The Live-Action version of My Brother’s Husband is out, and it looks pretty cool.
This past December, we shared with you the news that Japanese comic My Brother’s Husband was being adapted into a tv miniseries.
The original comic follows single father Yaichi who had a falling out with his twin brother after said brother came out as gay. The brother then moved off to Canada and sadly died there.
Then, as Yaichi dealt with the everyday tasks of taking care of his young daughter, a strange man from Canada appeared at his doorstep. This man, named Mike Flanagan, shared that he was the widowed husband of Yaichi’s late brother.
This new miniseries, starring actor Ryuta Sato as Yaichi, ex-sumo wrestler Baruto Kaito as Mike Flanagan, and 9-year-old actress Maharu Nemoto as little Kana, has just finished broadcasting.
The series was released through public broadcasting station NHK’s main satellite channel NHK BS Premium between March 4 and March 18.
Well known gay comic artist Gengoroh Tagame (who's usually known for erotic stories outside of this one comic) raved about the project and its actors on twitter.
In these tweets, Gengoroh roughly says:
“The broadcast of the last episode of the drama 'My Brother's Husband ' ended.. I am the original author, and I read the script of the adaption, but… I jumped over it and was drawn purely as a spectator.”
“Those who seriously confronted the original comic for this adaption, and more than anything, took this from the comic, edited that from the comic out, created a unique charm charm in the drama version, and carefully made it work, I am very grateful to you. To be able to show these dramas, I am a happy man as a manga (comic) artist.”
"’Just after the last broadcast, my parents called me. I felt the value of the drama again after it touched the Routiti mother who exceeded 80, too. Incidentally, my father praised Mr. Ryuta Sato and Makoto Nemoto. My mother said, "I didn't think the original was a comic!”
In addition, earlier this month the creator shared how amazed he was at the drama’s attention to detail in terms of visually matching his comic.
"Since the main visual for the drama 'Otouto no Otto' is revealed, I can finally tweet about things from the past, such as; I was shocked when I saw Maharu Nemoto-san's audition photo, 'She exactly looks like Kana!,' Baruro-san whom I met at the set looked very nice with his beard, and I was impressed by Ryota Sato-san's impression in the main visual."
While there is no official place to watch the miniseries, I’m sure many fan translations will popup across the internet.
In the meantime, you can read the acclaimed comic which has been praised by many critics including Anderson Cooper and Alison Bechdel (of the Bechdel Test, Fun Home, and Dykes To Watch Out For).
The comic has been officially translated and published in English (in a special formatting that combines the first two volumes) and can be bought at most book stores/websites like Amazon and Barnes and Nobles.
