Would You Like To Be A Family?

Would You Like To Be A Family?
By  Koyama

ISBN: 9781427868459
176 Pages
Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Synopsis:

Families come in many shapes and sizes, and these three are no different!

Takemura is a loner with little interest in socializing with others. Bullied in high school for being gay, he prefers to spend time by himself so he won't get hurt again. When he runs into his bright, friendly coworker Natsui in the supermarket, he's surprised to find out that he's a single father... and even more surprised to be invited to dinner, with no room to decline!

Kuma is a good guy, but due to his constant scowl and rough appearance is often dismissed as a deadbeat. When he oversees his friend's older brother break up with his boyfriend, Yagi, Kuma becomes intrigued with this attractive stranger and slowly, his curiosity begins to blossom into a crush.

Kodama is a reserved psychology major who is approached by the loud, outgoing Harada when he falls ill on his way home. It turns out the two of them study at the same university, and Harada insists the two become friends. But as they spend more time with one another, Kodama begins to question how he truly feels.

Follow three very different relationships in this intimate collection of short Boys Love stories.

My Thoughts:

Would You Like to be a Family? is a graphic novel compilation of 3 separate short stories all sharing a theme. That theme being romantic boys love relationships. The first story, for which the book is named, is about a single father who befriends the reclusive "new guy" at work and the relationship that develops between them. The second story is about a high schooler who falls for a college student after seeing the man display emotion over getting dumped. The third story is about a college student experiencing love for the first time with one of his classmates. At the end there is a bonus short that revisits the titular family again.

The three stories are touching and emotional without being over the top sappy or contrived. The relationships feel authentic. This isn't high fantasy or dramatic BL fluff - these stories reflect on real issues and judgements that gay men in Japan face in their lives. The first story is definitely my favorite.

The art work in the book is very clean and the story is easy to follow. With some graphic novels, it is hard to tell which blocks to read to follow the flow of the story in the correct order, but there is no issue with that in Would You Like to be a Family? There is even a chart at the end of the book that explains the flow, as Japanese graphic novels are read right to left and most people unfamiliar would start at the wrong end of the book.

There are scenes that are sexual in nature, mostly in the second of the three stories. Not horribly graphic scenes, but some images were more graphic than I was expecting and more than I am accustomed to seeing in mainstream manga, which historically is known for censoring male genitalia. In Would You Like to be a Family? the art is not super detailed on those bits but nothing was censored. So you do see people grabbing their junk (or their partner's) and there is one full on sex scene.

I received a complimentary digital ARC of Would You Like to be a Family? from NetGalley and publisher LOVE x LOVE in exchange for a fair and honest review. It is currently available for preorder and will be released on September 21, 2021.

Parent's Guide:

This book is rated M due to the content that is considered taboo in some places, and the fact that the second story shows characters having sex. Overall, it is not for kids. Mature older teens may enjoy it, but that is a decision for them and their parents to make.