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Week Eight

This week I read My Brother's Husband and rehashed My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness.

Originally, when I read it, I related heavily to the MC in My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. I also experienced times of heavy depression throughout my life. I loved the art style of it, as well as the straight forward storytelling. At some points, though, I didn't quite "understand" what the author was talking about. I think because she was just expressing her train of thought, it sometimes got jumbled up. Or perhaps it was done on purpose because depression and loneliness sometimes don't make sense at all.

Addendum: It was also a bit hard for me to read because as I mentioned in class that I come from a somewhat emotionally reserved family (asian stereotype I know but it holds for me), and it's hard to be so outright and forth coming like Nagata Kabi was. It was also relatable to a sense that I didn't like reading it, because what if this will be me in 3 years, when I turn 28? Although the relationship part isn't as much applicable, but the idea of still living at home does slightly horrify me. I think in that sense the author and I are very different. I was set off to be independent and alone starting from young, just because of my parents' work schedules. I am the opposite of Nagata Kabi, in that I have issues with my emotional detachment, rather than emotional clinging.

My Brother's Husband made me surprisingly emotional. I think it is because of hearing this man try to relate and overcome his homophobia. While I don't relate to this a lot, I do understand overcoming your prejudices. I think this manga made a bigger impact on me than My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, actually. I loved the characters, from Mike who is super friendly and open, Kana who has a clean slate when it comes to dealing with LGBT issues, to Yaichi who overcomes his innate homophobia, Natsuki and Ryoji. The only thing that made me slightly uncomfortable was the art style of the mangaka, but I know that he specializes in bara manga, so that is why he draws like that. I think in part because I know that he is a bara mangaka, it makes me slightly uncomfortable.

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