He Was My Brother / 兄だったモノ, Volume One Manga Review

A love triangle featuring a high school girl, the ghost of her older brother, and her brother’s boyfriend…will anyone come out unscathed?

You can check out chapter one of this series for yourself below!

Japanese (Pixiv)

Official Synopsis (Yen Press)

In the high heat of summer, Kanoko visits her brother’s grave. By her side is Hijiri, her brother’s lover—and the man she has fallen in love with. But memories aren’t the only things that can haunt the living. This is the story of the twisted love between a girl, her brother’s partner, and the thing that was once her brother…

My thoughts on this Volume (spoilers!)

A friend recommended I check out this series not long after Yen Press announced they picked up the English licence. After reading chapter one I scooped up the first two volumes with anticipation—I knew it would soon be a favourite.

This volume was full of so many twists and turns I didn’t know who to trust right until the final chapter. We’re first introduced to Kanoko and Hijiri, a high school girl and her now-deceased brother’s boyfriend. The two have a seemingly awkward relationship, and we watch as they deal with the aftermath of their loved one’s death. It’s soon revealed that Kanoko is only there because her brother’s dying wish was for her to keep him company from time to time.

You would think that Kanoko is a loving younger sister, only looking out for the man her brother loved, right? Not exactly! It’s quickly revealed that Kanoko actually fell in love with Hijiri during her first meeting with him, while her brother was still alive. She uses her brother’s death as a way to manipulate Hijiri to fall in love with her. She does a variety of underhanded tactics to win him over, but to me, he only sees her as a younger sister. While Kanoko spends the volume trying to win Hijiri over, Hijiri spends the volume in mourning.

All throughout the first half of this volume, I believed Kanoko to be the villain. The ghost of her brother making a surprise appearance supported my viewpoint. “Even the brother’s ghost can tell she’s being sneaky!” I thought every time he popped up. I ate this dynamic right up, as it felt like the brother was doing his best to protect his boyfriend, even in death.

During the later half of the volume, my opinion started to change. When Kanoko decides to spend the night at Hijiri’s house, we finally get to spend some extended time with the two of them. It’s during this time that we can finally see what the ghost of her brother is up to—he’s not exactly protecting Hijiri.

It turns out that the siblings actually have quite a bit more in common than either would like to admit. Both of them want Hijiri all to themselves, and the ghost of Kanoko’s brother knows the only way he can get what he wants is if Hijiri joins him in the afterlife. Hjiri’s life is quite literally on the line, and he appears to be far too out of sorts to take care of himself. Honestly, even if the ghost of his boyfriend wasn’t actively trying to kill him, I still think his life would be in absolute shambles.

The thing I found most curious about this volume is the ghost of Kanoko’s brother. While Hijiri seems to be completely unaware of his existence, we see multiple character’s reaction to him. Why can some characters see and hear him but not others? Could he only be showing himself to those he finds to be a potential threat between him and Hijiri? I hope my questions are answered soon…

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