Although giving birth is a joyful experience, there are a number of complications that can affect a person’s life. Why men don’t have to experience this is a question that every woman who has experienced the physical suffering, mental anguish, and professional obstacles of pregnancy has at least once pondered.
A Japanese drama called “He’s Expecting” that may be watched on Netflix emphasizes the reality of men being pregnant and the emotional, sociological, and existential hurricane it causes. The show beautifully breaks free from gender norms and portrays individuals as individuals!
What Is ‘He’s Expecting’ About?
Hiyama Kentaro, a type A marketing agent in Tokyo, is 37 years old. He is so preoccupied with his profession that he hardly has time for friends. Being overly organized, Kentaro thinks that foresight and planning are the greatest life hacks.
He plans everything, including his dates, on his calendar because he hates getting caught off guard. He doesn’t value commitment and favors one-night stands. Kentaro views having a spouse and kids as annoyances that can damage one’s career.
He lives there with his pal Aki Seto, with whom he frequently has intercourse without restraint. Like Kentaro, Aki is a busy freelance writer who has no plans to get married or start a family any time soon. She is open-minded and free-spirited, choosing to reason over instinct when making judgments.
Osugi, Kentaro’s superior, appoints him as the creative director of the illustrious clothing firm UNIVE. He is excited about the project, but as his health deteriorates, things start to go south.
Kentaro is finally surprised despite having been prepared for his entire life! Kentaro discovers he is 9–10 weeks pregnant after getting tested, which confirms his biggest nightmare.
A taxi driver who was Kentaro’s sole caregiver raised him. He was close to his mother, but as a result, he didn’t get much parental care. Kentaro’s life is likely to be affected by his childhood isolation, which can often have a negative impact on a youngster.
The low self-esteem he acquired as a child is evident in his work stress and absence of social interaction or romantic connection. With the kind of intellect Kentaro possesses, how would he handle a male pregnancy? Let’s investigate!
He’s Expecting Season 1 Episode 8 Quick Recap:
Actually, there are no problems at all with the birth of Kentaro’s son, Ko. His cesarean delivery goes well, and Aki, his parents, and other family members are present in the hospital. Because his father is there, there are some beautiful parallels to his own birth from back when, but the show doesn’t focus on those.
Kentaro is suddenly no longer pregnant after being so throughout the entire series. The issue arises from this. When Ko is born, it is no longer important who gave birth to him because Kentaro and Aki must start adjusting to his presence just like all new parents do.
She is taken aback by how fatherly and insistent he is in pushing her to accept the Singapore position. They have a great evening out while Kentaro’s mother looks after Ko, and they appear to have most things figured out. Obviously, this is the key point.
The concept is that these individuals have survived a challenging circumstance and have emerged stronger in their awareness of both their own experiences and those of others. But in conclusion, it’s a touch tame. Nothing that occurs in this scene couldn’t have been condensed into a brief postscript or montage.
He’s Expecting Ending Explained:
With his father expressing an interest in his internet group, Kentaro starts to feel closer to him. Eiichi advises that they launch a company selling items for men who are pregnant and raise money from the neighborhood. Kentaro learns, however, that his father had cheated the investors and left.
Miyaji saves him when his house is surrounded by reporters who are looking into his father’s con. He goes to confront his father after realizing the reasoning behind his mother’s warnings about him. To his amazement, Eiichi returns the money right once and admits that, as a result of years of stress, he has grown accustomed to fleeing.
Even though he loves Kentaro, Eiichi informs him that he is his own person and that Kentaro should be the same. He remembers the advice from his father. However, Aki makes the decision to spend two years in Singapore in order to take a fascinating job there.
In spite of Kentaro’s snide remark that she is not the one giving birth, he still wants her to perform the feminine tasks of a mother, which makes her resolve more firm. After his father tried to commit fraud, Kentaro attended UNIVE’s news conference to control his reputation.
He trips and collapses, giving birth too soon after an emotionally charged confrontation with a biassed journalist. After watching the news conference on television, Aki leaves the airport and heads straight for the hospital. After giving birth to a baby boy Ko, Kentaro begins raising Ko alongside Aki.
Aki advises her to turn down her employment in Singapore due to her newly acquired motherly duties. Kentaro reminds her, nonetheless, that she shouldn’t give up her unique individuality for her family after recalling his father’s words. While taking a sabbatical from his own employment, he supports Aki’s decision to pursue a career.
Female coworkers laugh and remark that it has always been that way for women when Kentaro explains to them how a professional break and being a parent will help him grow as a person. To truly appreciate how much a woman goes through, a guy must first experience pregnancy himself.
Despite having an unusual and mature theme, “He’s Expecting” is entertaining to watch because of the humorous narration. The series concentrates on the psychological and sociological implications of cisgender male pregnancy but does not go too into the physiological aspects.
It depicts males in pregnancy as typical guys who don’t necessarily exhibit androgynous characteristics aside from obviously being pregnant! The show depicts many genuine ideas of workplace sexism that go unreported, as well as cultural expectations of gender roles and the lives of those who experience it.
But it avoids stereotyping any of the apparently antagonistic black characters by highlighting their nuanced grey areas and demonstrating how they, too, can improve.
He’s Expecting Schedule And Streaming Guide:
On April 21, 2022, the most recent Japanese drama on Netflix, He’s Expecting, debuted. Takumi Saitoh and Ueno Juri are the drama’s leading actors. The drama covers the narrative of Takumi Saitoh’s Hiyama Kentaro, who is a cisgender pregnant man, and his journey. It is partially based on the manga Hiyama Kentaro’s First Pregnancy.
He’s Expecting’s eight episodes, each clocking in at just over 25 minutes, were all released at once. The drama effectively handles and performs a fair recounting of a rare phenomenon over the course of its four-hour runtime. Netflix is currently streaming He’s Expecting.
The list of the episode, along with the release date, are given below:
- He’s Expecting Season 1 Episode 1 – April 21, 2022
- He’s Expecting Season 1 Episode 2 – April 21, 2022
- He’s Expecting Season 1 Episode 3 – April 21, 2022
- He’s Expecting Season 1 Episode 4 – April 21, 2022
- He’s Expecting Season 1 Episode 5 – April 21, 2022
- He’s Expecting Season 1 Episode 6 – April 21, 2022
- He’s Expecting Season 1 Episode 7 – April 21, 2022
- He’s Expecting Season 1 Episode 8 – April 21, 2022
Will There Be Season 2 He’s Expecting?
Although Netflix and TV Tokyo have not yet announced that He’s Expecting will resume for a second season, there is optimism in the fanbase that it will. The Japanese series He’s Expecting could come to Netflix as early as late 2022, or more likely in Q1 of 2023, if it gets renewed for a second season.
He’s Expecting was initially announced in April 2021. However, manga artist Sakai had claimed that the live-action adaptation had been in development for more than two years prior to the disclosure. Many fans may be concerned that they may have to wait three years for season 2, but it’s possible that a follow-up telecast has already been scheduled.
Given how long the adaptation was in the works, there’s a good chance that the show producers already have a strategy in place for how to carry the narrative between the extra manga chapter and the next manga series.
For two reasons, there is very little chance that there will be a season 2. The program started off by posing a dilemma and then, at the conclusion, providing a solution. Second, since its debut, the show hasn’t gotten many favorable reviews.
Many reviews have been harshly negative, some have been downright rude, and some have made fun of the show for depicting things that lack medical support. The attempt was made. However, the show completely failed. In actuality, IMDB only records an audience rating of 1.4 out of 10 at the time of writing!