He’s Expecting Series Review: A brilliant, progressive series set in the feminist tradition

He’s Expecting (Hiyama Kentarou no Ninshin) is loosely based on Eri Sakai’s popular manga series. The show, one that fits well and truly into the feminist tradition, makes a strong case for subsequent seasons. It explores a world in which a minuscule percentage of cisgender men can get pregnant. In a traditional-meets-modern Japanese society, the general consensus is that such an occurrence is “gross” and “unmanly”. While a straight woman giving birth is considered sacred, a male counterpart going through the same experience is regarded unnatural. That is why a majority of men who end up conceiving wish to terminate the pregnancy. Those who decide to keep the child are often subjected to derisive jokes about their masculinity and are socially ostracised.

Directors: Yuko Hakota, Takeo Kikuchi

Cast: Takumi Saitoh, Juri Ueno, Mariko Tsutsui, Shohei Uno, Lily Franky, Gaku Hosokawa

Streaming On: Netflix

He’s Expecting is a progressive series because of the powerful ways in which it tackles the subject of traditional gender roles in a patriarchal world, and the unfair expectations placed on women and men to fit into pre-defined, restrictive, and toxic boxes. Despite its serious nature (and the many imperative questions it raises), there is a certain lightness to each episode. It may not have broached the realm of comedy for me, but it’s interesting that its dramatic vision doesn’t go down the road of didacticism. It could have easily gone the depressive way too, but refrains from doing so.

It makes you confront prejudice, preconceived notions relating to child-bearing, and gender sensitivity, without ever forcing its opinions onto the audience. Through its pregnant heterosexual male protagonist in the leading role, the conception/writing of the series does a stellar job in showcasing subtly the unequal treatment of women through the ages, and the ridiculous expectations placed on them from the very beginning. From marriage to child-bearing, He’s Expecting presents an empathetic narrative that believes in pushing change in its own unique way to create a better world.

Kentaro (Takumi Saitoh) is a successful advertising executive in his late 30s who prides himself in “prediction and preparation”. The said organisational skills extend to work and his personal life. At the ad agency, he’s the blue-eyed boy of the office. Amongst his casual romantic relationships, genuine attachment is exhibited only towards his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Aki (Juri Ueno), whom he considers “mature”. There is a casual air of sexism about his workplace — an attitude Kentaro doesn’t fall in line with. After spending one night at Aki’s place, he starts showing signs of an illness. Much to his surprise, he is informed by the doctor about his pregnancy. He rushes back home in delirium, only for the pharmaceutical test to confirm the result for a second time. Meanwhile, Aki’s visit to the gynaecologist throws up an unexpected conversation about children. At work, Kentaro begins slipping, with his hormonal changes causing havoc.

The show’s strength is its fair and honest approach to a complex set of subjects. The fine exploration of gender sensitivity comes to the fore through the same approach. The general Japanese perception is that it’s a “woman’s role” to bear children. Unlike female pregnancy, which is lauded, its counterpart is looked down upon. One such example of the aforementioned sensitivity has Kentaro setting up a free online forum for straight, pregnant males to discuss anything about their predicament, without fear of judgement or shame. His attempt is to normalise men having babies. What is great about the incredibly engaging He’s Expecting is that it tells you (without really telling you) about the pressures women face on a daily basis, and the sheer scale of expectation placed on their shoulders by the unfair ecosystem that is society.

Aki’s individual journey (as a woman, as a writer with ambition) is as important to the narrative as Kentaro’s. A trip to meet the estranged family unearths an uncomfortable past. Her father, a typical patriarch, wishes she be married with children. In her current state, she is nothing but a “disgrace” in his eyes. Deep conversations with Ken about the prospect of raising a child together accentuate their unique bond. He uses the word “marriage” on more than one occasion, and she lets him know that she is committed to raising their kid together, but does not wish to be in a relationship, per se. Long after Ken has become a symbol for the community, a small scene reiterates the show’s central message: equality. Tanabe, an office rival, comments verbally on one of Ken’s trending gender-based posts online. “Something so basic, and yet, it gets so much attention,” he says. “They’ll listen because it’s being said by a man. If a woman says it, nobody listens,” Ken responds, ironically. Another ode to its wide-ranging message of anti-discrimination! Even the language used is crafted carefully to portray how key such an entity is on the road to justice. A must-watch!