He's expecting - Seine erste Schwangerschaft

by 坂井恵理

Seit zehn Jahren können auch Cis-Männer auf der ganzen Welt schwanger werden. Trotzdem entscheiden sich nur wenige Männer dafür, die Kinder auch auszutragen, denn die gesellschaftliche Akzeptanz lässt auf sich warten. Und daher ist auch Karriere- und Lebemann Kentaro Hiyama erst einmal fassungslos, als er erfährt, dass er schwanger sein soll. Der Single-Mann entscheidet sich jedoch, das Kind auszutragen, und wird fortan ebenfalls mit jeder Menge Vorurteilen und Hindernissen konfrontiert. Dieser Widerstand weckt seinen Kampfgeist und führt dazu, dass sowohl er selbst als auch die Menschen um ihn herum das Thema Schwangerschaft mit anderen Augen betrachten … Die Manga-Vorlage zur gleichnamigen Netflix-Verfilmung! Schwangerschaft, Care-Arbeit und Empowerment: Eri Sakai bietet eine spannende Perspektive auf wichtige sowie brisante Themen, die noch längst nicht genügend Aufmerksamkeit erfahren!

Genres: Manga, Comics, Josei, Graphic Novels, German Literature, Japan

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 11, 2013

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.

When men began to be able to carry children roughly ten years ago (in the story's world), not much really changed - the default expectation was still that mothers would be the main caregivers and pregnant men were low-key looked down on. In fact, male pregnancy didn't really bring about the legislative or social revolutions people were half-expecting. So when Kentaro finds himself expecting after a casual hookup, he's not quite sure what to do. But as he weathers the micro (and macro) aggressions and thinks about what he really wants to do, he decides to have the baby - and to make things easier for the other birthing dads out there.

This is a book with a fabulous concept and execution that doesn't quite go far enough. Kentaro never really sees himself as different from the pregnant women he meets (although that's something he has to learn), but most of the social commentary is fairly low key, so if you're reading this looking for a revolution, you may be disappointed. On the other hand, women who become pregnant or who simply have the possibility of it are often treated as lesser workers and citizens, and the book does handle that; in fact, it seems to be using gender roles to show that reproductive health is an everyone issue. That's the strongest piece of this book - from the woman who's the mother of Kentaro's baby to a high school boy who has an abortion to a woman whose husband is pregnant but doesn't seem to understand that his changes are something that she's already been through, this really tries to consider all angles. It's interesting in a very positive way.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good manga, thank you to myself for buying it for my birthday *gives a hug*.

In this manga we follow a man who is pregnant, yep, welcome to a world where men can get pregnant. However, it is still not really socially accepted (they are often seen as gay or feminine) and we see how our MC goes through many emotions, figuring out if he should keep the baby or not? Then what about his work, what about other men who are pregnant or have kids? I loved seeing him get stronger with each page. Get more comfortable being pregnant, I loved that he was looking forward to his kid as the time neared.

However, it was at times a bit confusing as I thought it was just about the guy being pregnant, but it also shows other people and their pregnancies/abortions and how the general populace feels about male pregnancies.

I am happy I read this one. I would definitely recommend it!

[Ravi · Rating 4 out of 5]

yeah i read this bc of the netflix jdrama. what about it.
i wish they'd talked about you know. the pregnant men that very much do exist in real life. but this was a surprisingly refreshing and thoughtful take on mpreg and the imdb reviews definitely do not reflect the drama's actual quality. pretty solid and quick read

[Vayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, for a free copy of this manga.

So, this may seem like a weird pick, but I kinda like pregnancy stories. If you also like them, I would recommend reading this one, but keep in mind that this is not a romance. This history focuses more on social commentary: Would society be more inclusive if men were the ones getting pregnant? Or would they also have to deal with being treated diferent?.
How this manga presents everyone story to answer this questions was really interesting to read.
It is also short, so it's great to pass the time.
Favorite part: "i'will be damned if I let a man show me how it's done"

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

So in this world men can now have babies too but it happens far less than the other way around.

The main character decides the world doesn't respect or know enough about men who get prego. So he opens up a place for Men who get pregnant and work through it together. This leads to most chapters being about other characters and all linking to him eventually. It's enjoyable and covers a lot of pregnant issues and joys on both ends. It ends with a huge time skip which was interesting, and wonder how they'll continue.

A 3.5 but I'll bump it to a 4.

[Fraaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this advanced copy

First thing first, you need to forget about basic biology to enjoy this story. The manga itself exploring how society deal with pregnant people. This was good and unique.

[Chyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-book copy!

I wasn't sure what I was getting when I requested this. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. In this manga, men are able to get pregnant and we mainly follow a male who gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby. Even though, we mostly follow one person's story we get other side stories set in this world. The commentary was plausible and will have the audience speculating how they would react to male pregnancy. I recommend checking this out if the premise intrigues you.

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers for providing an ARC of this manga through NetGalley.

2023 52 Book Challenge - 4) Title Starting With The Letter H

I thought this was a pretty nice read. It tried for a bit of social commentary on the issues of pregnancy and the impact of pregnancy on a person. I liked the characters and I can't wait for book 2.

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:

Ten years ago, the world changed as we realized that a small percentage of the male population could get pregnant. Unsurprisingly, it's something that society has struggled to adjust to. Likewise, it's been an eye-opening experience for all those involved.

Kentaro Hiyama is a career-minded man with solid aspirations. Aspirations, which may be on the line now that he knows he's pregnant. The good news is that this is quite the lesson for him – making him aware of the discrimination many pregnant people face.

Review:

Every now and then, you come across a series that makes you stop. He's Expecting Vol. 1 was the most recent series to do that to me. It's a great concept with a lot of potential to help people reassess their biases.

This book was and wasn't what I was expecting. On the one hand, I'm thrilled that we got to see a character grow and learn. On the other hand, it's frustrating that this character needed to be forced into somebody's shoes before he cared.

Side note: in case it wasn't obvious, this book focuses a lot on pregnancy. It's not just about Kentaro's pregnancy but the pregnancy of many women he meets throughout his journey. If that's not your cup of tea, I would pass.

Oddly enough, the core concept of He's Expecting Vol. 1 reminded me of Y: The Last Man. I think it's because one would expect the story to be more woman-centric, but it isn't. It's an interesting thought.

Highlights:
Manga
Pregnant Men
Different Perspective

Will I continue the series? Nah, one was perfect.

Thanks to Kodansha Comics and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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[Ben’s Book Nook ☭ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ a fun and interesting read

[Brittany ✨Bookishlyyoursforever✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I thought the premise for this book sounded really cute and interesting, I was pleasantly surprised to find how much I enjoyed the story. The characters were all really fun, I found that reading dual POV's for the situation (men being able to get pregnant) was really eye-opening. I think a lot of things were surprisingly realistic, including the stigma surrounding male pregnancy and a lack of education regarding safe sex practices. The idea was really well executed, I think this being a manga was the best medium to tell the story as well.

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this story could go a lot of different ways with this title. Having it be a story about men advocating for pregnancy rights was not what I was expecting. This one is a very interesting story. I will read the next volume to see how it finishes out. But I can see not everyone appreciating this one. Some people will be very uncomfortable with this, and I get it. If you are interested, I would recommend picking it up.

[Rebecca Whaley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! It's an interesting take on pregnancy with some males getting pregnant. Kentaro is a hardworking single man who suddenly finds himself pregnant. This goes through his progress with his pregnancy and his daily experiences. It also had stories about other people's experiences with being pregnant. I definitely want to read more.

[Valérie Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

La paternité est mon sujet de recherche comme sociologue, alors je lis à peu près tous les mangas qui parlent des pères. Je n'étais toutefois pas tellement attirée par celui-ci, qui aborde la grossesse d'un homme, dans un monde où cela est devenu possible (pour un homme sur dix). J'avais un peu peur que cela soit encore une fois que les "hommes avec la possibilité d'enfanter" soient assimilés à un statut inférieur, comme cela est le cas dans les omegaverse du BL...

Mais c'est très loin de cela! En fait, M. Hiyama est rempli de défauts, totalement pris au dépourvu par la situation, qui envisage l'avortement sérieusement et qui réalise graduellement toutes les discriminations que la grossesse occasionne... Et qui reconnait souvent, dans les répliques spontanées de ses collègues, ses propres opinions passées!

On montre également à quel point une grossesse d'homme n'est pas exactement la même chose, qu'une grossesse de femme, chacune ayant leur lot de défis. Quand il décide d'utiliser sa situation pour faire avancer la cause, il se fait dire: "Vous avez de la chance quand même! C'est une arme pour vous, d'être enceint. C'est tellement normal pour les femmes de tomber enceintes que personne ne nous écoute comme ça..." (ce qui n'est pas faux: dans mes études, un père qui en fait plus que la norme est un héros, alors la mère qui en fait autant/plus que lui est seulement... une mère).

Ce manga montre avec brio toutes les petits et grands problèmes de nos sociétés à gérer le temps de la grossesse... En un seul tome! Je suis maintenant curieuse de voir l'adaptation Netflix! Et aussi de lire la suite qui explorera la paternité de M. Hiyama, avec d'autres comportements à dénoncer, j'en suis sûre!

[EyrisReadsTheWorld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mots Clés: manga, josei, science-fiction, slice of life, grossesse
Ce titre m’avait beaucoup intrigué lors de sa sortie car imaginer un monde où la grossesse masculine est possible n’est pas un sujet si commun (à part dans certains yaoi, bien évidemment).
On rencontre M.Himaya, qui découvre qu’il est enceinte. Il doit donc faire face à un choix : garder l’enfant ou avorter. Bon, ce n’est pas un spoiler si je vous dis qu’il choisit la première option je pense.
Ce que j’ai aimé dans ce manga, c’est qu’on a le point de vue de plusieurs personnages, des femmes, des hommes, tous touchés d’une manière ou d’une autre par une grossesse. Cela nous permet d’avoir différents points de vue sur la question.
C’est un manga bienveillant je trouve. Les personnages sont tous attachants, avec leurs qualités, leurs défauts et leur manière de se remettre en question. Cela nous rappelle qu’effectivement, une fois qu’on est personnellement touché par une situation, on ne réagit plus de la même manière que quand les autres faisaient face à la même chose.
Je recommande ce manga à ceux qui se demande à quelles problèmes font face les personnes enceintes.

[Les Lectures de Loow (Laura) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce manga m'intriguait et j'ai profité d'un achat d'occasion pour le découvrir. Hé bien, c'était une belle surprise.
L'histoire peut paraître assez légère mais la thématique centrale de la grossesse rajoute un certain sérieux.
Ici, les hommes ont un pourcentage de chances de tomber enceints et de mettre au monde un enfant.
Ce que j'ai aimé, c'est que même si cela est impossible, l'auteur n'est pas parti dans quelque chose d'extravagant. On prend en compte le physique d'un homme et s'il souhaite mener sa grossesse à terme, il devra passer par la case césarienne.
La grossesse est au centre de l'histoire (évidemment). On s'intéresse à la place qu'elle peut prendre dans la société que ce soit dans la vie de tous les jours (transports en commun) ou au travail (avec les congés, l'absence due aux désagréments ou à un enfant malade). Le manga est composé de plusieurs chapitres et chaque chapitre est consacré à un personnage plus ou moins concerné par la grossesse. J'ai vraiment aimé suivre plusieurs personnages et avoir plusieurs points de vue.
C'était une bonne lecture. À la fois légère et sérieuse. Avec assez d'humour.

[E (manga_runner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a unique concept, as I can think of another series I have read like this besides the BL genre. It is a world where males can get pregnant and even though it is known the can, most have a negative view on it still. Kentaro discovers he is pregnant and he discovers how other males have had to deal with others opinions on male pregnancies. However, Kentaro goes head on and tries to make an impact to change these views.

Throughout this volume we meet several different people who are impacted differently and how Kentaro has had an impact with helping change views either directly or indirectly. I do like this aspect where we not only get the viewpoint of Kentaro but Aki (baby mom) and others too with varying backgrounds/situations. It does do a time skip at the end, which it might have been nice to have some chapters of when the child was growing up. Overall though, the story was a nice change to read and enjoyed it.
I would like to add, love how much Kentaro loves the baby when it is born and his relationship with Aki.

If what it holding you back from reading this is you think it is a BL, it is not. I would say this falls under slice of life.

[Hibikiyume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avis : bien que le premier chapitre sorti en numérique en même temps que la série Netflix ne m'avait pas vendu du rêve car il y avait un loupé sur un détail qui m'avait dérangé. Puis une fois l'annonce du volume 1 pour la paternité de mr Hiyama. Akata m'a proposé de le recevoir je suis donc d'abord allé acheter le one shot pour savoir s il m'intéressait ou pas, et au final j'ai adoré le manga et super intéressant c'est cool de voir une autre vision de la grossesse. Le manga est super bien développé et travaillé.
Le développement des personnages est aussi très bien fait. Bref j'adore.

Hâte de lire la suite quand le volume 2 sera sorti en France.

[Alan D.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a funny manga that speaks about misogyny, unwanted pregnancies, double standards, and so on. However, it does it from a place of empowerment and social work. Some of the topics are hard, but while they're treated as such, there's not that much doom and gloom that you would expect. It does seem a bit idealistic at times, but it is a comfort reading for sure.

Full review: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/20...

[Orion · Rating 2 out of 5]

c'est sympathique de voir plusieurs personnes/couples différentes dans chaque chapitre et de ne pas se concentrer uniquement sur Hiyama, mais malheureusement on se retrouve à voir un peu les mêmes situations revenir et au final, on ne voit pas vraiment l'entièreté de la grossesse et comment chaque stade se passe. l'histoire fini donc très vite, et on en ressort avec l'impression qu'il manque plusieurs choses pour avoir quelque chose de vraiment satisfaisant.

[ferdi 🍉 · Rating 4 out of 5]

i genuinely enjoyed this far more than i expected to!! (even tho i did watch the drama based off of this manga and i loved it very much).

i love how each chapter focused on new ppl and their stories, and how it touched on tough subjects like the sexist double standards that exist in the workplace.

honestly such a good short read

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5. I very much appreciate the commentary in these different perspectives on a world where men can now get pregnant. It's a nice first look at a society, and people's reactions. It doesn't go too deep, but it touches on the subjects enough that I felt not satisfied and curious to know more of this world or perhaps other stories

[Ime · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally recommend this book series to anyone who has an interest in the peculiar world of male pregnancy (a fictional world). I've learned so much from this book series. I've re-read this book series many times.

[Subane · Rating 3 out of 5]

• une bonne lecture

[Stacey Muchenje · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great the whole idea of man being pregnant was funny the humor in the manga. My favorite character was kentaro. Nothing bored me the design of the characters was amazing I'll give it 10/10

[Allyssandre · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai préféré la série

[Luxembourg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very groundbreaking since all it did was say that since pregnant women suffer under the patriarchy, men should be pregnant and suffer under the patriarchy too.

[Potatoes · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was really really cute.

[Lo2source · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touchant et drôle

[Tayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and a little bit silly.