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A review by divineblkpearl
Boys Run the Riot, Volume 1 by Keito Gaku
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I can remember the first time I read a manga with a trans main character. It was Claudine by Riyoko Ikeda. A classic piece of manga history receiving its official English translation just a few years ago.
Over the years, we've been blessed with a wider variety of newer, fresher and more nuanced storytelling featuring LGBTQIA+ characters in the realm of manga reaching our shores being translated outside of Japan. As someone who has been reading manga since I was a kid--middle school years--I just never thought I’d ever get to read such a manga like Boys Run The Riot. Not for lack of Japanese creatives making such incredible work but because of other factors like considering what publishers would push what titles, public (conservative leaning) opinion, and the like.
Keito Gaku’s manga comes at such a time. Boys Run The Riot comes at such a time.
This manga has strong coming of age vibes and those who love series set in high school (a la’ school life) will appreciate the narrative of Ryo coming into his own. Just as a trans person living in a body, going to a school, living in a home where he can’t fully be himself. But as a young adult wanting to forge a future for himself and have some measure of happiness and fulfillment. For Ryo: his escape from all that’s work in his life is art and fashion and the clothes he can wear and the street wear he admires. It is camouflage. It is armor. It is one of the few weapons he can utilize to feel okay in his own skin.
The mangka never loses focus on Ryo and his struggles and pulls them into this beautifully heart wrenching and hopeful story about finding your true self and the unexpected ally you may find along the way. There are spots of comedic hilarity. There’s tears and frustrations. There’s profound moments. There’s thought provoking commentary on what it feels like to be an outsider--a sentiment that everyone in their teen years has felt at least once. It is 2021 and we’re seeing more and more stories with and about trans, nonbinary and genderqueer characters getting their due and not in the background. The other characters like a quiet, non-confrontation classmate who loves taking photos and the young man who ends up being Ryo’s partner in crime, so to speak--both start to go down paths of being more courageous and doing more.
I’ve really enjoyed the art style that Gaku brings to the table: I love the attention to detail to the street wear the teens make, the graffiti, the intensity of the expressions especially when in the emotional scenes. Boys Run The Riot comes at such a time. Easily one of my favorite manga debuts this year, Kodansha has taken care and really paid attention to handling this incredible story: I had picked up from Twitter that the English translator (Leo McDonald) is trans but the entire team behind the English-language release is all trans. Wow! I know in reviews and publishing, we talk about representation so often yet being able to hold a book like this in my hands is really the dream.
It is also one that I hope continues--that more trans creatives can collab on bringing more storytelling that presents whole, evolving portrayals of trans folks that escape the tragic stories that have been the norm. My one critique actually is influenced by a few reviews that I read regarding how Ryo’s gender dysphoria could be explored/explained more clearer in the first volume. Alas, as I am not someone who deals with that, I am not equipped to speak on it as some other readers and reviewers have but I am certainly interested in how that is handled in the narrative here on out and hope to educate myself to understand those who are dealing with issues like so. This manga blew me out of the water and I can’t wait to read the next issue.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, misgendering, Gender Dysphoria
Minor: blood, bullying
Over the years, we've been blessed with a wider variety of newer, fresher and more nuanced storytelling featuring LGBTQIA+ characters in the realm of manga reaching our shores being translated outside of Japan. As someone who has been reading manga since I was a kid--middle school years--I just never thought I’d ever get to read such a manga like Boys Run The Riot. Not for lack of Japanese creatives making such incredible work but because of other factors like considering what publishers would push what titles, public (conservative leaning) opinion, and the like.
Keito Gaku’s manga comes at such a time. Boys Run The Riot comes at such a time.
This manga has strong coming of age vibes and those who love series set in high school (a la’ school life) will appreciate the narrative of Ryo coming into his own. Just as a trans person living in a body, going to a school, living in a home where he can’t fully be himself. But as a young adult wanting to forge a future for himself and have some measure of happiness and fulfillment. For Ryo: his escape from all that’s work in his life is art and fashion and the clothes he can wear and the street wear he admires. It is camouflage. It is armor. It is one of the few weapons he can utilize to feel okay in his own skin.
The mangka never loses focus on Ryo and his struggles and pulls them into this beautifully heart wrenching and hopeful story about finding your true self and the unexpected ally you may find along the way. There are spots of comedic hilarity. There’s tears and frustrations. There’s profound moments. There’s thought provoking commentary on what it feels like to be an outsider--a sentiment that everyone in their teen years has felt at least once. It is 2021 and we’re seeing more and more stories with and about trans, nonbinary and genderqueer characters getting their due and not in the background. The other characters like a quiet, non-confrontation classmate who loves taking photos and the young man who ends up being Ryo’s partner in crime, so to speak--both start to go down paths of being more courageous and doing more.
I’ve really enjoyed the art style that Gaku brings to the table: I love the attention to detail to the street wear the teens make, the graffiti, the intensity of the expressions especially when in the emotional scenes. Boys Run The Riot comes at such a time. Easily one of my favorite manga debuts this year, Kodansha has taken care and really paid attention to handling this incredible story: I had picked up from Twitter that the English translator (Leo McDonald) is trans but the entire team behind the English-language release is all trans. Wow! I know in reviews and publishing, we talk about representation so often yet being able to hold a book like this in my hands is really the dream.
It is also one that I hope continues--that more trans creatives can collab on bringing more storytelling that presents whole, evolving portrayals of trans folks that escape the tragic stories that have been the norm. My one critique actually is influenced by a few reviews that I read regarding how Ryo’s gender dysphoria could be explored/explained more clearer in the first volume. Alas, as I am not someone who deals with that, I am not equipped to speak on it as some other readers and reviewers have but I am certainly interested in how that is handled in the narrative here on out and hope to educate myself to understand those who are dealing with issues like so. This manga blew me out of the water and I can’t wait to read the next issue.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, misgendering, Gender Dysphoria
Minor: blood, bullying