Danica Davidson
September 20, 2024 
My Beautiful Man is a pensive and thoughtful BL manga about a crush that is one-sided, at least for the first volume of the manga. The main character, Hira, has a stutter that leads to other kids bullying him at school. They even call him “Hee-Hee” to mock his stutter when he says his name. The bullying results in Hira being withdrawn and friendless at school, and he feels sympathy for kids who kill themselves after being bullied. Then he meets Kiyoi.
Kiyoi might not be perfect, but at least he doesn’t call Hira “Hee-Hee” like the others. Hira thinks Kiyoi is beautiful and quickly becomes obsessed with him. A lot of the manga concentrates on Hira’s inner thoughts as he observes Kiyoi and has his feelings grow for the other young man. And what will happen when Hira gets the courage to tell Kiyoi how he feels?
Hira is a sympathetic character. At this point Kiyoi is still more of a mystery, and some of his behavior seems to contradict other things that he might say or do. Hira says he’s in love, but it seems he — as well as the readers — would need to get to know Kiyoi a little better first.
There’s one short, suggestive scene that gets the manga a 16+ rating, but mostly it’s just about pining away for someone. The angles of bullying and loneliness also give My Beautiful Man an empathetic, reflective feel to it. The artwork matches well with the story; its shading and spacing add to the pensive mood, and the attractiveness of the characters is suitable for, well, a manga titled A Beautiful Man.
My Beautiful Man started out as a light novel series, and TOKYOPOP is releasing the light novels as well as this manga adaptation. In other words, if people enjoy one, they’ll probably enjoy the other. Whether you read one version or both, My Beautiful Man is a sweet, melancholic title for fans of BL books.
Story: Yuu Nagira
Art: Megumi Kitano
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Translator: Katie Kimura
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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.
