Hourou Musuko - Wandering Son Discussion Thread [Archive]

Suwako Moriya

01-13-2011, 10:23 AM

This is airing as I type and yet there's no thread for it. For the sake of those that might want to watch this, let's right that wrong.

ANN Entry (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=11875)

Official Site (http://www.houroumusuko.jp/)

Crunchyroll Stream (http://www.crunchyroll.com/wandering-son)

Note
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Suwako Moriya

01-13-2011, 10:46 AM

The only thing I'll say right now is that the art style definitely stands out a bit. Beyond that I don't have much to say at the moment. I mainly wanted to give it a quick test run.

FUNiOP

01-13-2011, 12:36 PM

Yeah, not much to say yet, but... shiny. Also very mature story-telling for a touchy subject. Reminds me of Aoi Hana in lots of ways.

EmperorBrandon

01-13-2011, 02:54 PM

The only thing I'll say right now is that the art style definitely stands out a bit.

It does, but I think I liked it a good bit. The character designs are all rather pretty. Sasa is so adorable. :) I liked the first episode and it seems this is going to be rather interesting, so looking forward to more.

Fudce

01-13-2011, 05:05 PM

I just sat there silently taking it in. Enjoyable. It didn't light my world on fire, but it's not meant to. It sold itself perfectly on what it set out to do. I'll be watching eagerly each week. :)

Sly05

01-13-2011, 05:31 PM

The first episode jumps right into the middle of things with the characters already starting middle school. The manga begins with the characters in elementary school hence all the references to things that happened in the past. That's probably not a bad decision for a short TV run like this as it starts us with all the characters already together.

It's hard to say much on the series right now as it maintained the general slow and deliberate pace of the manga, but it did a good job introducing the personalities of most of the characters and the issues that Nitori and Takatsuki are dealing with.

The art style really stands out, giving the characters a soft, almost cell-shaded feel to them.

Overall, I enjoyed the first episode as a fan of the manga and look forward to more.

strangefour

01-13-2011, 07:15 PM

-Man this show feels so light and airy and virtually glows.
-Introductions and arguements. Also a long haired tough girl in a boys uniform.
-Short skirts are very classy boy!
-Ah dang it. I'm not used to who's voice is who yet. This voice over switching of different characters of unrelated actions is confusing me a heck of a lot.
-Hair's lopsided there. You should-- *tug* Well that works. Adorably so.
-ASSH
-Photo of cute boy, taken.
-Caught in the act... Take another photo!
-Poo. Just a fight no photo.
-Ah! Running outside in only a skirt and no wig seems like a bad idea.

This is going to be an emotional festival of gender issues. But adorable brightly androgynous ones. The art style totally makes this show. Without it I'm not sure I'd be as enraptured by the puberty, cross-dressing, and high school drama. But man is this a pretty show to look at.

Fencedude

01-13-2011, 09:29 PM

Hmm...definitely an interesting subject to deal with. Something frequently played for laughs in anime, so seeing it handled seriously is a change.

New seiyuu for the leads, but some big names in the supporting cast.

Sadly Maho is not Hanazawa Kana, but she is Mizuki Nana, so thats good enough. Chiba Saeko as Sarashina is a good choice, as is Nanri Yuuka (!) as Chiba. Not clear on just who is who other than that, but Toyosaki Aki, Mizuhara Kaoru and Horie Yui are also in the cast.

FUNiOP

01-13-2011, 10:02 PM

Reminds me of Aoi Hana in lots of ways.

Oh... maybe because it's by the same creator. I should really look these things up before I comment on them...

EmperorBrandon

01-13-2011, 10:30 PM

Not clear on just who is who other than that, but Toyosaki Aki, Mizuhara Kaoru and Horie Yui are also in the cast.

Toyosaki Aki is this girl (http://www.houroumusuko.jp/chara/chara06.html) (Shirai Momoko). Horie Yui is this girl (http://www.houroumusuko.jp/chara/chara10.html) (Suehiro Anna). Mizuhara Kaoru is this boy (http://www.houroumusuko.jp/chara/chara13.html) (Ninomiya Fumiya)

I had a look around the character pages while I was in the middle watching the show, since I was wanting to get them straight since there seems to be such a big cast.

Fencedude

01-13-2011, 10:37 PM

Toyosaki Aki is this girl (http://www.houroumusuko.jp/chara/chara06.html) (Shirai Momoko). Horie Yui is this girl (http://www.houroumusuko.jp/chara/chara10.html) (Suehiro Anna). Mizuhara Kaoru is this boy (http://www.houroumusuko.jp/chara/chara13.html) (Ninomiya Fumiya)

Ah, Maho's friend. Of course.

Ashyukun

01-14-2011, 09:09 AM

First off- Fence and strangefour you two should really not use avatars that are so similar, I at first glance thought for some reason Fence was having both sides of a conversation.... :P

Ah, OK- reading that they're starting a bit into things helps since the promo materials I'd read talked about their first meeting and yet we jump into things with everyone already knowing each other fairly well. Definitely a bit more seriously-toned than I was expecting, but it seemed to fit the subject matter quite well. Shuichi has some incredibly good and understanding friends for them being as generally accepting of his nature as they are. He's definitely got it worse than Yoshino though, as girls wearing boy's clothes can be considered 'cool' or 'rebellious' whereas the opposite is almost universally (and doubtless even moreso in real Japanese culture, vs how anime usually portrays it...) considered as being deviant. Should be an interesting to see where it goes.

Shiroi Hane

01-14-2011, 11:55 AM

Shiroi Hane

01-14-2011, 11:57 AM

The art style really stands out, giving the characters a soft, almost cell-shaded feel to them.
It certainly gives the sense of layered cells, but I was constantly thinking of them as animated watercolour cutouts. The faded backgrounds reminded me of True Tears.

HitokiriShadow

01-15-2011, 12:40 AM

Man, this show is gorgeous.

I knew more or less what this show was about, but I didn't know the particulars. I was expecting both of the leads to have not revealed their secret to anyone, so I was surprised to see that several people not only already know about Shuichi's gender issues but also seem to have accepted it. At least the cross-dressing part. Its unclear if they understand that there's more to it than that he just likes to wear girl's clothes every now and then.

Also, I'm surprised that Shuichi and his sister sleep in the same room at their age.

Anyway, the first episode was excellent aside from being a tad difficult to follow at times, with the large number of characters introduced and flashbacks that were only vaguely explained. This is definitely one of my favorite shows of the season.

dsmith

01-15-2011, 09:57 AM

It was definitely strange just jumping into the middle of the story like that. The manga starts a couple years back (both Shuu and his sister were in elementary school, and his sister is one year older than him), so they've skipped a fair bit of the fundamental development.

I actually liked the earlier part of the manga more than the later bits, as the later period seemed to lose a bit of its focus (in a somewhat vaguely-defined way), and thus I'd kind of hoped that it would start from the beginning. Bringing it to the anime medium, though, gives a chance to help re-polish the story since you have new people working on it from the anime side, and the first episode certainly wasn't disappointing.

Absolutely love the art style they're using. Very watercolors-ish. The bright highlights on the hair did seem a little distracting at times, making their heads looking a little too polished, but I still liked the overall tone. The voices were great, too.

TheGreenMan

01-15-2011, 10:46 AM

The animation style is definitely unique. Shiny hair!
Whoa...confusing. They started further along in the manga.
So, the trap like the reverse trap.

Fudce

01-15-2011, 10:51 AM

This isn't really directed at anyone in particular, but a lot of folks have been saying "this starts later than the manga" about the anime.

I really just want to make it clear that despite it starting later, please don't talk about events that haven't happened (or been mentioned) in the anime. Yes, we know there were things that happened earlier than this in the manga - but what we don't know is if that information is going to be in the anime at a later point by way of a flashback.

Draneor

01-18-2011, 03:00 PM

The background animation is gorgeous. On the other hand, it's going to take a while for me to get used to the character designs. Most importantly, I like the theme.

I confess I did have a hard time discerning the relationships between the characters and who was what gender. I'm not sure throwing us into the middle of the story was such a good idea--it kind of reminds me of the first episode of Marimite. In any case, I hope they explain more in future episodes.

After rewatching it, I gather that there were three people in on the secret, Yoshino, Shuichi, and some girl. What I can't figure out is who that girl was?

On the other hand, I think the primary conflict that was resolved was Shuichi confessed to Yoshino but Yoshino turned him down (and the third girl got mad at Yoshino). But I'm starting to wonder if I have that backwards...

HitokiriShadow

01-18-2011, 08:44 PM

After rewatching it, I gather that there were three people in on the secret, Yoshino, Shuichi, and some girl. What I can't figure out is who that girl was?

Shuichi's guy friend knows too. The girl is Chiba Saori, someone both Shuichi and Yoshino were friends with from elementary school.

Senku

01-19-2011, 11:02 AM

That was... a surprisingly powerful episode of anime.

It looks like everyone from Nitori's elementary school knows and accepts him. Which is good, if not a bit surprising. His sister has issues, but I think she sort of accepts him as well.

This may not be my #1 for Winter, but it definitely moved me more then any other first episode this season.

Fencedude

01-20-2011, 05:10 PM

You know what, school sucks. Nice to see an anime admit that.

Anyway, Sasa's by far the best character, though Maho's pretty amusing too. "Stop taking it out on your bento" *smashes bento on the desk a few more times*

Fudce

01-20-2011, 07:18 PM

Sasa's fun, as is Maho. I can't help but like the Momo/Chi combo though. Really a good cast of characters, even the main two guys are likeable.

strangefour

01-20-2011, 08:32 PM

-Nitori's mom looks like a boy.
-Chi is awesome.
-Everyone develops a crush on Chi. Except Chiba.
-Hehehe. He's happy to be called a little girl.

Gah! It's hard to identify voices still. Now even more characters become important to the plot. Not being able to remember names from last week and some names being similar (are there two Saoris?) isn't helping me any. I mean I'm liking the adolescent exploration of gender and the crappiness of school life. I guess the story jumping into the middle of things has left me confuzzled.

strangefour

01-20-2011, 08:42 PM

Sasa's fun, as is Maho. I can't help but like the Momo/Chi combo though. Really a good cast of characters, even the main two guys are likeable.

Momo & Chi are an adorable little comedy duo. The whole cast is likeable, even Chiba's crankiness.

Sly05

01-20-2011, 10:12 PM

Ah, I love Sarashina's quirkiness. She shoves an older girl and then runs away with embarrassment once she realizes everyone is looking at her. :P

Poor Sasa just wants everyone to be friends. Her energetic simplicity makes her adorable.

EmperorBrandon

01-21-2011, 01:09 AM

HitokiriShadow

01-22-2011, 01:12 AM

This is a pretty fun cast of characters. Especially Saori, Sasa, and Chi. Maho came across much better this episode and had some amusing scenes.

It's a shame the show jumped into the middle of the story and just tossed half a dozen characters at us and that we missed the earlier development of Shuichi, Yoshino, and Saori's relationship, but I think its working out pretty well.

something

01-22-2011, 09:29 PM

Episode 1:

- So shiny! I really love the look of this show. So so nice, great job by AIC.
- Them's some colorful credits.

- I'm thinking Kanako will be my favorite.
- Hey, we've already got a cross-dresser. Except she's a "cool, tall, dark" girl and can get away with it.
- HAH! Daaaaaamn, Saori is awesome too. Totally crushes that jerk. Also, nice introduction. =D Most people look annoyed but Chizuru is totally impressed.
- Fuck, this show is amazing. 9:30 in and everything has hit the perfect notes. A rapid introduction to a large and varied cast, each of whom feels extremely real and unique. I'm already getting the feeling that this could be the show that takes the #3 import slot for me, over Gosick or Fractale. But we'll see.

- Shuuichi makes a damned cute girl.
- So, Saori was friends with both Shuuichi and Yoshino, but Shuuichi liked Yoshino and Saori liked Shuuichi (crossdressing: gets you all the ladies) and so things broke apart. Which is a shame because Saori was apparently okay with the crossdressing on both counts. Losing an accepting friend like that has to be hard.
- And now there's an adult woman (...presumably? I'm going to have to second-guess all genders in Trap: The Anime here) who sates Yoshino's boy-clothing lust?
- All we need is for Mikoto to be secretly in love with girl-Shuuichi to make this even more of a clusterfuck! Though it kinda looks like he's eying Saori in the promo group shot on the main site.

- Back at... home? Seems his sister doesn't like him very much. And he modeled... as which gender? :sd: I;m guessing male, since he'd probably keep this a secret from his family. Well that and the promo video already kinda shows what happens here.
- ...Yep. It's like the whole world just stopped.
- Ah, she knows. And she doesn't like it. Her friend looks surprised though.
- Hatakeyama Kousuke needs to work on his emoting. He's fine in the quieter scenes, but here where he's supposed to be yelling he sounds kinda... bad. ::checks jp wiki:: Oh wow, he's only 14. I can forgive that then... everyone needs a first role.
- This crying is pretty bad though. :sd: But this is such a gorgeous show in every way nonetheless. Great interaction with Yoshino here. She was what he needed right now.
- And huh, his sister seems to be indirectly apologizing.

Absofuckingloutely stunning. Easily on par with Madoka and Merry this season for me. With an outside chance of being the best show of the season.

Seriously, that was so goddamn good. Completely blew me away.

something

01-22-2011, 10:23 PM

Episode 2:

- Mom doesn't know. Just his sister.
- Hahahaha, wow Chizuru is awesome. Go go Chiba Saeko. She and Kanako should hook up.
- Saori on the other hand, damn, harsh.
- And once again she's starting shit. Girl needs to find a hobby.

- HAH! The jerk mocks Shuuichi by calling him a girl. Shuuichi looks extremely happy.
- Shuuichi's older sister Maho cracks me up too. Beat the crap out of that bento! Show it who's boss! Oh Mizuki Nana. <3
- So dynamic! Countless connections among the characters form and break and change rapidly but it all flows so well. Yeah, we're jumping around a lot but I never feel lost.

- "Poor Sasa-san" indeed. :sd: Love love love her.
- It just gets worse for her. Oh Kanako, you're too sweet and normal for these angsty kids.
- And so she snaps. Poor poor Kanako. ;_;
- It becomes pretty clear that Saori is being the more stubborn one here. But it's hard to judge without knowing exactly what went down before. Wish they'd make up, though, for Kanako's sake. ;_;

- Hah. Maho is pissed that this dude thought Shuu was cute. :sd:
- Huh, so, maybe Mikoto is into crossdressing too? He also seems to be pretty into their teacher.
- Well okay, he flat out wonders aloud if he's into guys.

- Backstory! Just what I was wondering about. Good, so we'll cover some of those events in more detail. This is how Saori and Yoshino fell out.
- ...Interesting exchange. Saori still feels like the one forcing the issue unnecessarily, but she looks genuinely startled when Yoshino goes off on her. It doesn't tilt the scales in Saori's favor, because she's really being unfair about it, but it does maybe imply she wanted things to end differently.

- Heh... Kanako realizes that not talking to them is a bit harder in practice than in theory. Love her so much!
- I like Toyosaki's Momo. She always sounds irritated.
- Fuck yeah Yoshino! She really is the bigger person in all this, and it's awesome of her to give Saori a way to make up yet save face.
- Chizuru is the best ice-breaker. Chiba Saeko is just running away with this show.

Sooooo gooooooooood. I feel like I'm watching a master artisan mold and craft these character relationships by hand, piece by piece, with the most intense love and affection. What an amazing amazing amazing show.

something

01-22-2011, 10:32 PM

Not being able to remember names from last week and some names being similar (are there two Saoris?) isn't helping me any.
Only one Saori, but two Chi- characters. The gloomy black haired girl who was fighting with Yoshino is Chiba Saori. The tall girl who wore the boy's uniform and is just all around awesome is Sarashina Chizuru, called Chi-chan by her friend Momoka (who doesn't like Saori) and by herself.

The main trio:
Nitori Shuuichi - lead male, dresses like a girl, likes Yoshino
Takatsuki Yoshino - lead female, dresses like a boy, rejected Shuuichi
Chiba Saori - their old friend, likes Shuuichi, hates Yoshino for rejecting him

Their classmates and friends:
Sasa Kanako - brown hair, friend to both Yoshino and Saori, yelled at them for not getting along
Ariga Makoto - Shuuichi's male friend, likes clover hairclips, seems to like his teacher even more
Sarashina Chizuru - tall, weird girl, wore boy's uniform on the first day, totally awesome, calls herself Chi-chan
Shirai Momoko - Chi-chan's friend, protective of her, dislikes Saori
Nitori Maho - Shuuichi's older sister, model, jealous of his cuteness, convicted lunch abuser

Others:
Ninomiya Fumiya - seen in one scene of Saori returning home, some relation to Saori, exact relationship unclear?
Suihiro Anna - Maho's friend and fellow model, saw Shuuichi cross-dressing

Actually now that I think of it, the official site has a relationship chart: http://www.houroumusuko.jp/chara/index.html

something

01-22-2011, 10:39 PM

It's a shame the show jumped into the middle of the story and just tossed half a dozen characters at us and that we missed the earlier development of Shuichi, Yoshino, and Saori's relationship, but I think its working out pretty well.
I think that single flashback was adequate to cover anything of importance. All we need to know about the setup, it seems, is that Shuuichi was rejected by Yoshino, and Saori hates Yoshino for this, but while Shuuichi ans Yoshino made up and became friends again, Saori has had a hard time doing the same and getting back into the group. This episode did a lot to push that along though.

The only thing left hanging right now is that comment from Yoshino about how Saori has made her look bad more than once - but if it's of significance, we'll probably get another flashback.

Fudce

01-22-2011, 10:41 PM

strangefour

01-22-2011, 10:41 PM

The main trio:
Nitori Shuuichi - lead male, dresses like a girl, likes Yoshino
Takatsuko Yoshino - lead female, dresses like a boy, rejected Shuuichi
Chiba Saori - their old friend, likes Shuuichi, hates Yoshino for rejecting him

Actually now that I think of it, the official site has a relationship chart: http://www.houroumusuko.jp/chara/index.html

Yay helpful chart! Oh wait, Chiba is Saori? That's what was messing me up! I thought they were talking about two different people. Stick with given or family names damn it. Stop flip flopping.

something

01-22-2011, 10:46 PM

Yay helpful chart! Oh wait, Chiba is Saori? That's what was messing me up! I thought they were talking about two different people. Stick with given or family names damn it. Stop flip flopping.
Heh... when I watch any show with Japanese names, I tend to decide within 1-3 episodes what names I'm sticking with for a character. I usually refer to them by given names, though I'm more likely to do that with girls than guys. Guys I often use family names for... maybe it's because I feel less connected to them? Or just care less what their full name is. I don't know. But for this, by the end of episode one I was full-in for given names for everyone.

Oh and I made a typo, it's Takatsuki not Takatsuko.

EmperorBrandon

01-22-2011, 10:48 PM

Shirai Momoka - Chi-chan's friend, protective of her, dislikes Saori

Slight correction: it's Momoko.

Suwako Moriya

01-23-2011, 11:41 AM

I get the feeling it will take me a few episodes to get a feel for the cast, but there is some definite potential in this one. So long as it uses the concept well and doesn't fall into the trap of thinking just merely having the concept is good enough.

Fencedude

01-27-2011, 01:15 PM

In this episode, secondary sexual characteristics are a bitch.

Speaking of which, Saori really needs to tone it down, Chi-chan hasn't done anything to her. On the other hand, she looks fantastic with her hair down.

Maho continues to be very amusing, and Sasa was pretty hilarious too, though she didn't do much. But her reaction after Saori stormed off was funny.

So, this play will be a double gender bender, right? Juliet will be a boy, playing a girl, who wants to be a boy, and vice versa for Romeo. While I guess the rest of the cast will just be reversed.

Edit: The genderbending confused me mightily!

strangefour

01-28-2011, 12:18 AM

The genderbending confused me mightily!

That is the entire point of this show. Well more that it is confusing to the cast going through their own gender development. Anyway...

-Wear a bra!
-Chi is laughing from deep within her bosom.
-Hahaha! Chiba feeds the genderbenders a juicey morsel.
-Left along in the nurse's office. I think I read this doujin.
-Answer the door. No! Don't answer the door. Heh.
-Chi is filled with mirth. Also her hands are filled with Yoshino's breasts.

Another touching episode of little boys in dresses... um. Well, another touching episode of the trials and tribulations of puberty and stuff.

Ashyukun

01-28-2011, 11:54 AM

The genderbending confused me mightily!

That is the entire point of this show. Well more that it is confusing to the cast going through their own gender development. Anyway...

Another touching episode of little boys in dresses... um. Well, another touching episode of the trials and tribulations of puberty and stuff.
This is definitely a solid, understated little slice-of-life show with some very different looks at things than usual- and it's a great watch. Chi-chan & Sasa are great, but Chiba is probably one of the most interesting characters stuck in the middle of all of this.

Fudce

01-28-2011, 01:06 PM

So, this play will be a double gender bender, right? Juliet will be a boy, playing a girl, who wants to be a boy, and vice versa for Romeo. While I guess the rest of the cast will just be reversed.

Juliet will be a girl who wants to be a boy, played by a boy who wants to be a girl. I have my suspicions on who'll be Romeo (and it's not the obvious choice).

HitokiriShadow

01-29-2011, 12:58 PM

Poor Saori, now she's stuck writing Julio and Romiette, starring her love interest and her rival. Meanwhile, Shuichi and Yoshino are getting attacked by puberty. Well, preparing to get attacked in Shuichi's case.

Sasa burying her face in her hands when Saori ditched the group near the beginning amused me greatly. Poor Sasa, watching her efforts to help her difficult friend get flushed down the drain once again.

Lots of fun Maho scenes in this episode as well.

Also, Chi-chan liek boobs.

Sly05

01-29-2011, 05:00 PM

Wearing a bra = instant kill for Takatsuki.

Chiba continues to be a drama queen about everything, but more importantly I love how it only makes Sarashina like her more. Sarashina is both one of the most mature and childish characters in the show.

something

01-30-2011, 07:50 PM

Episode 3:

- Bwhahahah! "I have boobs? MY LIFE IS OOOOOVER!" XD

- Saori recommends a gender-reversed play. How convenient! Is it a gift to Shuuichi and Yoshino? Is this an apology?
- Ah c'mon Saori, don't ignore Chizuru and Momo. You're supposed to be making up with the group.
- But I do like an angry Toyosaki.
- ...Man what the fuck, Saori? You didn't learn a damn thing from last week did you? Now I'm worried about why she suggested the play she did.
- Kanako just facepalms. :sd:

- Haha, I don't really know what happened at the photo shoot there but it was amusing. Shuu's sister Maho sure was into Maiko.
- Aww, Maho is sick. But not terribly sympathetic to Shuu for the same.
- "Would you ever want to wear a bra?" :sd:

- Heh, Seya and Maho are both sick. So is his voice just changing or did Maho make him sick? Or both?
- You know, I think the only character who weirds me out at all is Makoto. I don't intend to be mean to him but something about him just comes off strange, whereas I can accept everyone else pretty easily. I wonder why? Maybe it's his voice... I don't like his voice.
- Or maybe it's that he's not even remotely as good a trap as Shuu is.
- ...Maho arrives. Maho is going to kill them. Muahahaha.
- You're going to make your little brother's friend answer the door while crossdressing? :sd:
- HAHAHHA, oh poor poor Seya. I think his brain just malfunctioned.

- Shuu and Saori working together. This won't get awkward!
- "I won't do anything weird this time" - oh god there's clearly a flashback lurking in here that we need to see.

- Chizuru continues to be awesome.

- o_O I think we just got a hint of what it is Saori was talking about. As soon as she gets him over she's trying to make him play dress-up.
- Wait, you leave that super awkward meeting and think everything is okay? You can be a bit dense, Shuu. Saori looked like she as going to explode.

- In the end, she wears the bra.

Still awesome. A little bit below the raw emotion of 1-2 but an amazing episode nonetheless.

Fencedude

02-03-2011, 02:05 PM

Chi-chan brings us some service. ALL HAIL CHI-CHAN!

Anyway, Chi-chan's boobs aside, very good episode. Shuuichi admits to Yoshino why he's making the script the way he is, and Saori admits to Shuuichi that she likes him.

I don't really get whats up with that Yuki woman Yoshino visited.

Saori's hairstyle changes seems to be significant, and her prayer at the end was interesting. Just how does she see Shuuichi? She seems to like him as a boy, but also quite enjoys dressing him up as a girl.

Momo's reaction to Chi-chan wanting to walk home with Saori was hilarious, as was everyone in the group raising their hand after Saisho asked for volunteers, and Saori growing increasingly enraged.

Also liked the "exchange of names" scenes.

EmperorBrandon

02-03-2011, 03:47 PM

FUNiOP

02-03-2011, 04:10 PM

I don't really get whats up with that Yuki woman Yoshino visited.

Well, I kind of suspected it already, but given what the official site's profile (http://www.houroumusuko.jp/chara/chara15.html) says, she used to be a man.

Interesting. I was also wondering what was up with her.

So Fractale is having problems being on time again, but fortunately this season's other noitaminA offering is nearly as good.

I don't even care about the fanservice; the way Chi-chan delivers it, and does everything else she does, is awesome. Saori is also awesome in her cold and harsh way, and how she can scare the hell out of her teacher with a glare.

Fencedude

02-03-2011, 04:16 PM

Sly05

02-03-2011, 07:30 PM

The best scene was Chiba shaking with rage after the teacher took away her private time with Shu. I did feel kind of bad for her when she learned that Takatsuki beat her to the punch in exchanging names with him.

Also, we finally see Yuki. One thing I think this adaptation could really do better with is providing a bit more background on the characters. It kind of just dumps us all in the middle of everyone's relationships which is fine for the most part, but some of the characters, like Yuki, could really use a sentence or two of narration saying how they relate to the other characters.

strangefour

02-03-2011, 10:03 PM

-Man, swimsuits. This should be like extra teen angst now. Shouldn't crossdresser boy be covering his nipples or atleast trying to hide his skinny bird chest.
-I LOVE CHI-CHAN!
-Momo is sad she has a tummy. Poor Momo.
-Hah! I knew she was going to sneak into the bedroom. But not that quickly. Sister's friend Anna has mischievous eyes.
-Why do I get the feeling Yoshino's older lady friend used to be a boy?
-Saori, don't ask Shuuichi complex questions. He's a silly little girl who isn't as smart as you. Or anywhere near as self centered.

-Ooh trading names. Now it's like they are engaged, in Shuuichi's mind anyway.
-Chi-chan: "I am Sparticus!"
-Ooh, poor poor late Saori.
-SHU YOU ARE AN IDIOT!
-Saori let him explain. Then explains reality to him. Saori might be full of herself, but she has a more realistic world view than socially challenged Shu.
-"Jesus let me kiss Shu on stage."

Saori's hairstyle changes seems to be significant, and her prayer at the end was interesting. Just how does she see Shuuichi? She seems to like him as a boy, but also quite enjoys dressing him up as a girl.

She "let's her hair down" around Shu. When at school she has "tightly wound" pig tails. It's like visual tsundere. She closes herself up and is filled with angst most of the time. But at home, alone with Shu she relaxes.

Saori likes Shu as a pretty boy who wears pretty dresses, but is still a boy. Yoshino likes Shu a bit, but he really likes her as a figurative ideal he can swap genders with. Anna seems to think Shu is hot or something as a boy. It's all subtle stuff, but Shu is a silly little unfocused girl for these interesting girls to focus on.

BigPants

02-05-2011, 08:11 PM

I don't really get whats up with that Yuki woman Yoshino visited.

Well, I kind of suspected it already, but given what the official site's profile (http://www.houroumusuko.jp/chara/chara15.html) says, she used to be a man.

I don't remember all the details, but she hits on Takatsuki when she is wearing boy's clothing one time when her and Shuu went out on one of their dates; they then discovered that the woman is transgendered and is actually in a relationship with a man. Unfortunately, episode 1 of the anime takes place (I think) around volume 6 of the manga, so yeah, there's some stuff that hasn't been fully explained.

Fencedude

02-05-2011, 08:26 PM

I don't really get whats up with that Yuki woman Yoshino visited.

Well, I kind of suspected it already, but given what the official site's profile (http://www.houroumusuko.jp/chara/chara15.html) says, she used to be a man.

I don't remember all the details, but she hits on Takatsuki when she is wearing boy's clothing one time when her and Shuu went out on one of their dates; they then discovered that the woman is transgendered and is actually in a relationship with a man. Unfortunately, episode 1 of the anime takes place (I think) around volume 6 of the manga, so yeah, there's some stuff that hasn't been fully explained.

She's the woman from Kita e!

HitokiriShadow

02-06-2011, 12:58 PM

Ahahaha, I loved Saori's reaction when all the people she doesn't want to be around start volunteering to help with the script. And if looks could kill.... that was a glorious Death Stare.

I'm in how things are going with Anna as well. I'm quite certain she didn't intend that cell phone charm the way Shuichi intended it.

Yoshino and Shuichi's scene in the bathroom and their talk about changing names was really nice.

HitokiriShadow

02-06-2011, 01:00 PM

I don't really get whats up with that Yuki woman Yoshino visited.

Well, I kind of suspected it already, but given what the official site's profile (http://www.houroumusuko.jp/chara/chara15.html) says, she used to be a man.

Yeah, thats what I suspected as well.

Yeah, I had a pretty strong feeling that was the case. I wouldn't have read the spoiler otherwise.

something

02-13-2011, 03:20 AM

Episode 4:

- I guess this is one place you can't dress as a boy, Yoshino.
- Hah, Saori you're so mean, Kanako was about to gleefully jump into the pool. ;_;
- Oh wow, Chizuru. Somehow did not realize her body was that amazing.
- Fuck, don't call Yoshino womanly. She'll have a heart attack right where she stands.

- Haha damn Saori gets morbid fast when she's not getting her way. Drinking tea -> mass suicide. <3
- I like Anna. And I know Shuu's seiyuu is realy young but man he can't get the right emotions out for scenes of desperation or anger or basically any strong emotion.
- And there's Yoshino at Yuki's house. I still can't figure out what kind of person Yuki is and if she has Yoshino's best interests in mind. She seems nice so far though.

- Chizuru~~! Man, she will befriend you no matter what. And I love Momo's shocked face and noise when Chi-chan says she wanted to walk home with Saori. Toyosaki <3
- I can't tell is Makoto is oblivious or just painfully blunt. :sd: Almost seems like the latter.
- Ohh, Saori asked the exact question that's been on my mind. Does the boy who wants to be a girl like the girl that wants to be a boy as a girl or as a boy and does he want her to like him as a girl or as a boy? And yes that sentence sort of hurt my head.
- Woah. Saori just flat out said she's attracted to Shuu as a girl. What would that count as? :sd:
- Hah. Makoto has been my least favorite of the main characters so far but I had to laugh as he gently ribbed Saori on their way home.

- Now the girl and the boy are on a date. Which refers to which? Doesn't matter!
- You know, going to karaoke with Mizuki Nana would probably be intimidating.
- Oh wow, go Shuu-chan. He made his choice. He wants Yoshino to see him as a girl, and he wants to see her as a boy.
- Though Yoshino didn't quite get it.
- And he phone strap is totally misinterpreted. Anna is a little bit awkward. :sd:

- Uhhhhh-oh. Teacher thinks he's helping. Instead he's ruining Saori's life. XD
- HAHAHAHA, DEATH STARE! I really have to feel sorry for this guy. He's probably just a young teacher who knows kids this age are a bit touchy, but doesn't grasp just how utterly dysfunctional this particular class is.
- Saori is really exceptionally pretty with her hair down.
- Yikes, Shuu has girls throwing their names at him left and right.
- Tension. Sweet, delicious tension. Saori is by far the most interesting character in the show and is becoming one of my favorites.

And daaamn, they nailed the end of this episode beautifully. Suddenly I have that pins-and-needles/sudden shiver feeling I got after eps 1 and 2, but felt was missing from ep 3.

Very, very firmly my #2 of the season again. It's pulled definitively ahead of Merry and has a really solid lead over Fractale, leaving only the invincible Madoka ahead of it.

Which, speaking of, I need to go watch!

Fencedude

02-17-2011, 02:02 PM

Complications. Always complications.

Saori really is the most interesting character in the show. So many layers to her.

Anna continues to be very amusing, and Maho's girl-crush on Maiko is pretty funny too.

The class rep for Maho's class sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place her, though I'm sure I'll feel silly when I figure it out.

Fudce

02-17-2011, 03:43 PM

Chi never ceases to amuse me... THAT reaction had me in stitches. Saori's little boyfriend is a right creep though - the first character in Wandering Son that I don't like. Quite impressive given we're on episode 5 already.

And yeah, Anna. Really interesting character there, so hard to read which way she's going - but I have my suspicions.

Fencedude

02-17-2011, 03:48 PM

Chi never ceases to amuse me... THAT reaction had me in stitches. Saori's little boyfriend is a right creep though - the first character in Wandering Son that I don't like. Quite impressive given we're on episode 5 already.

Chi-chan's always awesome. Always. And I love how Saori just sends Momo straight up the wall. And yeah, didn't like that guy at all.

And yeah, Anna. Really interesting character there, so hard to read which way she's going - but I have my suspicions.

Anna's definitely hard to read, really got to wonder what she sees in Shuuichi.

Sly05

02-17-2011, 06:47 PM

Even Chiba's mom thinks she's always angry. I did laugh at the fact that she actually did try to carry through with her threat to kill off all the characters in the play.

Fudce is right that Chiba's church acquaintance is a creep. Good thing for Shuu that the only person in the group he was with who might find it gross is Momo. Of those who already didn't know, Chi thinks its awesome and Sasa doesn't carry as long as everyone's friends.

Regarding the play, I do feel bad for Mako as though he finally gets his chance in the spotlight as a girl, he knows he isn't able to pull it off as naturally as Shuu, leaving him more open to ridicule despite the role meaning a lot to him.

strangefour

02-17-2011, 10:36 PM

-Oranges in soup? WTF!
-Well Shuichi? Do you want to cut off you balls and wear a pretty dress or not?
-Momo baked a cake for Chi. Everyone can have a piece. I already cut myself some chocolate cake. Timing!
-Saori's mom, the oposite of Saori.
-Saori's friend, who wants to be her boyfriend looks EXACTLY like Yoshino with glasses. In a Clark Kent & Superman way. Only they can exist in teh same room.
-Chi with abit of her hair up is sooo cute.
-AHAHAH! Good job spilling the beans neighbor boy.
-Omg. Chi is so turned on by the crossdressing news.
-Saori wins and loses at the same time.

-"The world revolves around me! I'll kill them all!" Poor Saori. If you were a little less glum your life wouldn't seem so bad. You just end up making awkward situations worse for yourself.
-Anna is cute and wants Shu. Dang it Shu how the hell is a little girl like you getting a harem?

For such a good and thought provoking show there isn't enough chatter about this. Not that it needs OreImo or Madoka level discussions. Still more talk about gender issues would be fun.

I love Chi-chan.

HitokiriShadow

02-18-2011, 12:32 AM

Chi-chan's reaction to finding out about Shu's cross-dressing was hilarious. And awesome. She was absolutely giddy about it.

And Saori is going to kill off the entire cast. Even poor Passerby A. Too bad she doesn't follow through. She didn't get the Juliet she wanted, though Mako getting the role is an interesting direction to go.

Anna continues to be very amusing and intriguing even with very few lines and little screentime.

Oh, and Saori's friend is a douchebag.

Ashyukun

02-18-2011, 07:34 AM

Chiba definitely is the most interesting character- but honestly all of them (with the exception of Chiba's jerk friend- though she should have known better than to say anything about it to him...) are pretty interesting and have a good bit of depth.

The ending theme is really growing on me as well- it really fits the show well and I like the way the singer sounds... I don't think I've heard anything by her before, but she handles the English lyrics quite well...

Shiroi Hane

02-18-2011, 08:02 AM

Ashyukun

02-18-2011, 08:35 AM

Rie Fu first came to attention for the first Bleach ED, which was notable for being bilingual (at the time the single was released she was studying in London so she is one of those rare artists who can actually sing in English).
I've not watched any Bleach, so that might be why. Definitely like the song a lot though- it really works well for the show. Will probably try and track down more of her work too.

Mitsuki

02-18-2011, 02:13 PM

something

02-21-2011, 09:21 PM

Episode 5:

- Maho can be so casually mean.
- Shuu wishes he had sexy lady legs.

- Yay, everyone is getting together. Saori vs Momo, the battle rages on!
- And oh god this goes downhill, fast. Wow. Makoto wants to help Saori, who starts, uh, canvassing for votes. Forcefully. And then Saori's dipshit pseudo-friend just totally blurts out about crossdressing in front of everyone. What the fuck! Is he retarded?
- But ahhaha oh god, Chi-chan is so excited.
- HAH. Even more than I thought. She's overcome with utter bliss! Chi-chan I love you so much.
- But man Yoshino is pissed.
- What the fuck! I really really hope this kid has brain damage because nobody can be this stupid naturally. God damn I hope someone knocks him out.

- Oh god, he did it on purpose, didn't he? What a little shit.
- So let's do a head count... Makoto, Saori and Yoshino already knew. Chi-chan didn't, but loves the idea. Momo will just go along with whatever Chi-chan does, so she probably doesn't care either. I actually can't remember if Sasa knew, but I assume she didn't - there's no way she'd think poorly of him regardless, since she's the sweetest little girl ever. So on the upside, none of his friends present at the time are going to give him shit about it to tease him or think less of him. On the downside, the little shit who outed him might be willing to do anything to discredit him and steal Saori away.

- Script finished! Time to decide the roles with... drawing lots?! So much angst for nothing. :sd:
- Oh good, Yoshino didn't get Romeo. I don't have anything against her, but I didn't want everything to come together so conveniently.
- Ooooh, Saori got Romeo.
- And Makoto got Juliet! Hah! So maybe my feeling that they were pairing up will play out after all. Ever since the group promo shot where he seemed to be looking at her. I kind of dropped that guess when he seemed to be more interested in the teacher but there's been a bunch of small hints that he's interested in Saori. In some way or another.

- Ohhh man, Saori is not taking this well. KILL THEM ALL! KILL EVERYONE! :sd:
- She's serious about it! Saori, you're pretty awful but I love you.
- "She tried to paint all the flowers black." Holy shit. :sd:

- Oh jeeze Anna is very very cute when modeling.
- Speaking of cute, cute maid Maho!

- Makoto you suck at acting.
- Saori is quite good though. And ad-libbed!

Gaaah, Saori hiding with the towel over her head was very much <3

Damn a lot went down in that episode. Sooooooo good.

Sly05

02-24-2011, 12:54 PM

The culture festival!

Chi was in top form as an overflowing bundle of energy throughout the episode. She thinks everything is amazing, amazing, amazing! The scene with her screaming with everyone in the haunted house and then running into Maiko and screaming for real was my favourite part of the episode. She isn't a fan of Anna though as she looks mean though reality, Anna is the nicer of the two.

Yuki comes to the culture festival dressed as in a suit. Even then, he's entirely feminine.

The beginning of the play with Mako was painful to watch though he managed to recover pretty well. Good for him. Saori was pretty cool with her show of support for him as she showed she can be considerate of her friends in her own way when the time calls for it. Her continued sour attitude towards her wannabe boyfriend was amusing as he continues to come across as a complete creep.

Fencedude

02-24-2011, 02:40 PM

Chi-chan was awesome, of course. I liked the twintails. Also Momo's sound of disgust when Chi-chan asked Saori to come with them was hilarious.

Speaking of Saori, she's...still really fascinating. Definitely my favorite character.

Mako-chan pulled it off in the end, good for him! Even if his mom doesn't take him seriously.

And Maho's reaction to Maiko arriving was very funny.

Mitsuki

02-24-2011, 05:41 PM

I think Chi might be my favorite character. Her enthusiasm is infectious. Momo is adorable too. I loved her in the play. They all did a great job; it was nice to see everyone's hard work pay off. I especially felt for Mako overcoming his stage fright. Not sure what to make of Saori, which is good, I think. It makes her an interesting character. There's a lot of interesting characters in this show. Maho is also awesome.

Ashyukun

02-24-2011, 09:00 PM

Absolutely fantastic. While generally far more subdued and less frantically paced than... well, most everything else at the moment it's just perfect at what it does. All of the characters got a great chance to shine (or to be snubbed, and right fully so). The bit with the flowers was fantastic on Saori's part though- she really is the best character in the show (though the rest are great too).

HitokiriShadow

02-24-2011, 09:47 PM

Both Maho and Chi-chan's reactions to seeing Maiko were hilarious. Especially Chi-chan. She was a riot throughout the episode. She's always awesome, but especially in this episode.

Anyway, Maiko was really fun too, in the few lines we got from her. Really hope we get more of her.

Saori's jerk friend gained several levels in douchebaggery this episode.

Saori showed her own form of awesomeness in dealing with the aforementioned douchebag and in supporting Mako at the end. And I loved her looking straight at Yoshino right after she did the Romeo/Juliet nameswap line.

Oh, and Sasa's lines in the play cracked me up, with her acting all serious and authoritative.

something

02-27-2011, 03:58 AM

Episode 6:

- Who... oh that's totally Yuki, isn't it.
- Ahahaha, what did I say? Chi-chan doesn't know how to react to anything except at FULL POWAAAAAAAA! Saori does look amazing though.
- Arrrrgh, it's that guy. I think he's second only to QB for my most hated villains this season.

- Maiko-chan! Maho is in heaven!
- ...Way to out your friend, Maho. :sd:

- Sasasasasasasasa! She makes me think of Kiyori from Sasameki Koto.
- Hah yeah it's Yuki. With her (er, his) significant other. This has to be awkward for him, but maybe he's used to it. :sd:
- CHI-CHAN FULL POWAAAAAAA AGAAAAAAIN!
- Oh Saori. Your brutal attitude is so awesome when it's directed at that jackass.
- HAHAHA! Everyone running through the haunted house screaming was fucking awesome! XD And then Chi-chan, the human exclamation point, caps it off awesomely. Chi-chan loves Maiko-chan! Poor Momo... Don't worry, Momo! When the euphoria wears off, she'll come back to you.
- Jeeze... I have to feel a little bad for Mako-chan. Everyone wanted Shuu to be Juliet. Shuu himself did, Saori did, Yuki did, everyone did.

- Time for the play. I hope this isn't a disaster for Mako-chan.
- Crap, this is not a good start.
- Oh wow, nice save, Mako-chan! He was given power by the intensity of Chiba's scowl. :sd:
- (Haha, damnit I want a spinoff series about the models. Maiko is probably a riot.)
- The play goes on! And woah, that was one poignant glare from Saori to Yoshino.
- Finally, it ends. Everyone loves it! (Except Maho and jerkface)

- Awwwwwwww~~! Oh Saori, that was the most awkward, round-about compliment ever. But it was incredibly sweet. I love you so much. <3 And jeeze, just a few episodes ago I didn't think I was going to warm up to Mako-chan at all, and now here I am feeling incredibly happy for him. This show is so good. Way, way too good.
- Fuck yeah I love Saori more every episode. Hell, every scene. She is completely blunt that she considers jerkface the most nauseating garbage imaginable, and I love it.
- HAH, Mako-chan's mom is awesome. XD

#*(@!&*()#&!@*(#&*(!@# WTF THIS SHOW IS SO GOD DAMN INCREDIBLE. Must import noooow. And damn, I am so buying this ED too.

Fencedude

02-27-2011, 04:05 AM

- (Haha, damnit I want a spinoff series about the models. Maiko is probably a riot.)

They must work for the same modeling agency as Kirino and Ayase.

Now wouldn't that be an amusing combination of personalities!

Suwako Moriya

02-27-2011, 04:52 AM

Is it sad that the main moment that stood out to me is the "I'm just here to yell at you" part? I suppose it's because it just screams "negativity" in more ways than one.

Suwako Moriya

02-27-2011, 05:06 AM

Ah, we're getting a play. This will be confusing.

After so many animes with the girls complaining about being flat (even when they're actually not), it's kind of jarring to have one desire to be flat.

Also, at the same time it's kind of depressing... Yeah, I suppose I should feel bad for thinking that way.

Suwako Moriya

02-27-2011, 05:32 AM

This is one of those shows that's interesting, but I'm never really sure what I want to say about it.... Still, a pretty nice episode regardless.

Suwako Moriya

02-27-2011, 06:09 AM

Complications. Always complications.

I think that about sums up the theme of the series. Make of that what you will.

strangefour

03-03-2011, 12:26 AM

-But formal wear is uncomfotable as hell. Unless it's just a white shirt, vest and bowtie. Bowties are cool.
--Chi doesn't do anything by halves.
"I can't stand attention hogs!" "Momo clings tightly to the loudest girl in the room*
-Maiko-chan is summoned by chanting her name just like Candleja--
-Where are you going Godzilla costume? Don't walk away. Get back in this episode and cause chaos!
-Normally Chiba's angstiness is a detriment to her. But her withering stare is perfectly aimed at insensitive boy and his flowers.
-Don't make this a screaming contest Mako. Chi will break everyone's eardrums.
-Yuki is dressed as a guy why? I thought she was a she. Is she just a drag queen? *scratch head*

-If you don't say your lines Mako, Chiba will freaking murder you.
-Sasa always looks so cheerfully adorable.
-Chiba has a heart under that dark cold exterior. Awww.

This show always makes for a nice emotional realistic contrast to all the insanity and comedy and awesome and what not in everything else I'm watching this season. Most of this cast needs a nice big hug. Chi-chan needs pixie sticks and coffee. Her on a sugar and caffeine bender would be epic.

strangefour

03-03-2011, 08:08 PM

-Sensei, why are you making Shu read slashfic about himself?
-I have grow to hate this OP song.
-I think this episode is about Shu learning to use makeup. HAH! I just spent half an hour arguing about how girls use too much makeup.
-Just kiss him already Anna!
-HAH! Facial cleaning and early rest failed. Ah the trials of puberty. SO far gone are they.
-Poor Anna. She likes Shu. But Shu only sees her as a girl friend. I guess we can hope Anna swings both ways.
-Chiba and Yoshino have an odd conversation about being 'amazing' in the bathroom. Watched it 3 times and I'm still not sure what exactly Chiba was trying to convey.

-Daken jacket. Shu is a fan of Dark Wolverine?
-HOLY SHIT THE STRAP HANGER IS THE MANAGER!
-Shu likes girls? Well Anna. Which is easy to understand. Anna is second only to Chi-chan for cross gender appeal.
-Man, gender is getting more confuzzled or Shu isn't really a girl at heart. What with the whole in love with Anna thing. But he's still heavily into crossdressing.
-Dang it. Is Yuki really physically a girl? Why did he/she have to come to the school festival dressed as a man? I want some solid facts for once in this emotionally based show.
-That's it Yoshino. Just break the ice with Chiba by stabbing her in the heart.
-Mistress Chiba. . . *gulp*
-Chiba needs a hug.

If it wasn't for Sasa, Shu would be the girliest character in this show. But he might not want to become a girl anymore. *headscratch* Or did he ever really want to be a girl. Is he content just dressing like one. Puberty and gender identity are messing with these kids in touching ways.

Fencedude

03-03-2011, 08:14 PM

Oh whoops, forgot to post on this.

Acne is serious fucking business!

Also, I love Anna's tsurime. Really sets her apart from much of the rest of the cast.

Also, is it bad that I now like Saori/Yoshino?

Oh, and Mistress Saori was sexy. She's going to be going places.

Ashyukun

03-03-2011, 08:47 PM

Sly05

03-03-2011, 09:31 PM

Saori's personality does seem to fit someone who would become a mistress (not that I'd wish that on anyone). Her mother really needs to be less easy going with her and make her go to school.

Girls get pimples too, Shu and its not so bad if you haven't gotten any until well into 7th grade (I think I first got them in 5th grade and it was more than 2). The relationship between him and Anna is interesting though they come across more like a pair of female friends than love interests.

strangefour

03-03-2011, 10:36 PM

-Dang it. Is Yuki really physically a girl? Why did he/she have to come to the school festival dressed as a man? I want some solid facts for once in this emotionally based show.
My best guess as to the reason from coming to the school festival dressed as a man was because Yuki was a former student- and any teachers/other students who might have been there would have known 'her' as a 'him' and it would just be a lot less uncomfortable for everyone and stand much less of a chance of making a scene and ruining the festival for the kids to just go dressed as a guy (even if dragging around a boyfriend :sweat: ).

Bu-- yeah I guess that makes sense. Still Yuki could have just as easily gone by a different name while there. Unless people remembered she used to dress like a girl when she was a he. Uh wait, so her long hair is a wig. Cause it was short last episode and long again this time.

If it wasn't for Sasa, Shu would be the girliest character in this show. But he might not want to become a girl anymore. *headscratch* Or did he ever really want to be a girl. Is he content just dressing like one. Puberty and gender identity are messing with these kids in touching ways.

It's impossible from what we've been presented to tell exactly what Shu really is/wants- and I think that's part of the point. At that age (so very far gone by, in my case...), there's so much going on it's unsurprising that everything is confusing. He definitely enjoys dressing as a girl, and likes being seen as a girl by others- but is still clearly attracted to girls (she may have been lamenting them, but he was certainly appreciating Yoshino's breasts...).

Yoshino is just as much of an enigma- we've gotten NO real bead on her preferences- though her falling for Saori would be A+ Perfect material. I'm actually more convinced that Mako is actually gay (at least partially) than I am of Shu based on what we've seen so far.

You're right. The whole point of this show is Shu's confusing feelings as he goes down the path to becoming a man or woman. I just hope he's gentle when he eventually breaks Anna's heart. I do find it hard to see him ending up as just a boring hetero boy considering how incredibly girly he is. He will probably never be comfortable with his sex no matter what it is.

Yoshino I think has better odds of getting a sex change in her life than Shu does. She likes Shu as a girl. Has she shown interest in any other boys? Then again she hasn't really shown obvious interest in girls either.

Mako, I dunno. At first he seemed gay. But now he likes Saori maybe? *shrug* Suppose it could just be admiration and envy.

Really the only one in that class I can peg as not transgender or homosexual or bisexual or whatnot is Chi-chan. She's too loud to keep that a secret.

[QUOTE=strangefour;1911230]As to the first bathroom conversation, I took it as meaning that Saori is jealous of Yoshino for being able to captivate Shu's attention, and that unlike Yoshino she can't just be appreciative of that and instead claims to hate her for it- which isn't unreasonable, because 'having a talent' is one thing, 'being in love with someone' is another...

Oh. I guess I was trying to decipher her wording so I didn't think back to their 'competition' over Shu. Poor normal mature angsty Saori.

Ashyukun

03-04-2011, 07:28 AM

Really the only one in that class I can peg as not transgender or homosexual or bisexual or whatnot is Chi-chan. She's too loud to keep that a secret.
You forgot about Sasa- though I'd peg her as being pretty much completely normal, other than likely becoming a nun after getting fed up with dealing with all of these idiots. :P

Chi-chan though I think is just completely comfortable with herself but finds traditional gender roles pointless and restrictive and thus ignores them. She seems to simply prefer to enjoy life and attack it with 100% of her energy than to angst over things like much of the rest of the cast. If she is more into girls than boys, she'll likely not make a big deal out of it and not give a damn whether anyone else cares.

HitokiriShadow

03-04-2011, 01:18 PM

Huh. So Nitori is actually dating Anna. There were certainly signs of attraction between them, but I wasn't expecting it go that direction, at least not in this episode from their previous level of interaction. When Maho mentioned they were dating, I thought she was just teasing them, and that Mako had misunderstood. So I was more than a little surprised when Nitori said he was, in fact, going out with her.

Saori doesn't take the news well at all. Who she heard it from probably didn't help. It does result in a fantastic little scene with her and Yoshino at the end though. And Yoshino's conversation with her mom while she's lying depressed and angry/annoyed (at herself more than anyone else, most likely) was also quite amusing.

I liked how Chi-chan keeps walking in on Yoshino and Sasa's conversations. "Scum? Who's scum!?" she asks so happily. And then when half the class is laughing at what Nitori is reading, she's utterly bored.

Mitsuki

03-04-2011, 08:09 PM

I was surprised that they went all the way into the Nitori/Anna thing. Not that I mind. I think it's cute. But I did think they were going to stick more firmly to Nitori/Yoshino. This makes things more interesting, however.

I continue to find Saori very interesting, as well, though I think Anna is my favorite this week.

something

03-04-2011, 09:11 PM

Episode 7:

- How unusual. The teasing at the start of this episode didn't feel mean-spirited, even though it easily could have. I guess it's because the girls did the cute little "sorry!" gesture.

- Anna!! More awkwardness for Shuu.
- Anna is such a nice girl. I wish more people would realize. ;_;
- Hahaha, Maho's reaction - or pointed lack thereof - was amazing.
- Shuu takes Anna's advice. Things get worse. Maho is EVIL. :sd:

- Huh. I am very confused by Maho's reaction to Shuu expressing interest (even if she's misinterpreting it) in Anna. I thought she would react angrily in an "EWW GET AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!" way but instead she just seems incredibly amused.
- She even gives him her number!
- Anna-oneechan helps Shuu out. Awwww.
- Wow, is Shuu falling for her? Talk about potentially gargantuan complications. As if the character dynamics weren't nutty enough.

- And then Saori makes me shiver. She is such a goddamned good character. In fact she may be the single best-written character this season. No other character fascinates me to quite the degree she does, and yes I'm even including the Madoka girls in this. Only QB evokes a stronger reaction (and how), but Saori wins for delicious complexity.
- Of course, even after she's honest for once about her feelings of inadequacy, she follows it up by telling Yoshino she hates her. Ouch. Oh Saorin!
- And Chi-chan is totally unfazed by anything ever. She's also keeping the twintails!

- MAKO-CHAN HEARD SOMETHING INTERESTING! Ohhhh shit.
- I love how annoyed Momo gets every time Saori is brought up.
- Oh no, he's going to tell everyone. It is a very good thing Yoshino and Saori didn't come along. :sd:
- And Sasa's adorable little head pops into frame just before the mid-episode title card and I go <3 <3 <3 <3

- Wait, waaaaaait. They really ARE dating!? Holy shiiiit!
- Woah, and it was a pretty blunt confession. Daaaaaamn, fuckin' kudos to you, Shuu. You're a cool guy. And Anna even knows about your cross-dressing, so she's a keeper.
- But damn, I wanted to see her voicing her consent. Just to see how she worded it.
- Saori is gonna kill her. >_> And as much as I like this couple, there's no way this lasts - Shuu is not over Yoshino.
- Shuu and Anna wear the same length pants...

- Oh, been a while since Shuu got to do some girl-Shuu-ing.
- HAHAHA! Shuu blurts out that he's in a relationship. Yoshino is o_O.
- Ouch, she isn't quite sure how to take it. I actually think she does a very good job reacting casually, but they're just way too close now for Shuu not to see that something is different. I don't think there's anything Yoshino could do to hide that.

- Woaaah... did Yoshino do that on purpose? She doesn't seem like the type, but Saori really does act immature around her, and Yoshino has taken much more crap from Saori than she's given. But hell, maybe she just wanted a reaction out of Saori. She just wanted the girl to acknowledge her existence - and this sure works.
- Also, run for your life, Anna!
- Yeah. Yoshino did it on purpose - but spur of the moment. The kind of momentary meanness that you regret later, but that isn't indicative of who you really are. But with the bad blood between them, she can't possibly apologize. Awkward. Awkwardness beautifully portrayed. This show is seriously a character masterpiece.

- Saori looks so pathetically beautiful lounging on the couch in her casual clothes, contemplating the ways she will throw her life away. I love your angst, Saori. I love your melodrama. I love every one of your flaws. You are fucking amazing.

- KANABUN!
- Poor Shuu, pimpin' ain't easy is it? You pick a girl and all the others get moody. =/
- Yoshino continues doing her daily print-out-penance. But she can't shake the guilt anyway.
- Can Saori's mom really be related to her? :sd:
- Bed-head Saori sees a Yoshino in her living room. How will this play out?

"Your tea. It'll get cold."

The tea may cool but Saori finally begins to warm.

::fuckingdies::

I don't have words anymore for how amazing this show is.

If I were all alone on a desert island with no fandom or friends to discuss anime with, I'm not completely certain this show would lose out to anything this season - even Madoka. In fact, I feel pretty strongly that I'd pick this over Madoka. The wonderful, creative, fascinating shared fandom experience does put Madoka firmly ahead due to all the ways the show thrives off-screen as glowingly as it does on, but Hourou is nonetheless mind-blowingly good in every way. Gorgeously animated, beautifully told, each character molded with utterly masterful writing.

It's just... goddamn. The way I feel when I finish an episode is the way I feel when I watch the absolute best that anime has to offer. Full stop.

Suwako Moriya

03-07-2011, 09:08 AM

The play actually went better than I would have expected. Also, the flowers part was of interest.

Ingraman

03-10-2011, 02:52 PM

Wow... In the new class, past-pest Doi (did we ever actually see him being a pest and I've forgotten already, or is it only in reference?) wants to be friends with Shuichi after seeing Shuichi with a beautiful woman.

Shuichi (Shuu-ko? ^^; ) gathers his harem at a karaoke place. Anna wants Takatsuki to join her agency... It was fun watching the four girls interact. ^_^

strangefour

03-10-2011, 04:20 PM

-A new semester means new classes assignments in Japan? Huh. I can't remember that happening in other anime though.
-Yoshino has a more manly haircut. Suits her better.
-Chi-chan flirts with Chiba. Momo is jealous.
-Chiba like's Yoshino with longer hair :3
-Doidoi is kind of a jerk.
-Shu's sister however is a big bitch.
-GRAAAA! Damn it Yoshino just put on the boy's uniform! It'll make you feel better and you will look handsome in it.
-Well duh. Anna's seen you half dressed as a girl before Shu. Don't act surprised that she knows you like to wear pretty dresses.
-Anna is a wonderful girl. But may not be really into this relationship.

-Hehe. Somehow Mako being the one to be most insightful about relationships is amusing.
-Chiba: "I don't like Nitori anymore. I like Yoshino now!"
-Doidoi has a crush on Shu? WTF! Why is everyone so attracted to Shu? -He's a silly little airheaded girl.
-Anna is a meganeko fan. She is soooo wonderful.
-Anna & Shu. Chiba & Yoshino. Double date! <3
-Uh yup. Chiba is a future alcoholic. Well a saucy lush of a mistress :3

Wow... In the new class, past-pest Doi (did we ever actually see him being a pest and I've forgotten already, or is it only in reference?) wants to be friends with Shuichi after seeing Shuichi with a beautiful woman.

Reference only. Only in this episode. I don't remember him being mentioned before, but he never showed up before. Might be one of those things they just skipped over from the manga.

Shuichi (Shuu-ko? ^^; ) gathers his harem at a karaoke place. Anna wants Takatsuki to join her agency... It was fun watching the four girls interact. ^_^

YES, and no. I can't not think of Shu as a girl. Even if he never ends up getting a sex change. He may or may not have been born a girl inside, but she sure acts like a silly little girl on the outside. Yoshino however is more decided that she is a boy. Yoshino and Chiba make such a cute couple. Even if their personalities are at odds.

I almost want to take bets on who kisses who first in this show. Because the possibilities are limitless. Many of them would be hilarious too. Mainly Chi kissing anyone, because it would be a huge loud wet sloppy kiss that an entire classroom would be witness to.

Fencedude

03-10-2011, 04:22 PM

Interesting, the longer hair actually makes Yoshino look more boyish. Its a good look for her.

Anna-chan's just the bestest girlfriend ever. I also like that she's not going to put up with Saori's shit. Saori, I love you, but you have a terrible attitude problem.

And Yoshino...needs to learn to keep her mouth shut.

Fencedude

03-10-2011, 04:24 PM

I almost want to take bets on who kisses who first in this show. Because the possibilities are limitless. Many of them would be hilarious too. Mainly Chi kissing anyone, because it would be a huge loud wet sloppy kiss that an entire classroom would be witness to.

For maximum hilarity, it'd be Chi-chan kissing Saori.

Ingraman

03-10-2011, 10:25 PM

I almost want to take bets on who kisses who first in this show.

Well, Shuichi got an indirect kiss this episode (or is there a time limit between lip contact?). ^^; Yeah, it's not what we're looking for, but ...

Mitsuki

03-11-2011, 05:53 PM

This was a great episode. I really do love this show. Shu and Anna make a nice couple, even if she's encouraging him to cross-dress. And, you know, so to Yoshino and Saori. Saori is REALLY growing on me. I would say I like her very much now. The cast of this show is just so fantastic. I'm so sad it's just eleven episodes. I really want there to be more.

strangefour

03-11-2011, 06:15 PM

Shu and Anna make a nice couple, even if she's encouraging him to cross-dress.

Wait, is that supposed to be a bad thing? For Shu cross-dressing is definitely a good thing. It makes him feel more comfortable. He does make a cute girl too. *cough*

I'm so sad it's just eleven episodes. I really want there to be more.

Oh heck. I didn't even realize it was less than 13 episodes. Dang it. Not enough people are watching or talking about this show.

something

03-12-2011, 03:29 AM

Episode 8:

- Hey, Yoshino let her hair grow out a little, and it looks way better.
- Saori agrees too! I LOVE YOU SAORIN! And seeing her say good morning to Yoshino is <3

- Okay that's a bit confusing. How much time passed, for her hair to have grown out and then been cut again? Or was that in the past? But the gang was all assembled and talking about class changes. I guess we jumped a ways.
- Saorin liked your hair longer. And she's pretty insistent about it. I think she's coming on to you, Yoshino!

- And now back again. Hahaha. Wtf is going on? Where are we? This can't be the past, because Chi-chan knows Saori and all that. So we jumped ahead to the new school year and other scenes in the episode jump even farther ahead?
- Chi-chan! "Chiba-san! Chiba-san! Chiba-san!"
- Waaait. Oh, Saori and Yoshino talking was what was in the past, wasn't it. Yoshino had long hair, and then cut it, and then Saori told her to grow it out, and then we jumped ahead and she did. God, I don't know why that was so damn confusing for me. I guess the initial ordering of events had me thinking totally backwards. ANYWAY, on with the show!

- Gah, Anna and Shuu are such a cute couple. But I thought Anna knew about his crossdressing? Didn't she flat out see it?
- Maho is in super-irritable mode!
- And takes it out on her sort-of boyfriend by telling him to call her by her given name. :sd:
- Also, I get the feeling both Yoshino and Shuu are backing away from their gender desires. It's not gone (Shuu looking ta dresses, Yoshino wanting to wear the gakuran) but they're starting to wonder if they can live without. But when they realize they're wavering, they'll fight back by, potentially, doing something hasty.
- Or not! She starts small. Full-out gakuran would, as she thought, have just seemed like a cry for attention. A tie, however... she can get away with that.

- Will my girlfriend mind if I crossdress? Heh. There aren't many people you can ask that question of and get a serious answer. Thank goodness for Yuki.
- Stupid Doi. Dunno much about you but I assume you're an ass! You only have 3 more eps to fuck things up though.
- Oh good, Anna did know about the crossdressing. And she doesn't care. God damn Anna you are awesome.
- He's like a cute little sister to her. That's... what the fuck is that? That's an interesting relationship dynamic.
- She told him to crossdress for their next date!

- "I made her mad." Don't worry, Mako-chan. Modest breezes and sunspots can make Saorin mad. That's why we love her.

- Fuuuck, I do not trust Doi for one god damn second. He just wants to get in Yuki's pants. Or to ruin Shuu somehow. Or get in Shuu's pants, which I suppose would be ruinous. >_>
- Just watching someone be near that guy feels unpleasant for me, Shuu. I can't imagine what it's like to be next to him.
- SASA-CHAN JUUUMP!

- Anna is quickly becoming my second favorite character. I love her laid back reactions to everything. She's like the anti-Chi-chan.
- Uh oh, are you really going out without a wig, Shuu? That's dangerous.
- MEGANEKKO ANNA! With very very very cute hair!!
- Ohhhhhhhhhhh god. I figured Doi would see him but it's going to be these two, isn't it?

- This is the most awkward thing ever. XD
- Poor Saorin. All she wanted was her date with Yoshino and now she's in this fucked-up situation!
- And Saorin continues to be frighteningly pretty. Just, like, utterly beautifully gorgeous. It's a "cold", "sharp" beauty, if I were to put it into words. She makes a seriously perfect couple with Yoshino...

- What I wouldn't give to see a drunk Saorin. But I think she's finally pushing Anna to her limits.
- FFFFFfffffffffff, Yoshino you should not talk when you're feeling flustered! You make bad things happen! :sd:
- Although Saori's matter-of-fact "pursue this line of discussion and I will forcefully remove your internal organs" tone of voice closes off discussion. Oh Saorin.
- Saorin is an amazing singer! Saorin is a great actress! Saorin is amazing at everything!
- Even Saorin can't entirely withstand Anna's charms for long.
- Shiiit. I was totally bracing for a final shot of Doi sending the text from behind a corner.

But the last scene of the preview... I can't even fathom how that's going to shake out.

Goddamn. Once again, absolutely phenomenal in every way. Every single way.

something

03-12-2011, 03:32 AM

Oh heck. I didn't even realize it was less than 13 episodes. Dang it. Not enough people are watching or talking about this show.
noitaminA likes their short-cour shows. Same with Fractale also being 11 episodes. Hourou, however, is getting a DVD/BD bonus episode at least so it'll be 12 in the end.

Shiroi Hane

03-12-2011, 08:17 AM

-A new semester means new classes assignments in Japan? Huh. I can't remember that happening in other anime though.
Poor Kaorin, forgotten already.

strangefour

03-12-2011, 02:46 PM

-A new semester means new classes assignments in Japan? Huh. I can't remember that happening in other anime though.
Poor Kaorin, forgotten already.

Kusaga Ayumu, never forget!

Uh yeah I guess I have forgotten it's happened in other anime I have seen. But it still feels weird. Changing classes happens between years not semesters. Silly Japan.

Mitsuki

03-12-2011, 07:17 PM

Shu and Anna make a nice couple, even if she's encouraging him to cross-dress.

Wait, is that supposed to be a bad thing? For Shu cross-dressing is definitely a good thing. It makes him feel more comfortable. He does make a cute girl too. *cough*

Nope, not a bad thing. Just unexpected couple behavior. (Though it makes Anna even more awesome.) :laugh:

something

03-12-2011, 07:36 PM

dsmith

03-12-2011, 07:47 PM

Nope, not a bad thing. Just unexpected couple behavior. (Though it makes Anna even more awesome.) :laugh:
And there was that joke earlier fro Maho about Anna liking girls... Well, I guess they're not going there with it. :sd:

Also, 100th reply. It saddens me that it took 8 episodes to get there for this show. ;_;

I love the show and think it's doing a wonderful job with the story, but having read the manga I don't feel it's entirely safe for me to comment. Plus, there's a fairly limited amount that you can speculate and debate about, compared to something like Madoka.

Sly05

03-12-2011, 11:26 PM

Time skip means long haired Yoshino. It is a look that suits her well.

Chiba asking Ana to order her a beer made me laugh. She sure finds creative ways to be confrontational. Shu's awkward attempt to calm down the situation was pretty funny too.

EmperorBrandon

03-13-2011, 04:52 PM

- HAHAHA! Everyone running through the haunted house screaming was fucking awesome! XD And then Chi-chan, the human exclamation point, caps it off awesomely. Chi-chan loves Maiko-chan! Poor Momo... Don't worry, Momo! When the euphoria wears off, she'll come back to you.

Really, can't get through any scene with Chi-chan without her being so wonderfully quirky and awesome. Liked the scene last episode when she found out about Shu's crossdressing, and then haunted house craziness this episode. She's so much fun, and I love it. :)

EmperorBrandon

03-13-2011, 05:05 PM

Interesting, the longer hair actually makes Yoshino look more boyish. Its a good look for her.

Yeah, I really liked Yoshino's new hair style as well

Anna-chan's just the bestest girlfriend ever. I also like that she's not going to put up with Saori's shit. Saori, I love you, but you have a terrible attitude problem.

Indeed. I think I've been really enjoying Anna's character a lot with the past several episodes (just catching up on the show today). She's the prettiest character in the show to me (loved her glasses look this episode) but got a very interesting personality as well. Interesting to see the four (Shuu, Anna, Yoshino, Saori) interact with each other this episode.

Sly05

03-22-2011, 07:05 PM

Make sure you watch the brief scene after the credits.

I wasn't sure if this storyline was going to be included in the anime but I'm very glad it is. I think it does an excellent job of showing the freedoms each sex has in moving outside of their gender roles. While Yoshino and Shu going to school in the uniform of the opposite sex is a courageous move, the social consequences are obviously considerably more severe for Shu. For Yoshino, everyone just thinks she looks cool while Shu's parents are called for him and he gets sent home. Though Chi provided some thoughtful advice on the potential consequences of his actions, showing that she can be surprisingly mature when the situation calls for it, the discrepancy between how Shu and Yoshino are treated must be hitting him pretty hard.

Fudce

03-22-2011, 07:41 PM

Holy cow... that was worth the wait. Wandering Son is one of those series that quietly hits you in the chest whenever you watch it. It's enjoyable but it leaves you breathless and I want to see more. I don't know if that makes me a masochist or not.

As much as I want people to accept him for what he wants to be - I know that wont be the case. Wandering Son is just too real for that incredible turn of events. Whatever the fallout, we'll see it unfold quietly, and hopefully there wont be tears - on either side of the screen.

EmperorBrandon

03-22-2011, 11:16 PM

Double standards certainly suck for poor Nitori... I liked the scene with Chi-chan - she's one of my favorites for her quirkiness but it's interesting to see a more serious scene with her.

Fencedude

03-23-2011, 01:55 PM

Ugh, Doi's annoying.

Needed more Yoshino/Saori.

And yeah, it sucks to be Shuu. Even the person who should be most supportive (Yoshino) wouldn't really support him on this. Because she knew it wouldn't end well.

Good scene with Chi-chan as well.

strangefour

03-23-2011, 06:59 PM

-Yoshino finally does what her heart has been telling her. Or his heart. Uh damn gender pronouns made complicated by this show.
-I adore Chi-chan with all my heart.
-Chiba straightening Yoshino's collar is nearly as cute.
-Shush Mako.
-Anna is cool with a threesome.
-He turns down a "date" with Yoshino, but Shu goes on a date with Doi? Why do so many people want in Shu's panties!?
-Shu: "Puni puni~"
-Shi: "Why did you wake me up? Are we going to talk about your penis again infront of children? *sigh* I thought we stopped that when you got rid of it."
-Uh Doidoi, you're the bizarre one dude.
-Silly Doidoi. You live in japan. There are pretty men all over the place.
-Hehehe. Oh Chiba. Butchering some lines in a play to tell Shu to stop being such a little girl.
-Is Doi evil or sexually repressed. Hard to say.

-Shu dreams of being a pretty little girl at school. Don't worry Shu. You already are.
-Wait... Chi-chan is having a serious conversation in a relaxed manner while drinking tea with Shu. WHAT THE HELL.
-I LOVE CHI-CHAN.
-Brave? No Shu you are stupid. A silly stupid little girl if you try this shit at school full of stupid children. Atleast the Goddess Chichan will have your back.
-Teacher: "Why the hell is it always someone from my class? *sigh*"

Serious Chi-chan was serious, but you fail to listen to her advice. Shu you are the dumbest little girl in any anime this year. Yet girls and boys and girl-boys are all over Shu. Even considering all that, almost contradictory, this is a great show. The best show of the season (pending an utterly insane Madoka ending).

something

03-23-2011, 08:38 PM

Episode 9:

- "It'll be okay." ...I hope so. And I know they won't show us, but how does she convince her mother? :sd:
- Haha, Shuu-chan sees something unexpected in the morning. Goddamn in wanted to see how Kana-bun initially reacted.
- It was no surprise how Chi-chan would react. FUUUULLLL POOWAAAAA!!!!
- Yeah good luck finding a real middle school where this would go down half this well. Though if it were Shuu dressing as a girl in class, he'd be a bloody stain on the sidewalk already, the poor kid. Man I hate people.
- SAORIII! LOOOOVE!! You are still the best character of 2011 so far! Yoshino was ready to get scolded but Saori is the new Saori! Sort of.

- A call from Doi! And yep, he wants to meet Yuki, haha.
- God he's such a little creep. I can't decide if I want him to end up just being awkward in his own gender/sexual insecurities, or if they should just go all out with him being a jerk.
- Shuu goes face first into Yoshino's breasts. :sd:

- Hahaha, oh god, Yuki flat out greets Doi with the truth.
- And Doi is just, uh, utterly confused by Shuu. I can't read him at all.
- And now I can read him even less. His near-total lack of emotions is pretty fascinating. They set him up to be some jackass but instead I don't think he has any clue what he wants.

- ...He's still really insensitive to others' feelings, though. I get that he's not sure what he wants but making all these demands of Shuu is rather annoying. And, uh, this demand is... ...yeah. Does he know?
- Saori steals every scene she's in. Even brief scenes of her intentionally misspeaking a line.
- And back at Shuu's place. Alone with Doi. This feels bad. Really bad. But Doi has not, technically, done anything harmful. Yet.
- OH MY GOD THIS IS AWKWARD. Is Doi just incredibly slow, or is he a sexual predator in the making?
- #*(&!@*(# What is going on behind those expressionless eyes? Holy fuck I just can't read him at all. My gut still says he's dangerous and is just baiting Shuu into doing something that'll get him ridiculed, but with this show, who knows? All I know right now is that I feel incredibly uncomfortable in ways that very, very few shows can manage. I'm scared for Shuu... but I have no idea if I should be.

- ...Maho's boyfriend is way too interested in crossdressing Shuu. EVERYONE IS GAY FOR SHUU.
- Heh oh come on Shuu is girly, and makes a top tier trap, but you wouldn't mistake him for a girl in his regular street clothes. Well, she was old, maybe her eyesight is bad.
- Unfamiliar ceiling.

- A serious conversation with Chi-chan. I... I don't know what to make of it. Is it really Chi-chan if she's not yelling?
- Haha, now she gets more animated. :sd: She's right though - it's not easy for anyone but if you're a boy, forget it. It'll never be "cool" or "edgy" to your peers. You'll just be utterly, horribly destroyed. Because humans are, fundamentally, hateful, spiteful creatures when faced with differences. But again, this show isn't necessarily realistic in that sense.

- And now he asks Yoshino for her uniform. What perhaps makes it worse is that people are just going to see it as "a trend". Chi-chan starts it, Yoshino continues it, and then Shuu takes it a step farther. Will anyone but his friends take him seriously?
- Heh, he made her mad.

- He says he's made up his mind. I feel incredibly tense right now. This episode is just completely exhausting in ways I'm finding hard to come up with comparisons for. I'm, like, almost scared to go on.
- I unpause. And he's standing there. Nitori Shuuichi.

My mind is completely blank, because I'm not able to properly process how profoundly well-constructed that episode was. While I think I'd have preferred there be nothing after the ED, the choice they made of how to describe the aftermath was hugely effective. Far more than showing us their gasps and oohs and ahhs and mocking laughter and bewildered reactions of teachers reacting to it. The near total lack of music just made the tension, the dread, the joy, the confusion, it made everything utterly, utterly draining. Exhausting. Nerve-wracking.

And I just spent a solid five minutes after finishing that last paragraph trying to come up with closing words worthy of this episode, but have failed utterly.

So, just...

...damn.

GranteedEV

03-24-2011, 12:21 PM

just started watching / caught up on this show.

The start was really messy and unfocused. But I really started to like it as I went along. Sometimes it really pushes my suspension of disbelief. But this really has my full attention.

So I started reading the manga and it's way better. The presentation is more natural and they freaking to Rose of Versailles. What more could I ask for?

Fudce

03-24-2011, 07:12 PM

Well... 10+11 if ANN is anything to go by. I'd actually read that the tenth episode is actually a compilation of two episodes for TV (with the full episodes on the DVDs) but had I not read that, I don't think I'd have known.

The fallout from Shu's brave but foolish decision is as we'd expected. Bullying and fear from most people, the cold shoulder from his new friend Doi. He's split up with Anna (who still feels for him, but isn't sure where it's going - she likes him because he's cute not romanticly) and Maho is also feeling the fallout.

One of the things that really hit home is how the circle reacted. I get the impression that Chi-chan really respects him for doing it, but Momo is as ever the voice of normalcy, despite her clinging to the tall sensible one. The voice of acceptance and the voice of normalcy make a strange combination but they do work well together.

I'm really beginning to wonder about Doi though. Is he just a mindless bully, picking on Shu for the hell of it, or is there something much deeper behind his choice of target? Even knowing that Yuki is transgender he still seemed attracted to her, and he did seem honest and not sneaky when he told Shu that he looked good. His reaction when Shu took the brave step at the end of the episode too. Was he frustrated because he can't bully Shu any more, or is it deeper than that? Is it because he feels he has been rejected by Shu?

I'd love to see the real 10 and 11, but 10+11 isn't a copout compilation. I'm just sad we have only one more episode of this to go.

strangefour

03-24-2011, 07:52 PM

-Shu's dad understand he's a little girl inside. Also Maho is a loud man.
-Chi-chan has always been this awesome.
-Holy crap Shu. You are that dumb. You have been sheltered by supportive friends that you have no clue what the real world is like. You don't think -Doidoi is creepy do you?
-No Momo. Bad Momo. Chi-chan is a super freak.
-Um thanks Doi for being a voice of reason, I guess.

-Saori thinks Yoshino is pretty. <3
-Aww. Poor wonderful innocently pure Anna.
-Genderbender play version 2.0
-Maho, "I love (Saint) Seya!"
-Anna dumped Shu. Well we knew that would never last.
-Shu has grown his hair out. Dang time is flying by fast this episode.
-Shu grew a pair of balls and told Doidoi off? Poor Doidoi. I think you just broke his heart Shu.

Well... 10+11 if ANN is anything to go by. I'd actually read that the tenth episode is actually a compilation of two episodes for TV (with the full episodes on the DVDs) but had I not read that, I don't think I'd have known.

Even discounting the title, it felt very squished for time to me. Trying to pack in as much of the rest of the story as they could for TV. Some scenes just seem to take place weeks apart. Sasa talks about Yoshino staying home with a cold one minute, a few minutes later Shu visits a sick Sasa. Not that it was disjointed or anything. It just moved ahead in time a few too many times.

I'm really beginning to wonder about Doi though. Is he just a mindless bully, picking on Shu for the hell of it, or is there something much deeper behind his choice of target? Even knowing that Yuki is transgender he still seemed attracted to her, and he did seem honest and not sneaky when he told Shu that he looked good. His reaction when Shu took the brave step at the end of the episode too. Was he frustrated because he can't bully Shu any more, or is it deeper than that? Is it because he feels he has been rejected by Shu?

I think Doi thinks he might be gay. Maybe. Attracted to hot transgender Yuki. Always teased Shu because Shu was cute. Think Shu is even cuter in a dress. Doi just looks so much like a jerk it's hard to read him. But he could be in almost as much of a point of gender identity crisis as Shu. Or maybe he's just a dude who used to be an asshole but is trying to be less of one, but it's not going so well.

Fudce

03-24-2011, 08:15 PM

I'm really beginning to wonder about Doi though. Is he just a mindless bully, picking on Shu for the hell of it, or is there something much deeper behind his choice of target? Even knowing that Yuki is transgender he still seemed attracted to her, and he did seem honest and not sneaky when he told Shu that he looked good. His reaction when Shu took the brave step at the end of the episode too. Was he frustrated because he can't bully Shu any more, or is it deeper than that? Is it because he feels he has been rejected by Shu?

I think Doi thinks he might be gay. Maybe. Attracted to hot transgender Yuki. Always teased Shu because Shu was cute. Think Shu is even cuter in a dress. Doi just looks so much like a jerk it's hard to read him. But he could be in almost as much of a point of gender identity crisis as Shu. Or maybe he's just a dude who used to be an asshole but is trying to be less of one, but it's not going so well.

So many other anime would just raise a big sign pointing to him saying "HE IS GAY!" and make a big song and dance about homosexuality, but it's just perfect how Wandering Son doesn't do that. It hints at things, but lets you come to your own decisions and unless it's revealed, there will be no secret answers.

strangefour

03-24-2011, 08:25 PM

Fencedude

03-24-2011, 10:55 PM

What the hell? That was just weird. I don't think I like this strategy.

Anyway, good episode, but a bit of a letdown due to the compression.

Ashyukun

03-25-2011, 09:53 PM

What the hell? That was just weird. I don't think I like this strategy.

Anyway, good episode, but a bit of a letdown due to the compression.

I definitely don't like the strategy... but I'd prefer it to them outright skipping an episode if that was what the possibility was of happening. I do hope though that CR will be getting the full episodes down the line like the did the DRRR DVD-only episodes.

WAY too much happening, and kind of hard to keep track of. Fallout from everything was pretty much expected- with the exception of the fact that it really seems like despite thinking that it was incredibly stupid, that Maho actually supports and stands behind Shu- she was the one trying to get Anna to cheer up Shu, and while deflecting the blame from herself when their Mom tried to place it there didn't resort to insulting him or belittling him. He's her little brother... she thinks he's an embarrassment and a pain- but she also does truly love him and want to protect him.

Sly05

03-26-2011, 06:59 PM

I really like how Shu's dad handled the family meeting at the beginning of the episode. He quickly diffused the tension and his story made for a good way to show Shu that he didn't care about the crossdressing. Shu is a lucky kid to have such a good dad to support him.

Speaking of support, Shu's friends continue to prove that they are exceptionally wonderful people. Chi was as amazing as usual during the talk with the teachers and standing up for him against the other students' insults. Sasa, who really deserves more screen time, helps out as well by trying to shield him from situations where he would be vulnerable. Even Maho's boyfriend keeps an eye on him.

The compression was most obvious, beyond the random time skips (Shu's hair suddenly grew considerably longer!), from the fact that the episode skimmed over a bunch of the emotional consequences and rushed towards the next plot point which is the new culture festival event. It was handled decently enough though and certainly didn't turn the narrative into a mess so I can't really complain.

HitokiriShadow

03-31-2011, 12:28 AM

Aw, the group gets split up and while everyone else is basically in two groups, Nitori is stuck on his own (though Saori surely envies him, herself being stuck with the person that probably annoys her more than anyone else, especially now that she and Yoshino have made up; meanwhile, Chi-chan thinks its the most awesome thing in the world). And he's right behind a guy that's kind of an ass and waste's no time picking on Nitori for the tiniest things. He asks to be friends with Nitori.... but Nitori is probably right to feel that this "friendship" is unpleasant.

Unsurprisingly, Anna is totally okay with Nitori dressing up like a girl. Though this episode pretty heavily implies that Anna doesn't have a long term romantic interest in him.

And then Saori and Yoshino stumble upon their little date and tag along for karaoke. And it was awesome. Especially Saori insisting on ordering beer. And we get a nice little blowup, but everything quickly works out pretty nicely for everyone involved. Awesome scene is full of awesomeness.

..... Man, I did not realize I was this far behind.

HitokiriShadow

03-31-2011, 01:20 AM

Ooooooooooh craaaaaaaaap.

Yoshino finallly goes to school dressed as a boy. It went better than I was expecting. Two of the teachers talked to her briefly, but didn't really push the issue and that was it. And Chi-chan's reaction was hilarious, as expected.

And then, after being given the suggestion by Doi, Nitori goes to school dressed as a girl. Though thankfully, he sought advice from his friends first. Though who he went to was something of a surprise. Chi-chan.... would be above some other characters, but not one of the Top 3 people I would expect him to go to advice about this issue. Though I can kind of see why he chose her. In any case, we get to see a nice different side of her here. She's very level headed about the whole thing and pretty much says all the right things. But he still goes through with it and.... the result is pretty much what you would expect.

Doi.... man, this episode did a fantastic job of making pretty much everything involving him creepy as hell. Especially the scene in Nitori's room, which was increeeeeeeeedibly uncomfortable. I never imagined just staring at a normal, closed door could be so incredibly creepy. And in all liklihood, he gave the suggestion to Nitori as a way to get revenge for the Yuki situation. He surely would have known that nothing but bad to come from Nitori doing it. I also half-expected him to molest Nitori after his apparent sexual confusion regarding Yuki.

HitokiriShadow

03-31-2011, 01:30 AM

- #*(&!@*(# What is going on behind those expressionless eyes? Holy fuck I just can't read him at all. My gut still says he's dangerous and is just baiting Shuu into doing something that'll get him ridiculed, but with this show, who knows? All I know right now is that I feel incredibly uncomfortable in ways that very, very few shows can manage. I'm scared for Shuu... but I have no idea if I should be.

I could see it going either way, though the way the scenes were constructed really, really pushed the viewer to see the stuff with Doi as incredibly creepy. Particularly the cricket noise during their text message conversation, and then the notable pause after he enters Nitori's room. But there's always the possibility its intentional misdirection. Leaving aside the way the scenes were handled, could we simply be judging him because he made a poor first impression and some other characters are claiming he's a nasty person? The scenes could be done that way just to reinforce that, only to come out reveal that we, the audience, are guilty of unfairly judging him based mainly on what others said about him (... and some narrative/film devices to reinforce that notion).

HitokiriShadow

03-31-2011, 02:05 AM

Yep, so Doi is exactly the asshole he seemed to be. ... Or maybe not? He seemed surprised and honestly surprised and hurt when Shu said he hated him.

Shu going to school dressed up as a girl also had some repercussions for his relationship with Anna, as it forced her to confront his crossdressing in a way she hadn't before, along with some aspects of herself. We once again see that Maho actually does care about Shu, she's just utterly incapable of showing it to him or displaying it directly, and she asks Anna to cheer him up.... but Anna can't do it. She's frustrated with herself for it and for realizing that's its not just a phase and that she can't really support Shu with this in the long term. After all the attention this relationship got, and as much fun as it was, it's a real shame that it gets more or less closed out in a ~3 second flashback.

And Riku is pretty awesome. Being able to deal with Maho already makes him quite the guy, but I really like his support for Shu in this episode. Of course, that he's Maho's brother plays into to a degree, but all evidence shows that he actually likes Shu and isn't doing it just to further his romantic interests with Maho.

And we get to see Maiko again! Also, we meet... Doi's sister, I guess. Though she seemed younger than him, but she's supposed to be an acquaintance of Maho's. Maybe that was someone else? She seemed really fun though, yet another character that I would have loved to see more of. Edit: Oh, geez, I'm an idiot. That was Sasa. No wonder she seemed so awesome! Because she is! *feels really stupid*

HitokiriShadow

03-31-2011, 02:18 AM

Well... 10+11 if ANN is anything to go by. I'd actually read that the tenth episode is actually a compilation of two episodes for TV (with the full episodes on the DVDs) but had I not read that, I don't think I'd have known.

Oooooh, so this actually IS episodes 10 and 11. When I first saw that episode title, I thought that's what it meant... but I thought that meant it was a double episode (i.e. ~45 minutes) and that it would be the last, since Crunchyroll didn't show any indication of there being another episode until sometime in the last 24 hours. When it did show more, I thought that must have meat 10+11 was the episode title.

Then I take it the "bonus episode 12" someone mentioned before is actually the full versions of these episodes.

So, um, yeah, even with some neon signs suggesting this was two episodes crammed into one, I didn't realize that's what it was. It rushed through things, but aside from having Anna and Shu break up in a 3 second flashback, it held together pretty well and I think it worked pretty well for literally cramming two episodes together.

strangefour

03-31-2011, 07:22 PM

-Saori prefers would with long luxurious hair Yoshino. Listen to Saori!
-"You sound like a fag, Doi." "SCREW YOU!" heh
-Saorin collects outfits so she can dres sup Shu. He is a life sized Barbie.
-Shu was special to Saorin. WAS.
-Saori: "Put this dress on! I must find out which of you is cuter."
-Shu has grown taller, but he's still a little girl on the inside.

-Anna is so adorablely shy.
-Hmm. Shu still loves Anna.
-Dang it Saori. Stop dancing arround the issue in your own depricating way and tell Yoshino you love her.

That was a sweet ending. I was hoping for something more definitive as to Shu's future gender status. Though it does seem to be leaning towards him just being a cross dress and maybe getting back together with Anna.

Could have used more full power Chi-chan too.

Ashyukun

03-31-2011, 07:46 PM

I thought Chi-chan was just about right- her delight at everything (like the shooting star) makes the show 10x better. It's just a pity she didn't run into her favorite idol again.

The conversations between Shu & Anna and Saori & Yoshino were fantastic. Not sure what to make of Doi- but even if he is an ass, he did seem to do a fair bit of good this episode was well. Definitely wish there were more to see how things work out...

One thing that took me until 10 minutes after the episode to figure out... the dark-haired 'girl' with the glasses that they showed several times dashing across campus (commenting that nobody had noticed about actually being a boy) and then in the audience at the play.... the only person that could POSSIBLY have been was Saori's jackass suitor- crossdressing as a girl. :sd:

strangefour

03-31-2011, 08:11 PM

Mitsuki

03-31-2011, 08:32 PM

One thing that took me until 10 minutes after the episode to figure out... the dark-haired 'girl' with the glasses that they showed several times dashing across campus (commenting that nobody had noticed about actually being a boy) and then in the audience at the play.... the only person that could POSSIBLY have been was Saori's jackass suitor- crossdressing as a girl. :sd:

That part confused me so much. I bet that's something more developed in the manga (or in the missing halves of 10+11).

I liked it as an ending, though it really makes me want to check out the manga to see what happens next. I know that the anime picked up some time after the beginning of the manga, but does anyone know what volume the anime stopped at?

I still think Doi is a jerk. I just get the impression that he's somehow leading Shu on, though I don't know why he hasn't shown his true colors yet. He just gives me the creeps.

I really liked Saori and Yoshino's friendship as the best thing to come out of this series. I have been really impressed at how well this show developed character relationships. It's a refreshing change of pace. I would love a second season, but I don't expect one. I'll have to rely on the manga instead.

Ashyukun

03-31-2011, 09:43 PM

That part confused me so much. I bet that's something more developed in the manga (or in the missing halves of 10+11).

Yeah... so little of the time in this show has been truly wasted that for them to have made such a point of that, it seemed like it should have figured a lot more into things than it did. The last time we saw him was walking home after the first play, wasn't it? Like, half the season ago?

I tend to agree with strangefour about Doi- even if he's not actually certain he's gay, he's definitely attracted to Shu. Unfortunately for him, his feelings are almost certainly not reciprocated- Shu may certainly have a thing for boyish, aggressive girls- but he certainly DOES seem to lean toward females in his preferences.

Yoshino and Saori though? Run off and elope after their high school graduation. Mako-chan runs off with their teacher. :P

EmperorBrandon

03-31-2011, 09:44 PM

And Riku is pretty awesome. Being able to deal with Maho already makes him quite the guy, but I really like his support for Shu in this episode. Of course, that he's Maho's brother plays into to a degree, but all evidence shows that he actually likes Shu and isn't doing it just to further his romantic interests with Maho.

Yeah, I haven't really been paying too much attention to him before, but I thought he was great this episode.

So, um, yeah, even with some neon signs suggesting this was two episodes crammed into one, I didn't realize that's what it was. It rushed through things, but aside from having Anna and Shu break up in a 3 second flashback, it held together pretty well and I think it worked pretty well for literally cramming two episodes together.

And I second this as well. I went in knowing it was "two episode crammed into one", but even knowing it I don't think I really felt anything particularly off besides the one thing you noted. I will be interested to see the full version of the episodes, but I somehow doubt Crunchyroll will stream them...

EmperorBrandon

03-31-2011, 09:49 PM

-Anna is so adorablely shy.

Indeed :beatingheart: Liked her scene with Shu this episode.

Fencedude

04-01-2011, 11:50 AM

Anna-chan! <3

Also wonderful Yoshino/Saori scenes. Saori was not happy that her wife cut her hair!

About what you'd expect as the ending for this kind of show. And since it almost certainly will not get a second season, I may have to actually check out the manga.

GranteedEV

04-03-2011, 01:40 AM

I guess that was a good ending...ish.

I wish the manga was finished. I hate when the manga is ongoing and I catch up and then never read again.

something

04-03-2011, 03:54 AM

Episode 10 (or "10+11"):

- Ticking clock. Impossible conversation. Dad averts disaster.
- Cute anecdote about Shuu's and Maho's births. Dad seems like a cool guy - I'm sad we haven't seen more of him before now.

- Sasasasasasasasasasasaaaaaaa~
- Hmmm, we do get to see something of the events from that day.
- Ah, so he skipped school the next day with Seya. Huh, it's not that I thought Seya disliked him but I didn't think he'd take an active role in this.
- Shuu talking about his disillusionment at being treated differently is heartbreaking.
- Yes, Shuu, your friends were okay with it. But your friends are... ...well, your clique isn't entirely typical of what one could expect from the student body at large.

- And who gets him to go to school? Chi-chan! She's the perfect bodyguard.
- Not that the cruelty can be entirely avoided.
- What to make of Momo here? She's pretty cold to Shuu, so it's easy to claim she's as bad as the others. But then, from her perspective, she never aimed to become friends with them, she just followed Chi-chan around. She doesn't particularly care what happens to anyone but Chi-chan. And she sees this as a way of protecting her. Does that make it right, though? I say no, but I understand it at least. She's finding herself deeper into craziness than she expected and jst wants out.
- Then Doi reveals his true colors. Asshole. Or the absolute most incompetent person in the world at making friends. Jackass either way.

- What a way to emphasize the divergent reactions. Not only did Yoshino get away with it, she's getting confessions of love!
- Saorin!!! I've been wondering where you were. You can't be absent at such a vitally important point in the story.
- Yes, Yoshino is cute! Embrace sexual deviance further and kiss her!

- Hahahaha, Maiko is the worst. <3 She's going to make Anna explode.
- But Anna is the other very important one who was missing. And we get a great glimpse into her frustrations. She doesn't quite "love" Shuu (and it's the same on his end, really), but she doesn't want anything bad to happen to him either. She likes him a lot, as a friend. And she's angry at herself for not being able to come see him. (Nice tidbit: Maho asked her to cheer Shuu up! Maho cares, she's just awful at showing it.)
- She brings up the future. What's very, very interesting to me about Hourou is that there's actually a real, happy, successful example of a male living as a woman in the cast. Happy, married, everything. A sign that it isn't impossible, maybe?

- Damn, it's been this long already? Shuu is still out of school so it can't be too long after the fact. Days, weeks at most. I didn't realize we'd covered so much time before this. Well, we did switch classes.
- And fuck you Doi. Seriously fuck you. Sasasasasasasasasa should have just decked him.
- Hmm it is clear we're mashing two episodes into one but it's still handled pretty well.

- Awww! Maho really is a good girl. Deep down. If you can find it and pry it out of her. She recognizes what Seya is doing, and she appreciates it because she doesn't want people to make fun of Shuu either.
- Anna breaks it off with Shuu. I know it's nothing mean on her part, and she understands that Shuu isn't truly romantically interested in her either, but it does suffer a bit from being such a brief scene. I hope it's expanded in the BDs.

- Woah, he looks so different with his hair growing out. And he enters the class again... seems like he's been doing classes in the nurse's office for quite some time. Almost a couple months to get hair that long.
- Arrrrrgh Doi. Don't you do anything to Shuu.
- Sasasasasa! With her hair down, looking adorable! Heh, I like the growl and hard stare at Doi.
- FUCK YEAH SHUU! He finally tells Doi off! FINALLY! And what's Doi's reaction? Man I still can't read it. Is he really this stupid at dealing with people? Was he really trying to be Shuu's friend or is he just pissed that he can't get Shuu to do something he can make fun of him for?
- And Shuu is shocked that he could do it. Heh.

When the first few notes of the ED popped in as Shuu stood next to Maho, I got goosebumps.

I could do my weekly rant about how profoundly beautiful and wonderful this episode was, but I have another episode to watch so it can wait.

something

04-03-2011, 04:03 AM

So, um, yeah, even with some neon signs suggesting this was two episodes crammed into one, I didn't realize that's what it was. It rushed through things, but aside from having Anna and Shu break up in a 3 second flashback, it held together pretty well and I think it worked pretty well for literally cramming two episodes together.
Yeah, almost any other show would have exploded spectacularly in an apocolyptic fireball trying to pull this off, but seeing as how Hourou is clearly written by SUPERHUMAN GODS it still managed to be better than 95% of episodes from any other show this season.

That said, what I do truly dislike about this approach is that there won't be any good way to watch the full versions and get the same impact. Self-contained episodes like most bonus episodes can be watched after the show is over perfectly well, and even be some of the best (think Sora no Woto or K-ON!'s bonus episodes) but how do you get in the right frame of mind to just jump into a show and watch episodes 10 and 11 of 12 and then jump back out? That seems incredibly awkward to me.

I have a feeling that, as much as I utterly love and adore this show, I won't be able to watch the full 10-11 until I rewatch it. Which I'll only be able to do if we have a discussion thread somewhere down the line. Which I honestly doubt we will for this show. Sigh...

Fencedude

04-03-2011, 04:41 AM

- Saorin!!! I've been wondering where you were. You can't be absent at such a vitally important point in the story.
- Yes, Yoshino is cute! Embrace sexual deviance further and kiss her!

I was just on the first page of this thread, and I saw my first post, where I mentioned something I had since totally forgotten.

Saori is Nanri Yuuka. Which really was brilliant casting. Absolutely the perfect role for her.

Even in a show with no super powered summoned creatures, or insane space colonies, she's still sexy and evil, but in a way that makes you want to root for her.

something

04-03-2011, 05:25 AM

Episode 11 (or 12 rather):

- Saorin is in despair. Her sexy Yoshino cut her hair. Saorin is sad. ;_;
- Man fuck off Doi. And I hope Shuu doesn't go back to being too shy around him.
- Hah. Momo, Chi-chan and Saorin. I wonder who chose this group? :sd:
- "I hate you but you write better dialogue, help me out." Haha.

- Saorin!! I'm glad she and Shuu can be more comfortable around each other now. And god she's so pretty. I can never get over it, she's just beautiful.
- Uh oh, she goes in for the kill... or not. She's very pointedly using the past tense. Tense moment though... until Yoshino ruins it. :sd:
- Saorin is totally going to punish her by making her wear a dress. Heh.
- HAH, Yoshino with the dress over her jacket.
- I'm so glad these three can be friends again. Even if it's not quite the same, it's still a great thing.

- "I can't tell if he's mean or nice." You and me both, Shuu. Man Doi is such a difficult character to grasp.
- Shuu comes back to class!

- Maiko is epic troll.
- Hahah, "Sending to Maho" ::Seya looks:: ::Maho looks away:: Perfect. <3
- Oh god I love the totally different reactions Chi-chan and Momo have to the shooting stars.
- And now the boys argue over who is cuter. Doi is... yeah.
- Argh, why are they bringing Saorin's irritating acquaintance back? God damn I was hoping they forgot about him. Well, he doesn't have much time to do mess things up so I assume he's just here to get punched by Saorin.
- [FUCK, DO NOT GIVE ME A BSOD IN THE MIDDLE OF HOUROU. I AM NOT AMUSED.]
- Hahaha and Anna just RUNS from Maho.

- Oh good good, Anna and Shuu get to talk again. This is great stuff.
- The way she covers her mouth with her hat to hide her embarrassment is adorable.
- And wow! Shuu really does speak his mind, like Anna said. He's still in love with her - maybe more than I gave him credit for.
- Saorin is special! Very special!
- Sasasasa as the nervous narrator. <3

Yes, Shuu. You are a girl. A wonderful, beautiful little girl.

Man. It's really over. Having my computer crash two thirds of the way between the episode was a terrible buzzkill but it couldn't erase how well done everything was. I suppose the final two episodes weren't the strongest of the show. With only 11 episodes there are still stories without closure, which is something that doesn't matter in the middle but becomes more apparent at the end.

But that doesn't mean they weren't utterly fantastic. It's open-ended, very open-ended, but so is life at that age. I would kill for more, but I know it won't happen - sales are going to be dismal, and post-earthquake noitaminA is getting its worst ratings ever. This is a show that had no chance of success, but it was made anyway, and it was gorgeous.

Just utterly gorgeous. Characters, art, storytelling, everything in its right place and orchestrated better than almost any other anime ever made.

As things stand right now it's my top show of the season, unless Madoka 11-12 are as good as I'm hoping they are (better be with the damn delays). Without any doubt in my mind, Hourou Musuko joins my top ~5% of shows with a 10/10 rating. I can definitively say now that I don't need to crack open my all-time Top 10 for it but man it was close for a time.

I'm still just in awe of how good it is.

Fencedude

04-03-2011, 05:46 AM

And god she's so pretty. I can never get over it, she's just beautiful.

She'll be quite the ladykiller when she grows up, thats for sure.

Sly05

04-04-2011, 04:31 PM

A nice wrap up of the series. The now well developed friendship and understanding between Saori, Yoshino, and Shuu is enjoyable to watch. Indeed, with Shu's school troubles mostly put in the past at this point, all the characters seem more comfortable with themselves and were they stand.

Adorable Sasa is adorable in her brief scene as a narrator. It's too bad she didn't get much screen time.

I agree that Doi is hard to place. I have no idea if his current attitude towards Shu is his attempt to make up for all the crap he did in the past or if the crap he did was because he was jealous of Shu and has issues himself. Will he turn out to be the equivalent of Yuuki's husband?

Saori's stalker is still an ass so he can go to hell. The scenes with Saori's mother trying to place him were fun though.

As a fan of the manga, I had high hopes for this anime and it has pretty much lived up to them. While skipping the first year or two of plot made for a beginning that dumped the audience right into the middle of things, I think it was handled fairly deftly and appreciated the chance to see some of the key events from later in the manga, specifically Shu going to school as a girl, which would not have made it in otherwise.

EmperorBrandon

04-04-2011, 05:34 PM

Saori is Nanri Yuuka. Which really was brilliant casting. Absolutely the perfect role for her.

Even in a show with no super powered summoned creatures, or insane space colonies, she's still sexy and evil, but in a way that makes you want to root for her.

It's kind of a rare appearance for her these days, isn't it? (is she semi-retired?) I was thinking that of her, and of Chiba Saeko (who didn't reprise her Strike Witches role but showed up here).

HitokiriShadow

04-08-2011, 01:05 AM

Oh man, I just loved Saori snuggling Shu's hair.

And then, Maiko! And Anna! I'm so, so happy that we got some more Anna scenes and there was some very, very nice developments there.

Too bad this is the last we'll see of it, because there's no way the show won't sell like crap and we'll never get a second season. At least the manga is getting released here, though the first volume isn't even out yet, so it could be a long time before the U.S. release reaches this point. It's still not the anime though, so it won't be the same. :(

Doi.... is a really interesting character. I'm still not quite sure what to make of him. He did seem to prompt Shuu to do that because he was just being an asshole, but he's so much more complicated than that, to the point that I'm not sure what to think of him.

And I was just thinking of Saori's asshat friend that hadn't shown up since episode 5ish, and then he suddenly shows up here.... in drag, excited that no one could tell he was a guy. Though someone clearly was trying to figure out why this girl seemed familiar. Saori's mom, maybe? I don't remember what she looked like, but that seems like the most logical answer.

HitokiriShadow

04-08-2011, 01:08 AM

HitokiriShadow

04-08-2011, 01:19 AM

As a fan of the manga, I had high hopes for this anime and it has pretty much lived up to them. While skipping the first year or two of plot made for a beginning that dumped the audience right into the middle of things, I think it was handled fairly deftly and appreciated the chance to see some of the key events from later in the manga, specifically Shu going to school as a girl, which would not have made it in otherwise.

Starting several volumes in (I think someone said it started at like volume 6?) made the first episode confusing, but I had everyone straight by the end of the second episode. If they had started earlier, they probably would have never gotten to where the show ended up starting at, and not getting Chi-chan, Shu dating Anna, self-loathing Saori planning out her life by marrying a rich man, and Saori and Takatsuki making up.... not being able to see those things would have been far worse. It was definitely the right decision to start where they did.

Ashyukun

04-08-2011, 08:33 AM

self-loathing Saori planning out her life by marrying a rich man
No, no- she's smarter than that. She planned to be a rich man's mistress... :P

Sly05

04-08-2011, 12:18 PM

If they had started earlier, they probably would have never gotten to where the show ended up starting at, and not getting Chi-chan, Shu dating Anna, self-loathing Saori planning out her life by marrying a rich man, and Saori and Takatsuki making up.... not being able to see those things would have been far worse. It was definitely the right decision to start where they did.

I think by not adapting the early parts of the manga, the anime did not do quite as good a job explaining some of the relationships between the characters and why certain characters act the way they do. Understanding the relationship between Shu, Yoshino, and Saori in particular benefits from knowing how they came together in elementary school.

That said, I am glad they adapted the parts they did and I don't think the story of the anime suffered due to not adapting the early parts. I was also glad the anime sped past a few parts where I thought the story kind of stalled in the manga.