10 Mangas That Explore Sexuality, Love, and Relationships

Two women, one of whom is married—their love may be fraught with difficulties ahead, but the sweet kiss scene is so convincing that one can tell at a glance that it is a “fateful encounter.”

■I fell in love with someone who is a woman

Takako Shimura, "Otona ni Natte mo"[Even if we become adults]

What if, one day, everyone suddenly swapped genders? Since her debut work "Boku wa, Onnanoko" [He Said, I’m a Girl] (2003) on this theme, Takako Shimura’s works have gently affirmed diverse sexualities. Currently ongoing in 2020, the manga "Otona ni Natte mo"[Even if we become adults] tackles the theme of romantic love between adult women.

■Tears, beards, skin, body warmth: A BL* manga that appeals to the five senses

Sumako Kari, "Usotsuki Akuma" [Liar devil]

Sumako Kari’s manga stimulates all five senses.
Because they are in the same profession, the relationship between senior manga artist Ugo and popular manga artist Amari, his former assistant, is filled with occasional moments of tension and sadness—yet Sumako Kari portrays the love between the pair with a touch of humor.

This page depicts the scene where the “lying devil” Ugo finally comes clean. Their partially obscured expressions make other sensory details stand out, such as their tears, the texture of their beards, their breath, and the warmth of their bodies. In this lies the magic of Sumako Kari’s work.

*―BL (Boys’Love) is a genre of manga or novel, mainly by female artists and geared toward a female audience, that depicts romantic love between two males.

■A boy who wants to become Marilyn Monroe

Asumiko Nakamura, "J no Subete" [All About J]

The stage is mid-20th century America, and the protagonist is the young boy J, who idolizes Monroe. According to the author’s afterword, J is “not gay, but he uses feminine language with a hint of seductiveness, struts in stilettos, speaks with a rhythm, and looks back with an exquisite smile.”

He has no need for the gender categories imposed on him by others. Her work overflows with J’s charm and the beauty of life.
Though this manga was published approximately 15 years ago, a new spin-off series "piece: all of J, another stories" is being launched in the fall of 2021.

■Shared life with my husband’s lovers

Kiwa Irie, "Yuria-sensei no Akai Ito" [YURIA'S RED STRING]

When her husband suddenly collapses, 50-year-old protagonist Yuria finds out for the first time that he has both male and female lovers (?). Living in a bizarre shared arrangement with her husband’s lovers while nursing for him, they begin to develop bonds with each other.

Instead of just following what others regard as “normal” in terms of age, appearances, and gender, what if we tried to live sincerely? This is the message conveyed by the scene in which Yuria is stirred by the young boy Riku’s explanation about finding one’s soulmate.

■The truth about an imposter couple

Fumi Yoshinaga, "Ōoku: The Inner Chambers"

"Ōoku: The Inner Chambers" is a science fiction historical romance that portrays life during the Edo period in the Ōoku (the women’s quarters of Edo Castle where the Tokugawa shogun’s daughters, official wife, and ladies-in-waiting resided) in an alternate reality where the genders have been flipped as the result of a pandemic that decimated most of the male population. The biggest climax of the series may be the “love story” between the 14th shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi, and Kazunomiya, which is told in four volumes.

While Iemochi fulfills her role as shogun, Kazunomiya, her consort, has married into the shogun’s family in place of her brother. Their marriage as two women is surrounded by lies, and yet their bond as a couple is real. "Ōoku" repeatedly depicts the cruelty of connecting families through blood, but here, Iemochi speaks to Kazunomiya about her thoughts on a new era free from the bounds of blood. Not friends, nor lovers, nor accomplices (but perhaps all three), their undefinable relationship is one that strikes the heart.

■The intersection of male homosexuality and BL

Sawa Sakura, "Momo to Manji"[Momo & Manji]

One rainy day during the late Bunsei era of the Edo period (early 19th century), former kagema (young male prostitute) Momoki is picked up by Manji at the Komagata-do Hall in Asakusa. "Momo to Manji" depicts their love-filled life with plenty of Edo period atmosphere.

Fascinated by the Edo period, the author extracted aspects of Japan’s historical nanshoku (male-male sexuality) culture that fit into the BL genre and incorporated them into this work. Readers are immediately drawn into the world of the story in its opening scene, where the two men, shaded from the heat of midsummer by the tenement house, stare each other in the eyes.

■A lush portrayal of an ambiguous relationship

Shizuka Nakano, "Tedaremonra"

Akira, a taciturn gardener, and Toru, a former delinquent turned cook, share a relationship in which they have dinner together every Saturday. Although he never says it in words, Toru’s feelings for Akira often leak out in other ways—and yet, as it turns out, the two are fatally connected because of a past fire incident, and Akira is a special type of gardener that can exorcise haunted gardens…?!

Their ambiguous relationship is enriched by beautiful dishes and gardens filled with eerie presences. Things without a fixed form are vividly cut off from the background, as though to echo the human relationships. The depictions of water and fire are also a must-see.

■The curious excitement of something less than love

Yama Wayama, "Muchūsa, Kimi ni"[Captivated, by You]

It is probably safe to say that Yama Wayama is drawing a gag (comedy) manga. She portrays the momentary blanks in human relationships, the strange pauses and weird vibes that evoke laughter.
The short story “Kawaii Hito” [Cute Person] contained in her first book, a collection of short stories titled "Muchūsa, Kimi ni", is about Ema and Hayashi, two students at an all-boys high school. Ema, who is tasked with finding a “cute person” during a scavenger hunt, chooses Hayashi, a classmate who does things a little “differently” from the rest.

Even as he points out Hayashi’s ridiculous behavior with a straight face, in the end, Ema does think of him as “cute.” Their relationship is far too tenuous to be called love. And yet, these moments when faint sparks rise between individuals (regardless of gender) thrill the reader.

■An “appropriate” sidekick

Etsuko Mizusawa, "Yako to Poko" [Yako & Poko]

Girls’ manga artist Yako and her robotic cat assistant Poko. Yako sits at her desk and works day after day while chatting with the slightly clumsy, yet hard-working Poko. Occasionally, the poker-faced, sarcastic Yako reveals her affection for Poko ever so slightly, and these moments are not to be missed. In fact, the story is set in a “post-revolutionary” world where the internet and cell phones have been banned in order to prevent humans from being controlled by machines.

The warmth that flows between a human and robot who are supposed to be absolutely indifferent to each other is refreshing.

■Connections formed through “love”

Metamorphose no Engawa [BL Metamorphosis]

This work tells the story of how a 75-year-old elderly woman and a high school girl who works at a bookstore deepen their ties with each other after discovering that they both love the same BL manga. This feeling of “love” opens more and more doors. In one precious scene, the two of them read the finale of their favorite series and chat endlessly into the night at a family-friendly restaurant.

When the heart is moved by fiction, even reality begins to change. It is a dazzling portrait of the power of “love” in bridging gaps of age and other differences, as well as of the existence of friends who can confide in each other.