#uchi no musuko wa tabun gay

[skribbled]

Got the last volume!

Ok so I just go the last volume and.

THEY ACTUALYY CONFIRMED IT!!?!. I guess it was pretty obvious, but given how manga usually is, I was sure I would have to just leave it as a headcannon ><

Im honestly pretty glad they explicitly showed this because i feel the approach this manga takes a lot of the time with just showing Tomoko’s perspective and leaving what exactly the boys are feeling and going through somewhat ambiguous doesn’t feel as great when its applied to an orientation so often erased and ignored like asexuality.

[immoren]

[itspeanutlove]

I just finished reading the last chapter of I Think Our Son Is Gay by Okura, and... I love it. I think it's possibly one of the best lgbt-focused series I've ever consumed because this almost brought me to tears. The only reason I didn't start crying from happiness was because I was petting my dog and I didn't want him to worry!

My favourite character aside from the mom has to be the little brother, purely because I relate to him! Asexuality isn't talked about much in media, least of all by characters who aren't villains (like Alastor from Hazbin Hotel, though he's still a cool character). So seeing an asexual character who is actually a good person is pretty cool!

Anyway, loved this manga, highly recommend!

[aspureasamelody]

Asumi got upset by everyone's reactions to the haircut (both the neighborhood kids saying it looked like a boy's cut and that was weird, and the parents saying it still looked like a very cute girl's cut)

Asumi was only cheered up when Hiroki said that not only did the haircut make Asumi look like a boy, but a really cool boy!

I think Asumi is definitely transmasc

[hatsumishinogu]

Uchi no Musuko wa Tabun Gay Vol.5 (end)

[sol-em-gemeos]

[babudarabu]

[geekygaymerrealm]

[queerographies]

[My son is probably gay 5][Okura]

Una graziosa commedia slice of life su un giovane ragazzo gay di nome Hiroki, che vive tutti gli affanni dell'adolescenza cercando di nascondere – con fatica, visto che è bonaccione e sincero – il suo orientamento sessuale alla sua famiglia.

Una graziosa commedia slice of life su un giovane ragazzo gay di nome Hiroki, che vive tutti gli affanni dell’adolescenza cercando di nascondere – con fatica, visto che è bonaccione e sincero – il suo orientamento sessuale alla sua famiglia. L’opera analizza il punto di vista di sua madre, Tomoko, una donna dolce, ma non ingenua, che intuisce l’orientamento sessuale del figlio, ma cerca in tutti…

[peridhot]

Uchi no musuko wa tabun gay / I Think Our Son is Gay by Okura

The manga follows Tomoko Aoyama and her eldest son Hiroki. Hiroki is secretly gay but is embarrassed to reveal his sexuality, unaware that his own mother already knows it. While Tomoko has accepted her son and supports him, she refuses to out her son as she wants Hiroki himself to admit his sexuality by his own accord. Other supporting characters including Yuri, Tomoko's younger son and Hiroki's brother, who despite having no interest in romance, has attracted many girls attention and is also aware of his brother's sexuality, Akiyoshi, Tomoko's husband and the boys father, who is constantly travelling for work who love his sons but sometimes unintentionally hurts Hiroki's feelings due to his negative and outdated views on homosexuality, Daigo, Hiroki's classmate and his secret crush and Asumi, Hiroki's childhood friend who develops feelings for Hiroki but is unaware of his sexuality.

Read through Chapter 103 (end?)

Very cute and charming! Absolutely precious story. My only complaint is that Hiroki never came out in the end, but that's also not a bad thing. After all, it's his choice to come out, even here in "the real world", and if he didn't want to come out for whatever reason, that's okay. Anyway, I thought it was a VERY sweet story, and I loved every minute of it. Would definitely read again.

[maddiesbookshelves]

Happy Pride Month everyone! Here's the first queer manga I'll be talking about this month:

I think our son is gay, by Okura

Original title: Uchi no Musuko wa tabun Gay / うちの息子はたぶんゲイ

Genres: Slice of Life, Comedy

Themes: Family, Homosexuality

Japanese volumes: 4 (ongoing)

Aoyama Tomoko is your typical housewife: while her husband spends most of his time in the office, she takes care of their two sons, Hiroki and his younger brother Yui. Tomoko's routine gets perturbed when she notices something peculiar about her eldest son: his slip of the tongue seem to indicate that he is gay. Not wanting to force Hiroki into admitting something he might not be ready to share, she decides to wait and silently make their home one of love and acceptance.

This is a very sweet and funny one, Hiroki is very obviously in love with one of his classmate and awkardly covers his slip ups in front of his family, which leads to a lot of funny moments.

Tomoko is an adorable mother and although she might not know a lot about gay people or the queer community, she's ready to learn for the sake of her son. She is not perfect, she's still learning after all, but she's a loving mother who just wants to understand her son better and make him feel accepted.

Hiroki's father isn't as observant as his wife and doesn't suspect a thing, so he does end up making homophobic jokes or saying homophobic things, but Tomoko (and even Yui, the younger brother) don't hesitate to discreetly correct him or call him out so that Hikori won't feel bad. It's the kind of casual homophobia that you find on TV and that people learn as a kids and keep in mind as adults because they've had no reason to unlearn it. But he does love his son and doesn't disregard his wife and son's remarks.

French version under the cut

Titre VF : Je crois que mon fils est gay

Titre original : Uchi no Musuko wa tabun Gay / うちの息子はたぶんゲイ

Genres : Slice of Life, Comédie

Thèmes : Famille, Homosexualité

Volumes VO : 4 (En cours)

Le quotidien de Mme Aoyama, mère au foyer, est bien chargé ! Et depuis quelque temps, elle a bien remarqué que Hiroki, son fils aîné, semble cacher quelque chose... Très observatrice, elle devine sans mal qu'il est gay, mais ce dernier ne semble pas encore prêt à le lui dire. Alors en attendant, elle veille sur lui en silence, tout en cherchant à créer un foyer aimant et ouvert.

Celui-là est absolument adorable et hilarant, Hiroki est clairement amoureux d'un de ses camarade de classe et se rattrape assez mal lorsqu'il laisse échapper certaines choses, ce qui entraine beaucoup de moments drôles.

Tomoko est une mère adorable et même si elle ne sait pas grand chose sur les gay ou la communauté queer, elle est prête à apprendre pour son fils. Elle n'est bien sûr pas parfaite, elle est encore en train d'apprendre, mais elle aime son fils et veut juste mieux le comprendre pour qu'il se sente accepté.

Le père de Hiroki n'est pas aussi observateur que sa femme et ne soupçonne rien, ce qui fait qu'il raconte des blagues homophobes ou dit des choses homophobes, mais Tomoko (et Yui, le petit frère) n'hésitent pas à le corriger ou le reprendre discrètement pour que Hiroki ne se sente pas mal. C'est le genre d'homophobie de tous les jours qu'on voit à la télé et que les gens intègrent en tant qu'enfants et gardent en grandissant parce qu'ils n'ont eu aucune raison d'apprendre autrement. Mais il aime vraiment son fils et prend en compte les remarques de sa femme et son fils.

[dailybigbro]

Today’s Big Bro is Hiroki from My Son Is Probably Gay! He loves his little brother!

[orkowhereheshouldntbe]

[ALT available, ID: the manga cover for volume for of I Think Our Son Is Gay (also known as I Think My Son Is Probably Gay) by Okura. Mother Tomoko Aoyama and her son Yuri are watching her other son, Hiroki, sing in his room with his friend/crush Daigo. Orko has been edited onto Hiroki's shirt. /end ID]

Orko in I Think Our Son Is Gay.

[linaharutaka]

go read uchi no musuko wa tabun gay ("My son is probably gay" or "I think our son is gay") a very wholesome manga about a mom and her closeted gay son. there are different lgbtq issues tackled and it's nice and respectful, there is development and a fun cast, so go! read it! now!

[sol-em-gemeos]

[tanenigiri]

Review #23: I Think Our Son Is Gay (Volume 3)

Japanese title: うちの息子はたぶんゲイ (Uchi no Musuko wa Tabun Gay)

Story and art: Okura

English publisher: Square Enix

Number of volumes: 3 in English, 4 in Japanese (ongoing)

Expanding horizons.

(CW: Mentions of homophobic language)

(This review contains story spoilers.)

Out of the first three volumes of I Think Our Son Is Gay, I think Volume 3 is the one that can stand the most on its own. While it’s obviously best to have read this after the first two volumes, I say this because not only does the story take its time to reintroduce us to certain characters and plotlines, it also has one major storyline that starts and ends in this volume - a school choir competition.

Volume 2 ended with Hiroki revealing that since he and Daigo ended up not being in the same class for their second year in high school, they decided to join an after-school club together. This turns out to be the school choir, and Asumi, Hiroki’s neighbor, has also joined the same club (which is why we see the three of them together in the cover). There are a few chapters here that show Hiroki practicing hard for this competition and putting in the effort to get better at singing, and it’s nice to see that it doesn’t look like this is entirely motivated by his affection for Daigo. While that’s obviously a big factor, I always got the sense that Hiroki genuinely wanted to improve and do well in the competition when I was reading those chapters.

This arc does lead to an interesting facet of Hiroki’s character - his low self-esteem. While this is a pretty common character trait across many of the protagonists in the series I’m covering for this project - and I enjoy reading about all of them - this story tackles it quite uniquely in that we only get to see it from the point of view of Tomoko, who of course thinks the world of her son. This first shows itself in his singing, where despite Asumi and their other clubmates saying that he was doing a good job, the only feedback he listens to is Daigo’s, who tells him that he was off-key during their practice. While this could easily be attributed to Hiroki prioritizing Daigo’s opinions, I do think it’s supposed to be a nod at how Hiroki doesn’t think too highly of himself. (This is also how Yuri assesses the situation as well, once again proving that he’s the best character.)

However, this eventually manifests itself again when Akiyoshi, back home from his work, tells his son that Asumi used to have a massive crush on him when they were kids. Hiroki immediately shuts this down and says that it’s nothing like that now, adding that there are other guys in the choir who are much cooler than him. But it’s the line he says after this - “There’s no way she likes me. It’s just not possible!” - that elicits a reaction from Tomoko, saying that anything is possible when it comes to liking someone. I really like how she words this, as she was definitely making the connection that Hiroki had the same views about his crush on Daigo. Her reflection on this that ends this chapter is really sweet, too, as she surmises that as long as Hiroki actually believes that being together with someone is possible, then he can work toward it. And I definitely appreciate how the story doesn’t just limit this to Hiroki’s pining for Daigo as it also references Asumi’s pining for Hiroki.

The story revisits Hiroki’s low self-esteem one more time in a later chapter that sees Daigo having dinner with the Aoyama family. As it turns out, Daigo has picked up on Hiroki’s self-deprecation, and he’s made it a point to always remind Hiroki how much of a good guy he is. I initially found this scene primarily hilarious, thanks to the ridiculous reactions from Tomoko and Yuri after this, but after rereading, I actually found it more meaningful than anything. Since it’s shown earlier on that Hiroki values Daigo’s opinion more than anyone else’s, this could be just what he needs to have more confidence in himself. And while he has a hard time swallowing it, I definitely think this is a start of a change for his character, though unfortunately the volume is already wrapping up when this happens.

Turns out, Hiroki isn’t the only man in Tomoko’s life who’s pining for another man. We get confirmation from this volume that Mr. Tono, one of her workmates, is in fact in a relationship with another man, as it was only a rumor when it was brought up by one of the other employees in Volume 2. Mr. Tono mentions that he doesn’t really hide this fact about him, but he only brings it up when needed, and since nobody had asked him until that point, he kept details about his partner to himself. Tomoko is obviously floored by this revelation, but not for the same reasons that her workmates are - suddenly, she has someone reliable who can help her with how she deals with her son.

This leads to my favorite scene in the entire series so far, where Tomoko asks Mr. Tono for advice on how to best support her son. All Mr. Tono asks her is a simple question - would she want to change Hiroki if he turns out to be gay? It’s implied that Tomoko gives this question a bit of thought, but she surmises that she would want nothing more than for her son to be comfortable with himself. Mr. Tono then tells Tomoko that for him, this is already more than enough, and that she’s doing “just fine.”

I absolutely love this exchange as this is the first time that Tomoko gets the credit she deserves for being such an open-minded and understanding mother. It’s easy to forget that Tomoko is an anomaly - realistically, most parents act more like Akiyoshi when it comes to LGBT people, and even this series, wholesome as it is, doesn’t shy away from featuring more close-minded characters. I’m not surprised at all that she’s moved to tears by Mr. Tono’s words, and I really hope we get to see more of him soon - I think Hiroki meeting Mr. Tono would be a huge turning point for the former.

Her newfound confidence in herself is immediately put to the test in the following chapters, which sees Akiyoshi reacting quite awkwardly when Tomoko tells him about Mr. Tono, going as far as calling him a “fairy.” He brings up the term again in a conversation with Hiroki, where he wonders why he isn’t pursuing a girl and observes how he’s gotten quite close with Daigo. Unexpectedly, Hiroki doesn’t just stay silent about this and calls his father out on how ridiculous his expectations are, saying that it was quite unfair how he’s immediately labeled as a “fairy” just because he prefers focusing on his friendship with a guy instead of a relationship with a girl.

While this anger is surprising for the parents, this doesn’t come out of nowhere for the reader, as the chapter right before this is a Yuri-focused flashback, which shows Yuri’s classmates calling him a homophobic slur for hanging out with girls a lot. Yuri’s shown to not really be affected by this, but his brother ends up stepping in and defending him from these bullies. While Yuri admits that the bullying didn’t stop even after this confrontation, he does recognize that what Hiroki did must’ve taken a lot out of him, especially with the subject matter hitting quite close to home.

So Hiroki ends up treating the situation with his father in the same way that he treated the situation with Yuri’s bullies as they broach on the same topic, and he’s justifiably pissed off about it. Like I said above, both parents are surprised at this sudden outburst, but Akiyoshi rightfully muses that what he was saying about “fairies” must have been a sensitive topic for his son, and he ends up entertaining the idea that the label might also apply to him.

Tomoko, who definitely knows that her husband is nowhere near ready to handle that conversation, steers the topic away from it and instead focuses on how his words hurt his son’s feelings, even if Akiyoshi only treated them as jokes. She ends up making the connection with Yuri’s past bullies, which Akiyoshi finds eye-opening. I definitely think she made the right call here, as not only has she not even heard confirmation from Hiroki himself about his sexuality, but she still thinks that she’s on training wheels with regards to the situation, despite all the progress that she’s already made.

It’s an interesting note to end this volume of I Think Our Son Is Gay on - though there are two more chapters right after this scene that wrap up the school choir competition plot - as while it definitely shows that the entire Aoyama family has made a lot of progress in terms of how they each handle Hiroki’s issues about his identity, it also reminds us that all four of them have a long way to go before being able to comfortably talk about it. While Tomoko and Yuri may be a few levels ahead in terms of understanding, they know that they have to be patient in waiting for Hiroki and Akiyoshi to catch up.

Random thoughts I couldn’t fit elsewhere:

It pains me that I didn’t talk about Yuri much above, but the best character of the series actually has a lot more to do in this volume compared to the last. He gets a killer line in an early chapter where Tomoko urges him to get a haircut, and Hiroki suggests to have it cut short as he thinks having a short haircut is cool. Yuri then comes to the conclusion that his brother likes guys with short hair - and it takes a full beat before he corrects himself by saying that what he meant was he liked short hairstyles.

Another character who has a lot more to do in this volume compared to the previous one is Asumi, as like I mentioned above, she’s also part of the school choir. While she’s presented to be a very good friend to Hiroki - and it’s once again implied that she hasn’t really gotten over her childhood crush on him - what stands out to me here is how in quite a number of her appearances, it’s hinted that she’s caught on to how Hiroki feels about Daigo. This isn’t really confirmed, and we don’t really see any change in her behavior because of this revelation (if it’s even happened), but I’m very interested in how the story will end up dealing with this. I have a feeling that she does realize what’s going on but is still coming to terms with it in her own way.

Asumi also ends the Hiroki self-esteem plotline in a very positive note, as when asked by Tomoko, Asumi reveals that Hiroki is very well-liked by the people around him. And I don’t think this has anything to do with her crush on him, too, as her observations about Hiroki are quite close to what Daigo said about him in an earlier chapter. It’s nice to see that even if Hiroki doesn’t think highly of himself, the people around him in school do see him as a good friend.

Thanks for reading! You can read my review of the first two volumes of I Think Our Son Is Gay here. I’m really enjoying the series so far, as it has a lot of depth for something that I initially thought was just a light-hearted and goofy title. I’m definitely rooting for Hiroki to become more open about his identity, but I’m also content in celebrating the little victories that each of the Aoyama family members experiences throughout these volumes.