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Jan 25, 2016 11:05 AM

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Jun 2012
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Honestly, can't say I was a huge fan of the ending. I saw Nitori's reaction to his voice changing and Takatsuki and Chiba's conversation as an acceptance of him being a male instead of the other way around. Bummer...it was a great anime overall, but I wish they'd stuck with the message they'd been sending throughout the rest of the series; felt like it totally changed tones towards the end.
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Feb 19, 2016 10:31 AM

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Dec 2009
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Surprisingly i didn't get around to watching this until recently, even though i share some relation to it all. There definitely needs to be more series addressing the subject without making fun of it like classical comedy.

I agree that the ending of this show seems to give off a flawed message, depending how you approach it. As a transgender, there's always 2 choices: change for yourself, or stay the way you are for others (if applicable) and accepting nature. I was honestly expecting Yoshino and Shuu to pair up, and doing what was mentioned in the earlier episodes, the man being the wife and the woman being the husband; switching roles. I have nothing against Anna, i really like her too, but this is all a very ambiguous subject. As far as their relationship goes, Anna was not shallow at all, they were at a point of discovery, they never really were lovers, they were each learning what it all meant, and Shuu showing the will of being a girl inside was a confusing subject for Anna, she didn't know how to react to it all, so she hid away thinking about it.

I don't like the fact that Shuu seems to be okay with going male, however it will make his life a lot simpler. What seems to be happening with Shuu & Anna is something akin to myself, which is even less understood than basic transgenderism: and that's being transgender AND homosexual. For example, a guy that should be a girl, but also likes girls. That is what it seems Shuu is. The mixed messaging seems at first to imply you should just grow out of it, which is really uncool, but if you look through that it would actually be giving a deeper message.

Stories that address things like these often inadvertently really dig into very complex psychological and sociological constructs that are the cause of these issues in the first place: for example, how it's okay for a girl to dress as a guy, but if a guy dresses as a girl it's suddenly super weird. There's a strange paradigm of female superiority even though there's a lot of cultural patriarchy... By that i mean, more people are looking at girls than at guys, and the female form/appearance is a prized valuable thing, and something that disrupts it causes reactions. A female that dresses as a guy is just choosing not to be in the female image, but a male that dresses as a girl is infringing on the domain of femininity, and unresting the natural homophobia within most males. -> To get around most of these issues humans have to conquer their nature and overpower the impulse with the intellect. People have to take control of themselves and their emotions to do what they want instead of what's automatic.

The particular case in this anime is a bit idealistic and unfair, but that's standard for anime.
-Shuu is cute and girly looking naturally.
-Shuu and Yoshino discover their transgenderism pre-puberty.
If you are going to become transsexual, the time to do it is before puberty, so you can catch the hormones before you get the wrong natural dose.

I didn't realize my own transgenderism until it was a topic in a highschool psychology class. Before then, i'd had some girly perspectives but never really thought about it, because it hadn't crossed my mind that such a thing was possible. There is every flavour of transgender, from vague to extreme, from emotionally impacting to logically reasoned, and sometimes even those who are mostly gender neutral but find a particular sex to be more freeing. Some are simple some are complex. Say a girl that is girly but should be a girly guy and not a girly girl, or a guy that is manly but should be a tomboy. Those with a less dramatic transgender state may not learn about themselves until it's already late in the game, if not educated on the subject at an early age.
. . . this needs to change. (well frankly all of education needs to change, and deliver the important messages earlier)

It's a very diverse subject that doesn't get enough attention at all. Maybe one day there will sophisticated enough technology to actually change someone's sex and not just imitate it like the surgery does. That actually reminds me of another issue: some wish to be the other sex in order to match their gender, but are afraid of or don't have access to the surgery. I bet you the most thought question by transgenders is this: "why couldn't i have been born with my sex matching my gender?"


Anyways, it was a lovely show, with nice music and a gentle story. Try not to get confused by the mixed message at the end, and try to support more series like this being made. Cheers to the amount of people not completely resistant to the subject.
GenesisAriaFeb 19, 2016 10:40 AM
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Mar 13, 2016 11:09 PM

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Jan 2014
4581
Yays, he finally came to his senses and understood he is supposed to stay the boy he is and Takatsuki the girl she is. Wonderful anime which should show all people that not everyone with gender identity problems is immediately trans!!!
Mar 14, 2016 1:14 AM

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Oct 2013
4358
I like how the transgenders commenting on this seem to have a very different perspective on this ending than the non-transgenders.

Maybe it's just me, but Nitori didn't seem like a transgender to me; he seemed like someone who could be a transgender. A lot of people go through gender identity issues. It is a very common identity crisis. The amount of those who go through that which actually become transgenders is proportionately low. To me, Nitori seemed to have been questioning his gender without actually know what he feels about it. The ending could be interpreted as him accepting himself as who he currently is, realizing he would not be more comfortable as a girl at all.

It seems to me that the actual trans people are personally offended by that because they don't like the idea that he was not actually trans.

This is only my opinion based on the anime; if the manga projected it differently then I can't argue against that. But based on the anime, I think it is unfair to strictly see Nitori as a transgender. (BTW, he never actually called himself a woman or asked others to refer to him by female identifiers, which is worth considering.)

It was a lovely show, less about transgenderism than I expected and more about casual drama and gender identity questions as a whole. I'm very glad the show turned out as it did instead of being fully wrapped into the trans topic.



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Mar 30, 2016 6:18 PM

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Jun 2013
3514
I really loved and enjoyed this series. It's a slice-of-life, coming of age kind of series so I wasn't expecting anything extravagant or dramatic.

It was nicely paced and I liked the laid-back background and everything else.

This series inspired me to read the manga from now on :)
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Aug 28, 2016 9:00 AM

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Jun 2014
253
Bad show, bad ending and bad message. 4/10


Oct 14, 2016 11:11 AM

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Apr 2009
2794
Lame ending. I'm still hoping for a sequel.
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Feb 12, 2017 1:46 PM

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May 2016
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santk said:
Bad show, bad ending and bad message. 4/10


What is the "message" that you say is bad?
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May 5, 2017 8:46 AM

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Nov 2016
31884
This anime was really something, not just because it took on such a delicate topic, it also managed to tell the story fluently. Every scene and dialogue had meaning for the overall plot, not a single second was wasted. The only thing preventing me from giving a full score was the final conclusion, Nitori accepting himself and his changes is a good ending, but somehow it lacked something for me.

Nonetheless it was moving, amazing series strong 9/10 and I will definitely read the manga in near future.

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Aug 4, 2017 9:06 AM

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Jul 2015
447
This show is really good. They knew what topic they are tackling and did the justice on this show. Insensitive topic, but when it's well-handled, it becomes an amazing stuff. And Hourou Musuko has all of them. Not a masterpiece but an approximately 8/10 score.
Aug 30, 2017 3:44 PM

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Oct 2015
6916
this anime was unique and tried to depict the struggle young people face at a young especially at being different ( transsexuality). At episode 9 I closed my eyes when he went to school as a girl ( don't do it), but overall it was a great anime 9/10. I guess its different for guys hey, I think they suffer the most and this anime kept my mind open ( who said Japanese were homophobic were wrong). I really pray someday people will leave their stupidity and old shit behind and accept the new world ( those who liked this anime are the chosen ones)
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Oct 4, 2018 7:08 AM

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Jun 2012
3948
Not a great series nor a bad one, but I really liked the ending. The end seemed fitting (down to earth like the vibe of the series) and satisfyingly more realistic than a simple happy ending for everyone.

I was hoping for more focus on their struggles in society. The anime felt more like friendship/relationship problems revolving around transgender rather than about transgender itself.
But I really liked the pace, the development in the last couple episodes, and especially the ending!
Definitely a unique series due to the theme.

Oct 25, 2018 4:35 PM
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Jul 2018
564074
I liked this series very much in general. It was interesting to watch something about transgender children, because this is a topic I want to understand, but it's complicated to get behind tbh. But the kids behave so overly mature, this was really unbelievable. That and the love-circle were weird and lower my enjoyment much. I also don't know, if I'm okay with the ending. Still liked the series overall.
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Feb 17, 2019 8:31 PM

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Jun 2015
21880
i really liked this actually, it was interesting to see a perspective of transgender children in japan. asia's not that well known for taking these kinds of things nicely, but this was a fun experience and fun to watch. i'd definitely watch a second season, should one ever be made.
Jul 13, 2019 8:09 PM

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Nov 2009
202
I don't know why people are saying Shu decided to stay male in the end? Shortly before the ending it shows him wishing upon a star that his voice won't change and to please let him become female. He then wishes for something else which we don't see but I figured he was asking for the courage to become a female on his own like Hiroyuki did. Throughout the series when he's asked if he wants to be a girl or just wear girls clothes he always states he wants to be a girl and right at the end he appears on stage in a dress which must have taken a lot of courage given how he was bullied previously. As for stating "it's okay" when his voice changed, I saw that as him maturing and accepting the circumstances as a number of times it was mentioned that he won't remain looking like a girl forever so I figured he'd just accepted that it was going to take time. Can anyone tell me why the common consensus is he decided to stay male?

As for the show overall, I felt it had a slow start but then ended up enjoying it quite a bit. The time skips were a little jarring at times, wasn't sure how much time had passed and some events went unresolved or not mentioned until later. It could've used more episodes. Ending felt a bit anticlimactic but not bad, it's nice he got back together with Anna even if I thought Shu and Takatsuki made a better couple. Not sure whether to score it a 7 or 8.

Feb 23, 2020 11:27 AM

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May 2016
5532
Disappointing. Why did he stay with that bitch anna? He obviously should of been with Takatsuki....I was hoping to see more transgender stuff it seemed most of it was just about playing dress up.... They used that word like only 4 times and talked about an operation like once.

Also animation was horrible especially with all the streams online were bad.
would give it a 6 but 7 due to this being the only one of its kind.
Kayle_x_MorganaFeb 23, 2020 11:31 AM
Apr 1, 2020 5:06 AM
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Apr 2018
34441
Really good anime with an interesting subject, even if it doesn't concern me it was very rewarding. 8/10
Apr 10, 2020 3:25 PM

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Jan 2010
7191
I think I finally understand what Wandering Son's is going for. All the main characters have issues with themselves, whether if it's something emotionally or physically. They may have self-image problems, problems fitting into societal norms, problems speaking their minds, and problems accepting others and themselves. However, it's through each other that they find the parts that they're missing or unable to come to terms with. This could be Saori being taken aback by Anna's straightforward personality, or Yoshino admiring Chizuru's aloofness and Yuki's maturity. It's also found in Shuuichi liking Anna through romantic feelings only, seeing as he never really thought about kissing her prior to that conversation with Makoto. It seems like he has a sort of dependence on the girls around him, where he asks for advice regarding his appearance and dealing with his insecurities.

I guess at this point it may be possible to talk about gender and sexual identity, as the show has gone on long enough to start asking sharper questions to itself. None of it is really clear cut, and drawing hard lines in identity is nearly impossible to make everyone happy. In doing so, there's always going to be exceptions and outliers, where aspects of generalized categorizations miss out on people with their own specific issues.

Regarding Wandering Son, each character is clearly a distinct person onto themselves. They exist as they are, and yet not all of them are completely comfortable with who they are. They may be single constructs, but they're incomplete. They feel like they have parts missing to themselves, leading to insecurities, anxieties, and anger towards themselves and others. They see qualities in others that they admire and/or envy, and they may reach out towards or push away others as a result. The closer they stay with each other, the more complete they feel since they can recognize the parts they're missing. However, they can't just absorb or duplicate the parts they're missing. Shuuichi and Yoshino can't suddenly change their physical genders, Makoto can't suddenly gain Shuuichi's looks, and Saori can't suddenly become social and open. Kanako's an interesting case, as she can't quite pull everyone back to being how they once were. Everyone's slowly changing as they're struggling to figure themselves out. They're all confronting challenges in growing up, turning their attention inwards rather than towards each other. That, and the love polygons. Goodness gracious.

If I could praise Wandering Son for anything, it's for doing its characters really well. The drama certainly drags on, but it's intermittent rather than being a consistent pain. The show shifts between charming and comedic moments and the actual dramatic moments with good pacing. There's enough time devoted to the lighter moments so the entire show isn't dragged down by dread and depression. They're all still friends, however awkward they may be, and it's within this tight nit group that they're trying to find themselves. I've seen other shows try this self-exploration bit with the framework of symbolism and metaphor, but I like Wandering Son for being straightforward through the strength of its characters.

Lastly, I agree with Saori. Calling everyone special is lame, but that's a strength of the show. The way people relate to one another is complicated, and it's probably impossible to create a world where everyone can live perfectly in spite of all our differences, but that's okay. No matter what, life still goes on.
Apr 12, 2020 1:47 PM

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Dec 2015
244
Finished rewatching for the first time. And I must say I didn't remember this version of "For You" by Rie Fu to be... well, this boring at the ending of the episodes.

Idk if it was because I keep listening to the full version, but I remember the ED to be so much hype for me back in 2016 when I first watched this anime.
Apr 21, 2020 4:27 AM
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Apr 2020
11
It would be a nice show, if it didn't say the protagonists are trans. It's interesting to see some of the issues trans youth have to face in an anime, but their feelings are so vague. They're young so being confused is kind of expected, but I thought the protagonist would be more troubled.

The last episode is particularly annoying because it looks like Nitori doesn't care anymore about being a girl, as if it was just about not wanting to grow up.
I guess it's fine as a coming of age story, but if you say the characters are trans I want to see it.
Jun 24, 2020 11:08 AM

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Dec 2012
410
i have to admit that girls's clothes are more good compared to boy clothes..boy clothes is too simple and looks boring to watch compared to girls clothes with more variety..
i understand about chiba feeling...i also really like to pick girls clothes in store and made my sister wear it...i really like window shopping and pick girls clothes with my sister but not to the point want to wear it like nitorin tho..
Jan 23, 2021 8:01 AM

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Jun 2020
412
not a fan of how this show ended at all. i was hoping nitorin would make strides in their journey towards acknowledging their dysphoria but their entire personal development was abandoned in the final episode when they basically shrugged their shoulders and told themselves that they were a guy. that’s not how it works.

i was hoping nitorins environment would be accepting at the least. throughout the series i was begging for one of them to call them a girl finally. the corner store dialogue with their father was as close as it got. some of the characters were so fucking weird as well, especially that pigtail bitch who basically fetishized nitorin to the very end

hope i can find an anime that acknowledges trans issues in a better manner instead of forcing a character to tolerate themselves
Jan 26, 2021 10:02 AM
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Jan 2021
39
The first anime i watched that the mc ended up with a supporting character usually it always ended up with the main heroine if only nitori doesnt wear the sailor uniform i think he and anna still in relationship but at the last scene when norita say that he still like anna i was like omg that is the manliest word from this anime that he ever said like really damn and anna just blushed like that i wish they get back together

At the beginning i want to drop this anime because of that chiba lol but after norita and anna get into relationship i start to enjoy this anime more

8/10
Feb 5, 2021 1:23 PM

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Jan 2008
2996
A good series until the final episode. Left a sort of not really feeling out of it.

Nitori was struggling to find his/her identity through-out and learning about acceptance and non exception but the ending felt like what was the point?

Nitori and everyone else around them has just pretty much said yeah, fine he's a boy. We all good mate.

Aug 4, 2021 3:36 PM

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Sep 2017
2800
Amazing show. Shame it had to awkwardly end here. A lot of ppl seem to be complaining about how they didn't go full trans with Nitori at the end, but do they not realize there is a lot of manga after this... I imagine the anime team tried their best to make the last episode feel at least somewhat conclusive with the large cast, but clearly there is more to be told. Anyway I'm definitely going to check it out.
Nov 28, 2021 4:03 PM

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Jul 2008
895
"I wanna cry for you"
Well yep totally cry for Nittori.
Feelings was really intense on this one, I wish there was a post-generic story of their future.
For sure handling puberty have to be a real hell for Nittori, I wanna see how he would manage it and how his friends (loved Doi) support him/her or not.
Apr 7, 2022 8:00 PM

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Jun 2014
22517
Nitori finally told Doi what she really thought of him, however, I don't think that Doi actually hates Nitori. In fact, it's quite possible that Doi is attracted to Nitori.

The ending wasn't perfect, and it's hard to tell if Nitori is still acknowledging that she's a girl, or if she's giving up on it, which isn't the best message to send. I guess that Japan hasn't come to terms with the existence of transgender people, and still thinks that we're either crazy, or a joke. :(

Other than that, the show wasn't horrible, but not great, either.

Feb 21, 2023 2:40 AM

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Sep 2018
5236
Still feel this would have been better as a high school anime, instead of focusing on characters so young. I can see this being realistic in that setting, kids that age are far too immature and unaccepting to do what this anime does. Still, the characters were really good, enjoyable series. 8/10. 
Jul 14, 2023 3:37 AM

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Feb 2019
2637
やっぱり, I really love Nitori x Anna. The scene where they talked was my favourite this episode, really wished we could've seen more of them together. It's true that Nitori puts to shame a lot of harem protagonists with how bold and straightforward he was with his confession lol and again he showed just how much of a chad he was by proclaiming clearly that he still loves Anna.

Would love to see a story set in an alternate universe where they remained together tbh. And Anna with tears at the end there ;-;

Although one thing I'm not clear was when Anna put emphasis on だった ("Past tense." in the subs), does that mean she now has a new boyfriend or did she say that because they were no longer a couple?

Also, I just read the other comments and a lot of people are saying Anna x Shu are back, is that the conclusion?? If so, I'm so happy ^^

Liked Sarashina too in the series. She was always funny, probably the funniest character in the series.

A pretty good ending. It was an interesting story, to say the least. I think I will be picking up the manga later.
ShikkakkuJul 14, 2023 3:40 AM
Jul 14, 2023 4:02 AM

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Sep 2014
1282
Shikkakku said:

Although one thing I'm not clear was when Anna put emphasis on だった ("Past tense." in the subs), does that mean she now has a new boyfriend or did she say that because they were no longer a couple?

Also, I just read the other comments and a lot of people are saying Anna x Shu are back, is that the conclusion?? If so, I'm so happy ^^
It has been a long time since I have watched this show but iirc I interpreted this as Anna being the only person to really accept Shu as a girl. Maybe it was just wishful thinking though.

Jul 14, 2023 5:10 AM

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Feb 2019
2637
Miragee said:
Shikkakku said:

Although one thing I'm not clear was when Anna put emphasis on だった ("Past tense." in the subs), does that mean she now has a new boyfriend or did she say that because they were no longer a couple?

Also, I just read the other comments and a lot of people are saying Anna x Shu are back, is that the conclusion?? If so, I'm so happy ^^
It has been a long time since I have watched this show but iirc I interpreted this as Anna being the only person to really accept Shu as a girl. Maybe it was just wishful thinking though.

Thanks for replying! Are you referring to the だった ("Past tense.") or to the Anna x Shu one?
Jul 15, 2023 6:33 AM

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Sep 2014
1282
Shikkakku said:
Miragee said:
It has been a long time since I have watched this show but iirc I interpreted this as Anna being the only person to really accept Shu as a girl. Maybe it was just wishful thinking though.

Thanks for replying! Are you referring to the だった ("Past tense.") or to the Anna x Shu one?
Both actually, as the former leads to the latter. ;)
Jul 15, 2023 6:54 PM

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Feb 2019
2637
Miragee said:
Shikkakku said:
Thanks for replying! Are you referring to the だった ("Past tense.") or to the Anna x Shu one?
Both actually, as the former leads to the latter. ;)
Ah, I see, well thank you very much for replying again ^^
Aug 6, 2023 8:53 PM

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Oct 2016
2471
Mmm the finale felt like a non-ending, but I liked the talk with Anna. Some of its aspects weren't that good, others were. It was weird that no one opposed to another gender bender play, and it even made it seem that everyone accepted the main character from one episode to another. I enjoyed reading some of the comments here, very insightful.
CaptainKenshiroAug 6, 2023 8:59 PM
Nov 13, 2023 11:08 PM
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Feb 2021
583
This show's more like Evangelion than I thought. The main characters both look like Shinji, Nitori is always depressed like Shinji, and people clap for him at the end just like Shinji.
Jul 24, 8:36 AM

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Feb 2015
262
Two things.

First, the description for this series is awfully wrong.
Nitori is neither effeminate, nor is this anime about LGBT.
Not a single mention was made of LGBT, or any of the related political agendas of LGBT.
People conflate and confuse sexual minorities with the hyper aggressive LGBT. Sexual minorities existed for millennia before the American and globalist LGBT virus tried to hijack every niche group for itself.
LGBT is not about personal freedom, and it's definitely not about tolerance. LGBT is about changing the norm, inverting order, and abolishing nature, all in PRESCRIPTIVE terms.
This anime made it clear at the very end when the very brave Nitori (I told you, not effeminate. Don't confuse the outer with the inner, you filthy philistine) embraced the changes of his body that come with puberty.
Again, Nitorin EMBRACED the natural changes to his male body that come with puberty. This is a complete rejection and refutation of the puberty blocker and genital mutilation obsessed satan-worshiping LGBT.

Finally and secondly. I watched this precious anime with Golo subs and I must say the most abominable individual created this train wreck of subs. Not only do they show incompetence in the Japanese language at every opportunity, but they come with vulgar insensitivity, the behavior of a savage dog on top of it. Some people should never develop the idea to write or even translate such precious works. They are better kept in sport bars and arenas, together with their imperceptive fat mouthed and spiritually ugly kind.
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