{"id":38203,"date":"2015-08-28T10:33:08","date_gmt":"2015-08-28T14:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/?p=38203"},"modified":"2015-08-27T22:02:36","modified_gmt":"2015-08-28T02:02:36","slug":"wandering-son-vol-8-shimura-takako-translated-matt-thorn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wandering-son-vol-8-shimura-takako-translated-matt-thorn\/","title":{"rendered":"Wandering Son (vol. 8) by Shimura Takako, translated by Matt Thorn"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Wandering<\/a>Adolescence is difficult enough to navigate, but throw in a few gender-bender issues and you’ve got multiple challenges earlier\u00a0generations probably didn’t (wouldn’t? couldn’t?) openly face. With all manner of identity awareness growing worldwide, Shimura Takako\u2019s award-winning, internationally lauded manga series gently\u00a0and insightfully\u00a0reflects\u00a0the gender spectrum on the page. Read the whole series<\/a>\u00a0to better understand that while some of the experiences here might be unique, these are all just kids learning to navigate, confront, adapt\u00a0to\u00a0swiftly changing feelings and bodies, hearts and minds.<\/p>\n

This latest volume opens on the eve of the beginning of eighth grade with a discussion over who will wear which uniform. While Yoshino can’t bring herself to wear the boys’ jacket and slacks\u00a0in full\u00a0\u2013 unlike carefree Chii-chan who cross-dresses on a whim\u00a0\u2013 Yoshino does manage to don a tie\u00a0instead of the regulated girls’ ribbon.<\/p>\n

The core friends are\u00a0scattered across\u00a0various classes, with new teachers and new friends, but they still manage to keep up with each other. Shuichi\u00a0\u2013 the boy who wants to be a girl\u00a0\u2013 is dating model Anna, his sister Maho’s friend. He worries how Anna might react when he finally admits that he likes to “dress like a girl,” a habit that drives Maho\u00a0to distraction because she’s just not that thrilled about sharing her adorable clothes with him.<\/p>\n

Yoshino \u2013 the girl who wants to be a boy \u2013 reluctantly, finally admits to missing Shuichi, and even asks Anna for\u00a0permission to spend more time with her distanced best friend. Saori\u00a0\u2013 unrequitedly in love with Shuichi\u00a0\u2013 takes her place as the class curmudgeon, nursing a sense of betrayal but\u00a0unable to disconnect. Curious classmate (and former bully) Doi sees Shuichi with gorgeous Yuki-san\u00a0\u2013 a\u00a0transgender mentor\u00a0friend to both Yoshino and Shuichi\u00a0\u2013 and demands to meet her, only to question his own feelings when he finally finds out who she is.<\/p>\n

In subtle ways, creator Shimura uses the Japanese naming conventions to reflect changing levels of growing acceptance \u2013 or not \u2013 among the students. When Yoshino is referred to by her last name as Takatsuki-kun (with –kun<\/em> being a predominantly male-only suffix), she is starting to ‘pass’ as the boy she would rather be.<\/p>\n

That Shuichi’s name is never designated with -kun<\/em> is also telling; he’s affectionately referred to as ‘Nitorin,’ but most often as just Shu, or even the diminutively affectionate ‘Shu-chan.’ His grandmother doesn’t bother to correct her friend who assumes she has two granddaughters upon meeting Shu and Maho together; his friend Makoto’s mother remarks to her son that “Nitorin’s more like a girlfriend than a boyfriend”; Anna even describes him as “a cute little sister” rather than a love interest. Shuichi, too, is clearly beginning to pass, as well.<\/p>\n

As the year progresses, the teens steadily progress toward young adulthood. By the end of volume 8, Shuichi takes a significant step toward self-authenticity, perfectly setting up the next installment to be full of dramatic surprises.\u00a0Volume 9 can’t hit shelves fast enough!<\/p>\n

Readers<\/strong>: Middle Grade, Young Adult<\/p>\n

Published<\/strong>: 2015 (United States)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adolescence is difficult enough to navigate, but throw in a few gender-bender issues and you’ve got multiple challenges earlier\u00a0generations probably didn’t (wouldn’t? couldn’t?) openly face. With all manner of identity awareness growing worldwide, Shimura Takako\u2019s award-winning, internationally lauded manga series gently\u00a0and insightfully\u00a0reflects\u00a0the gender spectrum on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,73,76,30,66,31],"tags":[6608,58,10,11,51,50,13,202,42,203,204,170,44],"class_list":["post-38203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fiction","category-graphic-novel-manga-manwha","category-japanese","category-middle-grade-readers","category-translation","category-young-adult-readers","tag-bookdragon","tag-coming-of-age","tag-family","tag-friendship","tag-identity","tag-lgbtqia","tag-love","tag-matt-thorn","tag-series","tag-series-wandering-son","tag-shimura-takako","tag-sibling-rivalry","tag-siblings"],"yoast_head":"\nWandering Son (vol. 8) by Shimura Takako, translated by Matt Thorn - BookDragon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wandering-son-vol-8-shimura-takako-translated-matt-thorn\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wandering Son (vol. 8) by Shimura Takako, translated by Matt Thorn - BookDragon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Adolescence is difficult enough to navigate, but throw in a few gender-bender issues and you’ve got multiple challenges earlier\u00a0generations probably didn’t (wouldn’t? couldn’t?) openly face. 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