Keito Gaku

Volume 4 was the point at which I was really locked in and enjoying all parts of the story. The boys had been sort of aimless about their brand in volumes 2 and 3, trying to get promoted, but not really creating much that had thought behind it (with the exceptions of Ryo's shirt when he gave his speech to his classmates, and the graphic they made in support of Tsubasa). I understood that it was making room to focus on Ryo’s experiences as a trans man and his relationships. Still, it felt show more odd to me, given that so many of the plot points were initiated because he and his friends wanted to make something of Boys Run the Riot. In my opinion, the balance between those aspects improved in this issue. The boys finally gained some clarity about what they wanted from the brand and how to bring that to the forefront. All the emotions and unmet needs that pushed them to that point were vocalized and expressed with intention in their art as they prepared for their exhibition.
I was sad to see that the series ended here. It felt like Ryo and his friends had completed the first major milestone in their journey, not the whole thing. Plus, Ryo’s and Jin’s fraught relationships with their parents were just being brought into the plot. There wasn't the time necessary to explore and resolve those plotlines within this issue. show less

Ryo just wants to be seen as a boy and uses fashion to feel comfortable in his own skin. Jin enjoys creating and wearing fashion and loves expressing himself through his clothes as well. Together, the duo create a clothing brand of their own. But starting off the brand may need an extra set of hands.

I've been waiting for this book for such a long time! I asked for a purchase at my library and had to wait (for what felt like forever due to shipping delays and such) to get my hands on my copy. show more I'm so glad I finally was able to read it!

I just loved this so so much!! I love Ryo and Jin's relationship and how, even after the first hesitation on Ryo's part, they fell into a great friendship. It did take me a few pages to get into the story, but once I did, all I wanted to do was continue reading it!

Besides the fact that the main character is a trans boy and it's written and illustrated by a transgender author - Keito Gaku writes Ryo's experience in a way that is easy to understand for people who have never read anything with a trans character yet. It's not overly simplified though, which is nice since no two people are the same.

The storyline isn't really only about Ryo's struggle, though it is a main plot point, but it's also about living your truth and doing what makes you happy, even if that makes you stand out from those around you.

The art of the novel is so grand and the design of the characters really makes them pop off the page. The graffiti art is also something I really liked, especially Ryo's full page design that is shown at one point.

I'm so so so excited to continue reading this series! show less

Everything with Tsubasa had me nervous. The conversation around coming out before Volume 3 seemed very one-sided. Ryo’s cis friends tended to be pushing him to come out, talking as if he could just have the courage to explain himself that would clear up everything, and his angst was just self-imposed. There’s obviously some truth there. You can’t just expect people to know what you need and what you feel when you purposely keep it all hidden away. It’s easy when people are hurting show more you to take it to heart and feel like they are doing it on purpose and like they’ve rejected you, when they just don’t know what they’re doing or what you need. But that ignores the other side of things, in which being openly trans does bring purposeful harm and rejection, can bring discrimination and danger, and no matter how obvious someone might think it is that they will be accepting and accommodating, you can’t truly know that about them any more than they could have intuited what you needed if it goes unsaid.

I was glad that the aftermath of Tsubasa outing Ryo allowed for more of that nuance. Even without much outright hate, Ryo was still affected by the othering and judgment of his classmates, made worse by the fact that he did not get to control his own narrative and who got to know that part of him. Tsubasa’s storyline contributed significantly to this as well. They built a brand around being openly queer and did seem to have genuine pride and joy in the parts of their identity they show off. But they flattened down the aspects that didn’t “fit” the image or were harder to explain to their audience. As Ryo found a way to take back agency over how he came out and gain confidence in being out, Tsubasa’s confidence broke down as the dissonance between their public and private identities grew. The lack of grace their audience showed them, along with the parasocial entitlement, seemed sadly realistic. It worked within this theme to have Tsubasa decide there were parts of themself they wanted to work out on their own and that none of these people were entitled to any of it. show less

Ryo just wants to be seen as a boy and uses fashion to feel comfortable in his own skin. Jin enjoys creating and wearing fashion and loves expressing himself through his clothes as well. Together, the duo create a clothing brand of their own. But starting off the brand may need an extra set of hands.

I've been waiting for this book for such a long time! I asked for a purchase at my library and had to wait (for what felt like forever due to shipping delays and such) to get my hands on my copy. show more I'm so glad I finally was able to read it!

I just loved this so so much!! I love Ryo and Jin's relationship and how, even after the first hesitation on Ryo's part, they fell into a great friendship. It did take me a few pages to get into the story, but once I did, all I wanted to do was continue reading it!

Besides the fact that the main character is a trans boy and it's written and illustrated by a transgender author - Keito Gaku writes Ryo's experience in a way that is easy to understand for people who have never read anything with a trans character yet. It's not overly simplified though, which is nice since no two people are the same.

The storyline isn't really only about Ryo's struggle, though it is a main plot point, but it's also about living your truth and doing what makes you happy, even if that makes you stand out from those around you.

The art of the novel is so grand and the design of the characters really makes them pop off the page. The graffiti art is also something I really liked, especially Ryo's full page design that is shown at one point.

I'm so so so excited to continue reading this series! show less