Ranked #250

Hourou Musuko (Manga)

Title: Hourou Musuko (”The Transient Son” / 放浪息子)
Mangaka: Takako Shimura / 志村貴子
Originally Serialized in: Comic Beam (Enter Brain)
Scanlated by: Kotonoha

Nitori has always been a bit of a girly kind of boy. He likes to cook, he’s sensative and has little in common with the other 5th-grade boys. He’s even cuter than his older sister, Maho, who wants to be a model. Saori Chiba is a classmate who seems to understand him, but mostly just likes dressing him up. He strikes up a friendship with Takatsuki, a tall girl who is very much a tomboy and who everyone calls “Takatsuki-kun”. They meet and befriend a gorgeous woman, Yuki, who is actually a transsexual. All the while, Nitori is discovering how good he looks as a girl, and how much he likes it.

Hourou Musuko centers around elementary- and middle-school children, but is a seinen manga, targeted at college-age readers. Although the look back at school days relies heavily on nostalgia, the issues the characters are wrestling with are very adult. Nitori isn’t gay in the sense that he has no real idea of, or interest in, sexuality or romance. He is more interested in having friends, and likes acting and dressing as a girl. For both him and Takatsuki, their friends and families are loving and supportive, but there is some tension with the schoolmates acting in proscribed manners.

Things move slowly in this manga, focused on social situations and the feelings of the characters. It almost makes you think it’s sort of shoujo, but there’s little in the way of overwrought interior dialogue (or screentone, either). It’s a slice-of-life story and despite the sexually liminal nature of the plot, it still manages to capture the reader with distinct and heartwarming characterizations. The crossdressing makes me think of sexual roles versus sexual gender…and those two versus sexuality. Hourou Musuko is much more concerned with sexual roles in society than with mere titillation, which I liked very much.

Shimura employs a very clean style, but somehow manages to retain a sketchbook sort of look, making it look as if she had simply sat down and effortlessly sketched her perfectly cute faces–impossible, as those of you who do art well know. Art this effective is always the result of hard work, and it certainly shows here. Most of her panels leave out the background of any kind, once she has set up the scene. She is an obviously very accomplished artist, since her figure studies are realistic and foreshortening of limbs or bodies (a sure giveaway of an artist’s skill) is very well-done.

Kotonoha’s scanlation is typically of high-quality for them, the whites are white and the blacks are clean black. The typesetting is well-suited to the style of the manga, while being easy to read. I highly recommend downloading this one. read more

Hourou Musuko or The Transient Son is a beautiful slice of life story that you can relate to and seems so realistic.

It's about Nitori Suuichi, a boy who not only looks cute as a girl but seems so well suited as one. Thing is, he does want to become a girl. And his friend, Takatsuki Yoshino is quite the opposite. She is a girl who wants to become a boy...

Story: 9

When I first looked at this manga I first thought 'ewww, there are gays in here!'. Man was I wrong. The story is so realistic you can't help but continue to read. Not everyone has a friend who wants to be the opposite gender. Looking into the world of one of these people gives you a different view on how everyone and everything else is seen from their eyes.

I would've given the story a 10 but unfortunately, everytime I catch up on the manga I get bored. So bored I feel like dropping the manga entirely. However, I make myself read it because I know the manga is definitely worth it. Slice of life just needs to ease in before you get gripped.

Art: 9

The art is quite unique. Whenever I see coloured pages I'm very surprised, each and every time. The manga is water coloured. The colours are smudgy but it really suits the manga as the water colours give off a peaceful vibe.

As for the actual art, I really like it. Nitori does look like a cute girl and Takatsuki does look like a handsome boy. The art is really cute and suitable for this kind of manga.

I thought I would not like this style of art but turns out I really like it and is very suitable for the manga.

Character: 10

I love the characters. I absolutely love Nitori and Takatsuki. Their actions are just so realistic you yourself could even imagine yourself doing what they were doing. Chiba Saori is a very realistic character too. Even though I just hate her I really like her development. She tries to be good. She wants to be good but she just can't control her emotions.

I really do love the characters and it is also one of the manga's strong points.

Enjoyment & Overall: 10

Yes I have admitted that this manga bores me when I start to read where I left off but you have just gotta love this manga. It is very enjoyable once you get into it. I've pretty much confessed my love to this manga so I'm taking off now.

Hope this review helped (: read more