The Spring 2021 Manga Guide

I Think Our Son Is Gay

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.

I Think Our Son Is Gay is drawn and scripted by Okura and Square Enix Manga & Books has released its first volume both digitally and in print for $8.99 and $12.99

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

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.

So yeah, there perhaps isn't all that much to this volume at first glance. It isn't deep or exploring anything all that astounding, and it might best be called “gentle.” But that's what makes it so good – creator Okura doesn't appear to be writing this to make a point or to change the world in any dramatic way. Instead it's simply about acceptance and how one mom genuinely wants the best for her child. (And, perhaps, about how bad said child is at hiding things from her.) It's light on the conflict, but that's frankly something of a relief, because so many books for and about LGBTQIA+ people focus so closely on the difficulties of being queer or the way it makes someone “different” or “Other,” much in the same way that many of them make a character's coming out the central point of the story. That's all important and should be discussed, but having a story that's more about the way that Hiroki's mom and brother still love him and how he's no different from other boys his age is a welcome change to this particular body of literature.

That's not to say that there won't be conflict. Hiroki's dad, who works far enough away that he has to live elsewhere most of the time, definitely has some issues with homophobia, although he likely wouldn't see it that way. When little Hiroki says he loves another boy in his class, his dad “corrects” him that he was asking about romantic love, and later he makes fun of the popularity of a BL TV drama, saying that the women in his office love it but he thinks two guys kissing is “gross.” It's casual cruelty born of ignorance, and we can see it hit Hiroki hard. But his mother is absolutely on his side (as is his brother, although Yuri only chimes in when Dad's putting him on the spot), and that stands to make all the difference. Flashbacks show that she wasn't always comfortable with the idea of having a gay son, but she's done a lot of thinking and is now fine with it – she just wants him to be happy.

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.

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Lynzee Loveridge

Rating:

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.

Okura sets up a supportive family dynamic that immediately eases the inherent tension that can come with LGBTQ+ stories. So often readers expect any story focusing on the day-to-day life of gay folks to be one fraught with injustices and denigration because we expect that to be a part of every queer person's experience. It's “just the way it is,” including parent rejection. Okura crafts a narrative where a young gay boy's mom is not only accepting of him, but excited to be in his life. She isn't excited despite the fact that he's gay; she enjoys her son wholly. That means watching him anxiously wait for and text back his crush is cute because it's his first experience of young love and witnessing that milestone as a parent is exciting, regardless of who the crush is.

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.

Honestly, we need more Tomoko's in the world. I'm thrilled to have an easily accessible story for parents on how to be supportive of their kids and likewise a mom that might be a comfort for those kids who are worried. Tomoko resonated with me heavily as a mother and I cried close to four separate times reading this book either because I felt for Hiroki or the scenes were so damn wholesome. Pick this one up.