A manga that talks about gender identity is rare, and when it happens it usually also introduces comedy so this covers and ridicules the theme. It's even rarer the fact that it talks about gender identity in children and young people in a serious and mature way, so in my opinion, Hourou Musuko is very precious. This manga is very good at conveying an important and serious message while being bearable to read, it is also a good reflection of Japanese culture in terms of gender.
- Story (9/10): It has the right content of each thing, drama, romance, comedy, etc. Among those types of content, romance and drama are highly relevant. It generates tension and uncertainty of what may happen as the plot progresses. The story arcs are well done. What made her not give a 10 to this category didn’t score a 10 because throughout the chapters there are temporary jumps that can cause confusion, but if you are attentive it is not a bigger problem.
- Art (9/10): The art is very good, but not excellent. Haircuts and makeup are well defined and drawn, that's great since they influence the plot quite a lot. However in some chapters it can be difficult to tell the characters apart because of the angle in which they are drawn, this happens just in a few chapters, so it's not a big issue, apart from that, the art is great.
- Characters (10/10): The characters are exceptionally developed, with marked personalities and ideas, not necesarily settled. The characters evolve throughout history, both physically, as well as personality-wise. This is given a lot of importance in the manga, letting a lot of development to take place. Even within the same event we are shown the differnt perspectives of the different characters, in this way the reader can understand the reason and motivation of an action. Another thing that differentiates Hourou Musuko's characters from other works is realism, their ways of acting in different situations are real, and credible.
- Enjoyment (9.5 / 10): Despite its flaws (which are very few) one can highly enojy this series. You can see this in the sensations that one can feel when reading this manga, which are varied and change from person to person. In my case, this work came to transmit feelings such as sadness, anger and happiness, it can make another person feel different things, and that is something I like about these works. It depends on who reads it and what personal experiences that person has, for example the sensations and feelings will be very different if they read it alone than reading it with someone. I really value this when recommending a manga. As I mentioned in the character section, this manga contains a lot of realism in the actions and things that happen in the plot, this gives depth to the feelings that I was talking about before. There is only one bad thing: The ending is open. The fact that I don't like these types of endings makes me unable to put a 10 in this category, but a 9 seems too small to me since i really enjoyed it, so I decided to put a 9.5.
- Overall (9/10): The total average of all categories is 9.3, but i'll round it up to a 9. I think it is a very good story to read, it is very deep and leaves a great message. It may not be to the liking of some, but others may relate to the characters or situations. I recommend you not to miss the opportunity to read it if you can.