I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE I LOVED IT. I don’t think I can say it enough how much I enjoy it! Can’t wait to see where it goes

This was honestly THE weirdest mangas I've ever read — and I've read a LOT. Hundreds. More than that. The last time I checked my list, it was ~300.

I'm not sure if I liked this one, but I also want to read more? It was that kind of experience for me. Sometimes, manga is like that.

I went into this manga hoping for BL & there is nothing BL about it, so that...played into the interesting bit.

Read as an arc in NetGalley.

An interesting read about the trials that men face in a world where they can get pregnant. Though the phenomenon occurred 10 years ago from when the story takes place, there is still a lot of stigma and prejudice around the issue. We follow our main character on his pregnancy journey and meet the people he impacts as he learns to come to terms with the issue. Though the story does provide some commentary on issues related to pregnancy and parenthood (i.e., non traditional families, access to leave, fears of termination, etc.), it felt very shallow for none where addressed in a cohesive way that were woven into the story. There was very little real conversation as to why these issues may differ for men. Also, the main character felt secondary after the first chapter because we focus on the other characters in the book which made the story feel choppy.

Cute story about the lives of men who become pregnant, how they address it, and the challenges and prejudices they face. It follows multiple men, whose lives are barely intertwined by the end when one of the starts a cafe specifically as a safe place for men who have been pregnant.

Kentaro Hiyama is single, no steady girl, but he managed to get pregnant. So Hiyama goes through all the standard stages before he lands on acceptance. Even though this has been happening for 10 years, Hiyama had never thought he would be one of the "lucky" males to be giving birth. Since he decides to keep the baby, he has to figure out what he can do to change society's attitudes and reactions so that this becomes a "normal" part of life. Sakai uses one man's story and his interactions with other people to highlight what raising children takes from a person and what it gives to people as well. An interesting thought experiment!

Thanks Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the chance to read this title!

He’s Expecting answers the question: what if cis men could get pregnant?

The story follows men and women who are affected by this new phenomenon. From a single salaryman who suddenly finds himself pregnant to a high school boy forced to get an abortion to a woman whose husband is pregnant for the first time with their second child. Each character struggles with this confusing and unprecedented change to society, and I enjoyed seeing how they tackled their different challenges.

Note: this is not presented from a queer lens and contains a few homophobic comments.

Summary:

Ten years ago, the world changed as we realized that a small percentage of the male population could get pregnant. Unsurprisingly, it's something that society has struggled to adjust to. Likewise, it's been an eye-opening experience for all those involved.

Kentaro Hiyama is a career-minded man with solid aspirations. Aspirations, which may be on the line now that he knows he's pregnant. The good news is that this is quite the lesson for him – making him aware of the discrimination many pregnant people face.

Review:

Every now and then, you come across a series that makes you stop. He's Expecting Vol. 1 was the most recent series to do that to me. It's a great concept with a lot of potential to help people reassess their biases.

This book was and wasn't what I was expecting. On the one hand, I'm thrilled that we got to see a character grow and learn. On the other hand, it's frustrating that this character needed to be forced into somebody's shoes before he cared.

Side note: in case it wasn't obvious, this book focuses a lot on pregnancy. It's not just about Kentaro's pregnancy but the pregnancy of many women he meets throughout his journey. If that's not your cup of tea, I would pass.

Oddly enough, the core concept of He's Expecting Vol. 1 reminded me of Y: The Last Man. I think it's because one would expect the story to be more woman-centric, but it isn't. It's an interesting thought.

Highlights:
Manga
Pregnant Men
Different Perspective

Will I continue the series? Nah, one was perfect.

Thanks to Kodansha Comics and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a funny manga that speaks about misogyny, unwanted pregnancies, double standards, and so on. However, it does it from a place of empowerment and social work. Some of the topics are hard, but while they're treated as such, there's not that much doom and gloom that you would expect. It does seem a bit idealistic at times, but it is a comfort reading for sure.

Full review to be published on Feb 5:
https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2024/02/manga-hes-expecting-vol-1.html

Normally, stories about cis-men getting pregnant are revenge fantasies. A real “how do YOU like it!?” moment.

That is not what we get in this book. And I love it.

Kentaro Hiyama is one of the small percentage of men who have suddenly become capable of carrying a child. Unfortunately, his pregnancy was a definite accident. He’s unmarried, just started climbing the corporate ladder, and has no experience with children. But, despite all that…he decides to have the baby.

This book is a series of vignettes which all swirl back around to Kentaro’s experience with pregnancy. Each story is a bit different. One man has opted to carry a baby because his wife had a horrific time carrying their first child. A teen boy, who would rather have his baby, must have an abortion, and he then has to work out his relationship with the mother. The mother of Kentaro’s child works out her own feelings and how she plans to be involved–or not involved at all–in the baby’s life.

This book addresses a lot of the prejudice against pregnant women, recasting it in a new light. But the handling of the issues, how seriously they’re taken, and the way most people in the narrative change their views on the treatment of pregnant people make the whole thing feel very light. It’s uplifting, not depressing.

Also, so many cute kids!

Review copy provided by the publisher.

This was a fun and quirky read, for sure. I enjoyed the multiple POVs, as it made it possible to see several different perspectives of how birth affects each character in a particular circumstance. You get to see how the experiences change within each family dynamic and that was very cute. However, I did not enjoy Kentaro's actions regarding the mother of his child. He gave her absolutely no room for discussion and was then hurt when she followed his lead with that in the bonus chapter. There are also several topics such as self-harm that are mentioned, seemingly without proper work up or context.

For this to be set up to be a series, I'm not sure how that will be accomplished. This feels more like a one shot and definitely should have stopped at the first bonus content. The last bonus felt like it was added in because they forgot that they intended to have another volume and therefore needed to create the context to draw you back in.

Thank you, NetGalley! That was an enjoyable ARC.

Kentaro lives in a Japan where men can get pregnant and finds himself struggling in society with his own pregnancy. I had to request this because why not?? Though this book is fun and playful, it does touch on how men vs women are treated, especially when it comes to pregnancy (in public, in the workplace, out of wedlock, etc). The talk about societal views and attitudes towards this topic was interesting to explore and I liked that Kentaro focuses on creating a positive societal change.

Thanks Netgalley for my arc!

This is exactly what you expect from the title. It takes place in Tokyo, and a man is pregnant. Not a trans man, a biological man. It starts by telling you that genetics has changed and for the past 10 years men have been able to get pregnant. Our main character is single and has become pregnant and we as the readers see their pregnancy in context of society. This pregnant man is treated almost as if he was a pregnant teenager in the US. First off people are wondering if he’s gay or had sex with another man since they’re pregnant. Then people are debating if he should have the baby. There there were the arguments that a pregnant man is unnatural and what is he gonna do without a woman. The main character also debates with themselves frequently about should I keep it are should I abort. However, there’s no simple abortion for men. It’s a full on weeklong recovery abdominal surgery because there’s no birth canal. This book isn’t crazy, it’s just boring. I wanted to like it. I thought it would be fun and I find that there’s so much commentary on how society feels about pregnant men that I have no interest in continuing.

He's Expecting was very odd but in a good way. This book it set in an alternate universe where both men and women can have children. The chance of a man is much lower but still possible. It follows the main character dealing with the stigmas of being a pregnant man. I think it's interesting that a woman manga artist would create something like this but it was interesting to see how a man would react. You also see other couples and how having the husband being pregnant can effect the relationship. There is a drama made I think based on this so that might be something to look into.

I enjoyed reading it. I don't think there will be a sequel even though it says 1 on the title. The way it ended made it seem like it wouldn't unless its about the child the main character has.

This book was definitely different but if you like seeing alternate universes and different takes on societal issues I think this is something to check out.

Why did it feel like that was something that was NEEDED? I thought I was going to read something completely silly and went with an open mind, and then, it was thoughtful and feminist and emotional. I'm baffled but happy surprised.

3.5

I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about this one. It wasn't a complicated read or anything of that nature. I believe I have issues with the execution a bit.

Men have the ability to get pregnant. Based on context alone, men and women can get pregnant interchangeably. (?) There's an attempt at social commentary on the implications and assumptions made on those men who choose to give birth to the babies. There's commentary on how women feel that male pregnancy will lead to rights and programs birthing people should have received to begin with. There's even commentary on how women can be just as callus or insensitive as men have been pegged to be when their partner is suddenly pregnant and neither is happy about it.

The manga begins with the Main characters pregnancy and later branches out focusing on individuals that have come in contact with him at one point. It's a six degrees of separations type of thing.

Although I could understand the threads that were being weaved, I felt they were clunky. I don't know how else to explain it. The transitions were not the smoothest and some of the stories needed to be fleshed out a bit more. Especially the last married couple.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read and ARC in exchange of an honest review.

While the premise of this book is wonderful and I appreciate that having male pregnancies did not magically fix the systemic issues faced by those who are pregnant or have children Kentaro’s attitude comes across as victim-blaming when other complain about the struggles they currently facing

He's Expecting by Eri Sakai is a manga set in an alternate universe where men are capable of getting pregnant. The story is episodic with each chapter following a different character in this universe and how they are navigating the social pressures of pregnancy, marriage, and discussions of abortion in a fast-paced, but light hearted way.

The highlight of the manga is the depiction of men having to live with the struggles that come with pregnancy and how being pregnant changes them as people. The women's perspectives are also just as important in this manga because they are also changing their perspective on what pregnancy means to them now that men are also capable of it. I do wish the manga discussed more of the scientific aspects of male pregnancy, but overall very enjoyable read.

When men all of a sudden are able to become pregnant Kentaro Hiyama does not expect he'll end of being one of those rare men who found themselves pregnant. But here he is pregnant, single, and with only a vague idea of who the mother is. Kentaro has never even wanted kids much less to be pregnant and now he has to figure out how to be a father and a mother!?

This was cute and probably a needed look at just what it means to become a mom whether you've planned for children or not. And while Sakai doesn't dive too deeply into each of issues that are addressed here I found them all to be really well handled. Everything from how society treats single moms, to trying to navigate marriage while pregnant, to what it feels like to not be able to have children to abortion, and the all important question of if men could have babies how different our world would work in terms of family leave; it's all touched on briefly. The fact that they really try to be all encompassing here was what I loved about this the most. Sakai clearly just gets it.

Overall, absolutely recommend this adorable manga. It's a lighthearted view on some serious social issues that effect so many of us.

"What's their deal?! When a woman gets pregnant, it's practically law that you start celebrating! But a man? No, he's a laughingstock! I'm having the baby. "

This was surprisingly a fun read!

I say surprisingly because I really didn't know what to expect when starting. Most of the reviews I had seen said "Turn off your brain" when it came to him physically having a child, but I found I didn't have an issue.

Kentaro makes an interesting protagonist because he is full out there telling people he's pregnant. I can't say that I ever hid any of my pregnancies, but it seems that there is more pressure? Or hardship? when it comes to those who are pregnant in Japan?

While I know he opens up a cafe for pregnant men or those who have been pregnant, it made me wonder if there is a need for that kind of place for pregnant women in reality? It was a very brief moment, but the scene about the strollers because it's not easy to have or bring them on the train, so therefore someone opened a rental stroller company made me sad a little bit. I think it's normalized in the States that it's expected every new parent gets a stroller, but it doesn't sound the same in Japan?

And it wasn't just moments like this, I think that for a male pregnancy, it really captured the fears, the worries, and the joys of being pregnant. I thought we would be following one protagonist, but each chapter focused on someone new and their struggle of being pregnant or feeling the effects of someone being pregnant. Each person's struggle was very compelling and loved how the story did have a happy ending because we saw how Kentaro really DID make a difference with him proudly telling people he was pregnant.

Overall, I found this to be an insightful and fun read that I enjoyed reading! I would definitely be interested in reading volume two and seeing where the story goes!

So, this story could go a lot of different ways with this title. Having it be a story about men advocating for pregnancy rights was not what I was expecting. This one is a very interesting story. I will read the next volume to see how it finishes out. But I can see not everyone appreciating this one. Some people will be very uncomfortable with this, and I get it. If you are interested, I would recommend picking it up.