Hourou Musuko

Sexuality and gender orientation have been topics of debate for many generations, and discussions continue to this day.
This manga revolves around a character named Shuuichi Nitori (Shuu), who has a best friend, Yoshino Takatsuki, a girl who aspires to be a boy. She encourages Shuu to wear her clothes instead of his own. Initially hesitant but intrigued, Shuu starts cross-dressing at the urging of Yoshino, various friends, and even his sister, who all admire his cute personality. What begins as a playful habit or an act for admiration eventually leads Shuu to question his own gender identity.

To avoid spoiling the story, let me share something about myself so you can understand why I was able to appreciate this manga:
Most boys who are perceived as weak possess both masculine and feminine traits. I used to act based on societal expectations and what my friends would like, which led me to despise my feminine side to avoid teasing or ridicule. Consequently, I suppressed it and always wanted to grow into a man quickly. Since I was attracted to females, this reinforced my desire to embrace my masculinity, and I don't regret that decision. However, I wonder how things might have turned out if I had been introduced to cross-dressing; perhaps I would have embraced my other side more.

As you can gather from my story, I could have leaned towards either gender depending on circumstances, thoughts, and situations. Additionally, I've met several cross-dressers online and initially assumed they were perverts who just wanted to wear women's clothes. Nevertheless, this manga delves into various perspectives, including those who remain unchanged, characters like Shuu who experience changes from childhood, and individuals who embrace their true selves later in life. It addresses numerous questions related to gender and sexuality.

Reading this manga will completely alter your mindset. In fact, I decided to openly support people who come out as LGBT or asexual. This doesn't mean I encourage them to change their gender immediately; rather, providing moral support and being there for them offers security. They may have spent months or years pondering and struggling with whether to reveal their inner feelings to others. Speaking in a non-hurtful manner helps clear up misunderstandings and misconceptions for both parties.

Although the manga covers the characters' journey from childhood to age 18, some parts, especially over 20-30 chapters, can feel tedious due to the complexity of explaining the circumstances of a large cast. However, this thoroughness is what makes it a masterpiece, allowing for detailed character development without rushing. The artwork can sometimes be confusing, making it hard to determine who is speaking to whom, but the manga was never written with malicious intent. In fact, it doesn't even include explicit kissing scenes.

I highly recommend this manga because understanding such complex topics cannot be achieved by watching a two-hour movie. It requires time and patience, which this manga provides adequately. Reading it was an emotional and beautiful journey, and I hope you enjoy it too.

If there's one word to encapsulate "Hourou Musuko," it would be "meandering." The series is lengthy, and it feels that way too. Throughout the manga, you follow a group of kids through their entire school days, which is quite an achievement. Consequently, you develop a strong attachment to the characters. They stay with you for so long that they become deeply familiar.

I believe these characters will remain with you for a considerable time because this isn't a manga to rush through in a few "can't wait for the next chapter, must keep reading!" sessions. There are not many cliffhangers, and the pace can seem rather slow at times, often circling back on itself or focusing intensely on minor details. This isn't to say that "Hourou Musuko" lacks high points where it's genuinely enjoyable; it does have those moments. They're just spread out over a long period, so you're likely to read this series at a more measured pace.

The themes explored are complex and handled with great care. To some extent, I wished the author would dive right into them instead of nibbling around the edges, but I suppose this approach effectively builds the tone of children trying to understand themselves. The overall atmosphere is decidedly slice-of-life, with underlying plots serving as recurring themes without necessarily being the central focus.

The narrative primarily centers on two students as they navigate their evolving gender identities from the final year of elementary school through to the end of high school: one a boy aspiring to be a girl, and the other a girl aspiring to be a boy. They confront the harsh reality of puberty, which alters their bodies in ways they neither desire nor welcome, stripping them of their ability to outwardly express who they truly are. Although their journeys share fundamental similarities, society treats them differently; the boy is ridiculed as a pervert, while the girl is perceived as a fashionable rebel. This story offers an earnest exploration of these struggles for individuals with uncertain gender identities, highlighting specific challenges within Japanese society.

At times, the narrative seems somewhat adrift due to recycled plot points and an overemphasis on romantic entanglements during middle school. However, after reaching its midpoint, the story gains momentum and becomes increasingly engaging as one character begins to openly reveal their true self to their family and peers. The ending is both sweet and melancholic, evoking a strong sense of catharsis as the characters mature and gain greater confidence in their identities.

The characters can exhibit bratty, hurtful, and insecure behaviors, often isolating themselves rather than communicating with others, which feels authentic given their age. Characters who antagonize the main duo also evolve alongside them. One character, however, appears excessively self-destructive and harmful to their friends following rejection, standing out against the otherwise grounded cast as having an almost inhuman yandere quality. Older characters who have experienced or are experiencing similar struggles provide perspective for both the protagonists and the reader. While additional development for the families involved might have been beneficial, the already large ensemble cast made this challenging.

I found it peculiar that an older character faced no social repercussions for being physically affectionate with an elementary school student. Although this seemed traumatic for the student at the time, it was quickly forgotten without affecting their relationship. Additionally, the extensive cast posed a challenge for me, as the character designs were difficult to distinguish. I frequently found myself confused when earlier characters reappeared, compounded by early panels lacking backgrounds and clear panel breaks, making it hard to determine the setting or when scene changes occurred. This could be my own limitation, but it felt like the manga sometimes lacked craftsmanship.

In summary, I considered this work very good and would recommend it to those interested in a realistic portrayal (in my view) of the subject matter within Japanese society.

After a tough start and several restarts, I sped through the second half of Wandering Son in just one day. Now, I'm lying here, trying to gather myself back into coherence. This writeup feels like a necessary step in that process. Let's dive in.

Wandering Son, or Hourou Musuko, is a manga deeply introspective about the self. Its characters are often lost in thought, skipping school, and ruminating on their anxieties. When they make bold decisions, they're frequently ridiculed and punished. While other events occur, most of these bold moves revolve around gender identity. This manga is perhaps THE manga for many, addressing dysphoria and being transgender. What sets Wandering Son apart is its focus on elementary school-aged characters, right before puberty hits—a unique perspective compared to other trans-themed stories featuring college-aged protagonists.

The story introduces us to Nitori Shuuichi and Takatsuki Yoshino. Shuuichi wants to dress as a girl, while Yoshino prefers boy's clothing. Early on, Yoshino's struggles take a backseat as the narrative zeroes in on Shuuichi, who suffers immensely. His world doesn't know how to help him, though he's unaware of this yet. Yet his environment seems oddly conducive to crossdressing, with supportive friends and gender-swapped plays at school festivals. Unlike other mangas where trans characters are repressed, here the relentless march of time makes it all the more painful.

I didn't realize Wandering Son would cover the characters' growth from sixth grade to high school graduation. The absence of timeskips and the gradual aging of the cast give a poignant sense of time passing. In many anime and manga, high school graduation symbolizes an end, but here it carries deeper meaning. Puberty doesn't wait, and Shuuichi becomes less able to convincingly present as female each year. Watching him grow through 123 chapters, unable to stop physical changes, is cruel and painful—especially for someone who has been there.

If you follow Shuuichi's adolescence as your guiding thread, you'll find Wandering Son existentially depressing. It's personally more painful than even Goodnight Punpun. Thankfully, other narrative threads offer some relief. Yoshino's story never reaches such depths of anguish. Their classmates have fights, relationships, and arcs. The adults stand out significantly—I'll discuss some later. And there's a slow-burning romance in the second half, showing kindness by giving Shuuichi friends and lovers. This message is crucial for dysphoric readers seeking solace.

*********************SOME ENDING SPOILERS BELOW***********************

But still…this isn't a very hopeful manga to me.

Shuuichi gets the girl, so that’s a happy ending, right? Except every bit of subtext argues otherwise. Shuuichi meets two adult trans women. The first is young, pretty, and happily married—an ideal role model. But her influence fades. Instead, we meet an older closeted trans person near the end. Living as a husband and father, after their wife's death, they began crossdressing. This character can't pass and worries about their daughter's view. Compared to the first woman, this character evokes pity, unable to pass and burdened with single parenthood. This older woman appears in the third-to-last chapter, representing something significant. As Shuuichi ages, we associate him with her rather than the younger woman. Shuuichi's love interest remarks about accepting a "weird crossdresser" into old age, which is cute but reinforces Shuuichi's inability to truly transition. This is immensely depressing. I’m fortunate to have resources to transition young. Seeing the manga imply "Shuuichi will forever be stuck as a boy wanting to be a girl, but that’s okay" feels like a punch in the gut. The author writes the trans experience impressively well for a cis woman. Whether she intended this melancholy ending or not, this is how I feel. Sorry if my feelings are unrelatable or problematic. This writeup is my attempt to make my wallowing productive.

************************END OF SPOILERS***************************

Wandering Son is good, I think. It’s not as deeply relatable as some other trans-themed mangas, but it’s a worthwhile read with a unique youth perspective. It’s sympathetic and cruel in turns. If you relate strongly to the dysphoria in this manga, that’s wonderful. But don’t be fatalistic about your assigned gender, even if the manga seems pessimistic about Shuuichi. A happy future may seem impossible now, but one day Things Will Be Better.

A narrative that follows the journey of two transgender children as they navigate growing up, discovering their identities, forming new relationships, and experiencing adolescence. Both central characters are incredibly charming, and readers become increasingly attached as they witness their growth.

It's groundbreaking to see a manga tackle the subject of being transgender from a young age, rather than portraying it as a choice, a phase, or something that only emerges in adulthood. This story depicts what it's like to go through puberty as a transgender individual, along with other aspects of being trans, such as learning about binding, dealing with denial, feeling isolated, and more—especially considering when this was written. It offers a truly realistic portrayal of growing up, and all the characters felt very real and relatable. Watching how their personalities evolve, how they change their minds, make mistakes, experiment with different looks, and form new friendships is refreshing and enjoyable because none of them were stereotypical or one-dimensional.

The subplot involving adults who acted as "mentors" but turned out to be groomers could have been omitted, but I suppose these things do happen, especially with vulnerable kids who feel they have no one else to turn to. The conclusion for the trans boy character (in this manga) was also not entirely satisfying, but unfortunately, it was realistic.

I can't claim it's the perfect representation of trans experiences (it was written so long ago, after all, and I'm not the spokesperson for the trans community), but I really enjoyed it. I recommend it to both trans and cisgender people.

It was Pride Month, and I was binge-reading a bunch of LGBTQ manga when I stumbled upon this one from a random person's list. And wow, this manga is confusing—both literally and figuratively.

It's hard for me to even rate this manga since I'm cisgendered and I can't say how accurate the trans depictions are. What I can say is that this manga is trippy. Sometimes we jump from one scene to another, then back again, then suddenly a character starts talking about something only for it to cut off abruptly. We might follow some random character's dialogue thinking they'll be significant later, but they're never mentioned again. It's so random and convoluted that most of the time, I don't even know what's going on.

The author introduces plot points and then never mentions them again. I just don't know what to say. There are interesting topics and issues brought up, only to be abandoned or unresolved, leaving us with nothing to take away. [spoiler] For instance, there's a plot point where a mother discovers her child might be trans and struggles to come to terms with it while being reminded of all the signs. I think that's fascinating and wanted to see her emotional journey, but it goes nowhere. [/spoiler]

And oh my god, the ending... I binged through all 123 chapters just to get to the conclusion, only to be left with nothing. I'm not even mad at the fact that [spoiler] the character we thought was FTM trans turned out to be cisgender all along, as I've seen people say it's realistic and they went through the same thing. People are different, and kids are still discovering themselves, though I'm not invalidating those who are actually trans. [/spoiler] But the fact that the story ends just because. Like the author said, "I don't know what to do with this manga anymore, so I'm out," without resolving anything. No conclusion, nothing for readers to take away. At the end, I was left wondering, "What was the point of all this?" I felt like I wasted my time. Though I do think the first few arcs were really good, especially when we experience the two main characters' gender euphoria; I really liked those moments.

But still, it also reminds me of the two creepy adult characters. Every time one of them appears doing some grooming, rapey, creepy stuff, I cringe. It kind of perpetuates the stereotype that queer people are predatory, which leaves me with an icky feeling.

The characters... They're confusing. They're realistic in a way but also extremely unreasonable at the same time. Maybe they're like this for the sake of realism because human stupidity knows no bounds. But man, it makes it hard for me to relate or understand these people. You want to believe that some characters have reasons behind their actions, hoping it will be explained later so we can finally understand their behavior. But like everything else in this manga, it never does :) Never gets explained; readers are just expected to deal with it. They do all these crazy things for vague reasons, and we're supposed to understand. Yep. [spoiler] But not Sasa, best girl. My unproblematic queen. [/spoiler]

So yeah. Hourou Musuko has so much potential to be amazing but doesn't quite hit the mark. I really wanted this to be good, but I'm mostly frustrated reading it. If you're a masochist like me, patient enough to expect something interesting from this manga, yeah, you'll be disappointed.

A manga that addresses gender identity is rare, and when it does, it often incorporates comedy to either cover up or ridicule the theme. It's even rarer for a manga to discuss gender identity in children and young people in a serious and mature manner. In my opinion, Hourou Musuko stands out as very precious. This manga excels at conveying an important and serious message while remaining engaging to read, and it also offers a good reflection of Japanese culture concerning gender.

- Story (9/10): The story has just the right mix of elements—drama, romance, comedy, etc. Romance and drama are particularly significant. It creates tension and uncertainty about what might happen as the plot unfolds. The arcs are well-constructed. What kept it from scoring a perfect 10 was occasional chapter jumps that could cause confusion, but if you pay attention, this isn't a major issue.

- Art (9/10): The art is very good, though not exceptional. Hairstyles and makeup are meticulously defined and drawn, which is great since they significantly influence the plot. However, in some chapters, it can be hard to distinguish characters due to the angles used. This happens only occasionally, so it's not a big problem. Overall, the art is excellent.

- Characters (10/10): The characters are exceptionally developed, with distinct personalities and ideas, not necessarily fixed. They evolve throughout the story both physically and in terms of personality. This aspect is given much importance in the manga, allowing extensive development. We see different perspectives from various characters within the same event, helping readers understand their motivations. Another distinguishing feature of Hourou Musuko’s characters is realism; their actions in different situations are credible and believable.

- Enjoyment (9.5/10): Despite its minor flaws, one can highly enjoy this series. The varied emotions one experiences while reading this manga change from person to person. For me, this work conveyed feelings like sadness, anger, and happiness. It may evoke different emotions in others, which I appreciate. The sensations and feelings will vary based on personal experiences and whether the reader reads alone or with someone. As mentioned in the character section, the realism in the actions and events adds depth to these emotions. The only downside is the open-ended conclusion. Since I dislike such endings, I couldn’t give it a 10, but a 9 seemed too low, so I settled on a 9.5.

- Overall (9/10): The total average of all categories is 9.3, but I'll round it up to a 9. I think it's a very good story to read, deeply meaningful and leaving a powerful message. While it may not appeal to everyone, many might relate to the characters or situations. I recommend not missing the opportunity to read it if you can.

Story: Trans kids growing up and going through puberty.

Actual story: Young kids feeling confused about their gender identity because they don't fit into traditional gender norms, leading them to believe they might not be their assigned sex. Additionally, transgender girls receive more understanding, even though the protagonist isn't a trans girl but a cross-dressing boy.

This work seems highly praised and hyped, especially within the LGBTQ+ community, likely due to its open portrayal of "trans" themes in its narrative. However, it's not truly a trans story, so I don't understand the specific praise for that aspect. It’s more about kids being confused and not conforming to societal gender expectations. This is beneficial for Japan, known for its strict views on gender roles, but this isn't a trans story by any means.

Alternative translated mangas:

Hommonculus handled the trans theme better in less time, despite not being a "trans story." There's also I.S., an intersex manga which isn't good but does a similar topic better. Even Tasagore (or something) does a better job with the trans guy character (the trans girl character is lacking), though that manga is overhyped and quite boring and archetypal (in my opinion). The only genuinely good trans story so far is Kanojo ni Naritai Kimi to Boku. (It may decline in quality later).

Oh, and there's supposed to be a trans girl in Zombieland Saga... I dropped it.

Pros:

- The art could appeal to someone who enjoys cutesy or more innocent-looking styles. It’s simple but mostly well-executed.

- The concept it aims for isn't common, although the attempt is rather misinformed and doesn’t reflect the reality of transgender individuals. It feels like what someone unfamiliar with transgenderism would imagine it to be, rather than a realistic portrayal.

- The slice-of-life parts are fine if you ignore the "transgender" element. It’s about young kids feeling confused and lost.

Cons:

- Terrible trans representation (but it works as a cross-dressing/gender nonconformity story).

- Characters are forgettable and could have been developed better without the trans angle since it failed miserably here. They feel bland and caricatured, lacking complexity and realism.

If you came hoping for a trans slice-of-life, honestly, don't bother at all. Unless you want to see how not to handle this topic. If you're interested in cross-dressing and kids being confused about gender (more of a girly guy/tomboy chick dynamic), go ahead and enjoy your reading time.

P.S.: Sorry for any typos xd