The trans coming-of-age manga series Boys Run the Riot by Keito Gaku will be making its United States debut this summer.
Originally announced by Kodansha Comics as part of its Summer 2021 live stream, Boys Run the Riot will be going on sale on May 25 in both print and digital forms. The trade paperbacks will be priced at $12.99 USD and will be debuting with original cover art by Gaku. Kodansha Comics even has a full preview of the first chapter available on its website in honor of last week's Transgender Day of Visibility.
Written and illustrated by Gaku (who is himself transgender), Boys Run the Riot follows high school student Ryo Watari who was assigned female at birth but is male. The first chapter of the manga depicts Ryo's everyday struggles as a transgender teenager. He puts up with his mother deadnaming him and fighting with him over his clothing choices, his classmates referring to him as a girl and being expected by his teachers to wear his female school uniform that he openly loathes.
With all the different ways Ryo's identity gets invalidated both institutionally and by the most important people in his life (including his female love interest), Ryo often feels like he has to hide his real self. The only time he feels happy is when he wears boys' clothing in public and passersby see him as male. It is not until he meets Jin Sato – a transfer student at his school – that he finally comes across someone who accepts him as the person he really is. Having bonded over their mutual love of men's clothing brands, Jin befriends Ryo and invites him to start their own brand they can sell online.
Boys Run the Riot Vol. 1 will contain the first seven chapters of the manga, along with bonus material such as translation notes, acknowledgments and a special interview with Gaku. Boys Run the Riot is Gaku's first major publication as a mangaka, with four complete volumes published. He is also the winner of the 77th Tetsuya Chiba Prize for this series. Vol. 1 will be released in the U.S. digitally and in print on May 25 with Gaku's new cover art. No release dates have been announced for the remaining three volumes, but the books will be released with original cover art as well.
Source: Kodansha Comics