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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
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.
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
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.
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
This was a really fun manga. I was expecting it to be just a silly little manga but this manga actually deals with some important and serious topics. There is plenty of humor mixed in as well but this is overall a solid and serious manga. Definitely give it a read!
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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 to be published on Feb 5:
https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2024/02/manga-hes-expecting-vol-1.html
He’s Expecting answers the question: what if cis men could get pregnant?
The story follows men and women who are affected by this new phenomenon. From a single salaryman who suddenly finds himself pregnant to a high school boy forced to get an abortion to a woman whose husband is pregnant for the first time with their second child. Each character struggles with this confusing and unprecedented change to society, and I enjoyed seeing how they tackled their different challenges.
Note: this is not presented from a queer lens and contains a few homophobic comments.
The story follows men and women who are affected by this new phenomenon. From a single salaryman who suddenly finds himself pregnant to a high school boy forced to get an abortion to a woman whose husband is pregnant for the first time with their second child. Each character struggles with this confusing and unprecedented change to society, and I enjoyed seeing how they tackled their different challenges.
Note: this is not presented from a queer lens and contains a few homophobic comments.
Kentaro lives in a Japan where men can get pregnant and finds himself struggling in society with his own pregnancy. I had to request this because why not?? Though this book is fun and playful, it does touch on how men vs women are treated, especially when it comes to pregnancy (in public, in the workplace, out of wedlock, etc). The talk about societal views and attitudes towards this topic was interesting to explore and I liked that Kentaro focuses on creating a positive societal change.
Thanks Netgalley for my arc!
Thanks Netgalley for my arc!
This is exactly what you expect from the title. It takes place in Tokyo, and a man is pregnant. Not a trans man, a biological man. It starts by telling you that genetics has changed and for the past 10 years men have been able to get pregnant. Our main character is single and has become pregnant and we as the readers see their pregnancy in context of society. This pregnant man is treated almost as if he was a pregnant teenager in the US. First off people are wondering if he’s gay or had sex with another man since they’re pregnant. Then people are debating if he should have the baby. There there were the arguments that a pregnant man is unnatural and what is he gonna do without a woman. The main character also debates with themselves frequently about should I keep it are should I abort. However, there’s no simple abortion for men. It’s a full on weeklong recovery abdominal surgery because there’s no birth canal. This book isn’t crazy, it’s just boring. I wanted to like it. I thought it would be fun and I find that there’s so much commentary on how society feels about pregnant men that I have no interest in continuing.
Thanks NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this arc
4.5/5 stars
I didn't know what to expect going into this, but this was actually so wholesome and uplifting! It ends in such a way that I wouldn't think there would be more in the series, so I'm interested to see where it goes but also feel ok with leaving this as is.
4.5/5 stars
I didn't know what to expect going into this, but this was actually so wholesome and uplifting! It ends in such a way that I wouldn't think there would be more in the series, so I'm interested to see where it goes but also feel ok with leaving this as is.
Rating: 3.65 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 3.5/5
-Cover (+art): 4/5
-Story: 3.75/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Comedy
-Comedy: 2/5
Type: Manga
Worth?: Yeeeaaahhh
Hated|Disliked|Meh|It Was Okay|Liked|Loved
Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.
What an odd as fuck manga. I liked it enough, it was okay. I liked the lesson the main male learned. I also liked the other characters and that we could see into their lives. It have a bit more depth into the story line of men being pregnant. Did kinda wish something would have happened with two people but meh.
-Characters: 3.5/5
-Cover (+art): 4/5
-Story: 3.75/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Comedy
-Comedy: 2/5
Type: Manga
Worth?: Yeeeaaahhh
Hated|Disliked|Meh|It Was Okay|Liked|Loved
Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.
What an odd as fuck manga. I liked it enough, it was okay. I liked the lesson the main male learned. I also liked the other characters and that we could see into their lives. It have a bit more depth into the story line of men being pregnant. Did kinda wish something would have happened with two people but meh.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
He's Expecting by Eri Sakai is a manga set in an alternate universe where men are capable of getting pregnant. The story is episodic with each chapter following a different character in this universe and how they are navigating the social pressures of pregnancy, marriage, and discussions of abortion in a fast-paced, but light hearted way.
The highlight of the manga is the depiction of men having to live with the struggles that come with pregnancy and how being pregnant changes them as people. The women's perspectives are also just as important in this manga because they are also changing their perspective on what pregnancy means to them now that men are also capable of it. I do wish the manga discussed more of the scientific aspects of male pregnancy, but overall very enjoyable read.
The highlight of the manga is the depiction of men having to live with the struggles that come with pregnancy and how being pregnant changes them as people. The women's perspectives are also just as important in this manga because they are also changing their perspective on what pregnancy means to them now that men are also capable of it. I do wish the manga discussed more of the scientific aspects of male pregnancy, but overall very enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Abortion, Alcohol
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you Kodansha Comics for a copy of He's Expecting!
He's Expecting is for anyone looking for...
- speculative fiction
- reverse gender roles and social expectations
- cis-men getting pregnant
REVIEW:
Well, this manga is certainly something. To really enjoy this, I think readers need to forget basic biology and just ignore your brain when it goes "huh... but how will it... how can you...?" lol.
He's Expecting was fun and certainly unique! It hits deep and gets you thinking on how fast our society will change when men start to get pregnant by women (#ReverseUno). I love the play on gender roles here -- some reversed, some not!
He's Expecting is for anyone looking for...
- speculative fiction
- reverse gender roles and social expectations
- cis-men getting pregnant
REVIEW:
Well, this manga is certainly something. To really enjoy this, I think readers need to forget basic biology and just ignore your brain when it goes "huh... but how will it... how can you...?" lol.
He's Expecting was fun and certainly unique! It hits deep and gets you thinking on how fast our society will change when men start to get pregnant by women (#ReverseUno). I love the play on gender roles here -- some reversed, some not!