Tired of sifting through superficial boys’ love manga disguised as LGBT storylines? A recent series by manga author Okura might be more your speed. ‘I Think Our Son is Gay’ has received hundreds of glowing reviews since it was first published in Japanese in 2019. The series now has three volumes as well as a newly published English edition for international readers.
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.
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.
Volume One of ‘I Think Our Son is Gay’ is now available in English for ¥1,579. You can order a copy here.
More from Time Out
APA Hotels has an incredible deal that lets you hotel-hop across Japan for 30 days
Beams Japan has given a neighbourhood sento in Higashi-Ueno a modern makeover
5 new Japanese films and shows coming to Netflix in May 2021
Here’s the tentative timeline of Japan’s Covid-19 vaccination programme
Japan Post is releasing limited-edition Pokémon art stamps in July
Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.
