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Wandering Son #3
Wandering Son, Vol. 3
As shown in the first two volumes of this acclaimed series, Shuichi and his friend Yoshino have a secret: Shuichi is a boy who wants to be a girl, and Yoshino is a girl who wants to be a boy.
But one day, abruptly, their secret is exposed, and the two find themselves the target of sixth-grade cruelty. Their friendship is strained, as Yoshino makes a half-hearted effort at being a normal girl ... and their mentor, Yuki, reveals the harder reality of being transgendered. Meanwhile, Shuichi 's sister, Maho, realizes her dream of becoming a model, and drags Shuichi along for the ride. Shuichi meets another boy who wants to be a girl, and finds himself on an arranged date with a boy who doesn't know that the girl he has a crush on is actually a boy.
After an unhurried, almost leisurely buildup that gave us an opportunity to get to know and understand our protagonists, artist Shimura picks up the pace in this latest volume, with tears and laughs aplenty. A sophisticated work translated with rare sophistication by veteran translator and comics scholar Matt Thorn.
But one day, abruptly, their secret is exposed, and the two find themselves the target of sixth-grade cruelty. Their friendship is strained, as Yoshino makes a half-hearted effort at being a normal girl ... and their mentor, Yuki, reveals the harder reality of being transgendered. Meanwhile, Shuichi 's sister, Maho, realizes her dream of becoming a model, and drags Shuichi along for the ride. Shuichi meets another boy who wants to be a girl, and finds himself on an arranged date with a boy who doesn't know that the girl he has a crush on is actually a boy.
After an unhurried, almost leisurely buildup that gave us an opportunity to get to know and understand our protagonists, artist Shimura picks up the pace in this latest volume, with tears and laughs aplenty. A sophisticated work translated with rare sophistication by veteran translator and comics scholar Matt Thorn.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published November 30, 2004
8 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
March 5, 2015
I think I'm done here. There's still some good stuff here, and most of the characters are honest and sweet and lovely to read. But Yuki crosses the line from vaguely creepy to actually predatory in this volume, and I just can't. I seriously don't know what the writer is thinking with her, and I don't really want to stick around to find out.
July 21, 2019
There is a great deal I appreciate about this series. Mostly, it's refreshing to see media about trans individuals that's subtle. Nitori and Takatsuki are not larger-than-life trans characters, but instead utterly relatable adolescents struggling with their identities. While avoiding creating a fantasy land devoid of adversity, Takako allows her protagonists to explore gender with grace, even if their fictional classmates don't extend the same courtesy. I also appreciated that, despite a realistic cast of ignorant and often bullying classmates, a better world is modeled by our protagonists' understanding and loving friends.
The one exception to Takako's sensitivity seems to be Yuki, a surprisingly stereotypical and predatory adult trans woman acting as mentor to Nitori and Takatsuki. Yuki's character really throws me for a loop, and is the series' greatest pitfall so far.
While I really enjoyed the quiet, slow pace in the first two volumes, I wasn't particularly excited by Volume Three. And despite the (mostly) good handling of the subject matter, I suspect I've gotten about as much out of the series as I'm going to. While I'm not particularly driven to continue the series, each volume only takes a couple hours to read and is easily accessible at the library, so we'll see.
The one exception to Takako's sensitivity seems to be Yuki, a surprisingly stereotypical and predatory adult trans woman acting as mentor to Nitori and Takatsuki. Yuki's character really throws me for a loop, and is the series' greatest pitfall so far.
While I really enjoyed the quiet, slow pace in the first two volumes, I wasn't particularly excited by Volume Three. And despite the (mostly) good handling of the subject matter, I suspect I've gotten about as much out of the series as I'm going to. While I'm not particularly driven to continue the series, each volume only takes a couple hours to read and is easily accessible at the library, so we'll see.
November 21, 2017
I love this manga so much. Nitori and Takatsuki are adorable kids and I love them.
I think this volume is my least favorite so far, it's leaning on a heavier side of things. There is bullying, transophobic insults and a very questionable actions of adult.
I love the realness of the story, the characters are fully fleshed and their dynamic is interesting to read. Nitori and Takatsuki had a bit of falling out, so they were dealing with their conflict and trying to mend things. I like Nitori's new friend - transgeneder girl Mako. Chiba and Sasa are their absolute best as always. I'm enjoying seeing Maho and Nitori's dynamics. They don't always do the right thing, but they stand up for each other and support each other.
I am very concerned about Yuuki, an adult who behaves very inappropriately towards eleven year old kid. What she said and how she touched Takatsuki was not okay. Her presence in the story makes me anxious.
The illustrations are adorable. I like new character's designs, especially Mako looks very cute.
If you haven't read my reviews on volume one. Wandering Son is slice-of-life & coming of age story about transgender boy and transgender girl. Volume one starts as they are ten, in volume three they are eleven.
Content warning: bullying, transophobia, homophobia, homophobic insults, inappropriate behavior from an adult
I think this volume is my least favorite so far, it's leaning on a heavier side of things. There is bullying, transophobic insults and a very questionable actions of adult.
I love the realness of the story, the characters are fully fleshed and their dynamic is interesting to read. Nitori and Takatsuki had a bit of falling out, so they were dealing with their conflict and trying to mend things. I like Nitori's new friend - transgeneder girl Mako. Chiba and Sasa are their absolute best as always. I'm enjoying seeing Maho and Nitori's dynamics. They don't always do the right thing, but they stand up for each other and support each other.
I am very concerned about Yuuki, an adult who behaves very inappropriately towards eleven year old kid. What she said and how she touched Takatsuki was not okay. Her presence in the story makes me anxious.
The illustrations are adorable. I like new character's designs, especially Mako looks very cute.
If you haven't read my reviews on volume one. Wandering Son is slice-of-life & coming of age story about transgender boy and transgender girl. Volume one starts as they are ten, in volume three they are eleven.
Content warning: bullying, transophobia, homophobia, homophobic insults, inappropriate behavior from an adult
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August 5, 2023I liked this volume better than the last one so I might actually continue reading the series. If I don't I'll just watch the show.
April 16, 2024
(Finnished 2/4/24)
September 4, 2013
Describing this volume is difficult because the series isn't about one thing anymore. Shuichi Nitori's life is expanding, and we're seeing more of his classmates as his story gets out and affects others. Maho, Nitori's sister, drags him along on a talent audition and they wind up both getting accepted – as girls. Nitori's journal is stolen and read in front of other kids, leading to some harassment, but also to another boy, Mako, confiding in him about wanting to dress like a girl. Takatsuki begins going back and forth on how she wants to dress and be regarded. Then there's Yoshino, a boy who's anxious to actually ask Nitori out on a date not knowing about his trans status, and how Yoshino deals with realizing who he's attracted to. Sometimes plot threads cross – upon finally dressing like a girl, Mako promptly follows Nitori on that date to make sure the boy is nice to him.
Which is not to say that Wandering Son ever reduces gender questioning to plotty novelty. The series is still overwhelmingly about kids figuring out what they want to be and worrying endlessly about how others will judge them. Every angle is still about the adolescent heart in a way that's touching to me while being so simple and considerately paced that middle-graders can still follow it. It's for them, and it's about them, except that it opens conversations they're usually too scared to have. It's an achievement that Shimura can write and draw this all so deftly and accessibly.
It's so relatable to ways kids can be that I'm often jarred by adult behaviors we wouldn't see in American fiction. Yuki verbally teases and later physically gloms onto Takatsuki in ways that would get you arrested here, which throws up triggers of cultural baggage, yet it's also clear how uncomfortable it makes Takatsuki. That sequence, though, is fodder for her internal strife and how she wants to be seen, and might open up inter-gender identities in the series later. Even earnest praise about Takatsuki's feminine side hurts, which is something very little fiction I've read broaches. It's surprising to read angles like that in such simple storytelling.
That's one of the reasons I keep coming back to the Wandering Son series. In addition to warmth, it's heavily interested in adolescent psychology and invites people of all ages to empathize. This is one of those pieces of art that could honestly lead us to a kinder world.
Which is not to say that Wandering Son ever reduces gender questioning to plotty novelty. The series is still overwhelmingly about kids figuring out what they want to be and worrying endlessly about how others will judge them. Every angle is still about the adolescent heart in a way that's touching to me while being so simple and considerately paced that middle-graders can still follow it. It's for them, and it's about them, except that it opens conversations they're usually too scared to have. It's an achievement that Shimura can write and draw this all so deftly and accessibly.
It's so relatable to ways kids can be that I'm often jarred by adult behaviors we wouldn't see in American fiction. Yuki verbally teases and later physically gloms onto Takatsuki in ways that would get you arrested here, which throws up triggers of cultural baggage, yet it's also clear how uncomfortable it makes Takatsuki. That sequence, though, is fodder for her internal strife and how she wants to be seen, and might open up inter-gender identities in the series later. Even earnest praise about Takatsuki's feminine side hurts, which is something very little fiction I've read broaches. It's surprising to read angles like that in such simple storytelling.
That's one of the reasons I keep coming back to the Wandering Son series. In addition to warmth, it's heavily interested in adolescent psychology and invites people of all ages to empathize. This is one of those pieces of art that could honestly lead us to a kinder world.
May 11, 2015
Wandering Son takes a slice of life approach to its coming of age story, but to get a full picture Shuichi and Yoshino's journey it's best to follow them from the beginning. Start with volume 1.
Shimura's beautifully melancholy coming of age epic featuring a pair of transgender children continues along wonderfully in its best volume yet. The delicate balance between the few that know Shuichi and Yoshino's secrets is upended when an unfortunate incident at school brings bigotry and cruelty down on them in full force. The impact is all the more pronounced for the restraint exercised by the author. Nothing is over dramatized or overblown. Simple, realistic teasing and abuse is leveled at them by other children and it's chilling in its plausibility. The struggles of the individual characters to come to terms with these events and their conflicting feelings about each other's reactions carries the majority of this volume. It's extremely compelling, provides a lot of intriguing character development, and hints at future struggles that await our protagonists.
The other major focus here is on the changing relationship between Shuichi and his sister Maho. I'll avoid plot specifics but two important and diverse plot threads come out of this and push things forward for both Shuichi and Maho while introducing several new characters that look to be important going forward.
Wandering Son just keeps getting better and better. Highly recommended.
Shimura's beautifully melancholy coming of age epic featuring a pair of transgender children continues along wonderfully in its best volume yet. The delicate balance between the few that know Shuichi and Yoshino's secrets is upended when an unfortunate incident at school brings bigotry and cruelty down on them in full force. The impact is all the more pronounced for the restraint exercised by the author. Nothing is over dramatized or overblown. Simple, realistic teasing and abuse is leveled at them by other children and it's chilling in its plausibility. The struggles of the individual characters to come to terms with these events and their conflicting feelings about each other's reactions carries the majority of this volume. It's extremely compelling, provides a lot of intriguing character development, and hints at future struggles that await our protagonists.
The other major focus here is on the changing relationship between Shuichi and his sister Maho. I'll avoid plot specifics but two important and diverse plot threads come out of this and push things forward for both Shuichi and Maho while introducing several new characters that look to be important going forward.
Wandering Son just keeps getting better and better. Highly recommended.
April 16, 2013
This was my favorite volume so far. It did such a good job making me remember what junior high was like, with the awkwardness, fights between friends, and the sense that no one understands you. I knew how hard it was for me, and I can't even imagine how much harder it must be for kids like Shuichi and Yoshino. I really liked Shuichi's new friend, and the insights that friend was able to provide were really interesting, and their sense of humor and perspective were priceless. It was nice seeing Shuichi's sister growing in her understanding of Shuichi, and I was proud when she bit back the nasty words she almost said. I have a feeling that things are only going to get harder for both Shuichi and Yoshino from here, but I am heartened to see that they have people in their lives who I have a strong feeling will stand by them. I hope the next volume comes out in the US soon.
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January 1, 2024I'm going to stop reading these. The only adult trans character is portrayed as predatory and unstable and the kids are written to accept her behavior as normal. The translation insists on a child who "wants to be a girl" and characterizes the trans woman as "a former man." All the bullying is accepted as par for the course and the main character is used by their sister to trick a boy who likes them and to pass in a girls' modeling group, all reinforcing ideas of trans and gnc kids as confused and/or dishonest. I don't know what the deal is with this author, but I'm kind of disgusted with the whole things and definitely won't be letting my kid read beyond the first book.
July 28, 2012
There's something refreshingly realistic about most of the plot in this volume of Wandering Son. The book goes well beyond the minds of the protagonists, and showcases the responses of family, friends and schoolmates to various aspects of gender identity. These are characters I want to keep around a while.
July 9, 2013
;_; I just feel for these little kids. Their hearts are all over their faces.
January 27, 2020
The story of an elementary school Japanese boy discovering his gender preferences continues.
VAGUE SPOILER ALERT:
I only wish to note that in this volume, there is a short scene where an adult is in bed (fully clothed) with one of the elementary school characters. I believe the scene is meant to start out as mostly innocent and then drift toward inappropriate. The scene resolves itself without anything too traumatic happening (trying not to spoiler too much, but also not trying to judge what's classified as "traumatic" to a child -- please don't just word choice too harshly here). The scene is in there, I believe, to give depth to the entire story -- not just to put an elementary school student in a difficult position. However, if using this series in a classroom, I just think it's worth mentioning.
Other than that, charming little story that continues at its own day-in-the-life pace.
VAGUE SPOILER ALERT:
I only wish to note that in this volume, there is a short scene where an adult is in bed (fully clothed) with one of the elementary school characters. I believe the scene is meant to start out as mostly innocent and then drift toward inappropriate. The scene resolves itself without anything too traumatic happening (trying not to spoiler too much, but also not trying to judge what's classified as "traumatic" to a child -- please don't just word choice too harshly here). The scene is in there, I believe, to give depth to the entire story -- not just to put an elementary school student in a difficult position. However, if using this series in a classroom, I just think it's worth mentioning.
Other than that, charming little story that continues at its own day-in-the-life pace.
August 15, 2020
It's the details. Period and wet dreams along with phys ed classes, through into sharp relief the daily issues with living. It isn't all bathrooms, perversion and pretending. This book is covering the hardness of life quite well.
The differentiation in drawing the characters is coming along well as both the manga and the artist develops. There is definitely some darker story lines coming. Even though right now there are moments in time; a date finds out the secret; a diary is read; kids make fun. Let's see how it flows out. With the kind of daily pressure, it is hard not to expect that at least one of the transgender characters will contemplate suicide.
It is just that the material has been taken care of and the stories can be sweet that I wonder how that will be balanced.
The differentiation in drawing the characters is coming along well as both the manga and the artist develops. There is definitely some darker story lines coming. Even though right now there are moments in time; a date finds out the secret; a diary is read; kids make fun. Let's see how it flows out. With the kind of daily pressure, it is hard not to expect that at least one of the transgender characters will contemplate suicide.
It is just that the material has been taken care of and the stories can be sweet that I wonder how that will be balanced.
September 26, 2020
Enjoyed this volume quite a bit. Just wanted to note that I appreciate that the author included allusions to Shuu's Autogynephilic feelings--which makes the portrayal that much more realistic and relatable. It's also done in a way that doesn't judge or draw excessive attention to. I've not seen this representation before in a manga, so it was nice to see. Like everyone else noted, we probably could have done without Yuki's predatory behavior in this one, but I've come to kind of expect this sort of thing in Manga (which may be sad to say). Still very much enjoyed it though!
December 17, 2020
I started reading Wandering Son and thought it was cute, not without its problems, but with a good heart. Now I'm reading v3 and I want to drop it so hard, but I think I'll just read all of it, because 1) I am curious about what happens and 2) I want to see how many levels of problems there are going to be by the time it finishes.
I don't think I even have the energy to write a review for every volume. *shakes head*
I don't think I even have the energy to write a review for every volume. *shakes head*
September 3, 2021
This edition is quite funny. With the introduction of Mako-chan! 'Right! Teach me your tricks, vixen!'
I do struggle with some of the words used. I don't think any of them are perverts. I think what they are doing is completely natural. And the other boys calling the faggots is hard to read and makes them sound uneducated. Part of me wants to go 'they are just kids' but that is an excuse. However, I understand why the author is using these words.
Still excited to see how the series goes.
I do struggle with some of the words used. I don't think any of them are perverts. I think what they are doing is completely natural. And the other boys calling the faggots is hard to read and makes them sound uneducated. Part of me wants to go 'they are just kids' but that is an excuse. However, I understand why the author is using these words.
Still excited to see how the series goes.
September 17, 2024
some parts hit hard but dudeee yuki makes me so uncomfortable. why did yuki suddenly switch so hard into calling takatsuki a girl????? this is so stupid. shes so pretatory with her 'innocent' flirting. she would be really nice if it wasnt for the really creepy part. her mom adds a lot of dimension to her character and she ruins it by being weird.
the only one calling takatsuki takatsuki-san is nitori and thats stupid.
for the rest its nice.
the only one calling takatsuki takatsuki-san is nitori and thats stupid.
for the rest its nice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2019
Ouch! The last volume slightly touched on bullying, but this volume it gets worse after the two main characters exchange journal gets intercepted. I’m very much enjoying this series and totally had a stomachache while reading through the characters ‘ troubles as I’ve come to care about them in such a short time.
Very curious to see what happens in volume 4!
Very curious to see what happens in volume 4!
January 26, 2020
The trans representation in this is great and realistic and great but like is nobody going to realise how absolutely creepy Yuki is? Ah yes, somebody in their late 20s/early 30s inviting children to share their bed and cuddle up with them yes this is fine.
Otherwise my heart is breaking for Takatsuki and his story is totally relatable and hurts.
Otherwise my heart is breaking for Takatsuki and his story is totally relatable and hurts.
August 2, 2024
The next volume in the manga series. More characters introduced. I still find it intriguing, but I find both the format (being 'flipped', back to front and right to left across the page) and the names (honorifics, diminutives, etc.) both exhausting and confusing. And now that there are more characters… I think I'm going to have to admit defeat, here.
February 15, 2019
teen/adult graphic novel (trans girl and trans boy in 6th grade, Japan)
Yikes, Yuki-san is totally creepster, but manga fans know these stories can turn weird at the drop of a hat, so I don't think it will put anyone off.
Yikes, Yuki-san is totally creepster, but manga fans know these stories can turn weird at the drop of a hat, so I don't think it will put anyone off.
April 4, 2021
I dunno if I'm gonna stick with this one. On the one hand, there are a lot of elements of it that are very progressive for the time it came out, but there are other things that are... honestly, really unfortunate storytelling decisions.
August 13, 2017
Generally this manga is still great but like many others have said, Yuki and her actions are just... not good. And it gets highlighted because Nitori and Takatsuki's parts are handled more subtly.
August 18, 2017
I cried.
August 13, 2018
It’s getting really good.
August 19, 2018
The series is so beautiful! As a person who came out to my mother can relate to both main protagonist!! I can’t wait to read all of the books!
January 31, 2020
Pretty good sweet LGBT theme manga! Good story and loved the art😻👍😁❤️
October 1, 2020
That was an uncomfortable read.... It is very problematic.
November 5, 2020
Maho is chaotic lol.
The passage of time is super confusing. It's hard to tell if it's been one day or a couple of days sometimes.
The passage of time is super confusing. It's hard to tell if it's been one day or a couple of days sometimes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews