Ive always wondered what it would be like if men get pregnant. This manga didnt dissapoint. It was intriguing to see all the characters and art style was good . There were humor to it but same time it was enjoying to read.

It was great the whole idea of man being pregnant was funny the humor in the manga. My favorite character was kentaro. Nothing bored me the design of the characters was amazing I'll give it 10/10

I want to say all thoughts are my own and a huge thank u to Netgalley for an ARC of this manga.

It was very fun to read and also to see the whole story of pregnancy from a males view, it a little bit reminded me of the film Junior that come out in the 80s.

I look forward for more books from rhis series and if ur after a manga to start I suggest this 😊 its very cute

There was a lot of thoughts going through my mind when I first saw the title and cover of he's expecting.

Is it BL? Is it omegaverse? Is he Transgender?

The answer to all these questions is no.

The manga focuses around the lives of six people coming to terms with male pregnancy and facing the stigma and prejudices that come with being pregnant in Japan.

If you're not all familiar with Japanese society, it tends to lean conservative. It's not uncommon for a woman to leave her job when she becomes married or pregnant and while women have the right to work and be mother's there are those who frown upon it.

In my opinion the main focus of this manga is the stigma around pregnancy and child rearing rather than the concept of male pregnancy. Eric Sakai explores these topics well if not on the more optimistic side. The story's while short feel completed and connected through the manga. The art style is cute. The story doesn't feel rushed compared to other oneshots.

However it being a oneshot leaves little room for a more complex plot, meaning the stories are simple and unlikely to leave a lasting impression other than the idea of male pregnancy.

This was an interesting read posing the question how would the world work if men could also get pregnant. Had a decent time reading it and it did a really good job shining a light on issues that pregnant people face.

He's Expecting was a surprise read. It grapples with the social issues that face women and how society is structured against those with children.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-book copy!

I wasn't sure what I was getting when I requested this. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. In this manga, men are able to get pregnant and we mainly follow a male who gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby. Even though, we mostly follow one person's story we get other side stories set in this world. The commentary was plausible and will have the audience speculating how they would react to male pregnancy. I recommend checking this out if the premise intrigues you.

3.5 rounded up.

When men began to be able to carry children roughly ten years ago (in the story's world), not much really changed - the default expectation was still that mothers would be the main caregivers and pregnant men were low-key looked down on. In fact, male pregnancy didn't really bring about the legislative or social revolutions people were half-expecting. So when Kentaro finds himself expecting after a casual hookup, he's not quite sure what to do. But as he weathers the micro (and macro) aggressions and thinks about what he <i>really</i> wants to do, he decides to have the baby - and to make things easier for the other birthing dads out there.

This is a book with a fabulous concept and execution that doesn't quite go far enough. Kentaro never really sees himself as different from the pregnant women he meets (although that's something he has to learn), but most of the social commentary is fairly low key, so if you're reading this looking for a revolution, you may be disappointed. On the other hand, women who become pregnant or who simply have the possibility of it are often treated as lesser workers and citizens, and the book does handle that; in fact, it seems to be using gender roles to show that reproductive health is an everyone issue. That's the strongest piece of this book - from the woman who's the mother of Kentaro's baby to a high school boy who has an abortion to a woman whose husband is pregnant but doesn't seem to understand that his changes are something that she's already been through, this really tries to consider all angles. It's interesting in a very positive way.

It’s a premise that would make any woman smirk: what if men could get pregnant? This sort of argument is brought up every time a law comes around to try to sheriff a woman’s right to her own body. After all, if dudes could have babies, things like abortions and maternal leave would be made legal and better in an instant, right? Well, as Eri Sakai’s He’s Expecting shows, that’s unfortunately still wishful thinking.

The story begins with Kentaro Himiya, who finds himself 12 weeks pregnant. It’s a world where one in ten pregnancies have the man carrying the baby, with the reason behind it still up for debate. Quickly, Kentaro finds out that male abortions are dangerous, and that it’s easier for men to just go through the motions and have the kid. But that’s not the reason why he decides to go through the pregnancy; it’s because of how male pregnancy is portrayed in the real world.

There’s little-to-no respect for men who get pregnant. While women are celebrated for it, men are laughed for it. It’s this situation that inspires Kentaro to talk openly about his pregnancy, even seeking solutions to help better the world’s perspective about this scientific anomaly. But Kentaro isn’t alone, as he befriends Mizuki Kawabata, a pregnant woman who has her own fair share of problems. Then there’s Aki Seto, who may or may not be the child’s mother.

I will admit that a premise like He’s Expecting sounds wild. Then again, I did watch that Arnold Schwarzenegger film Junior when I was younger, and that was entertaining. But where that movie was played for laughs, He’s Expecting instead tries to be smart with such a silly situation. Surprisingly, most of the manga works well with showcasing the issues with how pregnant people are treated as a whole.

From finding a seat on public transportation to simply talking about pregnancy, He’s Expecting does a good job with pointing out many of the issues with today’s society. We all seem to want to bring children into the world and shower them with love, but when a pregnant person comes around and asks for a seat, many folks would like to avoid eye contact and pretend that they’re non-existent. This manga puts a light on how people behave around pregnancy, as well as how those dealing with it have to put up with a form of bigotry. And it’s not just pregnancy that’s being focused on.

One narrative follows Tsubasa Utsumi, who gets pregnant and decides to have an abortion. His pregnancy affects how his parents look at him, whereas his abortion puts a cloud on his relationship with his girlfriend. It demonstrates well what would happen if the tables were turned, and a man had to go for an abortion instead of a man. On top of that, it goes to great lengths to show how couples can overcome a situation as tough as terminating a fetus.

Although He’s Expecting can be seen as fantasy, the social issues it brings up is nowhere near fictional. Readers may raise an eyebrow or two with this story, but in the end, He’s Expecting delivers a narrative that’s both sweet and eye-opening. We may be tens of thousands of years of evolution away from men being able to become pregnant, but Eri Sakai’s story here can at least prepare the very, very far future for if and when such a situation can occur.

Rating: 3.65 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 3.5/5
-Cover (+art): 4/5
-Story: 3.75/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Comedy
-Comedy: 2/5
Type: Manga
Worth?: Yeeeaaahhh

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

What an odd as fuck manga. I liked it enough, it was okay. I liked the lesson the main male learned. I also liked the other characters and that we could see into their lives. It have a bit more depth into the story line of men being pregnant. Did kinda wish something would have happened with two people but meh.

Kentaro is a man living in a speculative world in which it has recently become biologically possible for men to become pregnant. After having unprotected sex with a casual partner he discovers that he is pregnant. The story follows him over the course of his pregnancy well as a series of other characters navigating this new reality as it affects each of them differently.

I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect (yes, of course, the pun is intended) going into this one! I've read plenty of omegaverse manga in my time and this is definitely <i>not</i> that. Do not read this expecting smut or even romance. The focus is instead on the thought exercise of a world where men can become pregnant. On the whole, it appears society has not changed much. Many people still consider pregnancy and children a burden in the workplace. If someone is pregnant out of wedlock people still think ill of them male or female. The world is not made to accommodate parents and the children they care for.

The story peers at the changes within individuals as they experience pregnancy or are connected to someone who is. The idea is explored through many eyes. At the center is Kentaro, a well-off businessman who decides to raise his child as a single parent. There is also a teenage couple who repair their relationship after an abortion, the woman who is the mother of Kentaro's child, and a single woman who similarly chooses to be a single parent.

The story I found most interesting was about a housewife who gave birth to their first child and is now dealing with her husband experiencing pregnancy. It sheds light on the imbalance of the mental load it takes to have a family and keep a home. Admittedly, I don't know that the story brought the husband to fully understand what his wife has been dealing with all those years, but it at least opens up the conversation.

This could have tread into some really tricky territory, but Sakai seemed to know what they were looking to say and stayed within that lane. Overall I found this quite refreshing and would recommend it as something a little different!

What a strange little book. A weird combination of astute observations and (what I feel is) ungrounded optimism in fixing the world one pregnant man at a time. It was pretty thoughtful, and clearly written by somebody who's wished not once that if men were in women's shoes, they would have behaved differently. It's up to your levels of optimism and faith in humanity if you agree or not with the author!

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy.

I feel like this manga is a mixed bag of things, but one thing it isn't is a fandom kink exploration (so, if your interest has been towards romancing pregnant men and making it sexy, this isn't really a good match!). It is, on many levels, a specfic: a series of whatifs hinging on the premise that for a decade, some - notably few - men could get pregnant. The story follows one such man, and it's a series of observations on interactions between the genders, presumptions, biases and generally interpersonal dynamics resulting from it. I'm not too sure I'm willing to buy the premise of such a fast fix for the society as pictured, but I did find some observations made quite astute (and some - downright depressing; that's toxic masculinity in a nutshell in general, pregnant or not). Despite being far from my usual interests, it was a curious read.

The premise of this book is just weird, to be honest. I don't even know why I request this but I did, I read it and I found it funny. Yeah, that's all I can say.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mots Clés: manga, josei, science-fiction, slice of life, grossesse
Ce titre m’avait beaucoup intrigué lors de sa sortie car imaginer un monde où la grossesse masculine est possible n’est pas un sujet si commun (à part dans certains yaoi, bien évidemment).
On rencontre M.Himaya, qui découvre qu’il est enceinte. Il doit donc faire face à un choix : garder l’enfant ou avorter. Bon, ce n’est pas un spoiler si je vous dis qu’il choisit la première option je pense.
Ce que j’ai aimé dans ce manga, c’est qu’on a le point de vue de plusieurs personnages, des femmes, des hommes, tous touchés d’une manière ou d’une autre par une grossesse. Cela nous permet d’avoir différents points de vue sur la question.
C’est un manga bienveillant je trouve. Les personnages sont tous attachants, avec leurs qualités, leurs défauts et leur manière de se remettre en question. Cela nous rappelle qu’effectivement, une fois qu’on est personnellement touché par une situation, on ne réagit plus de la même manière que quand les autres faisaient face à la même chose.
Je recommande ce manga à ceux qui se demande à quels problèmes font face les personnes enceintes.

I almost didn’t pick up this advanced reader copy, because I thought it couldn’t possibly be sensitive about the subject, but that is exactly what it was. In a world of the near future, men in Japan get pregnant when they have sex, 10% of the time, instead of the woman. This has been happening, in this story, for about 10 years, but it is still rare.

So when Kentaro gets pregnant he thinks it would be just as easy to abort. But apparently there is no easy way to do this, so after some consideration, he decides to keep the baby, but change society by starting a cafe for men who have given birth or will do so. So that they don’t get stigmatized.

And in the story, women whose husbands get pregnant suddenly realize what morning sickness is really like.

It is funny, in bits, but quite thoughtful as well, and I enjoyed reading about this world that the author created.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 7th of November 2023.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

‘He’s Expecting’ is an interesting read I read though it pretty quickly and found it ok, I would recommend it

Rating: 4 Stars

I was hesitant to pick up this manga from the premise alone. I was worried I would find transphobic commentary but decided to give it a try anyway. The story does not discuss trans folks at all - instead treating them pretty much like they don’t exist - but also the plot point of cis-men being able to have babies, I feel like this should have been brought up as well.

The main story is of Kentaro, who about 10 years after men can spontaneously become pregnant too after sleeping with women (at a lower fertility rate and delivering via c-section only), discovers he has become pregnant after having unprotected sex with a woman. He faces prejudice and decides to take matters into his own hands to try and make the world more friendly to pregnant people.

The story continues by following other people who are involved in Kentaro’s life, a teenage boy who had to make a difficult decision, a woman who never wanted to be pregnant, a displeased wife whose husband is newly pregnant, etc, and finishes up with Kentaro’s baby arriving. It’s an interesting take to involve many different commentaries and I think for the most part they were done well.

There were some good questions posed about how men who would practice safe sex as standard if they had a chance of becoming pregnant and also how work-life benefits and how pregnancy is treated in the workplace would drastically improve too.

It was a very different approach to a speculative question and I’m very curious to see what direction the mangaka takes in the second volume.

*I received an eARC from Kodansha Comics & NetGalley. All opinions are my own*

This was a unique concept, as I can think of another series I have read like this besides the BL genre. It is a world where males can get pregnant and even though it is known the can, most have a negative view on it still. Kentaro discovers he is pregnant and he discovers how other males have had to deal with others opinions on male pregnancies. However, Kentaro goes head on and tries to make an impact to change these views.

Throughout this volume we meet several different people who are impacted differently and how Kentaro has had an impact with helping change views either directly or indirectly. I do like this aspect where we not only get the viewpoint of Kentaro but Aki (baby mom) and others too with varying backgrounds/situations. It does do a time skip at the end, which it might have been nice to have some chapters of when the child was growing up. Overall though, the story was a nice change to read and enjoyed it.
I would like to add, love how much Kentaro loves the baby when it is born and his relationship with Aki.

If what it holding you back from reading this is you think it is a BL, it is not. I would say this falls under slice of life.

This was a very unexpected book, although a very interesting premise and it looks into a lot of male misogyny and into how people always segregate other people for being different or if they are in a low minority I would 100% recommend this book. It talks about a lot of things to do with pregnant women and it also talks about a lot of things to do with men in general and I would 100% recommend. I will be reading more From this author in the future as I think the characters were very well flushed out they seemed very realistic and they also built a community will also being true to their character and I had an absolutely adored that