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A review by cwg
Dear Gene by Kaya Azuma
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
About leaving home, falling in love, and growing into yourself as a person. First volume set in the 1970s + timeskips. Sequel to Rumspringa.
I have much to say about this book (even more than what the cut below entails), but I'll simply say this: I'd definitely give if a read if you can find it/if it gets serialized in English.
Dear Gene is a manga whose mangaka treats their characters with such great tenderness and love, you can't help but love them, too.
== Plot Spoilers + Additional Thoughts under the cut.
I liked Rumspringa, but I fell in love with Dear Gene. Both feature similar themes and ideas, but I found it better executed with its slower, more elongated pacing. It's a different style of love, too---more longing rather than young passion---but it's one that I personally preferred.
The story fleshed out the one character who remained an enigma throughout Rumspringa: Gene, the older brother of Rumspringa's "antagonist," Danny, who had left following his Rumspringa.
This is the story of Gene's journey throughout the 1970s and furthermore---everything that's happened since he left. A man named Trevor bumps into Gene, after he had broken up with his to-be-wife, hires him as his housekeeper soon after. While Gene struggles with reconsolidating his past, he grows closer to Trevor, who offers him everything: income, housing, and even his study. It's with the latter that Gene desires to further his education, attending community college with Trevor's help, then, soon after, additional studies in Montreal. Before they depart, they break up; sixteen years later, they meet again, and Gene moves back in with Trevor.
This story is all told under the backdrop of 1970s NYCs, a changing, yet still staunchly conservative time---Stonewall, the Vietnam War, and the further recognition of women's rights. It's an element within the story that, while not prominent, exists throughout the series as a reminder of the times then. Trevor's struggles with happiness stem from his perspective as an outsider, unable to fit in, unfortunately propounded by his status as a homosexual.
Volume 1 provides, effectively, a portrayal of Trevor through Gene's eyes in the past; meanwhile, Volume 2 gives an illustration of Gene through Trevor's point of view with the journal, set within the moments following their get-together.
I have much to say about this book (even more than what the cut below entails), but I'll simply say this: I'd definitely give if a read if you can find it/if it gets serialized in English.
Dear Gene is a manga whose mangaka treats their characters with such great tenderness and love, you can't help but love them, too.
== Plot Spoilers + Additional Thoughts under the cut.
I liked Rumspringa, but I fell in love with Dear Gene. Both feature similar themes and ideas, but I found it better executed with its slower, more elongated pacing. It's a different style of love, too---more longing rather than young passion---but it's one that I personally preferred.
The story fleshed out the one character who remained an enigma throughout Rumspringa: Gene, the older brother of Rumspringa's "antagonist," Danny, who had left following his Rumspringa.
This is the story of Gene's journey throughout the 1970s and furthermore---everything that's happened since he left. A man named Trevor bumps into Gene, after he had broken up with his to-be-wife, hires him as his housekeeper soon after. While Gene struggles with reconsolidating his past, he grows closer to Trevor, who offers him everything: income, housing, and even his study. It's with the latter that Gene desires to further his education, attending community college with Trevor's help, then, soon after, additional studies in Montreal. Before they depart, they break up; sixteen years later, they meet again, and Gene moves back in with Trevor.
This story is all told under the backdrop of 1970s NYCs, a changing, yet still staunchly conservative time---Stonewall, the Vietnam War, and the further recognition of women's rights. It's an element within the story that, while not prominent, exists throughout the series as a reminder of the times then. Trevor's struggles with happiness stem from his perspective as an outsider, unable to fit in, unfortunately propounded by his status as a homosexual.
Volume 1 provides, effectively, a portrayal of Trevor through Gene's eyes in the past; meanwhile, Volume 2 gives an illustration of Gene through Trevor's point of view with the journal, set within the moments following their get-together.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Abandonment
Minor: Vomit and Alcohol