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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An amazing and refreshing read! A cast of complex, diverse characters in an imperfect world. It goes a lot deeper than just an mpreg book lol.
Thank you NetGallery and Kodansha Comics for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you NetGallery and Kodansha Comics for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, Abortion
emotional
informative
reflective
He's Expecting Volume 1 by Eri Sakai is a story that explores social norms and stigma from unusual perspectives that come across both uncomfortable, questioning, and tough. Portrayed through a series of chapters that put focus on several characters and their day to day lives experiencing the hardships that come with male pregnancy, He's Expecting explores discrimination and stigma about what a family and pregnancy can look like through many facets of situations and lifestyles.
The journey through pregnancy in each of the vignettes within He's Expecting all showcase these heartwarming, sweet changes of heart and learning to love and let go of preconceived notions about pregnancy, either through the normal yet still somewhat judged option of women's pregnancy, or the taboo of male pregnancy. It allows for growth and warmth at each turn, and by the end of volume one, our protagonist we see most has undergone a full change in his own beliefs and care toward children.
Overall, this is the beginning of what feels like a promising and heartwarming series focusing around love, family, and understanding differences.
Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for the advanced digital copy!
The journey through pregnancy in each of the vignettes within He's Expecting all showcase these heartwarming, sweet changes of heart and learning to love and let go of preconceived notions about pregnancy, either through the normal yet still somewhat judged option of women's pregnancy, or the taboo of male pregnancy. It allows for growth and warmth at each turn, and by the end of volume one, our protagonist we see most has undergone a full change in his own beliefs and care toward children.
Overall, this is the beginning of what feels like a promising and heartwarming series focusing around love, family, and understanding differences.
Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for the advanced digital copy!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!
Kentaro is a man living in a speculative world in which it has recently become biologically possible for men to become pregnant. After having unprotected sex with a casual partner he discovers that he is pregnant. The story follows him over the course of his pregnancy well as a series of other characters navigating this new reality as it affects each of them differently.
I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect (yes, of course, the pun is intended) going into this one! I've read plenty of omegaverse manga in my time and this is definitely not that. Do not read this expecting smut or even romance. The focus is instead on the thought exercise of a world where men can become pregnant. On the whole, it appears society has not changed much. Many people still consider pregnancy and children a burden in the workplace. If someone is pregnant out of wedlock people still think ill of them male or female. The world is not made to accommodate parents and the children they care for.
The story peers at the changes within individuals as they experience pregnancy or are connected to someone who is. The idea is explored through many eyes. At the center is Kentaro, a well-off businessman who decides to raise his child as a single parent. There is also a teenage couple who repair their relationship after an abortion, the woman who is the mother of Kentaro's child, and a single woman who similarly chooses to be a single parent.
The story I found most interesting was about a housewife who gave birth to their first child and is now dealing with her husband experiencing pregnancy. It sheds light on the imbalance of the mental load it takes to have a family and keep a home. Admittedly, I don't know that the story brought the husband to fully understand what his wife has been dealing with all those years, but it at least opens up the conversation.
This could have tread into some really tricky territory, but Sakai seemed to know what they were looking to say and stayed within that lane. Overall I found this quite refreshing and would recommend it as something a little different!
Kentaro is a man living in a speculative world in which it has recently become biologically possible for men to become pregnant. After having unprotected sex with a casual partner he discovers that he is pregnant. The story follows him over the course of his pregnancy well as a series of other characters navigating this new reality as it affects each of them differently.
I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect (yes, of course, the pun is intended) going into this one! I've read plenty of omegaverse manga in my time and this is definitely not that. Do not read this expecting smut or even romance. The focus is instead on the thought exercise of a world where men can become pregnant. On the whole, it appears society has not changed much. Many people still consider pregnancy and children a burden in the workplace. If someone is pregnant out of wedlock people still think ill of them male or female. The world is not made to accommodate parents and the children they care for.
The story peers at the changes within individuals as they experience pregnancy or are connected to someone who is. The idea is explored through many eyes. At the center is Kentaro, a well-off businessman who decides to raise his child as a single parent. There is also a teenage couple who repair their relationship after an abortion, the woman who is the mother of Kentaro's child, and a single woman who similarly chooses to be a single parent.
The story I found most interesting was about a housewife who gave birth to their first child and is now dealing with her husband experiencing pregnancy. It sheds light on the imbalance of the mental load it takes to have a family and keep a home. Admittedly, I don't know that the story brought the husband to fully understand what his wife has been dealing with all those years, but it at least opens up the conversation.
This could have tread into some really tricky territory, but Sakai seemed to know what they were looking to say and stayed within that lane. Overall I found this quite refreshing and would recommend it as something a little different!
funny
fast-paced
The premise of this book is just weird, to be honest. I don't even know why I request this but I did, I read it and I found it funny. Yeah, that's all I can say.
Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was hesitant to pick up this manga from the premise alone. I was worried I would find transphobic commentary but decided to give it a try anyway. The story does not discuss trans folks at all - instead treating them pretty much like they don’t exist - but also the plot point of cis-men being able to have babies, I feel like this should have been brought up as well.
The main story is of Kentaro, who about 10 years after men can spontaneously become pregnant too after sleeping with women (at a lower fertility rate and delivering via c-section only), discovers he has become pregnant after having unprotected sex with a woman. He faces prejudice and decides to take matters into his own hands to try and make the world more friendly to pregnant people.
The story continues by following other people who are involved in Kentaro’s life, a teenage boy who had to make a difficult decision, a woman who never wanted to be pregnant, a displeased wife whose husband is newly pregnant, etc, and finishes up with Kentaro’s baby arriving. It’s an interesting take to involve many different commentaries and I think for the most part they were done well.
There were some good questions posed about how men who would practice safe sex as standard if they had a chance of becoming pregnant and also how work-life benefits and how pregnancy is treated in the workplace would drastically improve too.
It was a very different approach to a speculative question and I’m very curious to see what direction the mangaka takes in the second volume.
*I received an eARC from Kodansha Comics & NetGalley. All opinions are my own*
informative
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
I didn’t know what to expect going into the story and thought that it was going to be a story about the pregnancy of a trans guy. When I realised that it wasn’t, I was kind of sceptical and thought about not reading. I’m glad that I did end up reading it.
The story takes place in a world where cis men are now able to become pregnant and we follow a guy named Kentaro and his experience being pregnant in a world that hasn’t come to accept male pregnancy, yet. In addition, every chapter focuses on another pregnant person and their struggles.
I really like how the author illustrates the struggles someone might face while being pregnant.
The only thing I wasn’t a big fan of is the main character’s at times selfish attitudeand him only starting to care about how someone may feel while being pregnant after becoming pregnant himself. But that is what makes it even more realistic, I guess.
The story takes place in a world where cis men are now able to become pregnant and we follow a guy named Kentaro and his experience being pregnant in a world that hasn’t come to accept male pregnancy, yet. In addition, every chapter focuses on another pregnant person and their struggles.
I really like how the author illustrates the struggles someone might face while being pregnant.
The only thing I wasn’t a big fan of is the main character’s at times selfish attitude
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion
emotional
funny
informative
fast-paced