Harukaze no Étranger

I find it one of the most amazing yaoi mangas I've read, along with 19 days from Old Xian. Because it breaks some cliches heteronormatives stereotypes of yaoi that I long so much for their fall for more humanistic representation of LGBT couples in mangas. I loved the art above all, the atmosfere, it's beautifull, and how it shows the issues the characters struggle like homophobia, sorrow and loss of somebody to death, self aceptance, sexuality, developing a relationship, dealing with normativity pressures, family bonds, work, the person in it's culture and how they negotiate with that... Is so deep, and also so delicate how it treats it, not in a dramatic way, always with sensitivity, even if it treat psychological themes and some dark themes it is not a heavy mangá, ir mantains the beautifullness of life in each panel, is always very delicate how it bring these issues... is amazing, realistic, human. It's not dramatic, nor tragic, it is about reinventing one life, about two persons who create a new life together. The story, the art, is beautifull. I am waiting for the other volumes to see the issue of sexuality, I hope that they will be a reversal couple because this heteronormative dynamic in yaoi is so oppressive and we need other representations... It is amazing because it shows both characters discovering their sexuality together, in an egualitarian and consensual way, and even it is yaoi labelled, it is because it shows sex, but the story don't develop because of it or for showing it but because it is part of their life and of one's life, specially we don't see how a non-straight couple works out this and how deal with it, it's surronded by invisibility while straight people know what to do in first time sex with someone. It shows the development of intimacy between two boys where one is struggling to accept himself as gay and it has blocked the living of one's sexuality in fully manner, and the other never tought that would fell in love with a guy. It's a courageous act to break taboos. There is an openness on the side of Mio to live this experience without judgment but for his boyfriend it's complicated to fell free being intimate to someone due to all the hurts of homophobia and feeling 'not-normal'.
It is amazing that the character Shun say he is gay, this word, and got out of the closet for the family in a public ceremony. And there is no misoginy. Is the first yaoi were I see a LESBIAN COUPLE, who are friends of the gay couple! And the women aren't mistreated, the ex is now their friend and help the relationship and recovering family ties. The manga shows the promoting acceptance of homossexuality in a japanese traditional family and the recovering of this space.

I guess the chapters of the continuation of the history are still being released and translated... I find their sexuality very consensual also most of time except for some stuff that can be problematized. It freaks me out the normalization and eroticization of problematic and oppressive patterns of affection and desire yaoi and I try to rescue the good works that we are able to find. And surely this is one of these good works that need to be recognized.

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