LogFAQs > #967633352

I feel the need to say that we are now firmly in the realm of "I often feel like I should rank this higher, but any time I look at it I realize I like the stuff above it better". Also, just because I'm giving an anime a mediocre score doesn't mean I disagree with the message it sends! A 4/10 from me isn't even necessarily a bad thing.

188. Wandering Son
https://myanimelist.net/anime/8426/Hourou_Musuko
Winter 2011 (11 episodes)
My Score: 4/10, MAL Score: 7.71/10
Best Character: Takatsuki Yoshino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQK8Ve14A34

Premise: Nitori Shuuichi, who is biologically male but feels more like a girl, befriends Takatsuki Yoshino, a female who does not identify as a girl. They struggle to understand their true selves.

The Good: I think Wandering Son is an important story. It explores questions of gender identity with a lot of care and nuance. I liked the characters for the most part, and they were all given nice little slice-of-life moments. I also liked the art. It was a muted style that felt unique.

The Bad: My understanding is that the anime only covers the middle portion of the manga, so it isnt a complete story. Plenty of anime only cover parts of the source material, but only doing the middle like that is still odd. The characters also felt like they were constructed to explore gender identity rather than that being just one facet of a more complete personality. I hope that makes sense and that Im not offending anyone. Its all still well-written, it was just so focused on one thing that the main characters seemed like they had nothing beyond it.

Overall: I feel bad for ranking Wandering Son as low as I do. There isnt anything wrong with it, and Im glad it exists. Something like this coming out of a conservative country like Japan over a decade ago makes me glad. It just didnt resonate much with me. Still, I can easily see this being meaningful for others. I mean, as someone who grew up with social anxiety, I felt so understood when I saw Watamote for the first time, and that was explored through the lens of cringe comedy! Wandering Son is a serious examination of gender identity and Im glad I watched it.