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ボーイズ・ラン・ザ・ライオット [Boys Run the Riot] #4
Boys Run the Riot vol. 04
翼との騒動も落ち着き、凌たちはまたゼロから服作りを再開する。だが、カリスマショップのオーナー、迅の父や凌の家族‥‥
周囲の大人たちから浴びせられるのは「現実を見ろ」という厳しい言葉。そんな時、凌は偶然にジョーさんという怪しい男と知り合う。ジョーさんは個人で20年ブランドを続け、サバイブしてきた人だった。
「俺のブランドの展示会に出せ！ 最初の修行だ！！」
ジョーさんを師匠に、凌たちはこれまで考えなかった自分たちの『コンセプト』や『モチーフ』を模索し始める。凌たちの見つけた答えとは？ 展示会で直に接する人々からの反応は？ 女性の身体で生まれ、自分の在り方に悩み続けた少年は、仲間とともに、自らの力で、進みたい道を歩みだす！
周囲の大人たちから浴びせられるのは「現実を見ろ」という厳しい言葉。そんな時、凌は偶然にジョーさんという怪しい男と知り合う。ジョーさんは個人で20年ブランドを続け、サバイブしてきた人だった。
「俺のブランドの展示会に出せ！ 最初の修行だ！！」
ジョーさんを師匠に、凌たちはこれまで考えなかった自分たちの『コンセプト』や『モチーフ』を模索し始める。凌たちの見つけた答えとは？ 展示会で直に接する人々からの反応は？ 女性の身体で生まれ、自分の在り方に悩み続けた少年は、仲間とともに、自らの力で、進みたい道を歩みだす！
Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2021
32 people are currently reading
605 people want to read
About the author
Keito Gaku
4 books115 followersName (in native Japanese): 学慶人
Keito Gaku is a manga artist and transgender man living in Japan. Gaku is winner of the 77th Tetsuya Chiba Prize for his debut work, Boys Run the Riot.
Keito Gaku is a manga artist and transgender man living in Japan. Gaku is winner of the 77th Tetsuya Chiba Prize for his debut work, Boys Run the Riot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
January 21, 2022
SO. MANY. FEELINGS!!!!
I feel like this conclusion to this story was perfect. As much as I could have continued to read this series for a long time, it felt like this final volume was truly the natural conclusion. We see our characters face their demons, and present their real selves to the world, and I couldn't be more proud of what they chose with their life. I hope we get some more series translated from this mangaka!
I feel like this conclusion to this story was perfect. As much as I could have continued to read this series for a long time, it felt like this final volume was truly the natural conclusion. We see our characters face their demons, and present their real selves to the world, and I couldn't be more proud of what they chose with their life. I hope we get some more series translated from this mangaka!
February 14, 2022
The high school fashion designer wannabes find a mentor to help them nail down what they want their brand to be about. And just when I think they are laying the groundwork for some interesting storylines in the future, up pops "Final Chapter," and everything quickly wraps up quickly in a way that's okay but feels premature.
Sure enough, it says "Final Volume" on the back cover. I guess I should look at that sometimes before I start reading.
As consolation, there's a really good bonus story tucked in the back that inspired the series. It's powerful tale of finding and asserting one's gender identity, but it is also harrowing, filled with transphobia and other nastiness from a bunch of awful high school kids.
Sure enough, it says "Final Volume" on the back cover. I guess I should look at that sometimes before I start reading.
As consolation, there's a really good bonus story tucked in the back that inspired the series. It's powerful tale of finding and asserting one's gender identity, but it is also harrowing, filled with transphobia and other nastiness from a bunch of awful high school kids.
January 27, 2024
I love the ending! It's so wholesome!
December 6, 2021
The boys are still having fun, but their sales have slowly dried up. Faced with a chance given to them by a guy named Joe who’s lived off his brand for years, it all comes down to an exhibition that might finally kick things to the next level. Or not.
When you hit the final volume and you didn’t realize it was coming because so much was still up in the air, that’s usually a warning sign to me. While the series closes out fairly strong, there’s no question that the juggling act suffers for cramming too much in.
Were you interested in whether Ryo was going to have to explore the world of dating and, if so, with whom? Too bad. Will the boys make it? Really not sure. Where does the future leave our hero? Shrug. What’s the deal with Jin’s mom? Don’t ask me. The point here is the brand and the brand is the point, but there’s a lot left on the table that I wanted to see addressed.
The intricacies of designing a clothing brand are explored in detail here and I feel like the story, like many others I’ve seen of late, gets bogged down in the joy of its philosophies and minutiae rather than the story proper. Yes, they need to figure out what they want to say and when they do their individual soul-searching I’d important but it takes longer than it should.
It gets its mojo back towards the end, but it doesn’t have the space for anything to breathe, so getting lectures on design while they don’t design squat is a really questionable decision. Everything feels squeezed in uncomfortably and that’s without most things being resolved.
When they do design it’s a welcome callback to the very first volume of this series, which was easily the best one and the subsequent books never quite managed to achieve its level. What they design for the exhibition should be an absolute breath taker like Ryo’s first graffiti piece, but it’s very… just okay.
I realize this is complaining a fair bit, but I wanted more from this series. It has some great sections here - Ryo’s coming out to his parents is fraught (again, more of the fallout would have been really welcome - this narrative just vanishes), Jin’s portions start off a bit aimless but really codify into something worthwhile at the end. It’s ultimately not quite enough for me.
The book’s ending is pretty good - the crew continues, they find the right people, it doesn’t merely give them a carte blanche happy denouement that promises roses forever. It’s tempered with reality while still emphasizing hope in a way that’s very good and important.
Joe turns out to be a fairly boring character, though he comes through for the guys in a way that a returning character at the start of this volume does not. The exhibition climax is kind of wobbly, however, and doesn’t form a cohesive whole the way I’d like.
The last fifty pages or so are the one-shot that lead to this series and, boy, they don’t layer that thing with trigger warnings for nothing. It is some of the most brutal bullying I’ve read lately and is very different in tone and content from the majority of the serialized version. It definitely goes a little melodramatic with the ending as well.
4 stars - I think this is a good series, I think it’s a very important series - trans mangaka are not exactly common and the perspective is super worthwhile and this is not bad and worth supporting. I just wish it had gone on longer or tied up a little more with the ending. In the end a good-trending-to-great story, but not exactly as amazing as I’d hoped.
When you hit the final volume and you didn’t realize it was coming because so much was still up in the air, that’s usually a warning sign to me. While the series closes out fairly strong, there’s no question that the juggling act suffers for cramming too much in.
Were you interested in whether Ryo was going to have to explore the world of dating and, if so, with whom? Too bad. Will the boys make it? Really not sure. Where does the future leave our hero? Shrug. What’s the deal with Jin’s mom? Don’t ask me. The point here is the brand and the brand is the point, but there’s a lot left on the table that I wanted to see addressed.
The intricacies of designing a clothing brand are explored in detail here and I feel like the story, like many others I’ve seen of late, gets bogged down in the joy of its philosophies and minutiae rather than the story proper. Yes, they need to figure out what they want to say and when they do their individual soul-searching I’d important but it takes longer than it should.
It gets its mojo back towards the end, but it doesn’t have the space for anything to breathe, so getting lectures on design while they don’t design squat is a really questionable decision. Everything feels squeezed in uncomfortably and that’s without most things being resolved.
When they do design it’s a welcome callback to the very first volume of this series, which was easily the best one and the subsequent books never quite managed to achieve its level. What they design for the exhibition should be an absolute breath taker like Ryo’s first graffiti piece, but it’s very… just okay.
I realize this is complaining a fair bit, but I wanted more from this series. It has some great sections here - Ryo’s coming out to his parents is fraught (again, more of the fallout would have been really welcome - this narrative just vanishes), Jin’s portions start off a bit aimless but really codify into something worthwhile at the end. It’s ultimately not quite enough for me.
The book’s ending is pretty good - the crew continues, they find the right people, it doesn’t merely give them a carte blanche happy denouement that promises roses forever. It’s tempered with reality while still emphasizing hope in a way that’s very good and important.
Joe turns out to be a fairly boring character, though he comes through for the guys in a way that a returning character at the start of this volume does not. The exhibition climax is kind of wobbly, however, and doesn’t form a cohesive whole the way I’d like.
The last fifty pages or so are the one-shot that lead to this series and, boy, they don’t layer that thing with trigger warnings for nothing. It is some of the most brutal bullying I’ve read lately and is very different in tone and content from the majority of the serialized version. It definitely goes a little melodramatic with the ending as well.
4 stars - I think this is a good series, I think it’s a very important series - trans mangaka are not exactly common and the perspective is super worthwhile and this is not bad and worth supporting. I just wish it had gone on longer or tied up a little more with the ending. In the end a good-trending-to-great story, but not exactly as amazing as I’d hoped.
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January 8, 2023Do I understand it correctly that this series was first abruptly moved to digital and then canceled by its Japanese publisher? I'm just going by Wikipedia here, but such a crushing decision. Without spoilers: It completely throws off the pacing in this final volume, because just as things start to get going, the story is suddenly over. Many plotlines remain unresolved. There isn't even a full volume of material here; a substantial early oneshot is added at the end, thematically similar but much more hard-hitting, showing trans bashing and sustained harassment.
It especially saddens me that even though this manga was IMO much more tailored toward mainstream sensibilities than the earlier oneshot, it still couldn't find its space in the manga marketplace.
I actually really enjoyed how the characters both engage with the fashion industry and try to at least mildly destabilize it, I love it when manga show us characters developing some art or craft, starting a business, etc. I've been reading Blue Period in parallel and there are many similarities, except of course that one hasn't been cancelled yet. I have FEELINGS about being a trans author in publishing and you can probably guess most of them.
Anyway, I will be very much on the lookout for more by the author, I really really hope there will be more.
_____
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library
It especially saddens me that even though this manga was IMO much more tailored toward mainstream sensibilities than the earlier oneshot, it still couldn't find its space in the manga marketplace.
I actually really enjoyed how the characters both engage with the fashion industry and try to at least mildly destabilize it, I love it when manga show us characters developing some art or craft, starting a business, etc. I've been reading Blue Period in parallel and there are many similarities, except of course that one hasn't been cancelled yet. I have FEELINGS about being a trans author in publishing and you can probably guess most of them.
Anyway, I will be very much on the lookout for more by the author, I really really hope there will be more.
_____
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library
June 5, 2022
"Everyone faces all different kinds of prejudice and lives within their limitations. But that can be
changed
. That's what I'd like to think."
WOW!! That was an amazing and epic ending to this story!
Absolutely loved and adored this volume and completely soaked in these three young boys' journey to this point! Seeing them truly be able to live out all their longing of what they wish their brand to be and reflect truly has been one of the most satisfying endings I've read in some time.
One thing I found interesting is how "heavy" this volume was due to it really showing and almost teaching about branding. As an entrepreneur myself I found it really encouraging and was deeply thankful for the timing of reading this story.
I feel there are so many layers to this series and deeply thankful that I took the time to read Boys Run the Riot! I believe it can speak to everyone and that it can remind us to view people not through prejudices, but through a hope that we can help influence and change the world around us in a positive way.
Again, what an amazing ending! (I didn't read the one-shot so not sure how that is, but the actual ending of the series is amazing.)
WOW!! That was an amazing and epic ending to this story!
Absolutely loved and adored this volume and completely soaked in these three young boys' journey to this point! Seeing them truly be able to live out all their longing of what they wish their brand to be and reflect truly has been one of the most satisfying endings I've read in some time.
One thing I found interesting is how "heavy" this volume was due to it really showing and almost teaching about branding. As an entrepreneur myself I found it really encouraging and was deeply thankful for the timing of reading this story.
I feel there are so many layers to this series and deeply thankful that I took the time to read Boys Run the Riot! I believe it can speak to everyone and that it can remind us to view people not through prejudices, but through a hope that we can help influence and change the world around us in a positive way.
Again, what an amazing ending! (I didn't read the one-shot so not sure how that is, but the actual ending of the series is amazing.)
March 9, 2023
a nice conclusion to a short serie about yes obviously gender and being trans and fashion, but in the end, it is mostly about being yourself, finding your voice and a way to express it - here, with clothes and tags - and having fun with your friends. A good serie.
November 23, 2022
A gorgeous and emotions story filled with passion, fight and heart.
January 25, 2023
Très belle fin pour cette jolie série !
August 16, 2025
A nice concluding volume, not quite as good as previous ones as this was more resolution and not the ground-breaking stuff that established the story. Nice to see their youthful confidence in their brand they created. The shared vision of the designers each with their own talent: art, business, photo/printing.
There are some doubtful adults, but if everyone gave up their dreams the moment someone told you it would be hard, we would be missing all the breakthroughs in everything. This story talks to being yourself and if your gender is still being discovered, then follow your path and keep those true friends that accept that we are all different.
You can extrapolate this brand energy into any field: sports, science, music, movies - it takes people that believe in themselves and simply won't quit.
There are some doubtful adults, but if everyone gave up their dreams the moment someone told you it would be hard, we would be missing all the breakthroughs in everything. This story talks to being yourself and if your gender is still being discovered, then follow your path and keep those true friends that accept that we are all different.
You can extrapolate this brand energy into any field: sports, science, music, movies - it takes people that believe in themselves and simply won't quit.
November 5, 2024
COMO QUE FINAL, POR QUE SIENTO QUE ESTO FUE MUY ABRUPTO.
April 30, 2023
I really wish we could have gotten more volumes in this series! It was just so good, and there was so much more we could have seen of their progress with their brand!
Regardless, I liked that we got more Jim backstory here. We met his dad, and we saw the contentious relationship they have because their visions for Jin’s future are so different.
I looooved that my boys got a mentor! It was so sweet to see them being supported by an artist who had been in the business for a long time. He really helped them focus in on what their vision is for their brand. He also was willing to share space with them so they could get their name out there and practice putting themselves out there. It was wonderful! 💖
Honestly, my only qualm is no canon Chika and Ryo 😭 but at least she was still there to support him 🥺
Regardless, I liked that we got more Jim backstory here. We met his dad, and we saw the contentious relationship they have because their visions for Jin’s future are so different.
I looooved that my boys got a mentor! It was so sweet to see them being supported by an artist who had been in the business for a long time. He really helped them focus in on what their vision is for their brand. He also was willing to share space with them so they could get their name out there and practice putting themselves out there. It was wonderful! 💖
Honestly, my only qualm is no canon Chika and Ryo 😭 but at least she was still there to support him 🥺
July 6, 2022
The fact that I liked the end one-shot that inspired this series more than the series itself is...telling.
August 21, 2024
Na moje to chyba najlepsze zakończenie jakie mogło być - chłopaki na wystawie sprzedają trochę ubrań i potem wraz z dwoma koleżankami kontynuują markę. Myślę, że dobrze, że nie skończyło się na tym, że nagle odnieśli niewiadomo jaki sukces, bo to by było strasznie podkoloryzowane.
Odjęłam trochę z oceny przez niedociągnięcia w kresce (nie rozumiem jak działa szyja Jina... z profilu jest taka raczej szczupła, a z przodu jest strasznie szeroka XD) i przez to, że w porównaniu z poprzednim tomem, ten jakoś mniej do mnie trafił
Odjęłam trochę z oceny przez niedociągnięcia w kresce (nie rozumiem jak działa szyja Jina... z profilu jest taka raczej szczupła, a z przodu jest strasznie szeroka XD) i przez to, że w porównaniu z poprzednim tomem, ten jakoś mniej do mnie trafił
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2025
Zakończenie jakieś takie niesatysfakcjonujące. Miło że odeszli od tematu tożsamości płciowej na chwilę i znowu skupili się na rozwoju marki bo mam wrażenie że z tożsamości płciowej składa się cała osobowość bohaterów. No i co miał znaczyć dodatkowy rozdział???? Kto to jest i czemu ziom się rozebrał i spalił ubrania na podwórku szkolnym??
June 1, 2022
Happy for them but sad it's over. This series really touched my heart and inspired me.
April 1, 2022
Big love for this series and this passionate ending!
December 21, 2022
overall good series but i think i was expecting more. idk what tho. rated everything 4 stars but i mean more like 3.5 tbh
July 1, 2022
3/5 Stars: ‘Boys Run the Riot’ (Vol.4 of ‘Boys Run the Riot’) by Keito Gaku.
→ Age Range: Young Adult.
→ Genre: LGBT+, Contemporary Fiction.
→ Book Type: Manga.
Favourite Quote: ‘Everyone faces all different kinds of prejudice and lives within their limitations. But that can be changed. That’s what I’d like to think.’
In-depth Rating:
→ Plot: ★★★
→ Character Development: ★★★★
→ Setting: ★★★
→ Entertainment Level: ★★★★
→ Writing: ★★★
General Comments: Not the strongest volume, but certainly one of the most impactful; it tried to cram information about the development of the Fashion Brand ‘Boys Run the Riot’, but it came at the cost of the characters’ development. The ending was quite beautiful and well-rounded, showing warmth and appreciation for the realities of running a Fashion Brand while staying true to yourself. Hopefully, we receive more content in the future, to see the outcome - but if not, that’s ok too!
Time Read: One Day.
→ Audiobook: No.
→ Audiobook Narrator: -
Re-Read: No.
→ -:
→ -:
Trigger Warnings:
→ Transphobia.
→ Gender Dysphoria.
→ Bullying.
→ Age Range: Young Adult.
→ Genre: LGBT+, Contemporary Fiction.
→ Book Type: Manga.
Favourite Quote: ‘Everyone faces all different kinds of prejudice and lives within their limitations. But that can be changed. That’s what I’d like to think.’
In-depth Rating:
→ Plot: ★★★
→ Character Development: ★★★★
→ Setting: ★★★
→ Entertainment Level: ★★★★
→ Writing: ★★★
General Comments: Not the strongest volume, but certainly one of the most impactful; it tried to cram information about the development of the Fashion Brand ‘Boys Run the Riot’, but it came at the cost of the characters’ development. The ending was quite beautiful and well-rounded, showing warmth and appreciation for the realities of running a Fashion Brand while staying true to yourself. Hopefully, we receive more content in the future, to see the outcome - but if not, that’s ok too!
Time Read: One Day.
→ Audiobook: No.
→ Audiobook Narrator: -
Re-Read: No.
→ -:
→ -:
Trigger Warnings:
→ Transphobia.
→ Gender Dysphoria.
→ Bullying.
July 22, 2023
2.5☆ Review:
While the message of this series was really good, I found the storyline to be lacking.
Most of the scenes were over-dramatized and rushed. The ending felt abrupt.
Unfortunately, I didn’t fall in love with this short, four-volume series.
While the message of this series was really good, I found the storyline to be lacking.
Most of the scenes were over-dramatized and rushed. The ending felt abrupt.
Unfortunately, I didn’t fall in love with this short, four-volume series.
August 11, 2022
This series was incredibly short-lived, but Keito Gaku still covered a lot of important ground with a trans ML 4 volume manga run. So much more could have been delved into with the characters introduced, many seemingly a setup for a deeper storyline and richer world being built for Boys Run the Riot.
The bonus chapter at the end of this 4th volume was a hidden gem, Keito Gaku's debut one-shot named "Light" which was later transformed into the Boys Run the Riot series. A little stripped down for such a complex series, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I do wish I could have seen it develop into an even more mature, longer series covering ground in the fashion world, broken Japanese family lives built around cultural expectations/the ideas of honor and responsibility, as well as seeing Ryo coming even more into themselves and how he wants society to view and accept himself externally for who he is internally in the present.
The bonus chapter at the end of this 4th volume was a hidden gem, Keito Gaku's debut one-shot named "Light" which was later transformed into the Boys Run the Riot series. A little stripped down for such a complex series, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I do wish I could have seen it develop into an even more mature, longer series covering ground in the fashion world, broken Japanese family lives built around cultural expectations/the ideas of honor and responsibility, as well as seeing Ryo coming even more into themselves and how he wants society to view and accept himself externally for who he is internally in the present.
August 31, 2022
I believe this is the final installment of this series and while I'm sad to see it go, I really enjoyed going on this ride with Ryo and Jin.
In Volume 4, Ryo has a chance encounter with Joe, someone who has been running his own fashion line for years. Joe sees something in these boys and gives them the chance of a lifetime when he invites them to showcase their fashion line at one of his shows. This brings on a new slew of questions - what should they show? what should their brand be? and should Jin & Ryo invite their parents who have no idea what their kids have been up to?
Not gonna lie, I didn't trust Joe. I thought he was going to scam the boys out of their ideas. The entire time my stomach was in knots at all of their interactions. I just wanted the boys to succeed and I wanted them to be happy. Ugh emotions.
This series was so good. I'm so glad my friend picked it up and then threw it at me to read.
In Volume 4, Ryo has a chance encounter with Joe, someone who has been running his own fashion line for years. Joe sees something in these boys and gives them the chance of a lifetime when he invites them to showcase their fashion line at one of his shows. This brings on a new slew of questions - what should they show? what should their brand be? and should Jin & Ryo invite their parents who have no idea what their kids have been up to?
Not gonna lie, I didn't trust Joe. I thought he was going to scam the boys out of their ideas. The entire time my stomach was in knots at all of their interactions. I just wanted the boys to succeed and I wanted them to be happy. Ugh emotions.
This series was so good. I'm so glad my friend picked it up and then threw it at me to read.
March 9, 2022
This was such a wholesome ending to the series! I'm so sad it's over in just four volumes. I hope this author comes out with more stories in the future!
April 30, 2023
i loved it 🫶 bede tesknic za ta historia
November 6, 2023
adore this series w my soul but i feel like i missed at least 5 volumes between vols. 3 +4 :((
May 24, 2024
[serie intera 1-4]
May 23, 2022
Full series video review: https://youtu.be/c5V7PaR-5NE
Not the strongest volume in the series, and I am sad it’s the last, but it certainly had some impactful moments.
This volume really tried to cram in a lot about the development of the crew’s fashion brand, but unfortunately it came at the cost of some character development I felt we had begun to set up in volume 3.
The ending itself was quite beautiful, I just wish it (and our incredible characters) had a bit more room to breath and *be* in this final volume. Still a solid series that I have a lot of warmth and appreciation for.
Not the strongest volume in the series, and I am sad it’s the last, but it certainly had some impactful moments.
This volume really tried to cram in a lot about the development of the crew’s fashion brand, but unfortunately it came at the cost of some character development I felt we had begun to set up in volume 3.
The ending itself was quite beautiful, I just wish it (and our incredible characters) had a bit more room to breath and *be* in this final volume. Still a solid series that I have a lot of warmth and appreciation for.
December 3, 2021
Love love looooove this series but after reading this volume I was like.. what?? It's ending here??? And this is the final volume. Def not a satisfying ending I just feel like there is so much more to cover like they only just started idk. 🙁🙁🙁 super sad it's ending but it was a wonderful splendid amazing series. Maybe an epilogue could've been nice like to see how they would be in the future ???
February 1, 2023
This manga series has turned into one of my favourite mangas of all time!
This book has such a nice blend between feeling easy to read & process while still discussing and pointing out significant issues and problems for trans teens. It also shows contrast in different journeys and looks into ways that trans people experience relationships with their gender identity and expression differently.
Firstly, something that I appreciated about the novel is that while being a trans male was quite prevalent part to the storyline, it wasn’t the ONLY point. The book was less about “Ryo is trans and therefore this is his journey being trans and transitioning” but more of “Ryo is trans and this is how he’s navigating and accepting himself. These are some of the things he loves and ways he expresses himself” which was great.
In terms of just a few things I loved about Ryo’s journey specifically:
Firstly, he starts the series off not knowing the word “transgender” and doesn’t really know much about lgbt. But he still can clearly recognise that he’s experiencing a disconnect between his mind and body, and moreover finds this distressing as he struggles to vociferate the issues he’s dealing with, especially as none of his female peers seem to be struggling with these issues.
Some things they bring out are his body dysphoria with is chest and neck, as well as needing to wear the female uniform at school and being socially treated as a girl. He’s always trying to wear his gym suit so he can avoid the skirt, etc etc.
This brings me to my next point (which I did mention a bit before) where it brings into his other hobbies: he loves art (specifically graffiti street art) and fashion, and feels like he can properly express himself and present in a way that he’s comfortable with fashion. So this hobby did stem from wanting to properly express his gender in presentation but stems into just a genuine love for clothing and fashion which I thought was great.
When he learns about being transgender he’s very quickly like “oh yes this is what I am” which does give a little checkmark for him but moving forward is still a difficult process for him from there.
He struggles A LOT with telling people he’s trans. I thought this was a FANTASTIC point that is brought up in his character’s journey: Ryo knows in his head who he is and expresses this to his close friends— but he also experiences a lot of anxiety and fear when it comes to other people finding this out. He worries about needing to come out in job applications, being rejected, being bullied, etc etc. He carries a lot of fear just being the idea of people knowing he is trans, even if he’s not always worried about how it’s going to be received, which I thought was a really real worry and I was happy to see that was included in the storyline.
Something I also particularly enjoyed about Ryo is that being trans to him isn’t his full identity— and what I mean by that is this is obviously a series that does heavily revolve around him being transgender, but he mentions this a few times through the series— that he wants to be able to just live his life and have it not be a big deal. At one point it’s brought up that it could be a “unique selling point” for their brand image (having a designer who is trans) but Ryo isn’t interested in making their brand about that, because he doesn’t want to constantly be making something so fixated around his gender— he simply wants to exist peacefully as a guy.
On the flip side of things looking at other characters in the series with different experiences, I thought this was included so well and I was so happy to see that different experiences were also called to attention. There’s another character in this novel who (AMAB) has lived most of their life out as a gay male, but later learns that’s not really how they identify, and they see their gender as more fluid (it’s implied they are genderfluid, but in general they just do not conform to the gender binary). These two different experiences I thought were so nice to be contrasted a bit!! They did a really great job at showcasing different hardships with different gender identities, and why they can all be difficult to deal with in their own manners. For example, the more gender non-conforming character applauds Ryo for his assertiveness, for being so certain that he’s a guy, and mentions that they often struggle because they don’t know how they feel, and that it’s difficult for them to pinpoint where they are on the gender spectrum, which I think is a very transparent experience of many of various non-binary identities. On the opposite side, in this story it also looked at how Ryo seems (it’s implied but not explicitly stated) to experience a lot more heavy dysphoria, wherein every aspect of being female causes him so much pain because it’s so wrong to how he knows he is. Now that’s not to say that non-binary identities don’t experience as much dysphoria as binary-trans folks do— but more just looked at the idea that with more gender non-binary identities there can be a crossover of things that don’t cause the person distress.
I shouldn’t write more because this review will go on for years and year, but I really loved this series. The characters are so so loveable.
It deals with so many important experiences to members of the trans (and wider LGBT+ community) like:
- figuring out identity
- struggling to understand how your feel about your identity & not knowing how to express what you feel
- fear of coming out
- coming out and being accepted, coming out and being rejected, and why both are fucking terrifying
- being outed without consent
- transphobia
- dysphoria
- realising a previous identity no longer matches who you are
- experimenting with gender-expression & presentation
- wearing your identity on your sleeve vs wanting to blend in
- LGBT identifying students in schools & in the school system
- LGBT in the workplace
- coming out to LGBT allies
And lots more. I genuinely would recommend this series to anyone, regardless of whether they identify as a member of the LGBT+ community or not!
This book has such a nice blend between feeling easy to read & process while still discussing and pointing out significant issues and problems for trans teens. It also shows contrast in different journeys and looks into ways that trans people experience relationships with their gender identity and expression differently.
Firstly, something that I appreciated about the novel is that while being a trans male was quite prevalent part to the storyline, it wasn’t the ONLY point. The book was less about “Ryo is trans and therefore this is his journey being trans and transitioning” but more of “Ryo is trans and this is how he’s navigating and accepting himself. These are some of the things he loves and ways he expresses himself” which was great.
In terms of just a few things I loved about Ryo’s journey specifically:
Firstly, he starts the series off not knowing the word “transgender” and doesn’t really know much about lgbt. But he still can clearly recognise that he’s experiencing a disconnect between his mind and body, and moreover finds this distressing as he struggles to vociferate the issues he’s dealing with, especially as none of his female peers seem to be struggling with these issues.
Some things they bring out are his body dysphoria with is chest and neck, as well as needing to wear the female uniform at school and being socially treated as a girl. He’s always trying to wear his gym suit so he can avoid the skirt, etc etc.
This brings me to my next point (which I did mention a bit before) where it brings into his other hobbies: he loves art (specifically graffiti street art) and fashion, and feels like he can properly express himself and present in a way that he’s comfortable with fashion. So this hobby did stem from wanting to properly express his gender in presentation but stems into just a genuine love for clothing and fashion which I thought was great.
When he learns about being transgender he’s very quickly like “oh yes this is what I am” which does give a little checkmark for him but moving forward is still a difficult process for him from there.
He struggles A LOT with telling people he’s trans. I thought this was a FANTASTIC point that is brought up in his character’s journey: Ryo knows in his head who he is and expresses this to his close friends— but he also experiences a lot of anxiety and fear when it comes to other people finding this out. He worries about needing to come out in job applications, being rejected, being bullied, etc etc. He carries a lot of fear just being the idea of people knowing he is trans, even if he’s not always worried about how it’s going to be received, which I thought was a really real worry and I was happy to see that was included in the storyline.
Something I also particularly enjoyed about Ryo is that being trans to him isn’t his full identity— and what I mean by that is this is obviously a series that does heavily revolve around him being transgender, but he mentions this a few times through the series— that he wants to be able to just live his life and have it not be a big deal. At one point it’s brought up that it could be a “unique selling point” for their brand image (having a designer who is trans) but Ryo isn’t interested in making their brand about that, because he doesn’t want to constantly be making something so fixated around his gender— he simply wants to exist peacefully as a guy.
On the flip side of things looking at other characters in the series with different experiences, I thought this was included so well and I was so happy to see that different experiences were also called to attention. There’s another character in this novel who (AMAB) has lived most of their life out as a gay male, but later learns that’s not really how they identify, and they see their gender as more fluid (it’s implied they are genderfluid, but in general they just do not conform to the gender binary). These two different experiences I thought were so nice to be contrasted a bit!! They did a really great job at showcasing different hardships with different gender identities, and why they can all be difficult to deal with in their own manners. For example, the more gender non-conforming character applauds Ryo for his assertiveness, for being so certain that he’s a guy, and mentions that they often struggle because they don’t know how they feel, and that it’s difficult for them to pinpoint where they are on the gender spectrum, which I think is a very transparent experience of many of various non-binary identities. On the opposite side, in this story it also looked at how Ryo seems (it’s implied but not explicitly stated) to experience a lot more heavy dysphoria, wherein every aspect of being female causes him so much pain because it’s so wrong to how he knows he is. Now that’s not to say that non-binary identities don’t experience as much dysphoria as binary-trans folks do— but more just looked at the idea that with more gender non-binary identities there can be a crossover of things that don’t cause the person distress.
I shouldn’t write more because this review will go on for years and year, but I really loved this series. The characters are so so loveable.
It deals with so many important experiences to members of the trans (and wider LGBT+ community) like:
- figuring out identity
- struggling to understand how your feel about your identity & not knowing how to express what you feel
- fear of coming out
- coming out and being accepted, coming out and being rejected, and why both are fucking terrifying
- being outed without consent
- transphobia
- dysphoria
- realising a previous identity no longer matches who you are
- experimenting with gender-expression & presentation
- wearing your identity on your sleeve vs wanting to blend in
- LGBT identifying students in schools & in the school system
- LGBT in the workplace
- coming out to LGBT allies
And lots more. I genuinely would recommend this series to anyone, regardless of whether they identify as a member of the LGBT+ community or not!
January 18, 2022
I absolutely adored this series. Found family is always one of my favorite themes and seeing that here with a trans protagonist? Absolute perfection! I wish the story could have continued for a few more volumes, but regardless I still enjoyed the ending.
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