Wandering Son is a direct counter to the queer phobic norms of its medium, providing an authentic account of young teenagers trying to make their outer appearance reflect what they feel inside, at the protest of peer outrage and their own hormonal changes.
Tatsuki and Nitori are both experiencing gender dysphoria - an intense feeling of unease from identifying with the opposite sex and not being comfortable with one’s assigned sex. They cross dress as a means of finding a way to express what they feel instead of suppressing their desires to conform to the expectations of others. They do not understand why exactly they are different from their peers. They do not understand why a piece of cloth and a change of hairstyle is the cause of mass hysteria in a social setting. They do not have the answers to what will make them feel comfortable with their bodies. They are constantly questioning the meaning of gender roles and the stigmas faced by those who defy them, and in turn cause the viewer to also question why is it that we place so much importance on a person exhibiting the behaviors of their sex. Ultimately, their one true solace is in establishing relationships with those who will look past their appearance and love them for who they are internally, rather than focusing on who they are externally.
This anime is tagged as a romantic narrative, but it would be much more appropriate to call it a platonic love story between adolescents who are defined as "weird" is some way socially and find acceptance in one another. One of the more powerful scenes of this anime, and this not a spoiler, is when Nitori's friends take it upon themselves to visit him at home and see if he's okay. This sounds customary for friends to do, but takes on powerful meaning when applied to a trans girl who is a social pariah because of her taste in clothing. But Nitori's friends do not care. They love her for who she is rather than how she looks and are unconcerned with the opinions of bigots who cannot see past an outer appearance.
Perhaps the greatest testament to how much attention to detail went into the development of Wandering son is in the differing treatment of Tatsuki (Female-Male) and Nitori (Male- Female). Genderquerness is not treated the same universally; trans-women are statistically subjected to more violence and social isolation than trans-men, a consequence of the belittlement of femininity as a "weak" trait in comparison to the "dominant" masculinity. Even some feminist groups who advocate for gender equality will push women towards masculine ideals of independency and power while admonishing femininities association with emotion and compassion. This is all reflected in the narrative where Tatsuki is increasingly welcomed for embracing masculinity while Nitori faces relentless harassment and interrogation from peers and teachers alike for embracing femininity. I can hardly tell that this is a fictional narrative.
Wandering son one of the more socially relevant anime of the past ten years or so.. Anyone remotely interested in gender. Watch it. Anyone remotely interested in deeply intertwined relationships that extend beyond the exterior. Watch it. Anyone. Watch it.
