The gay who turned kaiju

Bullied for being gay, teenager Takashi Arashiro wishes he could just be somebody else-but who could predict he’d morph into a giant-headed sci-fi creature?! As it turns out, that's precisely what it's about, although it isn't necessarily intended to be mean towards the title character; instead it's an extended metaphor for how protagonist Arashiro feels about himself.

These are the types of questions that this manga asks, and I do think the struggles portrayed here could even apply to anyone who has ever felt like they needed to hide a part of themselves to blend in. But even they aren't painted as total monsters, just people who are thoughtless Kuroda-sensei or have something of their own that they're insecure about Naruse.

With a title like The Gay that Turned Kaiju, I expected a goofier story; what lies within is a much darker tale of prejudice, self-hatred, and bullying. I fully admit that the title of this one turned me right off — without knowing anything else about the book, it felt needlessly cruel, an Othering of someone who was already on the outside.

That's not because he actually IS a monster, but rather because that's how he sees himself. The whole thing has Yasuda staring at everyone with that massive, wall-eyed kaiju head kinda looks like a swollen King Ghidora head, it doeswhich only makes Yasuda's revelry that much shocking.

Content Warning: suicide ideation, bullying, sexual assault. The big goofy kaiju heads may be silly, but the writing more than makes up for it. This is a far darker story than I anticipated, but it's also a far stronger one than I anticipated.

The Gay Who Turned Kaiju sent me on a roller coaster of different emotions. Takashi’s tumultuous emotions become the catalyst for personal and social exploration of the LGBTQ experience in this quirky and profound story from prolific BL author Kazuki Minamoto.

With all of that said, there's still something deliberately uncomfortable about this book.

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Takashi’s tumultuous emotions become the catalyst for personal and social exploration of the LGBTQ experience in this quirky, profound manga from prolific BL author Kazuki Minamoto. AJ reviews The Gay Who Turned Kaiju, an own voices manga about how sometimes biting someone's head off is the first step on the road to self-acceptance.

It can be very addicting when you finally get to turn the tables on your oppressors, and this story does not flinch in letting Yasuda enjoy every bit of his soul-staining sins. There are some leaps in logic in order to make the wackiness of the premise work, but this is also a book that right out the gate establishes dedication to theme and emotion rather than practicality.

I admire the book for that; it would have been very easy to make everything black-and-white, but that's not what's going on here — even Arashiro's not all good, because his new kaiju head makes him act out in ways that he would never have thought to before.

I was initially confused and off-put by what seemed to be a lack of any sense of direction, but by the time I reached the end of the volume, I ended up walking away with a different type of discomfort in the pit of my stomach — a sign that the emotional cord struck by The Gay Who Turned Kaiju is more real than the book's title could have ever suggested.

The Gay Who Turned : Kazuki Minamoto’s The Gay Who Turned Kaiju raises the stakes on a story that continues to be retold

Kaiju aren't just big monsters; they represent the evils that lie within the hearts of humanity. Kaiju are large, horrifying creatures that can cause unwanted destruction, but it's sad that we live in a world where gay and trans people are treated with a similar amount of repulsion.

There are some panel layouts and reaction shots that just sort of hang in a way that makes it hard for me to tell if I'm supposed to be laughing or mortified about what is being depicted.

I strongly recommend this one, although it definitely needs a few trigger warnings at first for homophobia and bullying. The premise is incredibly bizarre and at times uncomfortable in no small part thanks to the framing and quirky sense of humor.

Bullied gay teen Takashi Arashiro wishes he could just be somebody else—but who could predict he’d morph into a giant-headed sci-fi creature?! By the end, I think The Gay Who Turned Kaiju has earned the right to be as optimistic and cynical as it is, but you won't know that unless you read it for yourself, which I highly recommend.

It latches on to old insecurities and flawed coping mechanisms and runs with them, and that's not an easy ride. Is kindness only given because people don't know who we truly are deep down? There's a lot of great writing about colorism influencing prejudice but also how acceptance not only comes from without but also within.