My Brother's Husband: Volume II

Description

The concluding volume in the story of Yaichi, his daughter Kana, and how their meeting Mike Flanagan - Yaichi's brother-in-law - changes their lives and their perceptions of acceptance of homosexuality in their contemporary Japanese culture. As Mike continues his journey of discovery concerning Ryoji's past, Yaichi gradually comes to understand that being gay is just another way of being human. And that, in many ways, remains a radical concept in Japan even today. In the meantime, the bond between Mike and young Kana grows ever stronger, and yet he is going to have to return to Canada soon - a fact that fills them both with impending heartbreak. But not before more than a few revelations come to light.

Gengoroh Tagame was born in 1964 and lives in Tokyo. After graduating from Tama University of Art, Tagame worked as an art director while writing manga and prose fiction, contributing illustrations for various magazines. In 1994 he co-founded the epochal G-Men Magazine and by 1996 he was working full-time as an openly gay artist. He is the author of dozens of graphic novels and stories which have been translated into English, French, Italian and Korean. His artwork has been exhibited in galleries across Europe and America. My Brother's Husband marks his first all-ages title, and earned him the Japan Media Arts Award for Outstanding Work of Manga from the Agency of Cultural Affairs.

When a cuddly Canadian comes to call, Yaichi - a single Japanese dad - is forced to confront his painful past. With his young daughter Kana leading the way, he gradually rethinks his assumptions about what makes a family. Renowned manga artist Gengoroh Tagame turns his stunning draftsmanship to a story very different from his customary fare, to delightful and heartwarming effect Heartbreaking yet hopeful, Gengoroh Tagame's beautifully rendered meditation on the struggle for gay acceptance in today's Japan is quietly dazzling. I am already looking forward to part two! [My Brother's Husband] arrives in the UK garlanded with praise from, among others, Alison Bechdel. It's not hard to see why. Not only is it very touching; it's also, for the non-Japanese reader, unexpectedly fascinating - Observer on Volume I