My Brother's Husband by Gengoroh Tagame (Volume 1) // Manga Review
Gengoroh Tagame's My Brother's Husband is a heartfelt story of grief, humor and love.
Yaichi is a work-at-home suburban dad in contemporary Tokyo; formerly married to Natsuki, and father to their young daughter, Kana. Their lives suddenly change with the arrival at their doorstep of a hulking, affable Canadian named Mike Flanagan, who declares himself to be the widower of Yaichi’s estranged gay twin, Ryoji. Mike is on a quest to explore Ryoji’s past, and the family reluctantly but dutifully takes him in. What follows is an unprecedented and heartbreaking look at the state of a largely still-closeted Japanese gay culture: how it’s been affected by the West, and how the next generation can change the preconceptions about it and prejudices against it.
—Penguin Random House description of My Brother’s Husband
Note: This review covers only Volume 1 of My Brother’s Husband. I hope to review Volume 2 at a later date.
My Brother’s Husband by Gengoroh Tagame beings with grief. Twin brothers Yaichi and Ryoji lose their parents in an accident in high school. After the funeral, their lives carry on — Yaichi marries and has a child, and Ryoji moves to Canada and marries as well. The story really begins after we discover that Ryoji has died, and his husband Mike shows up at Yaichi’s door. Mike befriends Kana, Yaichi’s young daughter, and the three of them (along with Yaichi’s ex-wife) form an unlikely little family. What follows is a heartfelt story of grief, humor and love.
What I loved
I admire how My Brother’s Husband tells the story of a new family blooming from tragedy. Throughout the narrative, Yaichi struggles to accept his brother’s sexuality, especially now that he is faced with his tall, charismatic Canadian husband. The book finds so many poignant ways to explore Yaichi’s new understanding of Mike and Ryoji, largely through the eyes of his daughter, Kana. Kana’s innocent perspective brings lightness to a terribly sad story. Through Kana’s lens, we understand Mike as a new and wonderful uncle, instead of the boisterous foreigner who married Yaichi’s brother.
Kana asks many earnest questions of Mike and her father throughout the book. For example, she asks Mike who was the husband and wife in his relationship with Ryoji, and later, questions if two wives could be married, too. Mike gives honest answers and Kana accepts them. A view into the simple (yet sometimes invasive) questions of his child allow Yaichi to learn, too.
In seeing Kana easily understand Mike’s explanations, Yaichi finds himself working through his prejudice. And, thanks to Kana’s adorable humor, the book never feels too heavy, even as it weaves through moments where Yaichi and Mike are facing their grief head-on. While Ryoji is the one that brought this unlikely family together, Kana is the one that helps them process all that has happened, and brings levity to their complicated circumstances.
On a more superficial note, I’m also obsessed with Gengoroh’s art. His lines are delicate and precise, even in his depictions of Yaichi and Mike as total beefcakes. One might think there could be a disconnect between a stoic dad, a burly uncle and all of the intense emotional moments they share. However, they are drawn with a lightness that shows their propensity for giddy joy, deep grief, frustration, passion, and more.
I’m curious about…
the way that Yaichi imagines himself in his brother’s shoes, depicted as speaking to his own reflection or shadow. Gengoroh frequently uses this motif in moments when Yaichi finds himself connecting to his memories of Ryoji. The metaphor is fitting in more ways than one. As the two are twins, they shared an inevitable likeness and bond. The shadow in particular is also something that haunts, as Yaichi also never discussed his brother’s sexuality with him. Yaichi carries Ryoji’s existence with him—the happy days of childhood, the grief of losing their parents, Ryoji’s life in Canada as an openly gay man, and his eventual death—good and bad, Yaichi must face all that Ryoji was.
I’m also interested in the way that Yaichi’s role as a stay-at-home dad mirrors Mike’s life as a gay husband. While their circumstances are quite different, both share a certain stigma around subverting expectations regarding the typical “male” role.
Final takeaways
I do think I could write many, many more words on how wonderfully Gengoroh weaves this story. The art is masterfully done, the narrative is interesting well-paced, and the characters bounce off one another in meaningful ways. Of course, Kana and her charming personality are a highlight. Yaichi’s introspective moments are captivating, and Mike’s gentleness and expressions of his grief play off of Yaichi’s feelings well. This interwoven tale of grief, love and found family settles well on my soul, as much as it also raises questions on Japanese views of homosexuality and masculinity. Equal parts challenging and engaging, emotional and funny, soft and serious, My Brother’s Husband is a book I would highly recommend.
Recommended for…
burly gays
LGBTQ+ book clubs
those who struggle to fit into their culture
anyone willing to have hot coffee with their ex wife
Pairs well with…
folksy japanese love songs: Kaneko Ayano’s 燦々
childlike curiousity: Yotsuba&!
Find out more about Gengoroh Tagame here.
If you’ve read this book, or if you have any thoughts about my review, leave a comment and let me know.