By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

Until I Meet My Husband, to me, is not just a manga; it is a testament to the progress society has made in acknowledging and embracing diversity. By sharing his personal story, Ryousuke Nanasaki has contributed a compelling story that speaks to the ongoing conversation surrounding LGBTQ+ people and rights, which I believe has done a lot to foster a more inclusive and compassionate society.

This book is currently at Barnes and Noble, which is where I picked it up initially. As a former literature major (and a continuing academic in the field) who spent a lot of time researching queer literature and its place in the ongoing growth of literary canon, I was drawn in by the cover and marketing copy found on the back of the book which spoke to the non-fiction nature of the work. 

Until I Meet My Husband provides, as promised, a fascinating true-to-life glance at the ways in which one struggles with societal pressures in a slow-changing conservative setting. It invites readers into the life of the author as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and realization through various experiences with his relationships.

His work is a rare, honest glimpse into the challenges and triumphs faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Japan, ultimately breaking down barriers and fostering a greater understanding of diverse experiences. It reminds me a lot of the kind of work I read that was published in the US around the ’90s and early 2000s.

Ryousuke’s storytelling is both captivating and emotionally resonant, with the manga supplying a very quick progression compared to the associated memoir on which it is adapted (which is also a compelling read). Through the pages of this manga, readers will find themselves immersed in a narrative that seamlessly combines personal anecdotes with larger sociocultural commentary. While Nanasaki’s ability to convey complex emotions through simple yet emotionally driven illustrations adds a layer of depth to the storytelling.

What really got me was seeing so much of how the author sees themselves and others, depicting these really emotional moments that resonate so well with a multitude of human experiences of love, acceptance, and the pursuit of happiness. One such moment, for example, is a reflection comparing how his coming-out experience went with his mom to how calls with his mom changed dramatically a few years later. It is these types of challenges faced by the author, and really the larger community, that is important in a historical contextual sense to show how important conversations about sexuality, rights, and the need for acceptance and understanding can impact a population and society over time. 

To me, in a world where understanding that representation matters, Until I Meet My Husband stands out as a must-read manga. The masterful storytelling and the compelling narrative is a powerful exploration of love, acceptance, and the journey to finding happiness against what seems like all odds. Only to find that through communication you can find the communities that accept and help those communities expand through kindness and love and support. 

That’s why I highly recommend reading this remarkable work. It’s inspiring and resonates so much with a variety of life experiences regarding love whether you’re gay, straight, or bi. 

10/10 Recommend!

Copyedited by: Krow Smith | @coffeewithkrow and Katherine Cañeba | @kcserinlee