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As a guy looking for a chill manga about Japanese streetwear, I was pleasantly surprised by the wealth of dramatic themes surrounding the development of our main fashion brand. Much of the drama is based around the struggles of our highschool-aged protagonist, Ryo, in grappling with his transgender identity. I cannot speak for the accuracy of the work’s trans representation (though I have heard some positive feedback from trans people), but I will say that I appreciated how the author, in my opinion, really depicts Ryo as one of the guys. I find it somewhat uncomfortable when a trans character is portrayed as completely abnormal ... relative to the cisgender people surrounding them, or when the author just treats them like someone of their birth sex. Ryo of course deals with social difficulties and tough decisions that his cisgender friends do not, but some of those people undergo their own internal struggles that interestingly parallel Ryo’s experiences. In that light, the manga's topic of fashion illuminates the ways in which many young people, not just trans men, overcome various social hurdles through self expression. Admittedly, I feel there are times when the story seems to consist of separate "building the fashion brand" and "Ryo handling being trans" plotlines, but there are certainly some cool connections between the two. The author provides an overview of how independent fashion designers are seen in Japanese society, though he doesn't exactly get into the inner workings of what it's like to grow and own such a brand. Still, there are some sick outfits and designs (just look at the covers if you want a taste) so I did get what I initially came for. All the same, the art itself is pretty simplistic for what I'd hope for from a manga about fashion- it's a noticeable downgrade from most of the manga topping the charts. Unless you are extremely particular about art style, it's still worth a read if you're enticed by any of the plot elements.

Overall, I feel like Boys Run the Riot provides an insightful look into what it's like to be trans or part of the general LGBT+ community in Japan (we also get to see some other LGBT+ characters, including a pretty involved side story about a nonbinary streamer). Since the author himself is a trans guy, I'm more willing to trust his portrayal. Seems like this manga is more geared towards the LGBT+ demographic, but if you're not part of that community, I reckon you can learn more about being a supportive ally, as I have. Even if you just want a casual fashion manga, I believe you'll get what you're looking for and a genuinely intriguing storyline to go along with it.

p.s. Mizuki best girl- such a cool ally and, more importantly, friend to our boy Ryo! (And she's hot too)