Japan doesn’t same the same hang-ups about the LGBTQ+ community that the West does. Though that doesn’t mean it’s a progressive paradise. Same-sex marriage and civil rights differ from district to district, city to city, and gay partners can’t adopt children without going through some bureaucratic fiddling. Trans people also have to go to extreme lengths to be officially recognized as something other than their birth gender.
But there are plenty of LGBTQ+ people in Japan, and plenty of people who support them. They’ve all expressed themselves in various media too, including manga. They capture the highs, mids, and lows of being gay, bi, trans, queer and more in the Land of the Rising Sun. For the best of the bunch, these are the LGBTQ+ manga that people should read.
9My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness
Kabi Nagata’s manga pretty much does what it says on the tin. After working opportunities ran dry, Nagata decided to set up a webcomic on Pixiv about her life experiences, mental health, and her sexuality. East Press published it in print in 2016, then Seven Seas Entertainment brought it West in 2017, where it won a Harvey Award in 2018.
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It’s a mature story that doesn’t shy away from explicit detail, but it doesn’t do it for mere titillation. Nagata recorded it simply because it happened. The result is a raw and honest story for all readers, and a relatable one for its lesbian audiences. Nagata has since followed it up withMy Solo Exchange Diary,My Solo Exchange Diary Vol 2, andMy Alcoholic Escape From Reality.
8Bloom into You
If readers are after something gentler, Nio Nakatani’sBloom Into Youoffers ahigh school romancethat’s available in full via Seven Seas Entertainment. Originally published inDengeki Daiohfrom 2015 to 2019, it follows Yū and Tōko, two students who find kinship in each other after turning down two male suitors.
Yū thinks she may be asexual, as not even Tōko’s confession to her seems to move her. Yet while Tōko says she’s fine with them just being friends, there are a lot of emotions bubbling under the surface. All they know for sure is that they need each other, and that their need isn’t as platonic as they think.
7Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon
Shio Usui made their name with yuri romance tales, andDoughnuts Under a Crescent Moonis no different. It has a few quirks though, as it’s set in an office than a school, and the story covers demisexual/demiromantic leanings and asexuality alongside lesbian love. It starts off with Hinako, an office lady who feels pressured to find the right man, have kids, and be “an ideal, young woman.”
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Meanwhile, her senior, Asahi Satō, puts love aside to focus on caring for her little sister. After Asahi finds Hinako crying on a bench, the two open up to each other about their troubled lives to each other. Maybe Hinako can be an ideal woman just by being herself, and Asahi can find room for love at her own pace.
6Our Dreams at Dusk
WhileOur Dreams at Duskisn’t as directly autobiographical, it’s as tender and emotional asMy Lesbian Experiences with Loneliness.When Tasuku is outed involuntarily by his classmates and tormented horrifically for it, he’s about to commit suicide when he sees someone jump out of a window and land safely. He goes to the building and discovers it’s a drop-in center by people with similar problems to his own.
From the lesbian couple Haruko and Saki to the trans man Utsumi, they all share their troubles with each other to lighten their burden and go on living. Creator Yuhki Kamatani based this work lightly on their own experiences as an asexual non-binary person in Japan. As such, it’s a more realistic take on LGBTQ+ life in Japan, and one Yuricon founder Erica Friedman considered “crucial for gay Japanese youth.”
5My Brother’s Husband
Gengoroh Tagame is considered the most influential creator in the gay manga subgenre. A lot of his work does tend to be explicit, butMy Brother’s Husbandfocuses on matters of the heart rather than the loins, so to speak. It follows Yaichi, a single father whose life takes a turn when he’s visited by Mike Flanagan, the husband of his late brother Ryōji.
Yaichi never felt too comfortable around Ryōji once he came out, which led to the latter leaving the country before passing away in an accident. Finding that his brother’s spouse was not only a man, but a foreigner at that, makes Yaichi gradually face his own prejudices, accept Mike into the family, and figure out how to make amends. In turn, Mike had his own reasons for traveling East, and not just because of his love for all things Japanese.
4Wandering Son
Takako Shimura’s work is perhaps the most famous manga about trans people, running inComic Beamfrom 2002 to 2013 before getting an anime series in 2011. It sees Shuichi and Yoshino become friends over a mutual revelation: Shuichi wants to be a girl, and Yoshino wants to be a boy. As the two grow up, they get to express themselves more with the help of their friends.
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However, their peers aren’t as accepting as their friends, and Shuichi’s puberty worsens his dysphoria.Wandering Sonhas its emotional moments, but its gentle art style and empathetic portrayal makes it less harrowing than others. It’s a good choice for readers who want a story that plucks their heartstrings without running them ragged.
3The Bride Was a Boy
LikeMy Lesbian Experiences with Loneliness, Chii’s work is also an autobiography. It’s also an easy read in both its soft art style and short length. The manga tells Chii’s story from the start of her transition in her teens to her marriage to her boyfriend, with all the different challenges she had to face in between.
The Bride Was a Boyalso acts as a primer on what being trans in Japan is like, from the legal troubles to the personal ones. It makes for a good entry point for those curious about transitioning, or prefer something light and funny over the gritty, tense tales. It’s almost like a brief,queer-themed iyashikei storyin this regard.
2Boys Run the Riot
Keito Gaku’s manga forWeekly Young Magazine, whichpreviously broughtAkira,Initial D, andxxxHolicto life, is one of the newer series on this list. It began and ended in 2020, but managed to earn a Harvey Award nomination and a spot on the 2022 Bank Street Children’s Book Committee’s Best Books of the Year List.
Stuck at a school that doesn’t accept his gender, transmale student Ryo Watari finds a kindred spirit in fellow outcast Jin Sato. They bond over male fashion and connect well enough for Ryo to confide in him about his trans status. Seeking to relieve Ryo’s dysphoria, the two set up their own mens’ fashion label. Ryo’s anxieties wash away as he gets to express himself, though it’s not an easy path to take.
1Claudine
The list finishes off by going from one of the newest strips about a trans man to one of the oldest. In fact, it made manga history for being one of the first to have a clearly trans protagonist. Created by Riyoko Ikeda, who made the equally queer-themedRose of Versailles,Claudinefollows the AFAB lead Claude. While most of his family accept him for who he is, his attempts to find love leave him in turmoil.
It’s a short story that ran for one month in January 1978, but got officially translated into English by Seven Seas Entertainment in 2018. By today’s standards it’s a little melodramatic, and some of its tropes are outdated (like using Claude’s deadname for the title). However, it still tells a powerful and emotional story, akin to a classical romantic novel, that adds a dose of grit to Ikeda’s otherwise dreamy artwork.
