Network. September 19, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Pullman-Moore, Charles (May 1, 2017). "In Gengoroh Tagame's My Brother's Husband, Love, Loss, and Regret Become Something Beautiful". io9. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  3. ^ "Openly Gay Manga Creator Gengoroh Tagame Talks Breaking Barriers with My Brother's Husband". The B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  4. ^ "My Brother's Husband, Volume 1". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Annonce: Le mari de mon frère". Akata (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  6. ^ Yeh, James (May 1, 2017). "Coming Out to My Twin Brother Ruined Our Relationship". Vice. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  7. ^ Silverman, Rebecca (May 17, 2017). "My Brother's Husband: GN 1". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  8. ^ Wolf, Ian (June 9, 2017). "My Brother's Husband, Volume 1". MyM. Daventry: MCM Expo Group.
  9. ^ "TÊTU | "Le mari de mon frère", un manga gay grand public". TÊTU. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  10. ^ "Inuyashiki, Sunny, My Brother's Husband, Chiisakobee Nominated For Angoulême's Top Prize". Anime News Network. December 18, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  11. ^ "Sélection Officielle 2017" (in French). Retrieved May 7, 2017.
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