I decided to give this manga a try because I had never read one with a trans character.

And although the story does not focus so much on that, I think that is what I liked the most as his first friend who decides to tell it takes it so naturally and focuses on other things to make the protagonist see that it is normal to be like he is.

I am anxious for the other volumes to come out cause I want to know if they achieve their goal

Boys Run the Riot 1 is a fantastic start to this #OwnVoices, coming-of-age series! It is such a rarity to find a manga about transgender people, particularly trans-males as the author mentioned. It is also rare to find a story about a transgender character written by an author who is also transgender. It is refreshing to have a story like this!

I really enjoyed the friendship that Ryo, our main character who is a transgender male, and Jin, a third-year who was held back from missing too many days so he is now in Ryo’s class. I was so happy that Ryo felt comfortable in guy’s clothes but he was limited to feeling comfortable in spaces where he could remain anonymous. When he meets Jin and Jin accepts him and wants to understand, he starts to become more confident in himself. Whereas he usually holds his thoughts back with classmates, he begins to build up the courage to stick up for himself and his new friends. I was so excited to see fashion and art being used as a vehicle for self-expression. I would definitely buy the t-shirt that Ryo designed!! I hope we get to see more of Tsubasa, Kashiwabara’s cousin who is genderqueer, in the upcoming volumes!

I am grateful that many of the Kodansha Comics releases I've read have translation notes at the end. In the early pages of the manga, Ryo is looking at a book about the LGBTQ+ community and one of the definitions on the page is for gender dysphoria and underneath it says "see also: gender identity disorder." The latter is an outdated term in the United States but it is still used in Japan. I appreciate that being cleared up.

The author's interview at the end of the story is wonderful. This is the type of story where you want to know more about the background! I am really looking forward to the next volume(s)!

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing an e-ARC!

Such a gorgeous, tender coming of age story. Keito Gaku does a wonderful job at using fashion as a framework through which he can explore gender perfomance and self expression. BOYS RUN THE RIOT is at once a story about finding yourself and finding your people. I could not put it down.

I LOVE THIS

I can't really say much about the rep, but story-wise, it feels very engaging and I am already so heavily invested in the story when it's only the first volume. For only one volume, the mangaka did great in characterizing the 2 main characters and building their relationship. Bonus point is the art is great and very neat.

Overall, I really loved it and will definitely check out the 2nd volume.

Rainbows and Sunshine
April 18, 2021

I love this manga so much! It's about Ryo, a trans teen who never fits in and has lots of confused feelings and the beginnings of a friendship between an unlikely trio. The other MCs are Jin, my favourite because he is so self aware and open and Itsuka, who adores photography.

The manga hooks you in from the start and is beautiful and heartbreaking at once. The idea is of using clothes to express themselves is stellar and I'm really looking forward to the future volumes, especially to see growth of their friendship.

The plot is engaging and well written and the art style is so cool! The interview at the end was very insightful and I highly recommend this manga to everyone! I cannot stress this enough, you need this manga in your life!

Damn, I need the next volume so badly!!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

CW: misgendering, dysphoria, transphobia, bullying

Trans MC meets a friend and they start a fashion brand together. This was so refreshing, fun, and full of hope!! The author is also trans, and honestly this is a fantastic start to the series. I like all the characters and we also meet some that join their group. I haven’t read a manga series with trans rep and I am so happy to see this!!

I like that the author shows some struggles the other characters go through, and I found the high school pretty realistic. Some people were mean, some are understanding, and some surprise the MC and others. I am interested in how their brand progresses and also in their relationships with each other and who else becomes a part of their group. This series is definitely on my purchase list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC.

This may sound odd, but I absolutely loved how normal and everyday this protagonist was portrayed. In Manga, we can get into fetishism very easily, but this Manga never once moved towards that. Boys Run the Riot is set in highschool, where Ryo, a transgender man, struggles with fitting into his identity while also maintaining expectations from his school, his friends, and his family. His one solace is in clothing - they allow him to hide the body he doesn’t fit with and express his true self.

When Ryo bumps into Jin, a new rough-looking student, at a clothing store while presenting male, this sets off a chain of events that brings Jin and Ryo together as business partners to set up their own clothing company. I loved their growing friendship: with Ryo being hesitant to trust and Jin’s blunt honesty. Ultimately both guys show that they truly do care for and respect each other and I am here for it! Jin is a chaotic badass and I so excited to see what witnessing the kind of self-expression he does will do to Ryo in the next volumes!

My final comment is that I loved that they made the choice to change the cover art of this translated edition. I think it speaks to and respects Ryo’s character so much more.

CW: Transphobia and internalized transphobia.

*Thank you Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for the ARC*

*DISCLAIMER* I received a free copy of this book for review purposes. I only accept books I think I’d like because life is too short to waste on bad books. That said if I don’t like a book, I’ll say so, free or not. With that out of the way, onto the review:


Ryu is seen as the “weird one”. Constantly showing up to school in gym clothes instead of a uniform. Ryu is constantly making excuses for his behavior because he’s trans and he’s not fully out, so most people still see him as a female, and weird one that.

Jin is the new guy at school who likes Ryu’s style choices and is also one of the only people to truly see who Ryu is.

They also seem to be up to something because they are up to something. They’re starting a clothing brand.

Itsuka is the school’s only photography club member and the perfect person to help them showcase their clothing on social media.

Other characters are mostly in the background and also mostly confused about how the three because so close. They get into trouble, fight bullies, and learn to accept themselves for who they are.

The artwork is beautiful.

I’ll definitely be on the look out for the next volume.

I volunteered to read this manga through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This manga is well written and the characters are described well. It has LGBTQIA representation. The artwork is great. I enjoyed the friendships in this book. You are apart of this manga from the first page you read. It is enjoyable and entertaining. It will be in stores May 25, 2021 for $12.99 (USD).

"Boys Run the Riot" is about a group of boys who want to defy social norms and express themselves, so they start a fashion brand. I love this manga so much already!!! I love that the main character is trans, it's so refreshing to read about a trans character!

We need more manga that deals with the issues that trans men and women go through. There have been only a few that have included trans characters in a sympathetic and/ or realistic way. Even fewer have been localized and brought out in English. The team at Kodansha have done a wonderful job in bringing this work, Boys Run the Riot Vol 1, by a trans man Keito Gaku, to English-speaking readers. The characters are all engaging and likable, and the high school setting lends a real feeling of 'seishun' (youth in Japanese) to the overall theme of 'chasing dreams'. We know as a reader that this is the story of a trans boy's journey to self-actualisation but his story is supported by the scafold of an equally engaging story, High schoolers trying to create a clothing brand. I cannot wait for volume 2 to find out how these hope-inspiring boys get on.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I truly loved this story from beginning to end and can't wait to read the second volume of Boys Run The Riot! It was the first time that I got to read a manga with a transgender MC and still even in books, there are few options like this. I think the fact that Ryo has to go through all the struggles of being trapped in his own body and clothes. I think Jin is the friend that everyone coming out hopes for. Someone that will support you no matter what and see as you identify as no prejudice or questions asked. I think there's. a lot of potential for the brand they created. A must-read!

I think this was quite a good first volume. First of all, I want to point out the fact that this manga is an ownvoice transgender story. I think the manga community is quite open when it comes to sexual orientation but less for different identities as this is the first one I read with a man transgender main character. Hence, I am very happy this manga is being published.
The story is nice but it still requires some development. It kind of made me think of Bakuman: two young boys starting a business together and facing obstacles together. I hope the next volume expand on this project because for the moment it is a little idealistic. Then there is the identity side of this manga which I think starts quite well. I like following Ryo and his thoughts and doubts. I can’t wait to see how Ryo is going to open up to more people. Moreover, the art is really pretty.
I recommend this manga.
3.5/5

High school student Ryuu is trans but he's not out to anyone. Each day is a struggle, trying to find a balance between being himself and not standing out too much at school. When Jin, a tough-looking guy, transfers into his class, Ryuu immediately assumes they have nothing in common. But a chance meeting while out shopping for clothes proves that they do have one thing in common: similar taste in fashion. Jin asks Ryuu to help him start a clothing brand, and it's the start of not only a business partnership, but a true friendship.

I absolutely love this manga! As someone who is nonbinary, I'm always on the lookout for manga and graphic novels with trans characters, especially if they're created by someone who is trans, and Boys Run the Riot is everything I've been searching for. From page one, the manga is very clear that Ryuu is trans, and his struggles and victories are wonderfully portrayed. Ryuu tries to not draw attention to himself but once he and Jin become friends, he gains confidence and starts pursuing what he wants in life. One of my favorite parts of the manga is when he comes out to Jin and the two of them talk. Jin's a great ally and friend, supporting Ryuu and backing him up. Besides Jin, there are other supporting characters who, while they don't know everything about Ryuu, are there to help him and offer friendship. I also enjoyed the process that Jin and Ryuu go through as they start their brand: research, designing, photography, setting up an online shop, making their shirt design, etc. I'm excited to see what happens next as Jin and Ryuu build their brand and start their business!

The art style is really nice, sharp and realistic. I love the character designs! Some other features of the manga include an interview with the creator, Keito Gaku, as well as translation notes at the end. Highly recommend to fans of realistic manga and manga focusing on LGBTQ+ characters and stories!

It's unusual to see a transgender main character in manga, so this was great representation. Ryo is easy to identify with and I liked seeing how much clothes mean to him in showing how he really is when he feels so trapped in his own body. The story was different and a great way to explore being yourself when surrounded by people, and a society, that wants you to fit in. I look forward to reading more.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Manga isn’t something I’ve read much of but the premise of this one intrigued me; a transgender boy makes friends with the new kid in class and they decide to start a fashion brand to express themselves. There were funny bits and heartbreaking ones, with both of the protagonists being really well-developed throughout despite very few words on a page.

I can’t speak to how good the transgender representation is in this book but as the author himself is a transgender man, I would assume that it is well done. The protagonist, Ryuu, isn’t open about his gender identity in school and you see the reactions of the other people in class. There is a lot of context added with the other students holding more traditional Japanese beliefs but Ryuu and Jin’s friendship blossomed despite the rumours spread by others.

Overall I think that this manga did a really good job of showing what it must be like to grow up transgender in Japan. It also focuses on the expression of self, creativity and themes of shame. I loved reading this book and am looking forward to further volumes being published in English. I would highly recommend.

5 out of 5 stars!

Before even starting the story, I thought to myself about how much more difficult it could be for the transgender community in Japan. I recently read a blog post that talked about how homosexuality in Japan is often conflated with being transgender, and how homosexual males are often referred to as “okama”/“crossdressers”? It said that the Japanese tend to assign more feminine traits to homosexual men. I am not entirely familiar with the Japanese LGBTQIA+ community, but I would assume that the transgender community often faces similar issues in terms of generalizations and stereotyping.

We start off the story from the perspective of Ryo, a closeted transgender male high school student. He experiences dysphoria, binding his chest and wearing more “masculine” clothing - he refuses to wear the clothing his mother purchases for him. As he has not come out as transgender, his mother does not understand that he hates clothes that are deemed more feminine in society (ie skirts and dresses).

Ryo gets along better with other male students. They don’t know he identifies as male. Unsurprisingly, other students start making a big deal out of a student that they perceive as female associating with a lot of boys. He receives nasty notes in his locker that disparage his character.

One day, a student named Jin transfers into Ryo’s class. At first, Ryo is slightly intimidated by Jin and his appearance. But then they run into each other at a pop-up shop for a clothing brand they both like. Reaching for the same shirt as Jin, Ryo panics, as he is out in his more “masculine” clothing as perceived by society.

There is a (verbal) confrontation of sorts, where Ryo blurts out the truth about his gender. Jin accepts Ryo, acknowledging that “[he doesn’t] know anything about [Ryo’s] pain and sufferin’...even if [he] spent [his] whole life tryin’, [he] wouldn’t fully get it.”

Jin doesn’t have a problem with Ryo’s gender identity and expression. He appreciates Ryo’s tastes in art and fashion. He asks Ryo to be his partner in starting their own fashion brand.

There is some hesitation on Ryo’s part, and the two get into some minor and brief arguments. Eventually, they start to get to work on their brand.

Meanwhile, some of the teachers are concerned about a supposed “female” presenting student associating with someone like Jin, who was held back a grade. Hinata-sensei defends Ryo and is supportive of him.

A character named Itsuka, who is the only member of the photography club, enters the story when Ryo and Jin need to figure out how to photograph their brand. Much like Ryo, Itsuka is initially hesitant about joining them. But despite some social conflict, they come together to start their brand. As Jin tells Itsuka, they’re “just doin’ it to bite back at the world, society, convention, and [their] own lives.” This group of social misfits will try their best to make this brand a success!

I really enjoyed the art for this manga. I also definitely appreciated what I see as a unique concept. I feel like the transgender community is often fetishized in fiction, and it was nice to see a story written by a transgender man. I also found the art and fashion aspect cool.

If I had to come up with a negative, for me, some of the pacing was a little fast. The timeline was unclear, so it seemed like Ryo confesses his gender identity to Jin, a relative stranger, fairly quickly. How would Ryo know that Jin wouldn’t out him to everyone? Ryo already faces some harassment at school, so disclosing his gender identity that quickly seemed odd. Perhaps he felt safe doing so because Jin, although he is presented as a cisgender character (so far?), seems to be more on the edge of society with the way he dresses and his lesser priority on school. They do share common interests.

I also felt that it was a bit strange how issues like Ryo not wanting to admit they were starting a fashion brand together to other students kept popping up consecutively. The two would have a minor spat, and then the argument was over and done with. Ryo seems to change his tune too quickly.

Ryo talks a lot about how “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down” in the beginning. Standing out isn’t necessarily a good thing in Japanese society. Ryo, Jin, and Itsuka have to gather their courage to even consider starting this fashion brand and stand out from others in such a stark way. As a cisgender woman, I felt that many themes still resonate with me as far as individuality in society. At the beginning Ryo says that “when [he wears his] favorite clothes, [he feels] at ease...it’s the only time [he doesn’t] see a version of [himself] that [he hates].” It’s all about the way people view each other based on appearances, on false veneers where you don’t see beneath the surface. I think the messaging and representation is excellent, and look forward to hopefully reading more!

Oh wow I LOVED this.

I love all the characters, especially Ryo and Jin. Ryo's loneliness because of being transgender just had me aching for him to find someone who understood him and I just fell in love with the story. Not at all what you're gonna expect of this one. Just a really fun, well written first volume that has me excited for more!

I haven't read a slice of life manga that grabbed me like this one did in a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an anticipated 2021 read for me, so I was super excited to get the chance to read it a bit early. The one word I can use to describe it is: wow. Wow, wow, wow! The art, characters, plot, practically everything in this volume was fantastic for me. I feel like the determination and passion of the characters really shone through. I absolutely loved the ending Q&A with the author, which was so genuine and real. it was a great insight into the story and ideas behind this series. Overall, I cannot wait to read volume 2!

The title, and the art caught my attention, and the premise absolutely delighted me!!

I love that the main character is a trans boy, and while his identity as a trans person is an important part of the story, it's also just one facet. The story of Ryo's life as a trans person alone would definitely be interesting, and worth telling, but I appreciate so much that for this manga it's not all that Ryo is about. He has interests, he is more than just a trans boy, and while that obviously takes up space in his life, he's also just a guy who has a love of fashion! In so many stories about people in the LGBTQ+ community, their one and only trait is that they're part of that community. Seeing those characters being allowed to have interests, hobbies, and just generally having a life is so awesome to see!!

The way this story is unfolding is so promising. It's at the intersection of so many wonderful ideas, and concepts, it's so refreshing. From the plot to the characters, "Boys run the riot" has me eagerly awaiting the next volume, and the next!