March 27, 2011
Wandering Son Ep10: When A Man Becomes A Woman
I think it’s easy to blame children for things that are expected for adults to try and understand, or if not, at least tolerate. The age of adolescence is one of a tussle of identity versus identity confusion according to Erik Erikson, and this is the time when young men and women search for who they are, especially when it comes to sexuality and gender roles. This is also the time when a lot of people who feel “different” start to question themselves and assert the identity they believe to be.
For Nitorin, he has always said he wanted to be a girl. There is perhaps no greater place to assert one’s chosen gender at that age than their most public of places: the school.
February 26, 2011
Wandering Son Ep6: Act I, Scene I, Take II
In a more adult setting, screwing up your first lines would usually get you booed off the stage, and in earlier times probably a few heaves of rotten tomatoes along with your exit. We’re not bound to see something like that in a high school play of course, but you’d still expect a bunch of budding teenagers to get the jitters on stage especially if it’s their first time. The ones brimming with confidence like Saorin have no problems with their orations, but more reserved ones such as Mako may as well pee their pants onstage.
Add the fact that they’re playing opposite genders… well…
February 19, 2011
Wandering Son Ep5: I Wanna Be Your Romeo
Shimura Takako sure has a thing for her characters appearing in plays within her stories, with a gender bent twist. Aoi Hana had some characters play Wuthering Heights, and for Hourou Musuko we have them playing Romeo and Juliet. This isn’t simply a plot gimmick of sorts, because each play is symbolic of not only how the story relates to the overall meta story, but how the characters they play represent themselves as well.
So just like the titular characters in the play they have adapted, there is indeed a sense of star-crossed relationships as I had posted on before.
January 30, 2011
Wandering Son Ep3: The Road to Adolescence
Let me begin with a quick background on puberty. First off, the depiction of Yoshino is rather spot on: puberty is considered to begin during the first stage of breast growth, Tanner Stage I, and menarche actually happens 1-3 years after that. Yoshino probably has had them growing on for a while, her age is more or less on par.
The issue of voice cracking is sometimes a misconception. The first event in male puberty is the enlargement of the genitals. On that note however, it really is the voice changing that tends to be the first thing boys notice when they come of age, even though they tend to occur 2-3 years after the start of puberty.
Anyway enough of the biology lesson.
January 14, 2011
Wandering Son Pilot Episode: What Boys and Girls Are Made Of.
- What are little boys made of?
- What are little boys made of?
- Frogs and snails
- And puppy-dogs’ tails,
- That’s what little boys are made of.
- What are little girls made of?
- What are little girls made of?
- Sugar and spice
- And everything nice,
- That’s what little girls are made of.
Medical Student vs. Anime 