Manga Reviews (2010-2019): My Boy vol. 6 by Takano Hitomi (a Neo-Tokyo 2099 Manga Review) (2018)

The sixth volume of Takano Hitomi’s “My Boy” is for the dedicated fan who stuck with the series for this long. While I hope for a good payoff as it seems like the series may be winding down, and questionable character actions by the manga’s adult protagonist towards a young teenage boy, is a bit troubling, but hopefully the manga series is not going that direction.

Click here to purchase this manga on Amazon

MANGA TITLE: My Boy (Watashi no Shonen) vol. 6

YEAR OF RELEASE IN JAPAN: 2018

STORY AND ART BY: Takano Hitomi

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Futabasha Publishers, Ltd.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: Vertical Comics

RATED: 14+

Available on July 14, 2020

In volume 6 of “My Boy”, after confessing his love towards Satoko, and being rejected, how is Mashuu dealing with things? What happens when Satoko’s sister, Mayuko starts hanging out with Mashuu? And what happens when Satoko starts visiting Mashuu at his grandmother’s house?

What is “My Boy” about?

From mangaka Hitomi Takano comes her manga “My Boy” (known in Japan as “Watashi no Shonen”).

The first volume introduced us to a 30-year-old office worker named Satoko Tawada, a young woman who lives her life with not much exciting going on. She had a love since she was in college but after a year, they had broken up. And now that ex-boyfriend happens to be her supervisor but he is with another woman.

One day as she is walking home, she sees a young boy (whom she thinks is a girl because of his long hair) playing soccer and Satoko knows soccer well, and shows him how to kick with the ball.

The following day, as she is walking by the park, she sees a man with the boy and worried about him (as there is someone molesting kids in the city), she scares the man off and she tells the boy that he shouldn’t be out late. But the boy, names Mashuu Hayami, tells her that the reason he is practicing late is because he has a soccer test.

Satoko agrees to give him pointers but when she sees Mashuu, she worries because his mother is not around, his father is always at work and he wears clothing that are too small and too young for his age. Seeing him dirty, she invites the boy to her place to get washed up.

But Satoko starts to realize the pain that she has kept inside her regarding her ex and as Mashuu is concerned about her, she is also concerned about Mashuu’s well-being as he’s a nice kid but for some reason, she is curious where his parents are and why he is always alone.

But there is one thing that Satoko knows, this young boy has brought some happiness into his life, as she has brought happiness to Mashuu’s life.

Meanwhile, for Mashuu, at school, what happens when a girl at school takes an interest in him?

In volume 2, what happens when Satoko becomes an a history tutor for Mashuu? and takes him to a public swimming pool?

Meanwhile, Mashuu’s little brother has gone missing and Satoko tries to help him.

Which leads us to volume 3, as Mashuu likes to spend a lot of his time with Satoko, Mashuu’s father finds out his son has been spending a lot of time with an older woman which has him concerned.

As the two meet to discuss what she has been doing with her son, Satoko explains that she is teaching Mashuu how to play football (soccer) but he explains to her that he quit the team.

And while Satoko told him about the soccer training she is giving Mashuu, she neglected to tell him of the other things they did together, such as giving him his first kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi) experience and even let him stay at his home over night.

Satoko is grilled by her boss as Mashuu’s father is angry and relayed it to her superior. Concerned by what has happened, Satoko is sent back from Tokyo to her home area of Sendai, to an office in the region as a way to get her away from Mashuu and the trouble she had caused.

This is tough for Satoko who enjoys being around the young boy and vice versa.

As we saw how Satoko has been trying to live her new life in Sendai and two years have since passed, she is shocked when Mashuu calls out her name.

Thus begins volume 4, a shocked Satoko is surprised to see an older Mashuu and runs in the rain, falls and trips. Mashuu ends up putting a band aid on her and notices that Satoko has scratched her face as well.

Knowing that he has to get back to his trip, Mashuu gives Satoko his LINE address, while Satoko shocked that Mashuu is walking in the cold without a scarf, gives her scarf to him.

We then see what has transpired in the life of Mashuu since the last two years, as we see his father tries to connect with him, he and his brother being in the care of their grandmother and always wondering about Satoko, wondering why she has not contacted him since.

And his life at school and even has a classmate who has fallen for him.

But now that he has seen Satoko again and Satoko seeing Mashuu once again, will the two now keep in contact and connect with each other like before?

In volume 5 as Satoko has been invited by her job to work in Tokyo again, and this is exciting for both Satoko and Mashuu to see each other again. But as Mashuu starts to feel that he may be in love with Satoko, Satoko knows it’s wrong for her to have this type of relationship with a younger boy. Is it motherly? is it romantic?

Meanwhile, Mayuko is starting to pick up on something troubling with her older sister and she tells her sister that if she moves back to Tokyo, she will live with her.

And now to volume 6, the aftermath of what happens when Mashuu is rejected by Satoko and what happens when Satoko’s sister Mayuko starts hanging out with Mashuu? And why is Satoko starting to hang around Mashuu’s grandma’s home?

First, let me say that I am enjoying “My Boy” but at the same time, I feel a bit uneasy as each volume starts to descend into something that feels a bit taboo. But because this is not a Japanese drama that is shown in Japan (which Japan is known to take on a variety of taboo subjects in dramas, especially adult men or women dating young teens), because this is being released in the US courtesy of Vertical Comics, I don’t think anything taboo of adult/teen relationships would be released right?

I’ve had many things to write about each volume of “My Boy” about what I perceived as a parental bond, since Mashuu grew up without a mother, Satoko has put herself in that situation of being like a mother and genuinely caring for Mashuu.

Unfortunately, because she keeps hanging out with him, this upset Mashuu’s father and for Satoko, she had to be relocated to another prefecture and live as far away as possible.

Years have passed since then and Satoko has moved back to Tokyo, has come across a teenage Mashuu and the two share excitement of being in the same city together again.

In volume 5, the manga took us away from the taboo type of storyline that Satoko was close to Mashuu to protect him from his father, because she suspected he may have been abused.

But now with volume 6, the volume explores Satoko and Mayuko’s upbringing as teenagers to possibly help explain why she is becoming closer to Mashuu.

But there are questionable decisions which Satoko has made, that makes readers start to worry again, about her true feelings towards Mashuu really are.

At this point, you feel weird to read this, and part of you want to see if your thoughts are correct, something either good or bad will come out of this storyline and you can only hope they are like mother/son, older sister/younger brother, a more family-type of response that Satoko has towards young Mashuu.

But with this latest volume, she’s becoming quite reckless again that I’m concerned where this storyline is playing out.

The artwork by Takano Hitomi for “My Boy” has always been solid. The writing is very well-done, but the play of emotions are like a roller coaster when reading this manga series as you think the friendship between Satoko/Mashuu is more family, but then Takano likes to throw in some crazy situations that you cant’ help but feel uneasy.

Overall, the sixth volume of Takano Hitomi’s “My Boy” is for the dedicated fan who stuck with the series for this long. While I hope for a good payoff as it seems like the series may be winding down, and with questionable character actions by the manga’s adult protagonist towards a young teenage boy, is a bit troubling, but hopefully the manga series is not going that direction.

Click here to purchase this manga on Amazon

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