Family stories always have a special place in my heart, especially when they naturally embrace diversity. Accordingly, my expectations for Our Family, Now and Forever were high, particularly since it advertises itself with a queer family constellation, a small child, and what appears to be a warm-hearted slice-of-life story.
In Japan, the series by mangaka Hakase has been published in the Boys’ Love magazine gateau since June 2022 under the original title “Kyou mo Ashita mo, Kazoku desu.” At present, one volume has been released. In the US market, the series is published by Seven Seas.
How was it?
At the center are Naguru, a former motorcycle gang leader who now works as a chef in a traditional restaurant, and Hirao, who raises their son Towa as a househusband. Towa is surprisingly mature, curious, and lively for his age — a typical manga child, really, but still portrayed in a very lovable way. The first chapters paint an almost idyllic picture: a loving, functional homoparental family surrounded by understanding friends and neighbors. This sense of normalcy, without major drama surrounding the LGBTQ+ aspect, is definitely one of the volume’s greatest strengths.
However, this harmonious image begins to crack when Naguru is confronted by his past. A former gang member reappears, memories resurface, and the story increasingly starts jumping between present-day events and flashbacks.
What I genuinely liked was the manga’s overall gentle and warm tone. The relationship between Naguru and Hirao feels intimate and grounded in genuine affection. The explicit scenes are rare, but clear and uncensored. Thematically, Hakase touches on many compelling ideas: withdrawal and uprootedness, violence and regret, new beginnings, love, family, and redemption. On paper, that sounds strong, but the execution struggles.
Unfortunately, the manga suffers heavily from its erratic and at times confusing structure. The flashbacks often begin abruptly and feel poorly placed. Especially from the middle of the volume onward, it becomes increasingly unclear what happened when and why certain developments are supposed to carry emotional weight at all.
Particularly problematic is the shallow characterization. While Naguru’s past as a former gang member is explored in considerable detail, Hirao remains alarmingly underdeveloped. We learn little more about him than: shy, instantly smitten, emotionally dependent. His entire background remains in the dark.
On top of that, some decisions simply are not built up convincingly. Love at first sight? Sure, that can work. An almost immediate marriage proposal after the first meeting? That felt unintentionally funny rather than romantic to me. Naguru’s inner conflict as well — his origins in Okinawa, his life in Tokyo, his feeling of rootlessness — is touched upon, but never truly woven together in a convincing way.
The result is a manga that is heartwarming and likable on one hand, but narratively overloaded on the other. Instead of consistently focusing on the family story, the emphasis increasingly shifts toward “former gang leader seeking redemption.” Personally, I found this imbalance unfortunate, as it robbed the original premise of depth.
Is Our Family, Now and Forever worth reading?
Our Family, Now and Forever is a manga with a lot of heart, an important core idea, and a visually strong presentation. At the same time, it also feels underdeveloped, structurally uneven, and surprisingly shallow once you look more closely. The many unanswered questions do spark curiosity, but they also leave the impression that a great deal still needs to be addressed. Whether volume two closes the narrative gaps and gives the characters more depth remains to be seen. I’m cautiously curious, but significantly more skeptical than I had hoped.
I would recommend the manga to fans of queer family stories with plenty of emotion and mature BL elements. However, readers should be willing to overlook its narrative weaknesses.