#Boys Run the Riot

[red-hibiscus]

This will forever be one of my favorite panels from a manga ever. It's been my phone wallpaper for at least a year.

When I first read it, it hit me so hard cause I knew EXACTLY the emotions being depicted here. Emotions people who don't experience gender dysphoria ever will. And I've never and still have never seen a manga or anime show them so directly like this.

I remember that before I had top surgery I was in so much mental pain from my chest I wanted rip my chest off. I wanted to rip apart my skin because I felt that my true body was hiding underneath. I wasn't meant to be living in a body that looked the way it did.

That emotion right there perfectly encapsulates the pain I felt. He's clawing himself out of his outer skin and being emerging as the true self that was always there lying in wait.

Manga: boys run the riot

[snalsupremacy]

12 MANGA BY LGBT+ CREATORS

Happy pride month!! My time has come. Years of seeking lgbt manga lead me some great finds, and here's all the ones written by openly LGBT mangaka!

1- Our Dreams At Dusk by Yuhki Kamitani, an asexual x-gender creator!

A classic in the lgbt manga niche. Literally google "lgbt manga" and you'll find this one in the top results. It's popular for a reason! Starting Tasuku, a gay teen, the manga deals with members of the queer community from all walks of life living in a small town, and how being queer impact their lives. Yuhki Kamitani's poetic and abstract story telling abilities enhances a simple story line into one of the best emotional roller-coasters you'll ever ride on. TW: Attempt suicide, mentions of said attempt, groping of a minor, lots of homophobia

2- I Think Our Son is Gay by Okura, a gay creator!

An ADORABLE story about a progressive mom trying to learn more about how to support her closeted gay son without making it obvious that she knows. Super sweet and adorable, and the author's notes were so touching! queer joy all around

TW: Discussions and verbal displays of homophobia

3- Boys Run The Riot by Keito Gaku, a transmasc creator!

Another classic in this niche. The story follows a trans boy named Ryo who bonds with the trouble student Jin over men's fashion, and together they decide to start a fashion brand. It's refreshing to see the struggles of a trans boy portrayed so genuine and authentically.

TW: Gender dysphoria, outing

4- My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Kabi Nagata, a lesbian creator!

Kabi Nagata is an biographical essayist that publishes all her work in manga form. In one of her most popular works, My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, Kabi tells the series of the events that led her to sleeping with a lesbian sex worker. Bold and authentic, Kabi has no fear to portray the ugly and fucked up parts of mental illness, in turn crafting an intimate and touching story.

TW: Self-harm, eating disorder, lots of discussions of mental illness, sexuality, and gender.

5- The Bride was a Boy by Chii, a transfem creator!

The biographical tale of the author, Chii, from realizing she's trans to meeting her husband, all told through 4-koma stories! The adorable chibi art-style and light-heartedness of this manga is sure to warm anyone's hearts! It's great to see the story of a trans woman told in such an optimistic and happy way. Details like the pop-ups of information about LGBT and Trans issues to the game-board illustrating her transition journey really show how proud Chii is of her identity, as she should!

TW: None that I remember

6- My Brother's Husband by Gengoroh Tagame, a gay creator!

The #1 non-sexual Bara, made by the #1 bara author. Tagame may be more known for his NSFW works, but his first SFW serialization shows the experience he's gained through the decades working on manga, even winning multiple awards (-) . After single father Yaichi's estranged brother passed away, Yaichi gets visited by his Canadian husband, Mike. A beautiful and sweet story of dealing with loss and overcoming homophobia, ft the cutest little child character and a very healthy divorced couple!

TW: Nudity (Technically non-sexual, but Tagame is a bear and it shows), Grief and loss of a loved one

7- To Strip The Flesh by Oto Toda, a transmasc creator!

An anthology book of various stories by Toda. The first of which, To Strip the Flesh (Where the manga gets its namesake) is inspired by the author's experience with dysphoria and coming out as a trans men. Toda was the assistant of Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Men) during the serialization of Fire Punch.

TWs: Gender Dysphoria, gore, mutilation (no blood shown), house invasion, nudity, hunting and skinning of animals, gunshot wound, mysoginy

8-Gay Fuuzoku no Mochigi-san - Sexuality Is Life - by Mochigi, a gay creator!

Originally published on Twitter, Mochigi tells of his experience running away from home and coming to work in the bustling Shinjuku Ni-Chome, Tokyo's gay neighborhood. Through his sex work and work in gay bars, Mochigi tells an authentic story of the ups and downs of the gay culture in Tokyo.

TWs: Though not visually graphic, it goes into a lot of details about gay sex work

9- Vassalord by Nanae Chrono, a transmasc creator!

Y'all aren't ready for the synopsis... ok so this cyborg vampire who works for the Vatican is frenemies with this fuckboy vampire. They fight then make up then kiss and break-up (YOU!). Together they go on missions set by the church. Extremely emo and edgy vampires, actually really great action, and all the charm of early 2000's BL, now with extra blood! Nanae Chromo came out on twitter as trans only recently, and many news sources including Anime List still lists him as Female unfortunately.

TW: Bloody fights, enough homoeroticism to make your teeth rot

10- X-Gender by Asuka Miyazaki, a X-gender creator!

Miyazaki (AFAB) realizes at age 33 that they not only are X-gender, but like woman as well! The relatable and awkward biographical story of the author's experiences and new discoveries about their identity and the community. The manga also takes the time to explain all the terms used in the LGBT community, making it very accessible to those out of the loop! Also, the art-style is very cute.

TW: Lots of talks about sex and gender, possibly other things as I have not read it yet

11- Why I Adopted my Husband by Yuta Yagi, a gay creator!

The cute auto biography of Yuta and Kyota, a gay couple who have been dating for almost 20 years. The manga talks about not only their relationship, but also what it's like to live as a gay couple in Japan, and the draws and benefits of adoption as a way to seek the same legal rights of straight couples.

TWs: None

• Final Word •

I made this list to celebrate all the brave people who are open about their identities, but I also wanna point out that there are incredible LGBT manga out there written by anonymous or even straight creators!

Happy pride month to everyone but specially all the people living in places where it's not safe to be openly LGBT, everyday that you breathe is an act of rebellion, and we should be proud of that!

Here's a quickie of some other LGBT manga that didn't make the list for some reason or another- hmu if u want more details on them or just wanna talk about lgbt manga in general!

[miser-of-miscellaneous]

From 'Boys Run the Riot'

[tatatasoma]

[strangemonochromes]

Boys Run the Riot // Keito Gaku

[cannontranscharacteroftheday]

Trans Character of the Day

Ryo Watari from Boys Run the Riot is a trans man who uses he/him pronouns!

[choujinx]

BOYS RUN THE RIOT (2020) by gaku keito

[haveyoureadthismanga-poll]

[animefeminist]

Boys Run the Riot, Visual Kei, and Gender Euphoria Through Fashion

Content Warning: Discussion of transphobia, dysphoria

Identity exists in a large, tangled mess of intersections that culminates into lived experience. Gender identity, self expression, and ethnicity are so intertwined that it would be hard to discuss one without discussing the others. As a Japanese trans man, all of these things have come into play in relation to my self-expression and identity. One of the things I found solace and euphoria in, as a teenager, was clothing. Clothing allowed me to express and present my identity as I knew myself, and was an early gateway to outer expression as a trans man.

Self-expression through clothing has always been a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The first image that may come to mind is the drag scene in particular, where Drag Queens and Drag Kings come together to express themselves in ways that are otherwise non-conforming to society’s standards. “Drag” or, specifically, crossdressing has existed in Japan since the 1800’s, with kabuki theater being a prominent example. In the 20th century the Takarazuka Revue was formed, which was an all-female theater group created in opposition to kabuki theater.

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[queer-literature-polls]

Have you read this queer manga?

Reason: Trans man protagonist, some queer supporting characters, plot is about him finding outlets to express his true identity Genre: Drama, Slice of Life Average rating: 7.9 (MAL)

[transmasculine]

alt:

canon trans character icons!

if youre a weirdo i will fucking block you

hibari oozora, kaoru anesagi, mako ariga, nitori shuichi, ryou watari, sweet-p, toyosatomimi no miko, yamato, yuzu

[deaddviolets]

[ayin-me-yesh]

Ok I was just going off in the tags of another post, but I think these are the best anime trans guys I know of so if you're looking for decent rep, I personally recommend

Boys Run The Riot - Watari Ryō

Ryō is a teenage trans boy who hates being forced to wear the girl's uniform at his school. Alongside a cis male friend, Ryō starts a fashion brand focused on the kind of clothing that gives him gender euphoria. The mangaka of this one is an open trans man himself.

Stars Align - Fujita Shō

Stars Align is a sports anime about a middle school tennis club. One of the main character's mothers divorces her abusive husband and starts dating one of her friends from college. That friend happens to be Shō, an explicitly transgender man. Shō is shown to be an excellent father-figure and a loving partner. He helps his girlfriend and her son to work through the problems in their lives.

Our Dreams At Dusk - Utsumi Natsuyoshi

TW// suicidal ideation, attempted suicide

This manga is about a gay teenager who's been outed and is considering suicide. The story involves him working through his issues alongside other LGBT+ characters at a drop-in centre. Utsumi is one of these characters and is explicitly a trans man. Utsumi is treated as a fairly normal guy who's main problem is that he's anxious about expressing his real feelings and opinions with other people. Despite this he still already has friends he hangs out with after work, and is generally thought of as friendly and outgoing by other characters.

[miser-of-miscellaneous]

From 'Boys Run the Riot'

[walkingoneliner37]

I love when people say "I cAnT nAmE oNe TrAnS cHaRaCtEr" because that's a skill issue buddy, you just gotta know where to look,

(Start mentally playing Yakkos World now)

Grell Sutcliff, Ryou Watari, Venus and Janace, Hana, Jeanne, Natsuyoshi Utsumi-

[strangemonochromes]

Boys Run the Riot // Keito Gaku