Nitori and Takatsuki are the two main characters, who both struggle with gender crisis. Nitori is feminine by nature but trapped in a male body, same with Takatsuki who is masculine by nature however ensnared in a female body. Both clearly demonstrate the challenges of having binary sex system or the society's practice of heterosexuality. The plot visibly shows that the supposed blatancy of sex as a natural biological fact indicates to how intensely its production in discourse is concealed. For instance, Takatsuki agonizes girlhood because no matter how hard she flattens her chest, she cannot avoid wearing a bra for she can never stop her breast from growing. Likewise with Nitori, he vacillates boyhood because as soon as his body hairs grow, it’ll be harder for him to wear skirts and dresses. Moreover, the predicament of the storyline exists not just because of characters’ inner conflicts, they are also suffering overtly from being alienated and discriminated because their desired sexed bodies and gender roles are beyond what is “naturalized” by the society. In these scenarios, I like how these dilemmas are beautifully illustrated by the characters’ portrayal of genuine human emotions.
I recommend Hourou Musuko for those who want to see a simple storyline but yet complex depiction of transexualism, and question humanity. If you find this subject offending, then this is not for you. Also, when watching this anime, try to perceive as if you’re sexless and genderless to fully discern how society materializes bodies to create boundaries and differentiate what is accepted from not.
