Kai Arcos

As a transmasculine person, I was really excited to hear about the release of Boys Run the Riot. In the first volume of this manga, we are introduced to Ryuu, a transgender teenager that struggles with dysphoria and has found an escape in street fashion.

Being transgender himself, Keito Gaku paints a realistic picture of what it feels like to go through high school and deal with its difficulties while simultaneously shouldering the social pressure to behave as expected from one’s assigned gender. While the author is not afraid to dive into the negative experiences that stem from Ryuu’s gender identity, I appreciate the more positive focus that he brings into the story by giving the protagonist something that he’s passionate about and that allows him to explore those complicated feelings from a safe space. On top of that, he has a beautiful art style!

I was also delighted to learn that Kodansha hired an all-transgender localisation team for the English release of the manga.