Interviewing legendary gay manga artist Gengoroh Tagame at the de Young Museum
Tagame Gengoroh is a legend among manga artists and gay art. Having worked in comics since the 1980s, he’s been internationally recognized for his work as a gay erotic artist. However, he has gained additional fame as an activist and vital voice for the LGBT rights movement in Japan by authoring My Brother’s Husband in 2014. The series, which was adapted to a live action drama in 2018, has helped bring attention to LGBT rights issues in Japan for a more general audience.
Recently, Tagame began work on Fish and Water a love story between two “straight” friends set to be translated and published in June 2026 by Pantheon Books. He also continues to produce adult comics through Pixiv Fanbox after the decline of more traditional magazines that once published pornographic gay comics.
Tagame is also one of ten featured artists at the de Young Museum’s currently ongoing “Art of Manga” exhibition in San Francisco, which also features the works of Akatsuka Fujio, Chiba Tetsuya, Takahashi Rumiko, Taniguchi Jirō, Yamazaki Mari, Araki Hirohiko, Yamashita Kazumi, Yoshinaga Fumi and Oda Eiichiro, which runs through January 25, 2026.
Anime Feminist’s Chiaki Mitamasat down with Tagame prior to his October 25th book signing at the museum to talk about his work and the state of queer art and culture. The following is a translation of the conversation Chiaki had in Japanese. The original transcript is located below.
Read it at Anime Feminist!
