Translated by Anne Ishii
5 stars
Absolutely adorable. This is such a sweet, tender story.
Yaichi lives a normal life with his daughter, Kana, in Tokyo. But when his late twin brother’s openly-gay husband, Mike, visits from Canada, Yaichi’s life turns upside down. He must face his own discomfort with gay culture and come to terms with his feelings about his estranged brother.
Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, the story deals with the death of a loved one, estrangement, homophobia, prejudice, cultural norms, and family. The book nicely shows children’s interest in unfamiliar topics and people, the effect adult’s views can have on children, and the difficulty of accepting a gay person in a culture that traditionally discouraged open queerness.
There are so many wonderful moments in this volume. I adore Mike and Kana. They are such sweet souls. And I’m looking forward to Yaichi reckoning with his view of gay people and his relationship with his brother.
Fantastically written. Gorgeous artwork. Such a wonderful book.
I’m so glad I finally got around to starting this one. I can’t wait to continue the series.