Feb 8, 2025
"Love My Life" is definetly a lot different than I expected from it at first glance. This manga very much about how gay people view other gay people. It feels like the characters often bring up what it means to be "a proper gay/lesbian" and would resent each other on that basis. It's honestly quite suprising how many of the characters lacked compassion for each other and were quite easily put off by other gay people, when they got to know their journeys.
The manga is from the year 2000, so the lens it portrays might be. a little old, I do think it is pretty
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interesting in it's take on those relationship people have with queerness and how they view others in their own group.
What I think didn't quite age as well, is the lack of acknowledgment and perspective on bisexuality. The system the manga operates on is very binary, you're either gay or straight, nothing in between. Hence the fact the main character's, Ichiko's, parents were gay people who married each other is a thing people frown upon so much by their community.
And yes, not mentioning bisexual people doesn't mean they don't exist and we can say that the characters in the story are just gay and not bi and that isn't erasure on its own, but I wish the concept of bisexuality was at least brought up as something that exists. (There was a passing mention of a character called Nana, but it was only for one page and the words "bisexual" werent really used, just that she was "free")
One other thing that I feel is somewhat neglected is the social pressure and actual accounts of it. The characters, like the mentioned above parents, marry each other, so they can have a child. Ichiko herself pretends to date one of her male gay friends in college. However, we're only ever told that they do it, "because it is easier". While making this jab at heteronormative society, I feel the series failed to say anything meaningful. They do it, because "it's easier" and "it's what society wants", but never really takes an extra step to delve into how society percieves them and why it's easier. We're only ever told that the DO do it, but not really truly WHY.
The manga is tagged as Erotica, but I feel like there really wasn't nearly as much as I would've expected by the pressence of the tag. There definetly is a sort of fixation on who the characters make love to and whether or not that's "pure and proper". Sex is also very much treated as the ultimate remedy for problems, so whenever anything goes ary, intercourse is usually the anwser. It also brings me to the fact, that the main characters don't really have a proper chemistry. To be perfectly honest, most if not every character, is mostly just a prop that the story is told through. They aren't really complex, nor very interesting, they just exist to fulfill their purpose in the story.
That's not to say, that the manga doesnt have its merits. Some of its views on individuality, the nature of breakups, difficult relationships with one's family, the time apart and cheating on each other are pretty universal. Quite well portayed too. I liked the focus on the importance of communication, despite it being difficult. The ending is also genuinely really sweet andties a neat bow on the story. Every part of this manga was made in earnestness, it's just that some managed to come out better than the others.
I think the manga is worth a read, as to see how queer stories looked 25 years ago and understand how far we've come in such a short time like a quarter century. (For example, the same sex couple living together is not considered a possibility in this manga). I don't think there's anything wrong with it or that it is bad, but when I treat it more so as a piece of queer history than just a story I want to find something meaningful in and I enjoy it just that little bit more.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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