Danica Davidson
October 30, 2024 
He Was My Brother stars Kanoko, a teenage girl whose brother Kiichiro passed away after an illness. The manga starts out feeling kind of like a slice-of-slice about a family that’s dealt with grief, but soon supernatural things begin happening, and it becomes clear this story is thoroughly in the horror genre. At the same time, it deals with things like romance and love.
When Kiichiro died, he left behind his male lover. Kanoko’s parents didn’t approve of the relationship, but Kanoko goes out to her way to see her brother’s former lover. She says she wants him to notice her as a woman. She’s falling in love with him herself, but she also sees that he is haunted by a ghost — her brother? Her parents don’t seem very helpful or interested in her, allowing her to do more and more things on her own, whether or not they’re risky. And why do people keep saying that Kanoko and her brother are alike . . . and is that a good thing?
He Was My Brother is one of those slow-burning stories where things gradually get more sinister. The ghost images are accurately creepy, and the story does a good job of having mysteries grow, like what’s going on with that haunting and what sort of relationship Kanoko had with her brother. As part of the mystery-building, the story jumps around in time, slowly putting pieces together. The artwork is clean and crisp, with more of that slice-of-life feel — until the ghost shows up, of course.
He Was My Brother is on the digital app Mangamo (which currently has a sale on some of its titles) and has fifteen chapters available so far. It fits well in the current “spooky season” leading up to Halloween. Creator Matsuda Minoru also stopped by Otaku USA for an interview, which you can check out here!
Story and Art: Matsuba Minoru
Publisher: Mangamo
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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